Post by woodyz on Mar 20, 2016 13:39:15 GMT -7
The Survival Battery- Part 1, by B.F.
I recently “rediscovered” the late Mel Tappan’s book Survival Guns. I remember reading his articles in Guns and Ammo and Soldier of Fortune back in the ’60s and ’70s, and I had a copy of Survival Guns when I was stationed in Germany as a small arms repairman in the mid ’70s. I left that copy in the unit’s common library when I PCS’d back to the world and had not thought about it until lately when I found a reprint available on Amazon.
A lot of writers have shared their thoughts about what should constitute a survival battery. JWR, for one, has suggestions in his list of lists, available on this website. His novels also present good ideas about what does and does not work for in TEOTWAWKIsituations as do his nonfiction books How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It and Tools for Survival.
While I am not anywhere near the class of these writers, I still want to share my thoughts on different survival batteries, based on today’s markets and availability. Here’s a little about me. I have been a gun nut since the mid-1960s and served as a 45B small arms repairman on active duty in Germany, supporting everything from 1911s to four deuce mortars. I have been a member of various shooting teams and a competitive shooter and firearms instructor since 1975, and I am currently an NRA certified instructor. I am a combat veteran and have (depending on how the Army chooses to count it at the moment) either 18, 23, or 32 years of service. I am also a bargain hunter, which is a bad combination for a gun nut, and have accumulated far too many guns over time, I think I am finally getting to the point where I can control this and focus my “collecting” activities a bit more and have started to sell some of the guns I haven’t shot for a while (or maybe ever). Some of them have been gathering dust in my safe since I stocked up prior to Y2K.
Getting back to Mel Tappan, after re-reading Survival Guns I was pleasantly surprised to note how relevant it still is forty plus years later. I would recommend it as a great resource to anyone seriously interested in prepping. He has chapters comparing various rifles, handguns, and shotguns, plus one on accessories, and others. He also makes recommendations for the contents of several different survival batteries for different groups of preppers and includes descriptions of the survival batteries of several well-known authorities on the subject, including Col Jeff Cooper.
Now as much as I like Tappan’s recommendations, the firearms world has changed quite a bit since he wrote his book and made his suggestions for survival batteries. I’m not saying that the batteries he recommends would not serve today, but some of the guns he suggests, such as the High Standard model 10b shotgun, the Beretta BM59 battle rifle, and the Colt Python revolver, have become high priced collector’s items that are no longer manufactured. Other guns he recommends have been superseded (at least in my mind) by higher quality, more accurate, less expensive alternatives. Additionally, the availability of stainless steel firearms, corrosion resistant factory finishes, and improvements in quality of factory guns have made a number of his suggestions for such things as aftermarket finishes or custom rifles superfluous. These are not bad ideas; they are just not as high a priority as they were in the 1970s. More to the point, there are entire categories of guns, such as polymer framed pistols and highly accessorizable AR15 and AR 10 rifles, that have come into existence since the late 1960s/early 1970s.
The one place I disagree with Tappan is his recommendation of combination guns, such as the Savage 24 series. I have owned a number of these types of guns, which usually consist of a rifle barrel mounted above a shotgun barrel. I have found them clumsier to handle than a single shot shotgun and less accurate than a single shot rifle. The argument for these guns is that you have both a rifle and a shotgun available to you just by carrying one gun. Used Savage 24s sell for $500 to $600 in my area of the country, which can be three times the combined cost of both an inexpensive .22 rifle and a single shot shotgun; I just can’t justify it. That said, if it works for you and you believe the premium is worth it, then go ahead and add one to your battery. I think a good alternative is a Rossi three barrel set. I have one with.22, .243 and 20ga barrels that cost me $180 new on sale.
It would not be fair use to re-print Tappan’s lists and then post changes, so I will just suggest my ideas. I’ll split the list between an everyday battery and a more “social” battery, and will present three different cost levels– one for the thrifty person, like me, on a tight budget; a mid-price list; and a “money is no object” list. I’m not going to focus on what to carry as a limited battery during a bug out or what to keep in your car or truck as a part of a get home bag. Rather, I will focus on what should make up the battery at your retreat or wherever you choose to reside after TEOTWAWKI.
I will talk about ammunition for break in, but I will not get into amounts you should keep for TEOTWAWKI. JWR has recommended ammunition quantities, and I can’t really think of anything you would want to do differently, except buy more after the rest of your preps are taken care of. Just because of the uses they will be put to, you will probably not need as much ammunition for the everyday battery as you will for the social battery.
Both batteries will be sized for a group of four people with varying levels of skills, dedication to shooting and practice, and different builds. The everyday battery will provide basic self-defense against two- and four-legged critters and hunting capabilities. The idea is that these are the guns you will need for everyday use and will always have either with you or near at hand when you are doing chores or other activities. Can you buy a decent battery for less? Yes. However, some of the parameters I am trying to cover include reliability and interoperability.
I am also not going to specify special high powered guns for “grizzly country”, because in a post SHTF world I believe that there will be plenty of feral hogs and cattle roaming around that could be even deadlier than grizzlies, since they won’t fear humans. Powerful “grizzly guns” will be needed just as much in Iowa, which has no native bears as they will be in Alaska, Canada, or the rest of grizzly country.
Let’s start with accessories and practice. You should have at least one holster for each handgun and more if you will be using alternate forms of carry based on what your activity or on temperature and weather. All of your rifles and shotguns should haveslings. This will make it less likely that you will leave them somewhere else, like in a truck or at your house, when you need them. The rifles should have shooting slings, while the shotguns should have carrying slings. Even if you use a bipod or shooting sticks for rifle shooting, you should get training and practice shooting a rifle with a sling. The Appleseed foundation offers good low cost training, including proper use of the sling. Col Jeff Cooper’s book The Art of the Rifle is also a great source on use of slings and proper techniques. As to practice, try to shoot your rifle and pistol at least once a month now with a minimum of 100 rounds. Practice now, before TEOTWAWKI, so you can replace the ammunition you use up. Your practices should be more than just launching rounds downrange as quickly as you can pull the trigger. They should be focused on specific skills. Google searches will return quite a few practice drills from reliable sources.
