Survival, SHTF, What Firearm? and Why?

[E.L.]

Things would have to get really, really, really bad for me to leave the house, and they would have to get even worse for me to leave on foot. Try packing out food, ammo, firearms, and kids. Just thinking about it scares me. If I couldn't use the pickups, then I would use the fourwheelers, if not them, then motorcycles, if not them.......walking would suck.

[Cephus]

Ninteen ya make a good point and E.L. i see yours as well but how have you prepared for this , Ya see we have a hand pump for water and many canned stuff and we have natural gas well for heat , what I want to know is how are you perpared for whatever may happen, wheather it be natural or man made how long could you last on your own and how would you do it !!!

[E.L.]

Ahh grasshopper. Stored food, minimum eight months worth for the family. Stored water, not nearly as much, but springs and a lake close by. Lots of wood and propane for fuel. Most of the wood would be used for cooking if need be, in NETX we don't have that much of a winter. Katadyne water filter, H20 purification tablets, 3 extra months worth of meds, tamiflu, antibiotics, etc. While I don't have a well yet, I do have a lake in my backyard and springs real close by. I am storing a little fuel, but really looking at storing bulk amounts of corn oil for use in diesels. I always have 50-75 gallons of fuel, and a generator. But would use it sparingly in the event I thought it would be needed long term. Firearms and bulk ammo are also a priority and stocked as such. That's it in a nutshell. I also have some "like-minded" neighbors armed with numerous firearms, especially AK's due to the NETX AK build we had last year.

[E.L.]

Originally Posted by E.L.

Ahh grasshopper. Stored food, minimum eight months worth for the family. Stored water, not nearly as much, but springs and a lake close by. Lots of wood and propane for fuel. Most of the wood would be used for cooking if need be, in NETX we don't have that much of a winter. Katadyne water filter, H20 purification tablets, 3 extra months worth of meds, tamiflu, antibiotics, etc. While I don't have a well yet, I do have a lake in my backyard and springs real close by. I am storing a little fuel, but really looking at storing bulk amounts of corn oil for use in diesels. I always have 50-75 gallons of fuel, and a generator. But would use it sparingly in the event I thought it would be needed long term. Firearms and bulk ammo are also a priority and stocked as such. That's it in a nutshell. I also have some "like-minded" neighbors armed with numerous firearms, especially AK's due to the NETX AK build we had last year.

There is always more to do though.

[aviator]

Allright...let me give you a couple of real SHTF scenarios I've lived through:

Big, powerful hurricanes. You will lose your roof, water will come into your house, you will lose power and telephone long before the storm even gets into your area, by the time it's over (several hours later) you will find yourself with no safe to drink runing water, no electricity, no telephone, no cell phone, no gas for the car and no food for several days, looting will be going on, nights will be very hot or very cold. Since there is no electricity for a few weeks gas stations will not operate, neither pharmacies nor grocery stores, many roads will be closed for days with fallen trees, traffic signs, traffic lilghts, etc, many radio stations will be out within a day or two for lack of fuel on their emergency transmitter sites, Whatever food you have in your fridge will rot within 3 days. If you find a food or ice supply line you will stand for hours trying to get some, people get mad, tempers flair, fights start, you'll see military choppers and transports all over the place with troops who are thee to help, but never get to you. Night time the jungle bunnies come out to take away from you, depending on where you live, of course. One good thing, most of the neighbors will bond together and help one another out and will look after each other even though they have never said good morning to you.

You think I'm kidding?

I'm not, live down here during a hurricane and you'll see.

[Cephus]

Sounds like a great start , Meds is always a great idea I have at least 5 months worth of mine and the wifes ,and as far as the Anitbiodics goes ya can get alot of them from southern states or a like store for farm use most people don't know that the animal stuff is tested as good as the people stuff in fact they come off of the same line at the factory !!! the shelf life is about 3-5 years it's all dated , But most of it has to be kept cool !!!
I have air splints for arm and leg small ,medium ,large -Tape and I use Kotex for large wounds they are made to soak up the blood !! LOL

[E.L.]

Originally Posted by aviator

Allright...let me give you a couple of real SHTF scenarios I've lived through:

Big, powerful hurricanes. You will lose your roof, water will come into your house, you will lose power and telephone long before the storm even gets into your area, by the time it's over (several hours later) you will find yourself with no safe to drink runing water, no electricity, no telephone, no cell phone, no gas for the car and no food for several days, looting will be going on, nights will be very hot or very cold. Since there is no electricity for a few weeks gas stations will not operate, neither pharmacies nor grocery stores, many roads will be closed for days with fallen trees, traffic signs, traffic lilghts, etc, many radio stations will be out within a day or two for lack of fuel on their emergency transmitter sites, Whatever food you have in your fridge will rot within 3 days. If you find a food or ice supply line you will stand for hours trying to get some, people get mad, tempers flair, fights start, you'll see military choppers and transports all over the place with troops who are thee to help, but never get to you. Night time the jungle bunnies come out to take away from you, depending on where you live, of course. One good thing, most of the neighbors will bond together and help one another out and will look after each other even though they have never said good morning to you.

You think I'm kidding?

