How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It

by James Wesley, Rawles

  Shotguns

  The next gun categories to consider are upland-game and waterfowl shotguns. If you will have the opportunity to hunt upland game or waterfowl, you will of course want to include one or more good bird-hunting shotguns in your battery. As you will likely be carrying your shotgun more often than the average city dweller, a durable finish is desirable. Remington’s Special Purpose versions of their Model 870, Model 11-87, and Model 1100 fit this bill nicely. They come from the factory with a nonglare stock finish and a dull gray Parkerized finish on all their surfaces. Several makers produce (or produced) Parkerized-finish pumps and autos comparable to the Remington Special Purpose series. One such is the Winchester Model 1300 Waterfowler. Like most other currently produced domestic shotguns, the Remington Special Purpose guns come with screw-in choke tubes as standard equipment. A twenty-six-inch barrel length is best suited to upland-game hunting, while a twenty-eight- or thirty-inch barrel is normally recommended for pass shooting at ducks and geese. Because odd-gauge shells might be difficult to obtain in rural areas (or regardless of where you live in times of turmoil), it is best to buy either a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun. Also, given the trend toward steel shot, a three-inch-length chamber is recommended. The longer chamber allows the use of Magnum loads, which are needed to give the less dense steel shot the same killing power as traditional lead-shot loadings. In addition, screw-in choke tubes are advisable. As steel shot wears out chokes quickly, replaceable choke tubes can greatly increase the usable life of a gun.

  One gun that deserves special mention is the .410-gauge Snake Charmer II single-shot shotgun, made by Sport Arms of Florida. This lightweight little gun just barely meets the federal size minimums (18-inch barrel and 28½ inches overall length). It is constructed of stainless steel and has a synthetic stock with a compartment that holds spare shot shells. Because it is compact and lightweight, our Snake Charmer gets taken along on walks when heavier, bulkier long guns would usually be left behind. This gun has been used to kill several rattlesnakes and a good number of quail.

  Despite popular misconceptions popularized by Hollywood, shotguns must be aimed, much like a rifle. The bead sights that are installed on most shotgun barrels are insufficient. I recommend either buying a replacement barrel with rifle sights or having these sights retrofitted.

  Retreat Defense

  Self-defense guns are the final category to be considered for farms, ranches, and survival retreats. Post-TEOTWAWKI, we all may be on our own—with no law enforcement to call on or any way to call them even if they are still available. Even in relatively peaceful times, a lot can happen before help arrives, so it makes sense to be prepared. If you expect bad economic times or other sources of social unrest, you should make a concerted effort to stock up on defensive guns, plenty of ammunition, lots of spare magazines, and a good selection of spare parts. At our farm, we have a variety of guns whose main job is defense but that are also used for other purposes. Our L1A1s double as long-range coyote eliminators. Our large-frame handguns are primarily self-defense guns, but are also usable for hunting and shooting pests.

  If you like the ballistics of the .45 ACP but prefer the action of a revolver, you might consider purchasing a Smith and Wesson Model 625 revolver. This is a stainless steel revolver built on the “N” frame—the same heavy frame used for the Smith and Wesson .44 Magnums. The Model 625 uses “full-moon” spring steel clips to hold six rounds of .45 ACP. Unlike most speed loaders, with the full-moon clips there is no knob to twist, nor any mechanism that could potentially fail. You just drop the whole works into the cylinder. This makes them just as fast, if not faster, than any speed loader. The Model 625 is offered in three-, four-, and five-inch barrel lengths—the latter of which is just about ideal. Because the .45 ACP has the same bore diameter as the .45 Colt cartridge, a spare cylinder and crane assembly can be fabricated for the more potent .45 Colt cartridge (commonly, but inaccurately called “.45 long Colt”). This combination would make a particularly versatile handgun.

  Shotguns are also well suited to defensive work. A spare short riot-gun barrel for a pump or automatic shotgun can make it double as a formidable home-defense weapon.

  The “Battery”

  Just how many guns will you need? If you are on a budget, you might get by with a good-quality bolt-action rifle chambered in .308 or .30-06, a 12-gauge pump shotgun with a spare riot-gun barrel, a .22 LR rifle, and a .45 automatic pistol. However, in order to have the versatility required for the many shooting tasks at most farms and ranches, you will likely need at least twice this many guns. For a more complete discussion of guns suitable for a self-sufficient and self-reliant lifestyle, the late Mel Tappan’s book Survival Guns (The Janus Press, Rogue River, Oregon) is generally recognized as the best general reference in print. And for a more complete discussion of guns suitable for self-defense, I highly recommend the book Boston’s Gun Bible.

  Purchases should be made systematically and dispassionately. As with buying any other tool, you shouldn’t skimp on quality. A well-made gun can deliver years or even generations of reliable service.

  One final note: You can buy the best guns in the world, but unless you practice with them often, you are not prepared. Getting training at a top-notch firearms school is money well spent.