Other accessories you will need include magazine and ammunition pouches, cleaning kits and supplies, and gun cases. Reloading is something you should look into. If you don’t know much about it, then talk to a knowledgeable salesperson (be sure they really are knowledgeable) at a gun store or large sporting goods retailer like Cabelas, Scheels, Bass Pro, et cetera. You can also take a reloading class from an NRA certified reloading instructor or join a local gun club and learn from fellow members. We could spend a lot of time talking about accessories and reloading, but that is not really the focus of this article. One important thing that I believe most people forget about or don’t stock in sufficient quantities are spare parts. For some guns like AR15s and 1911s, you can purchase pre-packaged repair parts kits. For others, you may need to order part by part from a company like Brownells or Midway. If you do go with Brownells, then talk to one of their technicians and get their recommendations about what parts to stock.
The next installment will begin the recommendations for what should make up a battery.
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-1-by-b-f/
The Survival Battery- Part 2, by B.F.
On to the firearms batteries. I am a big fan of used guns. Most of the time, a used gun has not been shot much and you can pick it up for a significant savings over a new one. Right now is a great time to pick up trade-in police department handguns. Police trade-ins make an especially good deal for the person who is buying a gun to use rather than to show off. Even though the finish may be worn and the grips in need of replacement, they may only have been shot 100 rounds per year at annual qualification. Even in the more highly trained departments, unless the individual officer is interested in additional training, the handguns are probably shot less than 1000 rounds per year. Please seethis letter I wrote to SurvivalBlog with more information about police trade-ins.
Used guns can also represent false savings, if you are not careful. A gun that is no longer manufactured or one that is a cheap import can end up costing you more over the life of your ownership than you save in initial prices, due to having to replace worn out parts (or the whole gun) when the spare parts are not readily available and may be of questionable quantity. Some guns, such as AR15s in the current market, can actually end up selling for more used than new. I can’t explain why, unless it is an example of something I vaguely remember from economics class– the concept of imperfect information.
One thing about used guns, unless you are fairly confident of the gun’s history, is that you should buy a complete spring set from someone like Wolff springs. The sets are usually around $30. If you don’t have the mechanical ability to replace them yourself, a gunsmith should be able to do so for a minimal charge. If you ask nicely, maybe he or she would even let you watch and learn how to do it.
Once you buy a firearm, you need to take it out and shoot it. I put a minimum of 200 rounds through a used semi-auto pistol (150 ball and 50 defense rounds) before I am convinced it is reliable. With a new semi-auto pistol, I up the number to 500 rounds of ball and 100 rounds of defense ammo. In a used revolver, I put 100 rounds through and a new revolver 200 rounds. I also run 500 rounds through a new or used semi-auto rifle before I would trust my life to it, and I usually run at least 100 rounds through a shotgun, new or used. If anything is going to break, I want it to happen early so that I can get it fixed right away before it can cause a situation to go south.
One more thing that I want to acknowledge but not address here is defensive handgun caliber choices. I firmly believe that there is no significant real world difference between the 9mm, the .40 S&W, and the .45 acp. While one may have a slight edge in performance, another might have an edge in shootablity and magazine capacity. Another might be the best of both worlds. I believe there is no way to prove that one caliber is better than the other. Please see this article I wrote for SurvivalBlog, if you care to see more of my opinion. The great caliber debate reminds me of one of my drill sergeants who said that opinions are like noses (he didn’t really say noses, but let’s keep this G-rated); everyone has one, no two are the same, and everyone is convinced that theirs is better than anyone else’s.
Your survival battery should be reliable both in function and for the long term. A quality firearm should last beyond your lifetime. I competed in several three-gun competitions last year, and for fun I used some of the older guns in my safe in one of them. The age of the rifle, revolver, and shotgun added up to a combined 249 years. (The semi-auto rifle alone was 108 years old.) They all worked flawlessly and although I finished lower than usual, just below the 50% mark, I still finished ahead of about 150 other shooters armed with the latest and greatest. The guns in your multi-person battery should also share a degree of commonality both for training purposes and to minimize the spare parts you need to keep in inventory.
Low Cost Everyday Battery
The low cost everyday battery should consist of a centerfire handgun that you will carry with you every day. It should be powerful enough to bag a deer or deal with something larger and aggressive. It should also have a 12-gauge pump shotgun, a centerfire rifle, and a .22 rifle. Optional guns should include a .22 semi auto pistol and an easily concealed handgun for concealed carry. The battery should be able to serve to defend yourself against two-legged aggressors, although that will not be its primary purpose.
My recommendations for the low cost everyday battery are:
• Four Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag (also shoots 44 special), available used for $350. You can find grip options to fit small to extra-large hands. Carry it in a cross chest holster, as it is large and heavy.
• Four 12 ga pump shotguns– Remington 870s with slug and bird barrels, new for $350 (with aftermarket slug barrel). Be sure to pick up an assortment of choke tubes, too.
• Two Remington 700 ADL in .308 or 30-06 with iron sights. These can be had new for $350. Buy a base level Leupold or Burris 3×9 power scope (both with lifetime warranties which would be good until TSHTF) for $200 (shared)
• Two Remington 597 22 rifles new $135 (shared)
Optional guns include:
• Two Ruger 22-45 .22 semi auto pistol available new for $290 (shared) Go with new, as used does not save much and a used .22 semi auto may have fired tens of thousands of rounds (back when .22 ammo was more available).
• Two Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock $350 new. Used only saves you about $25, and you don’t get the warranty. (shared)
• One or two .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built-in suppressors to use on small game. They, even the more famous name manufacturers, are almost all made in China. $100 new (shared). The.177 rifle has a faster pellet, the .22 rifle a slightly heavier pellet, so choosing between the two are a toss-up in my mind for headshots on small game.
This puts the total for the four person everyday battery at $4,170 or $1,043 per person for the recommended and $5,650 or $1,413 per person if you include the optional guns. You could make some substitutions depending on your preferences. For example, the Glock 21 in 45acp would be marginal for bear or feral cows; the Glock 20 in 10mm would be a better option. If you went with the large frame Glocks or similar guns, which are available used for about the same price as used Super Blackhawks, then they would also serve for the Social battery, saving money.
Comments: It may take a bit of shopping to find these guns at these prices, but it is not impossible. If you are really into bargain hunting, you can beat all these prices significantly. For example, I bought a Super Blackhawk for $225 at a pawn shop and a Stainless Blackhawk in 45 colt for $250 at an auction.