I'm not, live down here during a hurricane and you'll see.

I saw all of that during hurricane Rita last year. My sister and brother-in-law's subdivision had numerous signs up warning looters and threatening them with being shot. They live in a really nice neighborhood, but two of the houses were hit by looters (from the other side of town) before they banded together. We saw all of this a week after Rita hit, as his family some friends all came north to my house. We had an extra five people for 17 days, and an extra 10 for nearly a week. Another good reason to have food stocked. I drove my brother-in-law back to Beaumont a week later, the damage was incredible. The roads were all blocked, I had to use my badge to just get in to the city. While getting a work computer, delivering ice, and ac's to a friend, I was amazed at the damage. I would not have dreamed about going there without extra fuel, and without being armed. Thankfully I didn't need it, but I could see tempers flaring from the long gas lines starting two hours before we even got to Beaumont. This was a true Sh*t hit the fan situation. Think it can't happen, then you are ignorant.

[Cephus]

And just think that would be a picknic compared to a dirty bomb in a large city ,or have the transmition lines towers destroyed all across the country !!
At least with a hurrcane you know some place there are people that will come to help !! i love the country life , and it's great to have things and have little tests everynow and then !!!!!

[9teen11]

Where I am there are no extremes of temperature that could be lethal, even outside. Warm clothes are all here in the house & are only really required one month of the year.

We just need food & water to survive. Anything else would be a luxury or an edge. Firearms are no probs, the whole family is able & there is enough to go around.

We would be one of VERY FEW families prepared in any way. Ive got a months worth of bottled water for the whole family & canned/dried food the same.

Plently of batteries & maglites. LP gas for cooking & light. Cooking is not necessary but warming some food would be nice.

We have a couple of rooms that are secure & we can retreat to if we have an intruder.

I figure that after a month most of the competition would be gone & the rest would be up to God.

Ive got a pretty fair plantation of s, not for food but for a water factory. Most people around here would be too ignorant of how that works. So if things stretched on more than anticipated, we'd be ok

Trouble with my neighbours is that they would want OUR food in a real SHTF scenario.

Id just sit pat, black out the windows, keep the lowest of profiles, not advertise our presence in any way & dispatch any predators as quickly & quietly as possible. Leaving the house would only make us like every one else who were at the mercy of everybody else.

Dont know what else I could realistically do but Im very open to suggestions.

[E.L.]

Whenever you think you have enough of anything, quadruple it. Besides, you can always eat the food, just rotate it properly. This year we planted fruit trees, and need to plant more. Along with a garden. My wife knows the basics of canning, and has done so before. I know I am not anywhere I need to be, but I would be willing to bet that 1% or less is prepared as well. People live paycheck to paycheck, and hand to mouth with no thought towards tomorrow.

[Cephus]

Don't know much about downunder but the Bananathing sounds good and ya could always dry them into chips that would get ya by , I don't know if the meds thing is like it is here either but I'm sure ya could check that out !! How populated is it where ya live ,is it country or city type , and I live in a great place most around here would help eachother but I doubt they would feel the same about the city folk coming out this way !!

[aviator]

Hey EL...I'm trying to figure out who you are, I don't recall the name from other forums, just out of curiosity, how did you find us?

[Cephus]

Originally Posted by E.L.

Whenever you think you have enough of anything, quadruple it. Besides, you can always eat the food, just rotate it properly. This year we planted fruit trees, and need to plant more. Along with a garden. My wife knows the basics of canning, and has done so before. I know I am not anywhere I need to be, but I would be willing to bet that 1% or less is prepared as well. People live paycheck to paycheck, and hand to mouth with no thought towards tomorrow.

You are right i went to visit a relative in NJ and they had nothing in the house they just stoped by the store on the way home and picked up just what they needed for dinner ,It scared the hell out of me ,on a bad day we have enough to last 5 months if we had to . We keep alot of beans , rice and pasta on hand in cans like the old big ones that popcorn used to come in !! And we do the rotating thing with them but even if we didn't they will last for years !!! I'm glad to see young people thinking in the right manner !!!

[E.L.]

Originally Posted by aviator

Hey EL...I'm trying to figure out who you are, I don't recall the name from other forums, just out of curiosity, how did you find us?

Magnus392 is a good friend of mine and "showed me the way." I am a member of Gunco though I don't post much, the Files, the 1911 forum and a few others. I am also a member of the staff over at the Survival Monkey.

[E.L.]

Originally Posted by Cephus

You are right i went to visit a relative in NJ and they had nothing in the house they just stoped by the store on the way home and picked up just what they needed for dinner ,It scared the hell out of me ,on a bad day we have enough to last 5 months if we had to . We keep alot of beans , rice and pasta on hand in cans like the old big ones that popcorn used to come in !! And we do the rotating thing with them but even if we didn't they will last for years !!! I'm glad to see young people thinking in the right manner !!!

I had a cousin that lived in the north east and in NY City specifically and she told me they only bought what they needed each day. Each day you go to the store and buy your meal, or the makings of your meal for the day. A lot of their housing has very little or no storage. Those will be the first people to panic and die when something bad happens. The Sheeple. They will be waiting for the Gov. to provide everything for them.