  Storing Guns and Magazines

  The precautions that you need to take depend a lot on where you live. If you live in a humid climate, then you need to be particularly vigilant with your guns, magazines, and other tools. The higher the humidity, the greater the degree of protection required, and the greater the frequency of inspection for rust.

  Wear lightweight cotton gloves when you do your gun maintenance. This is particularly important if you have sweaty hands. My college roommate was notorious for inducing rust on guns because of this, and he has always had to take special precautions.

  A light coat of gun oil such as Rem Oil will suffice in a dry climate. Although exotic lubricants such as Break-Free CLP are great for lubricating, in my experience, they leave so little residue that they are actually inferior to traditional gun oils for preventing rust. In damp climates, I recommend Birchwood Casey Barricade (formerly sold under the product name Sheath). Rem Oil and Barricade are both available from a number of Internet vendors, including Brownells (snipurl.com/hneta). And even Amazon.com now sells Barricade.

  For long-term storage, all metal parts (inside and out), especially the bore, chamber, and breech face, should get a coating of grease. There is always the tried-and-true USGI “grease, rifle,” but I prefer rust-inhibitive grease (RIG), which is available from Brownells, as well as from other Internet vendors. Even though you will know how the gun was treated before storage, someone else in your family might not. I therefore strongly recommend attaching a warning note: “Warning: grease coating—bore, chamber and bolt face! Remove grease before firing!”

  Small quantities of magazines stored inside a humidity-controlled gun vault (with a Golden Rod or similar dehumidifier) or in sealed ammo cans with a large packet of silica-gel desiccant probably won’t need more than a light coat of oil and annual inspection. Any larger quantities of magazines that are stored outside of your vault in non-airtight containers should probably be rubbed down with RIG. In most cases this requires disassembling magazines, to get at their innards. Don’t forget that the spring needs rust protection.

  Frequency of Firearms Practice

  I recommend shooting as frequently as your time and budget allow. Once a week would be ideal to stay in top form. Dry practice (commonly called “dry firing,” with an unloaded weapon) is quite useful, particularly for developing muscle strength and motor control. Note, however, that some stringent safety rules must be enforced and a safe backstop constructed, to eliminate the risk of a negligent discharge.

  The Memsahib reminded me to mention that bird watching with heavy binoculars or a camera with a long lens is also great exercise for building arm muscles, acquiring targets, and practice with holding a considerable weight pe
rfectly still.

  How Much Ammunition to Store

  It is important to maintain balance in your preparations. Food storage, first-aid supplies, and heirloom-seed storage should be priorities. But after those have been taken care of, it makes sense to stock up on ammunition. As long as you store your ammo in sealed military-surplus cans, there is no risk in overestimating your needs, since ammunition has a storage life of more than fifty years if protected from oil vapors and humidity. Consider any extra ammo the ideal barter item. The late Col. Jeff Cooper rightly called it “ballistic wampum.”

  For your barter inventory, I recommend that you stick with the most common calibers. For rifles: .22 LR, .223, .308, .30-06 (and in the British Commonwealth, .303 British). For handguns: 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. For shotguns: 12-gauge and 20-gauge. You might also buy a small quantity of the regional favorite deer cartridge for your area (snipurl.com/hofoq), as well as your local police- or sheriff’s department standard calibers. (Ask at your local gun shop.)

  I consider the following figures minimums:

  2,000 per battle rifle 500 per hunting rifle 800 per primary handgun 2,000 per .22 rimfire 500 per riot gun

  If you can afford it, three times those figures would meet the comfort level of most survivalists. In an age of inflation, consider that supply better than money in the bank. Ammo prices have recently been galloping, so do some price comparisons before you buy. Bring photocopies and “print-screen” printouts of prices with you when you shop, as bargaining tools.

  Some Internet ammunition vendors that I recommend are:

  AIM Surplus (snipurl.com/hoft7)

  Cheaper Than Dirt! (snipurl.com/hofrw)

  Dan’s Sporting Goods (snipurl.com/hoftv)

  J&G Sales (snipurl.com/hofvt)

  MidwayUSA (snipurl.com/hofx9)

  AmmoMan.com (snipurl.com/hofy1)

  Natchez Shooters Supplies (snipurl.com/hofz6)

  The Sportsman’s Guide (snipurl.com/hog02)

  Both to save money and to maximize your privacy—since umpteen heavy crates being unloaded from the back of a UPS truck is pretty obvious—I recommend that you be willing to drive a distance to take delivery in person from a regional vendor. Ammo is best bought by the three-quarter-ton-pickup load. Also, keep in mind that by buying in large quantities all at once from a big vendor, you will typically get ammo for each caliber from the same lots, which will result in more consistent accuracy.

  Affordable Yet Reliable Night-Vision Scopes

  For versatility, I prefer weapon-mounted scopes that can be detached for use as handheld monoculars. Make this your first purchase. If you have a big budget, then you can go on to buy goggles, but get your weapon sight first.