I am a big Remington 870 fan. However, the Mossberg 500 would be a good choice, too, if you prefer that brand. While you can find older 12ga pumps from second tier manufactures as low as $100 or new Turkish and Chinese import pumps for as low as $150, the Remingtons and Mossbergs are reliable. They are out there in the millions and have tons of accessories available for them. Based on personal experience, I would avoid used Mossberg 500s unless they are really inexpensive (like under $150), because most of the used 500s I have bought or looked at over the years have been shot so much that they have a number of worn out parts that need to be replaced, especially the plastic safety button which Mossberg will not sell you; they want you to ship the gun in to them.
You may ask “What about the 20ga for smaller framed shooters instead of the 12ga?” Lower powered 12ga rounds such as AA shells or reduced recoil buckshot or slugs really don’t recoil any more than a 20ga, and they have a more effective shot column. Just be sure to get a stock of an appropriate length, such as a youth stock or an aftermarket AR-15 style collapsible stock.
The Social Battery
It should be able to equip four people for defense against bad guys. I am not spec’ing out a go-to-war battery, as that gets more into the realm of the paramilitary than prepping, so keep that in mind as you read through the recommendations. Now the best option will be to avoid confrontation, but if that is impossible you need to be prepared to meet aggression with overwhelming force. Each member of the team will need a service sized handgun and a rifle in suitable calibers and of course you will need to be sure to stock spare parts.
The slug barrel equipped shotguns can pull double duty for social purposes. You may want to consider folding or collapsible stocks for moving around in tight quarters and also mounting a flashlight.
For the social additions to the budget battery, I would go with the following:
• Four used police trade Smith and Wesson M&Ps in .40 S&W available for $325 with three magazines. New M&Ps at $399 are also a good choice.
• Four new Ruger AR 5.56 rifles in 5.56mm. I would not recommend optical sights, as the ones under $200 will probably only last a year with a lot of use, and the ones over $200 take it out of the budget category and also probably will only last a year or so. Instead learn how to use iron sights and practice with them. The Ruger 556 should run you $630.
The total for the Social battery comes to $3,820 or $955 per person. Polymer guns have been around since the 1970s and are still going strong. My HK VP70 manufactured in 1975 still shoots fine (although it is an odd design). One of my Glocks is a 1984 model with over 1000 rounds per year through it. I still compete with it. A well-known gun writer has documented over 100,000 rounds in his Glock. As much as I would like to recommend Glocks as a part of this budget battery, the used ones you are most likely to find are older generation guns that do not have adjustable back straps to accommodate folks with different sizes of hand. That is why I am recommending the M&P. I suggest getting it in .40 because of the large number of police trades in the market right now. The Bosnian manufactured Springfield XD family is another option. I have owned one, and they are good guns. I just have a problem with Springfield raising the price by a couple hundred dollars years ago after they took over importing them and changed the name from the HS2000 to the XD9.
If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of polymer guns, then go with a low cost 1911 from Armscor. They are a Philippine company that has been around for 100 years and makes 1911s under their own name and for a lot of other importers’ brands, such as Rock Island Armory, STI, Cimarron, Charles Daly, and Auto Ordnance. They make huge quantiles of 1911s each year and are ISO 9001 certified, assuring quality. You can find them starting at $390. Personally, I like 1911s, but I think they require more training and practice to use than modern DAO handguns. 1911s do have the advantage of a large selection of aftermarket parts and accessories available.
As to the AR 15 MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle), today everyone makes AR15s and you can find them in the market as low as $499. Prices go up and down. Around Christmas 2014 you could snatch up a Bushmaster Carbon 15 for $350 after rebate with other decent ARs going for $400. Although the less expensive ARs will probably work fine, remember they are built with parts from whoever the lowest bidder is at the moment. I believe that spending a bit more for a quality manufacturer, like Ruger, is worth it for a gun that needs to last you for years.
In years past, I would also have suggested at least one AK47 variant or even an SKS as optional, just because of the availability of ammunition for them. I was surprised to note in Tappan’s book that Jeff Cooper even recommended a rifle in “30 Russian short”, but the days of the $300 AK and $100 SKS are over, as are the days of the $100 case of 7.62×39 or 5.45×39. The Remington 700s will work if you need to reach out and touch someone or shoot through a small tree, but I don’t believe preppers will really need tactical precision rifles. Please see my SurvivalBlog article on sniper rifles for preppers if you are interested in more on preppers and sniping.
The next installment will look at the mid-level and high end batteries.
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-2-by-b-f/
The Survival Battery- Part 3, by B.F.
Mid-Level Battery
The mid-level battery I will recommend is as follows, with four each in most categories of guns for redundancy and so that they don’t have to be shared.
Mid-Level Everyday Battery
There are two choices here for a handgun– one semi auto and one revolver.
• Four Glock Gen four model 21 in 45acp. The 45acp may not be quite as powerful as a 44 magnum, but the 13+1 rounds it carries should compensate. If you don’t mind stocking a less popular more expensive caliber, then the Glock model 20 in 10mm gives you 15+1 rounds that have close to twice the muzzle energy of the 45 in the same size package. Either one is available for about $520 new.
• Or, you could go with four S&W Model 29s in 44 magnum with four-inch barrels. These will also shoot 44 specials, which have very low recoil compared to the 44 magnum. Like the Blackhawk above, you can get grips of different sizes for different sized hands. You could go with the S&W 329 in Scandium for ease of carry, since the gun is extremely light weight making it easy to carry; however, the 329 has a recoil that could conservatively be called viscous. That said, the 329 would be my personal choice for everyday carry in a SHTF world, but I have shot it enough that I am somewhat used to its recoil, at least for 12 rounds. Although the 329 is brutal, I would carry it every day when a heavier gun might get left in the car. The main downside to the S&W revolvers is the key lock safety that they incorporate in almost all of their revolvers. Although I have never had one fail, this is a still a mechanical device that could fail at the worst possible time and make the gun impossible to fire. I wish S&W leadership would stand up to their lawyers and tell them “no” or go with a less intrusive lock system, preferable one that can be removed by the owner. The model 29 is $850 each ($950 each for the 329). The Ruger Super Redhawk would be another option, but although the longer barrel (7.5 inch) version is less expensive than the S&W, the shorter barrel versions bring a premium.
I will stick with the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 shotgun for the recommendation here but will also suggest the Mossberg 930 Semi Auto for those who prefer semi-autos or who would appreciate the reduced recoil. Again, a pump is more reliable, easier to use, and less expensive, but the 930 is a viable option.
• Four 12 ga pump shotguns– Remington 870s with slug and bird barrels, new for $350 (with aftermarket slug barrel). Be sure to pick up an assortment of choke tubes, too.
