Guest Author - Firearms

Hello friends! I'm back from my Thanksgiving break! Today and Wednesday, we'll be hearing from a guest contributor. None other than my own husband, G.W. He's written a very informative two part article on choosing firearms.

G.W. had photos in the article that he sent to me. However, they wouldn't copy into the blog no matter what I did or what the file extension was. Rather than delay posting his article, I am posting without the photos.

Enjoy!


What should EVERY prepared gun owner have in their personal gun safe?

… if you could only have 4 guns?


My wife, Renee, has asked me a couple of different times about writing an article for her Blog. While I’ve given it some consideration, I was never really sure what I’d write about that people might find interesting. But on my way home the other night I stopped off to look at purchasing a gun safe and while there was pulled into a conversation about firearms. A lady was looking at purchasing her first gun and wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted / needed. I suppose standing there in my Army uniform she figured that I might know something on this subject and after more than 25 years of service it was a pretty good assumption.

As far as my personal background goes, I’ve always enjoyed shooting anything that goes “BOOM”. I began my hunting career in high school when every guy had a shotgun in his truck and would head out for pheasant after the last class of the day. I also spent several summers as a camp counselor at a wilderness survival camp in northern Minnesota. I spent those summers camping, backpacking, rock climbing, and canoeing allover Canada, as well as, instructing boys between the ages of 8 and 18 in basic rifle marksmanship and trap shooting. I’m a member of the National Amateur Trap Association, a Life Member of the National Rifle Association, and staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. Every year, time permitting, I hunt elk, deer, upland game, waterfowl and whatever else I can legally pursue.

While I’m sure my personal list will cause debate, I believe we can all agree on this: Before you buy any firearm, you should receive training to ensure you are able to handle the weapon safely; have the means to secure the firearm in your home; and always treat every gun as if it is loaded!

Few would argue the importance of firearms in overall preparedness planning. Firearms can provide you with food as well as protecting you and your family. The reality is, during disaster situations, firearms can make the difference between success and failure. Unfortunately, if you are just getting started you’ll quickly realize guns are expensive. There can be a substantial outlay of cash to putting together a decent firearms collection. There are essentially four different categories of firearms you should consider for your personal armory.

Gun #1 - Shotgun: The general consensus in the firearms community is that the pump action shotgun is the top choice for home defense. There are few sounds that will get any intruders attention more quickly than that of a shell being racked into a shotgun… for this reason alone it’s ideal for home defense. The classic American-made pump shotgun has sold over four million copies, and is the standard for many law enforcement and military agencies. They’re relatively easy to use and nearly impossible to break. Shotgun shells are loaded into the gun, and the pump action chambers a round. Pulling the trigger fires the chambered round. The next pump ejects the spent shell and loads another round into the chamber. These attributes contribute to the pump action shotgun’s reliability.

For the newcomer, the choice really narrows down to 12 gauge or the smaller 20 gauge. Any of the less common gauges might make it harder to find cheap ammunition. A 12 gauge is the standard, but for small framed people a 20 gauge might be a better choice. A shotgun can be used as a close range defensive weapon or a tool for harvesting small game. Properly loaded with buckshot or a slug, a well-aimed shotgun can put down most any big game animals in the western hemisphere. There are a wide range of loads available too, from bird shot to deer slugs. Shotguns are the most common weapon and thus the ammo is more easily found.

There are a couple of reasons I’d consider a 20 gauge shotgun, but it depends on your own personal situation. While the 12 gauge is my preferred choice; I’d consider a 20 gauge for all the same reasons I stated previously, but would have it for my wife or children because it would be easier for them to handle than a 12 gauge. Additionally, I can picture a situation where due to civil disruptions or supply shortages the store shelves are emptied and as everyone goes for the 12 gauge ammo first I'd be going for the 20 gauge ammo. It’s common enough that every gun / ammo store in town has the ammo in stock, but rare enough that there wouldn't be nearly as much demand which would make it easier to get.

Features I would want are 3 barrels: 1) a short home defense tactical barrel (18 ½” - 20”); 2) a longer hunting barrel that accepts interchangeable chokes for different applications; and 3) a fully rifled barrel for slugs so you could potentially hunt larger animals if all else fails. If I only owned 1 gun, this would be it.

The Mossberg 500 combo comes with the first 2 barrels mentioned above and I’d purchase the rifle barrel separately. There are plenty of other good shotguns out there, but the Mossberg 500 is a good overall platform at a decent price. I found a new in the box (NIB) Mossberg 500 at GunsAmerica.com for $300. This one did not have the three different barrels, but it does give you an idea of where the price point starts.

The Remington 870 is probably the premier model for people interested in preparedness. I looked online at GunsAmerica.com and found used ones from the mid-$200s and up, with new ones starting in the upper-$300s. There are plenty of options on the market if you want to “trick out” your shotgun with different tactical items… let your budget be your guide.

Keep your eyes open and you can probably find a decent used 12 gauge for a couple hundred bucks or so. The Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 are extremely popular choices in this category. Both are proven to be extremely reliable for a reasonable price. Stick with a decent brand, all purpose 12 gauge pump action shotgun and it will almost never let you down.

Gun #2 - .22 Long Rifle: Everybody needs a .22 LR. Outstanding in price, it arguably ties with a 12 gauge shotgun for the #1 must have firearm. The .22 LR is great for target practice and learning general gun skills without breaking the bank. A beginner needs a manageable rifle to start out with, one that doesn’t deafen them or slam their shoulder every time they pull the trigger allowing a person to learn the basics of marksmanship, which will transfer over to centerfire rifles. For the beginner, this is the perfect weapon. It has no kick, low noise, and ammunition is on sale all the time. The gun itself is inexpensive and ammo is cheap ($20-$25 for 550 rounds), so you can stock up a considerable amount of ammo, as well as having plenty on hand for target shooting.

In survival situations, you’ll shoot more small game than big game. The .22LR will keep your cook pot filled with small game - rabbits, squirrels, etc… and could be used for home defense in a pinch; while also defending the farm from coyotes, wild dogs, or wolves.

There are those out there that will say you can use a .22LR to shoot large game and while this is “factually correct”, it will take a VERY good shot in just the right place to insure you take that large animal down. To reliably take a large game animal, such as a deer, you really need to have something bigger than a .22LR. The most likely scenario if you use a .22LR is that you’ll chase down the injured, slowly-dying animal, wasting precious calories.

While I frequently rely on iron sights on other traditional-styled rifles, I like a four-power telescopic sight on my .22LR. In brush, the magnification allows you to see holes to shoot through. The scope helps you place your shots more accurately, making for more efficiency.

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the best available in this category and if you shop around you should be able to find a new one around $200.00. I have a Ruger 10/22. The only reason why I didn't get a Marlin is because the Ruger has the 25 round magazines. I like high capacity and fast reloading. The Ruger 10/22 is a good "can't go wrong" model to choose but there are plenty of other decent ones.

After writing the initial draft of this article I determined that it was too long for one BLOG post. So this will be the first of a two part BLOG post. In the next half of this article we’ll wrap up the list of four and even take a look at a bonus weapon. After all… who can really sick to just four firearms? Please check back for part two and let us know if you think a regular firearms article would be a good addition for the BLOG. Remember to stay safe and happy shooting.