backpacjac,

The rifle/shotgun combo's are great guns, but I would recommend a .22 over 20 guage. The .410 is really a specialists load. The 20 will do almost anything you can do with a 12 ga. Has good slugs, buck and bird shot for almost any use. The .410 has less selection and is frequently almost no selection at the local stores.

Respectfully,

Jerry

And a .410 will not knock down anything large. Good for birds and squirrels, but not deer.

I agree, the .410 is a finesse gun, in a combo it's heavy, and the ammo costs a lot more. It is not a very effective tool for harvesting small game at mid to long range.

For the price of a new double gun, you could probably get a nice used .22 AND a used 20ga.

[edit] Post moved to the other thread started by bacpacjac. [/edit]

I started a new thread t move the gun chat out of this one.

Thanks guys!!

[edit] This post was moved to that other thread bacpacjac just mentioned. [/post]

Not just EOTW but what about practicing. I'm not big on the 'buy a bunch of gear and stuff it in a box for 10 years then sell they rusty remains at a yard sale'. I make sure at least twice a year any of my gear gets pulled out and checked, cleaned, batteries replaced, used, tested, etc. with any gear purchase I budget in maintenance. Most of my gear uses AA batteries for example so maintenance cost is a few cents of electricity to recharge but anything that may take a special battery gets a replacement interval listed in my spreadsheet. I do that when I buy the gear and plan from there.

So I apply the same to guns, any that I might plan to use I practice amd train with. So say you decide your going to go to the range 4 times a year and shoot 100 rounds. I'll make my plan to have a minum of 400 target rounds in my ammo box at all times then in case I can't buy any (like now).

Now to give the author the benefit of the dought, maybe he's only listing defense ammo but his numbers still seem low even if thats it. It seems like the having 11 flashlights and only a few spare a batteries. or cans with no can opener. Or 'just add water' food with no addiitonal water.

If I haven't bored you yet I'll use mine as an example, I have two guns that I would consider my 'survival preps':

1. S&W M&P9c
2. Henry US Survival (AR-7)

Both of these now are part of my standard carry when I drive to 250 miles to the farm (BOL in this context).

So I list them in my gear maintenance spreadsheet with the following goals:

Practice: Pistol 4x annually, AR-7 2x annually.
For each buy one magazine annually.
Overall buy one box of ammo per month, this I rotate, maybe one box of 9mm this month, 22lr next month, 20 gauge the next.

The 20 gauge, .22 hornet and the marlin 60 (.22) I don't shoot regularly so they are on a clean 2x per year schedule. They are all youth size so they are mainly being saved for the kids when they get older.

That's a thought provoking point about the homeless being more likely to survive the EOTWAWKI. People with money (PWM) tend to focus on equipment. While the mental aspect is the most important. Even when PWM start trying to focus on the mental, the focus is usually on how to keep the gear they need to survive. The conversation just naturally goes there. Meanwhile, a homeless person is naturally honing the unglamorous survival skills that go beyond equipment but are essential for survival.

Here is one of MANY examples. A homeless person, I'm sure, must constantly decide when they must take instead of ask. Also, how do they go about taking while maintaining their survival? A homeless person naturally has these skills in their toolbox.

Intriguing issue, I may have to start a new thread...

If you reckon a bare minimal subsistence is living, then yes, the homeless have skills. I would argue this, saying that they basically leech off of what they can find, beg, or steal. Those aren't skills.

Skill is taking some logs, some rope, some knowledge, and making shelter. Skill is starting a fire without matches or a lighter. Skill is knowing where and how to find food - sans a dumpster in back of a fast food place. Skill is knowing how to stay warm, clean, and relatively safe no matter the weather.

Take away society as we know it, then the homeless are more than likely to be SOL than the average Joe.