The same is true with the rifle. The Remington 700 is still the best choice, but we’ll go with a variation, too. We’ll also go with a rifle for each of the four team members.
• Three Remington 700 ADL in .308 with iron sights, new for $350. Buy a base level Leupold or Burris 3×9 power scope (both with lifetime warranties, which would be good until TSHTF) for $200. Also, One Remington 700 SPS short threaded barrel in .308 with Leupold Mark IV scope with a suppressor (in the 41 states where legal) fitted by a gunsmith with back up iron sights $2,500 total.
• Four Ruger 10-22 rifles with iron sights and base level Leupold or Burris scopes. There are a lot of variants available, I would recommend a threaded barrel non-take down version. You can get them with longer barrels, heavy barrels, wood, composite, or collapsible stocks in fixed and take down variations all at different prices. Figure about $500 with scope, add two suppressors for $500 each (including tax stamp).
• Two Ruger 22-45 .22 semi auto pistol available new for $290 (shared) if you get the threaded barrel variant; then you can use the same suppressor you have for the 10-22.
• Four Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock for $350 new
• Two .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built in suppressors to use on small game for $100 (shared)
The total for the mid-price everyday battery is $9,870 or $2,468 per person.
Mid-level Social Battery
• If you go with the Glocks in the everyday battery, then they will serve for the Social battery as well. If you instead went with revolvers, then buy four gen-4 Glocks, I would suggest 9mm, but be sure they are all the same caliber. Depending on what feels right to everyone, you can go with two full sized (like the G17 or G22) and two smaller sized (such as the G19 and G23) if that helps. Prices again are around $520. For another couple hundred per pistol, you could get a caliber conversion kit that lets you shoot both 9mm and .40 S&W. For the polymer adverse amongst us, then police trade Sig P229s and P226s are available for $300 to $400 right now; but you will want to replace the springs and maybe also buy caliber conversion kits. The down side is that they don’t have adjustable back straps, although you can get thinner or thicker grips. 1911s are another option, but here I would suggest stepping up to something like a Ruger or S&W American made 1911. The back straps are not adjustable but there are some options around different mainspring housings, including bobbed versions that can give you some degree of hand size choices.
• I think the Ruger 556 still makes sense for the mid-level battery, although I am going to recommend optics this time. Here I would go with a mid-priced Leupold, Burris, or a comparable scope. In this case, I would buy the Leupold VX-R 1.25 to 4x for about $500, bringing the total cost of the rifle to $1,130. Back up Iron Sights are a must.
• I would also add a Ruger Long Range rifle in .308 with a Leupold Mark iV scope for around $2,500 just in case you do need to reach out and touch someone. The 6.5mm Creedmoor chambering may offer marginally better long range performance, but caliber commonality with the Remington 700s is more important.
The social battery, excluding the Glock’s because you bought them for the everyday battery, totals $7,020 or $1,755 per person. If you bought the model 29’s then the Glocks would add another $2,080. On to the high end battery.
High End Battery
This is for people with money to burn, as it really does not provide a lot of improvement over the other two batteries. You may want to start out with the budget battery and move up in some categories of weapons over time as your finances and the completeness of your other preps allow.
High End Everyday Battery
• The pistol I would really like to recommend is the Sig Sauer P220 single action with steel frame in 10mm. The heavier frame really tames the recoil, and it is built like a Swiss watch. The challenge again is that it does not fit everyone’s hand. Instead I’d suggest going with the tried and true Glock 20 in 10mm, or the new longer barrel 10mm Glock model 40. These come now with the option of mounting a small reflex sight, and I would suggest doing so. You would also want a few spares on hand, but bear in mind that sometime in the future these red dot type sights will fail or you will run out of batteries and you will be back to iron sights. Cost around $800 each with reflex sight. Again for the plastic averse, something like a Les Baer or other semi-custom 1911 would be a good choice at $2,500 each for basic models.
• Rifle choice would be four Remington 700 SPSs with short threaded barrel in .308 with Leupold Mark IV scope and a suppressor (in the 41 states where legal). Also have a gunsmith fit back up iron sights $2,500 total. You can spend more but why?
• Shotguns would be stock Remington 870s as above with two barrels. We will also recommend social 870s below. Four at $350 each. More money will not get you a better shotgun, just a fancier one.
• Four Ruger 10-22 rifles with iron sights and mid-level Leupold or Burris scopes. There are a lot of variants available. I would recommend a threaded barrel non take down version customized by Volquartsen. You can get them with longer barrels, heavy barrels, wood, composite, or collapsible stocks in fixed and take down variations all at different prices. These are $1,750 each with mid-priced scope; add suppressors for $500 each (including tax stamp).
• Four Ruger 22-45 lite weight .22 semi auto pistol available also sent to Volquartsen for customizing. Get threaded barrels and dedicated titanium suppressors (where legal). Total depending on options is $2,000 each.
• Four Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock $350 new. Leave stock, no need to customize.
• Four .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built-in suppressors to use on small game, $100.
This brings the cost of the high end everyday battery to $33,400 or $8,350 per person.
High End Social Battery
• Four Glock 19s tuned by a good gunsmith with threaded barrels and suppressors. $1200 each.
• Four semi-custom AR15s by someone like Les Baer or another high end builder with optics $2,500 each.
• Four Remington 870 shotguns customized by someone like Vang Comp Systems for consistent accuracy, reliability, and flexibility. A Vang upgrade applied to your 870 runs about $820, bringing the cost to just under $1,200 each.
• Two Barrett M95 bull pup bolt action .50 BMG with Leupold Mark IV. One would be enough but might as well have a backup for $7,000 each.
That brings the total of the high end Social battery to $33,600 or $8,400 per person.
This is not necessarily all of the guns you want to have. You may want spares of the guns listed above. You may want guns for trading or supplying to folks who join your retreat, and you may want to keep a separate cache somewhere just in case. Additionally, if you start out with what you have today, you may want to keep your existing guns as you move towards a higher cost more consistent battery.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Mel Tappan really knew what he was talking about 40 plus years ago. Some of what I ended up recommending surprised me. For example, I have always thought myself to be a Glock guy, but when faced with some of the requirements around putting together a flexible battery, I had to make some changes to my thinking. Likewise, I’m a big fan of 7.62×51 battle rifles, but unless you are planning for paramilitary operations, I think the 5.56×45 makes a lot more sense. What do you think? What would you do differently?