  I’d recommend that you purchase a professionally remanufactured U.S. military-contract Gen 2 scope such as the AN/PVS- 2B. Beware the many “kitchen-table” remanufacturers out there. Buy a full mil-spec scope from a reputable vendor such as Ready Made Resources or S.T.A.N.O. Components (snipurl.com/hoiuh) that will have a genuine, new Gen 2 image intensifier tube with a bona fide data sheet.

  Late-issue Third Generation (also called or Third Gen or Gen 3) starlight scopes can cost up to three thousand dollars each. Rebuilt First Gen (early-1970s technology) scopes can often be bought for as little as five hundred dollars. Russian-made monoculars (with lousy optics) can cost less than one hundred dollars. One Russian model that uses a piezoelectric generator instead of batteries is the best of this low-cost breed. These are best used as backups—in case your expensive American-made scopes fail. They should not be purchased for use as your primary night-vision devices unless you are on a very restrictive budget, but they are better than nothing. Buy the best starlight scopes, goggles, and monoculars that you can afford. If you can afford to buy only one, make it a weapon sight such as an AN/ PVS-4, with a Gen 2 (or better) tube (or the bulkier AN/PVS-2 if you are on tight budget). Make sure to specify that the tube is either new or has very low hours, that it has a high line pair count, and it that displays minimal scintillation. Again, it is important to buy your starlight gear from a reputable dealer. The market is crowded with rip-off artists and scammers.

  Even passive night-vision gear casts a backlight. This is the light of the image that you are seeing being cast on your face. Through another night vision device this looks like a bright flashlight. For this reason, I discourage buying any night-vision scope that does not have a baffled (“flap”) eyecup-type eye guard. The baffle opens only when you have the scope pressed up against your eye, minimizing backlighting. This fault is common with nearly all of the commercial night-vision gear on the market.

  My recommended suppliers for starlight weapon sights and goggles are JRH Enterprises (jrhenterprises.com) and Ready Made Resources. For full mil-spec units as well as spare intensifier tubes, talk to S.T.A.N.O. Components.

  One lower-technology alternative to starlight technology is a tritium-lit scope, such as those made by Trijicon. The half-life of tritium (a gaseous isotope of hydrogen) is 11.2 years, meaning that through radioactive decay they have one-half of their original brightness after 11.2 years, so the practical effective life of a tritium scope is 22 years, and the practical effective life of tritium iron sights is more than 33 years.

  Selecting and Assembling Web Gear

  There are umpteen opinions out there on web gear, so take the following as just one man’s view. Although they are currently all the rage, I am not a fan of load-bearing vests. I still primarily use the old tried-and-true ALICE gear, although I have upgraded from the traditional Y-suspender harness to the more heavily padded Eagle Industries Ranger H-harness.

  The new modular MOLLE vests are more versatile than the older-generation Woodland camouflage vests that have stitched-in magazine pouches, but I prefer having nearly everything handy at belt level. I’ve found that it is slow and cumbersome to get magazines in and out of pouches that are any higher than my solar plexus.

  Adding body armor to the equation changes things considerably, since full interceptor body armor (IBA) with a modular/ integrated communications helmet (MICH) weighs anywhere from nineteen to twenty-five pounds, depending on sizes and how many add-on pieces—such as upgraded small arms protective insert (SAPI) plates—are included. And keep in mind that those figures do not include the weight of ammo, magazines, a full hydration bladder, and various gadgets. When you’re wearing non-concealment body armor, a load-bearing vest/carrier does make sense. Talk to the folks at BulletProofME (bullet proofme.com) for details on getting set up with body armor, pouches, and hydration systems that are practical and comfortable. Fit is crucial with body armor, so talk with an experienced dealer with a big inventory and responsive customer-service policies that can fit you properly.

  For a brief overview on the older ALICE-generation U.S. military web gear, you can visit snipurl.com/hnd4h. Greater detail can be found in “Care and Use of Individual Clothing And Equipment” (FM 21-15), which can often be found at Amazon.com, MidwayUSA.com, GR8Gear.com, and LoadUp.com.

  The majority of ALICE and MOLLE items are interchangeable—meaning that in most instances you can clip an ALICE magazine pouch onto a MOLLE vest, or attach a MOLLE pouch onto an ALICE belt. Don’t worry about mismatched colors or camouflage patterns. Practical civilian survival “ain’t a beauty contest.” In real-world camouflage, randomness is a good thing. Anyone who tries to tell you that all your gear has to be color coordinated is a poseur.

  Both ALICE and MOLLE gear are available from a variety of Internet vendors.

  Holster, Sling, and Web Gear Recommendations

  It is important to think through how, where, and when you will need to carry or access your guns on a day-to-day basis. How will you carry in your car, on your tractor, on your quad, or on your horse? How will you carry a pistol if you need to conceal it? How will you carry in foul weather? What will you carry when gardening or doing other chores? How and when will you carry accessories such as cleaning kits, bipods, and spotting scopes? What other items
will you need to carry in the field that will also need to be kept handy, such as binoculars, flashlights, night-vision gear, and GPS receivers?