Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.
I can tell you that no book worth reading in the history of the world was finished on schedule. Anybody organized and disciplined enough to do that is not creative enough to write anything other than a boring book. I know writers like that; precise, on schedule and very organized and their books are snooze fests. Check into all the great writers in history and you will find that they were mostly free spirits. At least that’s the excuse I keep using for this landfill I call a desk. (Remember what Einstein said about a cluttered desk.)
It’s also the excuse I had for being late getting The 14th Reinstated finished. I wanted to publish it well in advance of the 2012 elections to cash in on the well placed fear that people had for the future under B.O. I thought that once Romney won the White House things would improve and people would be less fearful about the future and perhaps less inclined to buy my book. Clearly there was no way Romney could lose and I believed it would slow sales to have America back on track again. Obviously, I underestimated the stupidity of American voters.
It’s been good for book sales, but bad for our country.
If you are reading this then I assume you probably have a clue and are worried about the future. The signs are not good. I keep telling myself that we have made it through bad times before and we will make it through this, but then I look at the news and I fear I am wrong. This time is feels different.
We can’t predict the future, but if you are smart you are making some preparations. I am not suggesting that you build a walled compound in the middle of nowhere, at least not yet. But, you should be making plans on how to feed, shelter and protect your family if this does indeed all go south.
I believe the most important is protection. Storing food and firewood is a worthless gesture unless you have a way to keep it. If this goes bad, the law no longer applies and there will be thousands of desperate, hungry people roaming around with no social pressures or cops to keep them in line. It will all be up to you.
I know it’s a horrible thing to think about and most people refuse to consider it, but the truth is an ugly bitch sometimes. We all hope that it will never happen and frankly the odds favor that it will not, but we must consider that we are moving closer every day to disaster in America. Certainly the odds are much higher today for social and economic collapse now than they were in 2008. If you are not preparing, including for your defense, you will probably die if things do go bad.
A smart prepper is going to stock up on guns and ammo. But which ones should you be buying?
I think that your focus should be on rifles and handguns rather than shotguns. They can be reloaded faster, can reach longer distances than a shotgun and the ammo is lighter to carry in bulk. I think that all rifles and handguns should be magazine fed and that you should lay in a good supply of extra magazines. Choose cartridges that you will be able to find ammo for, which mostly means NATO cartridges.
For your rifle, pick 5.56 NATO chambering and then you can shoot .223 Remington ammo in the gun. It doesn’t work the other way and you should not shoot the hotter 5.56 ammo in a .223 Remington chambered rifle.
Also consider a .308 Winchester, as that is also a NATO cartridge. This cartridge is big and powerful enough big enough to use foraging for game, even something as big as a moose.
I recommend that you gather as much ammo as possible. Anything that is reliable and has an expanding bullet will work for defense. While it is inexpensive, I would avoid non-expanding FMJ ammo if possible. The military is obligated by the Hague convention of 1898 to use that ammo, but you are not. Non-expanding bullets are not as effective for ending a threat as expanding bullets.
Also make sure that you have several hundred rounds of hunting ammo with high quality bullets to use for foraging. Barnes is the best, as their TSX bullet actually will make a cartridge perform above its station. That means the .223 Remington will work much better on deer size critters and the .308 will work well on moose, bears or elk.
It’s probably not a bad idea to also have a gun or two chambered for 7.62X39. This is the cartridge of the AK47 and it is extremely common both for civilian use here in the U. S. and as a military cartridge for non NATO countries. So ammo may be available when things are tough.
If you read The 14th Reinstated you might suspect, correctly I might add, that I am a 1911 fan for a carry handgun. But that’s mostly an experienced handgun shooter’s gun of choice. The cartridge is probably fine, as it is so common that ammo will be available. But it might be much better to have a high capacity handgun like a GLOCK or S&W M&P in 9mm. The larger magazine capacity can be an asset in a fight as it ensures you have more ammo on you when it starts. Three extra magazines of 9mm for one of these guns is a lot more bullets than three mags for a 1911 .45. The 9mm is the most common centerfire handgun cartridge and it’s a NATO cartridge so ammo will be available. I am not a huge fan of the nine for self-defense, but I think it’s a good idea here simply because of the ammo viability.
Also consider a gun or two in .40 S&W as that cartridge is extremely popular with law enforcement which helps ensure a supply of ammo. I think that a smart pepper has them all, but if you have to pick one handgun, pick the 9mm.
Like the rifle, handgun ammo should have expanding bullets to extract the best performance. It’s tempting to stock up on ammo with non-expanding FMJ bullets as they are less expensive, but that’s poor planning. You may depend on this ammo to save your life or protect your family. Buy ammo with high quality expanding bullets. It’s more expensive initially, but it can prove to be a life saver. I can mention brands, but most of the name brand stuff is good and in this time of shortages I recommend you buy what is on the shelf and don’t wait for the preferred brand.
If the bad things go on for a while you may be required to use the non-expanding military ammo if that’s all that you can find, but buy good ammo for your own initial stores. It’s never a mistake.
Stuff you may need!
I just received an order from Prepandmore.com, an e-commerce web site devoted to selling gear that preppers can use.
Included are three new 5.28 gallon steel Jerry Cans. These are built to exceed NATO standards and are priced very reasonably at just $34.99 each. Compare that with prices almost twice as high for the same thing from other websites. This timeless design dates back to before WWII and the Jerry Can is considered the most durable gas can around. Of course, our Nanny State government has said they can’t be sold with the intention of using them for fuel or drinking water, only “non-potable water and non-fuel liquids.” What the hell would that be? Should we fill them with unicorn piss to drink on the days we are feeling blue? The liquids I will need in an emergency are gasoline or water. The Jerry can is designed for gas and works better than those ridiculous government designed gas cans we are forced to buy now. So, screw them; mine are gas cans. Don’t forget to get a Jerry Can Spout. One spout can be used on several different cans.
I also got a couple of their plastic Jerry Cans for water storage. The same design, but in blue plastic rather than metal.
The web site also sells military surplus gear that is useful. For example, they have two sleeping bags; warm weather and cold weather. The two can be coupled together for extreme conditions. They are relatively inexpensive and mine are going into a bug out bag, to be ready when I need them.
I also picked up a couple of military surplus first aid kits. I like to keep first aid kits scattered around, one in every bug out bag, in every vehicle and every building.
Check out all this gear and more at: http://www.prepandmore.com/.