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-3-by-b-f/
I recently “rediscovered” the late Mel Tappan’s book Survival Guns. I remember reading his articles in Guns and Ammo and Soldier of Fortune back in the ’60s and ’70s, and I had a copy of Survival Guns when I was stationed in Germany as a small arms repairman in the mid ’70s. I left that copy in the unit’s common library when I PCS’d back to the world and had not thought about it until lately when I found a reprint available on Amazon.
A lot of writers have shared their thoughts about what should constitute a survival battery. JWR, for one, has suggestions in his list of lists, available on this website. His novels also present good ideas about what does and does not work for in TEOTWAWKIsituations as do his nonfiction books How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It and Tools for Survival.
While I am not anywhere near the class of these writers, I still want to share my thoughts on different survival batteries, based on today’s markets and availability. Here’s a little about me. I have been a gun nut since the mid-1960s and served as a 45B small arms repairman on active duty in Germany, supporting everything from 1911s to four deuce mortars. I have been a member of various shooting teams and a competitive shooter and firearms instructor since 1975, and I am currently an NRA certified instructor. I am a combat veteran and have (depending on how the Army chooses to count it at the moment) either 18, 23, or 32 years of service. I am also a bargain hunter, which is a bad combination for a gun nut, and have accumulated far too many guns over time, I think I am finally getting to the point where I can control this and focus my “collecting” activities a bit more and have started to sell some of the guns I haven’t shot for a while (or maybe ever). Some of them have been gathering dust in my safe since I stocked up prior to Y2K.
Getting back to Mel Tappan, after re-reading Survival Guns I was pleasantly surprised to note how relevant it still is forty plus years later. I would recommend it as a great resource to anyone seriously interested in prepping. He has chapters comparing various rifles, handguns, and shotguns, plus one on accessories, and others. He also makes recommendations for the contents of several different survival batteries for different groups of preppers and includes descriptions of the survival batteries of several well-known authorities on the subject, including Col Jeff Cooper.
Now as much as I like Tappan’s recommendations, the firearms world has changed quite a bit since he wrote his book and made his suggestions for survival batteries. I’m not saying that the batteries he recommends would not serve today, but some of the guns he suggests, such as the High Standard model 10b shotgun, the Beretta BM59 battle rifle, and the Colt Python revolver, have become high priced collector’s items that are no longer manufactured. Other guns he recommends have been superseded (at least in my mind) by higher quality, more accurate, less expensive alternatives. Additionally, the availability of stainless steel firearms, corrosion resistant factory finishes, and improvements in quality of factory guns have made a number of his suggestions for such things as aftermarket finishes or custom rifles superfluous. These are not bad ideas; they are just not as high a priority as they were in the 1970s. More to the point, there are entire categories of guns, such as polymer framed pistols and highly accessorizable AR15 and AR 10 rifles, that have come into existence since the late 1960s/early 1970s.
The one place I disagree with Tappan is his recommendation of combination guns, such as the Savage 24 series. I have owned a number of these types of guns, which usually consist of a rifle barrel mounted above a shotgun barrel. I have found them clumsier to handle than a single shot shotgun and less accurate than a single shot rifle. The argument for these guns is that you have both a rifle and a shotgun available to you just by carrying one gun. Used Savage 24s sell for $500 to $600 in my area of the country, which can be three times the combined cost of both an inexpensive .22 rifle and a single shot shotgun; I just can’t justify it. That said, if it works for you and you believe the premium is worth it, then go ahead and add one to your battery. I think a good alternative is a Rossi three barrel set. I have one with.22, .243 and 20ga barrels that cost me $180 new on sale.
It would not be fair use to re-print Tappan’s lists and then post changes, so I will just suggest my ideas. I’ll split the list between an everyday battery and a more “social” battery, and will present three different cost levels– one for the thrifty person, like me, on a tight budget; a mid-price list; and a “money is no object” list. I’m not going to focus on what to carry as a limited battery during a bug out or what to keep in your car or truck as a part of a get home bag. Rather, I will focus on what should make up the battery at your retreat or wherever you choose to reside after TEOTWAWKI.
I will talk about ammunition for break in, but I will not get into amounts you should keep for TEOTWAWKI. JWR has recommended ammunition quantities, and I can’t really think of anything you would want to do differently, except buy more after the rest of your preps are taken care of. Just because of the uses they will be put to, you will probably not need as much ammunition for the everyday battery as you will for the social battery.
Both batteries will be sized for a group of four people with varying levels of skills, dedication to shooting and practice, and different builds. The everyday battery will provide basic self-defense against two- and four-legged critters and hunting capabilities. The idea is that these are the guns you will need for everyday use and will always have either with you or near at hand when you are doing chores or other activities. Can you buy a decent battery for less? Yes. However, some of the parameters I am trying to cover include reliability and interoperability.
I am also not going to specify special high powered guns for “grizzly country”, because in a post SHTF world I believe that there will be plenty of feral hogs and cattle roaming around that could be even deadlier than grizzlies, since they won’t fear humans. Powerful “grizzly guns” will be needed just as much in Iowa, which has no native bears as they will be in Alaska, Canada, or the rest of grizzly country.
Let’s start with accessories and practice. You should have at least one holster for each handgun and more if you will be using alternate forms of carry based on what your activity or on temperature and weather. All of your rifles and shotguns should haveslings. This will make it less likely that you will leave them somewhere else, like in a truck or at your house, when you need them. The rifles should have shooting slings, while the shotguns should have carrying slings. Even if you use a bipod or shooting sticks for rifle shooting, you should get training and practice shooting a rifle with a sling. The Appleseed foundation offers good low cost training, including proper use of the sling. Col Jeff Cooper’s book The Art of the Rifle is also a great source on use of slings and proper techniques. As to practice, try to shoot your rifle and pistol at least once a month now with a minimum of 100 rounds. Practice now, before TEOTWAWKI, so you can replace the ammunition you use up. Your practices should be more than just launching rounds downrange as quickly as you can pull the trigger. They should be focused on specific skills. Google searches will return quite a few practice drills from reliable sources.
Other accessories you will need include magazine and ammunition pouches, cleaning kits and supplies, and gun cases. Reloading is something you should look into. If you don’t know much about it, then talk to a knowledgeable salesperson (be sure they really are knowledgeable) at a gun store or large sporting goods retailer like Cabelas, Scheels, Bass Pro, et cetera. You can also take a reloading class from an NRA certified reloading instructor or join a local gun club and learn from fellow members. We could spend a lot of time talking about accessories and reloading, but that is not really the focus of this article. One important thing that I believe most people forget about or don’t stock in sufficient quantities are spare parts. For some guns like AR15s and 1911s, you can purchase pre-packaged repair parts kits. For others, you may need to order part by part from a company like Brownells or Midway. If you do go with Brownells, then talk to one of their technicians and get their recommendations about what parts to stock.
The next installment will begin the recommendations for what should make up a battery.
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-1-by-b-f/
The Survival Battery- Part 2, by B.F.
On to the firearms batteries. I am a big fan of used guns. Most of the time, a used gun has not been shot much and you can pick it up for a significant savings over a new one. Right now is a great time to pick up trade-in police department handguns. Police trade-ins make an especially good deal for the person who is buying a gun to use rather than to show off. Even though the finish may be worn and the grips in need of replacement, they may only have been shot 100 rounds per year at annual qualification. Even in the more highly trained departments, unless the individual officer is interested in additional training, the handguns are probably shot less than 1000 rounds per year. Please seethis letter I wrote to SurvivalBlog with more information about police trade-ins.
Used guns can also represent false savings, if you are not careful. A gun that is no longer manufactured or one that is a cheap import can end up costing you more over the life of your ownership than you save in initial prices, due to having to replace worn out parts (or the whole gun) when the spare parts are not readily available and may be of questionable quantity. Some guns, such as AR15s in the current market, can actually end up selling for more used than new. I can’t explain why, unless it is an example of something I vaguely remember from economics class– the concept of imperfect information.
One thing about used guns, unless you are fairly confident of the gun’s history, is that you should buy a complete spring set from someone like Wolff springs. The sets are usually around $30. If you don’t have the mechanical ability to replace them yourself, a gunsmith should be able to do so for a minimal charge. If you ask nicely, maybe he or she would even let you watch and learn how to do it.
Once you buy a firearm, you need to take it out and shoot it. I put a minimum of 200 rounds through a used semi-auto pistol (150 ball and 50 defense rounds) before I am convinced it is reliable. With a new semi-auto pistol, I up the number to 500 rounds of ball and 100 rounds of defense ammo. In a used revolver, I put 100 rounds through and a new revolver 200 rounds. I also run 500 rounds through a new or used semi-auto rifle before I would trust my life to it, and I usually run at least 100 rounds through a shotgun, new or used. If anything is going to break, I want it to happen early so that I can get it fixed right away before it can cause a situation to go south.
One more thing that I want to acknowledge but not address here is defensive handgun caliber choices. I firmly believe that there is no significant real world difference between the 9mm, the .40 S&W, and the .45 acp. While one may have a slight edge in performance, another might have an edge in shootablity and magazine capacity. Another might be the best of both worlds. I believe there is no way to prove that one caliber is better than the other. Please see this article I wrote for SurvivalBlog, if you care to see more of my opinion. The great caliber debate reminds me of one of my drill sergeants who said that opinions are like noses (he didn’t really say noses, but let’s keep this G-rated); everyone has one, no two are the same, and everyone is convinced that theirs is better than anyone else’s.
Your survival battery should be reliable both in function and for the long term. A quality firearm should last beyond your lifetime. I competed in several three-gun competitions last year, and for fun I used some of the older guns in my safe in one of them. The age of the rifle, revolver, and shotgun added up to a combined 249 years. (The semi-auto rifle alone was 108 years old.) They all worked flawlessly and although I finished lower than usual, just below the 50% mark, I still finished ahead of about 150 other shooters armed with the latest and greatest. The guns in your multi-person battery should also share a degree of commonality both for training purposes and to minimize the spare parts you need to keep in inventory.
Low Cost Everyday Battery
The low cost everyday battery should consist of a centerfire handgun that you will carry with you every day. It should be powerful enough to bag a deer or deal with something larger and aggressive. It should also have a 12-gauge pump shotgun, a centerfire rifle, and a .22 rifle. Optional guns should include a .22 semi auto pistol and an easily concealed handgun for concealed carry. The battery should be able to serve to defend yourself against two-legged aggressors, although that will not be its primary purpose.
My recommendations for the low cost everyday battery are:
• Four Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag (also shoots 44 special), available used for $350. You can find grip options to fit small to extra-large hands. Carry it in a cross chest holster, as it is large and heavy.
• Four 12 ga pump shotguns– Remington 870s with slug and bird barrels, new for $350 (with aftermarket slug barrel). Be sure to pick up an assortment of choke tubes, too.
• Two Remington 700 ADL in .308 or 30-06 with iron sights. These can be had new for $350. Buy a base level Leupold or Burris 3×9 power scope (both with lifetime warranties which would be good until TSHTF) for $200 (shared)
• Two Remington 597 22 rifles new $135 (shared)
Optional guns include:
• Two Ruger 22-45 .22 semi auto pistol available new for $290 (shared) Go with new, as used does not save much and a used .22 semi auto may have fired tens of thousands of rounds (back when .22 ammo was more available).
• Two Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock $350 new. Used only saves you about $25, and you don’t get the warranty. (shared)
• One or two .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built-in suppressors to use on small game. They, even the more famous name manufacturers, are almost all made in China. $100 new (shared). The.177 rifle has a faster pellet, the .22 rifle a slightly heavier pellet, so choosing between the two are a toss-up in my mind for headshots on small game.
This puts the total for the four person everyday battery at $4,170 or $1,043 per person for the recommended and $5,650 or $1,413 per person if you include the optional guns. You could make some substitutions depending on your preferences. For example, the Glock 21 in 45acp would be marginal for bear or feral cows; the Glock 20 in 10mm would be a better option. If you went with the large frame Glocks or similar guns, which are available used for about the same price as used Super Blackhawks, then they would also serve for the Social battery, saving money.
Comments: It may take a bit of shopping to find these guns at these prices, but it is not impossible. If you are really into bargain hunting, you can beat all these prices significantly. For example, I bought a Super Blackhawk for $225 at a pawn shop and a Stainless Blackhawk in 45 colt for $250 at an auction.
I am a big Remington 870 fan. However, the Mossberg 500 would be a good choice, too, if you prefer that brand. While you can find older 12ga pumps from second tier manufactures as low as $100 or new Turkish and Chinese import pumps for as low as $150, the Remingtons and Mossbergs are reliable. They are out there in the millions and have tons of accessories available for them. Based on personal experience, I would avoid used Mossberg 500s unless they are really inexpensive (like under $150), because most of the used 500s I have bought or looked at over the years have been shot so much that they have a number of worn out parts that need to be replaced, especially the plastic safety button which Mossberg will not sell you; they want you to ship the gun in to them.
You may ask “What about the 20ga for smaller framed shooters instead of the 12ga?” Lower powered 12ga rounds such as AA shells or reduced recoil buckshot or slugs really don’t recoil any more than a 20ga, and they have a more effective shot column. Just be sure to get a stock of an appropriate length, such as a youth stock or an aftermarket AR-15 style collapsible stock.
The Social Battery
It should be able to equip four people for defense against bad guys. I am not spec’ing out a go-to-war battery, as that gets more into the realm of the paramilitary than prepping, so keep that in mind as you read through the recommendations. Now the best option will be to avoid confrontation, but if that is impossible you need to be prepared to meet aggression with overwhelming force. Each member of the team will need a service sized handgun and a rifle in suitable calibers and of course you will need to be sure to stock spare parts.
The slug barrel equipped shotguns can pull double duty for social purposes. You may want to consider folding or collapsible stocks for moving around in tight quarters and also mounting a flashlight.
For the social additions to the budget battery, I would go with the following:
• Four used police trade Smith and Wesson M&Ps in .40 S&W available for $325 with three magazines. New M&Ps at $399 are also a good choice.
• Four new Ruger AR 5.56 rifles in 5.56mm. I would not recommend optical sights, as the ones under $200 will probably only last a year with a lot of use, and the ones over $200 take it out of the budget category and also probably will only last a year or so. Instead learn how to use iron sights and practice with them. The Ruger 556 should run you $630.
The total for the Social battery comes to $3,820 or $955 per person. Polymer guns have been around since the 1970s and are still going strong. My HK VP70 manufactured in 1975 still shoots fine (although it is an odd design). One of my Glocks is a 1984 model with over 1000 rounds per year through it. I still compete with it. A well-known gun writer has documented over 100,000 rounds in his Glock. As much as I would like to recommend Glocks as a part of this budget battery, the used ones you are most likely to find are older generation guns that do not have adjustable back straps to accommodate folks with different sizes of hand. That is why I am recommending the M&P. I suggest getting it in .40 because of the large number of police trades in the market right now. The Bosnian manufactured Springfield XD family is another option. I have owned one, and they are good guns. I just have a problem with Springfield raising the price by a couple hundred dollars years ago after they took over importing them and changed the name from the HS2000 to the XD9.
If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of polymer guns, then go with a low cost 1911 from Armscor. They are a Philippine company that has been around for 100 years and makes 1911s under their own name and for a lot of other importers’ brands, such as Rock Island Armory, STI, Cimarron, Charles Daly, and Auto Ordnance. They make huge quantiles of 1911s each year and are ISO 9001 certified, assuring quality. You can find them starting at $390. Personally, I like 1911s, but I think they require more training and practice to use than modern DAO handguns. 1911s do have the advantage of a large selection of aftermarket parts and accessories available.
As to the AR 15 MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle), today everyone makes AR15s and you can find them in the market as low as $499. Prices go up and down. Around Christmas 2014 you could snatch up a Bushmaster Carbon 15 for $350 after rebate with other decent ARs going for $400. Although the less expensive ARs will probably work fine, remember they are built with parts from whoever the lowest bidder is at the moment. I believe that spending a bit more for a quality manufacturer, like Ruger, is worth it for a gun that needs to last you for years.
In years past, I would also have suggested at least one AK47 variant or even an SKS as optional, just because of the availability of ammunition for them. I was surprised to note in Tappan’s book that Jeff Cooper even recommended a rifle in “30 Russian short”, but the days of the $300 AK and $100 SKS are over, as are the days of the $100 case of 7.62×39 or 5.45×39. The Remington 700s will work if you need to reach out and touch someone or shoot through a small tree, but I don’t believe preppers will really need tactical precision rifles. Please see my SurvivalBlog article on sniper rifles for preppers if you are interested in more on preppers and sniping.
The next installment will look at the mid-level and high end batteries.
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-2-by-b-f/
The Survival Battery- Part 3, by B.F.
Mid-Level Battery
The mid-level battery I will recommend is as follows, with four each in most categories of guns for redundancy and so that they don’t have to be shared.
Mid-Level Everyday Battery
There are two choices here for a handgun– one semi auto and one revolver.
• Four Glock Gen four model 21 in 45acp. The 45acp may not be quite as powerful as a 44 magnum, but the 13+1 rounds it carries should compensate. If you don’t mind stocking a less popular more expensive caliber, then the Glock model 20 in 10mm gives you 15+1 rounds that have close to twice the muzzle energy of the 45 in the same size package. Either one is available for about $520 new.
• Or, you could go with four S&W Model 29s in 44 magnum with four-inch barrels. These will also shoot 44 specials, which have very low recoil compared to the 44 magnum. Like the Blackhawk above, you can get grips of different sizes for different sized hands. You could go with the S&W 329 in Scandium for ease of carry, since the gun is extremely light weight making it easy to carry; however, the 329 has a recoil that could conservatively be called viscous. That said, the 329 would be my personal choice for everyday carry in a SHTF world, but I have shot it enough that I am somewhat used to its recoil, at least for 12 rounds. Although the 329 is brutal, I would carry it every day when a heavier gun might get left in the car. The main downside to the S&W revolvers is the key lock safety that they incorporate in almost all of their revolvers. Although I have never had one fail, this is a still a mechanical device that could fail at the worst possible time and make the gun impossible to fire. I wish S&W leadership would stand up to their lawyers and tell them “no” or go with a less intrusive lock system, preferable one that can be removed by the owner. The model 29 is $850 each ($950 each for the 329). The Ruger Super Redhawk would be another option, but although the longer barrel (7.5 inch) version is less expensive than the S&W, the shorter barrel versions bring a premium.
I will stick with the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 shotgun for the recommendation here but will also suggest the Mossberg 930 Semi Auto for those who prefer semi-autos or who would appreciate the reduced recoil. Again, a pump is more reliable, easier to use, and less expensive, but the 930 is a viable option.
• Four 12 ga pump shotguns– Remington 870s with slug and bird barrels, new for $350 (with aftermarket slug barrel). Be sure to pick up an assortment of choke tubes, too.
The same is true with the rifle. The Remington 700 is still the best choice, but we’ll go with a variation, too. We’ll also go with a rifle for each of the four team members.
• Three Remington 700 ADL in .308 with iron sights, new for $350. Buy a base level Leupold or Burris 3×9 power scope (both with lifetime warranties, which would be good until TSHTF) for $200. Also, One Remington 700 SPS short threaded barrel in .308 with Leupold Mark IV scope with a suppressor (in the 41 states where legal) fitted by a gunsmith with back up iron sights $2,500 total.
• Four Ruger 10-22 rifles with iron sights and base level Leupold or Burris scopes. There are a lot of variants available, I would recommend a threaded barrel non-take down version. You can get them with longer barrels, heavy barrels, wood, composite, or collapsible stocks in fixed and take down variations all at different prices. Figure about $500 with scope, add two suppressors for $500 each (including tax stamp).
• Two Ruger 22-45 .22 semi auto pistol available new for $290 (shared) if you get the threaded barrel variant; then you can use the same suppressor you have for the 10-22.
• Four Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock for $350 new
• Two .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built in suppressors to use on small game for $100 (shared)
The total for the mid-price everyday battery is $9,870 or $2,468 per person.
Mid-level Social Battery
• If you go with the Glocks in the everyday battery, then they will serve for the Social battery as well. If you instead went with revolvers, then buy four gen-4 Glocks, I would suggest 9mm, but be sure they are all the same caliber. Depending on what feels right to everyone, you can go with two full sized (like the G17 or G22) and two smaller sized (such as the G19 and G23) if that helps. Prices again are around $520. For another couple hundred per pistol, you could get a caliber conversion kit that lets you shoot both 9mm and .40 S&W. For the polymer adverse amongst us, then police trade Sig P229s and P226s are available for $300 to $400 right now; but you will want to replace the springs and maybe also buy caliber conversion kits. The down side is that they don’t have adjustable back straps, although you can get thinner or thicker grips. 1911s are another option, but here I would suggest stepping up to something like a Ruger or S&W American made 1911. The back straps are not adjustable but there are some options around different mainspring housings, including bobbed versions that can give you some degree of hand size choices.
• I think the Ruger 556 still makes sense for the mid-level battery, although I am going to recommend optics this time. Here I would go with a mid-priced Leupold, Burris, or a comparable scope. In this case, I would buy the Leupold VX-R 1.25 to 4x for about $500, bringing the total cost of the rifle to $1,130. Back up Iron Sights are a must.
• I would also add a Ruger Long Range rifle in .308 with a Leupold Mark iV scope for around $2,500 just in case you do need to reach out and touch someone. The 6.5mm Creedmoor chambering may offer marginally better long range performance, but caliber commonality with the Remington 700s is more important.
The social battery, excluding the Glock’s because you bought them for the everyday battery, totals $7,020 or $1,755 per person. If you bought the model 29’s then the Glocks would add another $2,080. On to the high end battery.
High End Battery
This is for people with money to burn, as it really does not provide a lot of improvement over the other two batteries. You may want to start out with the budget battery and move up in some categories of weapons over time as your finances and the completeness of your other preps allow.
High End Everyday Battery
• The pistol I would really like to recommend is the Sig Sauer P220 single action with steel frame in 10mm. The heavier frame really tames the recoil, and it is built like a Swiss watch. The challenge again is that it does not fit everyone’s hand. Instead I’d suggest going with the tried and true Glock 20 in 10mm, or the new longer barrel 10mm Glock model 40. These come now with the option of mounting a small reflex sight, and I would suggest doing so. You would also want a few spares on hand, but bear in mind that sometime in the future these red dot type sights will fail or you will run out of batteries and you will be back to iron sights. Cost around $800 each with reflex sight. Again for the plastic averse, something like a Les Baer or other semi-custom 1911 would be a good choice at $2,500 each for basic models.
• Rifle choice would be four Remington 700 SPSs with short threaded barrel in .308 with Leupold Mark IV scope and a suppressor (in the 41 states where legal). Also have a gunsmith fit back up iron sights $2,500 total. You can spend more but why?
• Shotguns would be stock Remington 870s as above with two barrels. We will also recommend social 870s below. Four at $350 each. More money will not get you a better shotgun, just a fancier one.
• Four Ruger 10-22 rifles with iron sights and mid-level Leupold or Burris scopes. There are a lot of variants available. I would recommend a threaded barrel non take down version customized by Volquartsen. You can get them with longer barrels, heavy barrels, wood, composite, or collapsible stocks in fixed and take down variations all at different prices. These are $1,750 each with mid-priced scope; add suppressors for $500 each (including tax stamp).
• Four Ruger 22-45 lite weight .22 semi auto pistol available also sent to Volquartsen for customizing. Get threaded barrels and dedicated titanium suppressors (where legal). Total depending on options is $2,000 each.
• Four Smith and Wesson 642 .38spl without lock $350 new. Leave stock, no need to customize.
• Four .177 or 22 caliber suppressed pellet rifles with built-in suppressors to use on small game, $100.
This brings the cost of the high end everyday battery to $33,400 or $8,350 per person.
High End Social Battery
• Four Glock 19s tuned by a good gunsmith with threaded barrels and suppressors. $1200 each.
• Four semi-custom AR15s by someone like Les Baer or another high end builder with optics $2,500 each.
• Four Remington 870 shotguns customized by someone like Vang Comp Systems for consistent accuracy, reliability, and flexibility. A Vang upgrade applied to your 870 runs about $820, bringing the cost to just under $1,200 each.
• Two Barrett M95 bull pup bolt action .50 BMG with Leupold Mark IV. One would be enough but might as well have a backup for $7,000 each.
That brings the total of the high end Social battery to $33,600 or $8,400 per person.
This is not necessarily all of the guns you want to have. You may want spares of the guns listed above. You may want guns for trading or supplying to folks who join your retreat, and you may want to keep a separate cache somewhere just in case. Additionally, if you start out with what you have today, you may want to keep your existing guns as you move towards a higher cost more consistent battery.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Mel Tappan really knew what he was talking about 40 plus years ago. Some of what I ended up recommending surprised me. For example, I have always thought myself to be a Glock guy, but when faced with some of the requirements around putting together a flexible battery, I had to make some changes to my thinking. Likewise, I’m a big fan of 7.62×51 battle rifles, but unless you are planning for paramilitary operations, I think the 5.56×45 makes a lot more sense. What do you think? What would you do differently?
survivalblog.com/the-survival-battery-part-3-by-b-f/
