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Title: The Poor Man’s Arsenal Revisited
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URL Source: http://thesurvivalistblog.blogspot. ... or-mans-arsenal-revisited.html
Published: Nov 16, 2008
Author: M.D. Creekmore
Post Date: 2008-11-16 08:33:31 by PSUSA
Ping List: *SHTF - Survival* Subscribe to *SHTF - Survival*
Keywords: None
Views: 269
Comments: 13
Sometime back I posted an article on Survivalist Blog thesurvivalistblog.blogsp...man-survival-arsenal.html detailing a bare bones set of survival weapons that would allow the survivor to hunt small, medium and large game for the pot, as well as defend the retreat, all for under $350, not an easy task at today’s prices. Almost as soon as I hit the publish button, my email inbox became flooded by readers suggesting other more expensive firearms or those wanting to ad more weapons to my basic three gun list with some readers becoming downright rude and offensive because I had failed to include their preferred artillery. It seems the main point of the article went over those reader’s heads or maybe I failed to make myself clear; the poor man's arsenal was never intended to be the be all and end all to choosing survival guns, only recommendations for those of us who are on a strict budget and needing to make every dollar count toward acquiring preparedness preps. So being the great guy that I am; I decided to write an update to the original post, this time working with a core budget of one thousand dollars. Even with the increased purchasing power our choice of firearms are limited to those weapons at the lower end of the toll. The important thing to remember is just because weapons are purchased at a lower price doesn’t mean they are of lower quality, often times the opposite is true. It seems most gun owners choices at the checkout counter tend to feed the ego instead of the need of practical usage. We as Americans want the biggest and best available, we must have the most prodigious of everything, no matter the cost, even when the job could have been done just as well with another efficient tool purchased at much lower cost. Forget about impressing your buddies at the range with the brand or cost of your arsenal, instead work on your skills and out shoot them at every range and speed. The Arsenal ( 1 ) The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I, II and III was the main battle rifle used by British Commonwealth forces during the first half of the 20th century. It was the British Army's standard rifle from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957. Equipped with a ten round detachable box magazine the fast-operating action and large magazine capacity enabled a trained rifleman to fire between 20 to 30 aimed rounds a minute, making the Lee-Enfield the fastest military bolt-action rifle of the day. The current world record for aimed bolt-action fire was set in 1914 by a musketry instructor in the British Army — Sergeant Instructor Snoxall — who placed 38 rounds into a 12" target at 300 yards in one minute. Some Accounts dating from WWI tell of British troops repelling German attackers, who subsequently reported that they had encountered machine guns, when in fact, it was simply a group of trained riflemen armed with SMLE Mk III rifles. (2) Mossberg Maverick 88 12 gauge pump shotguns are assembled in Eagle Pass, Texas using foreign (Non-USA) manufactured parts, mainly from Mexico; which contributes to their relatively lower price in comparison to the Mossberg 500 series of shotguns which is assembled and manufactured in the USA. The trigger groups will not interchange between Maverick 88 and Mossberg 500 guns, but the majority of other parts including barrels, stocks, and shell magazines will (the barrel and magazines must be the same length). I have owned several over the years and found them to be just as strong and reliable as the Mossberg 500 series of pump action shotguns. (3) Smith&Wesson model 10 or Taurus model 82 both are well made, reliable .38 caliber revolvers that will serve you well and are great survival handguns for those on a budget. (4) The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It has a removable 10-round rotary magazine which allows the magazine to fit flush with the bottom of the stock. Higher capacity magazines of 25 / 50 rounds are available for this little carbine as are folding stocks, after market sites and a number of other accessories. It is my opinion that the 10/22 Ruger is the best semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle available on the market. Well there you have, my suggestions for a budget survival arsenal for under $1,000. If nothing else it should get your mind to working on your own list, what would you add / subtract or rearrange to make the budget arsenal more useful and effective? Remember you must stay under the $1,000 limit.
Poster Comment: The only thing I would change is a mauser or SKS for the SMLE. .303 ammo seems to be hard to find. But that is just me. To each his own.
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#1. To: PSUSA (#0)
Good info on the 25/50 cap mags for the 10/22. .45ACP is my handgun caliber.
Mine too. It's already proven effective. But I am looking at a .357 or .44 magnum paired with a lightweight carbine of the same caliber. That, and a AR or M1a and a .22 handgun would be my picks. With the right ammo, Rugers and Buckmarks can be surprisingly accurate. Point is, people need to get something while they still can, and there are plenty of inexpensive but good firearms out there and learn them inside and out. There is no excuse.
The only thing I would change would be to dump the 10/22 in favor of a good bolt action .22. I would want reliability over speed with the .22. Funny, my first three rifle purchases were a SMLE, a Remington 870 and Stevens bolt action .22. I got my poor man's arsenal first, then upgraded to include fancier toys as budget allowed.
I shall not vote for evil, lesser or otherwise. I just need a hatchet and a good knife.
Amen. I still have the .22 Browning Challenger purchased new, back in '69 for the princely sum of $65, and it's spot on accurate. The .22 rifle is a Browning BAR which was only produced for a few years back when. Smith has an AirLite 325 PD, and several other revolvers. which use moon-clips to fire the .45ACP rounds. (Winchester Ranger 230 grain) Hearing protection advised when practicing.
As the economy continues to tank, the local classifieds can be a good source of FTF type deals on all sorts of goodies.
I keep a few "extras" hanging around with plenty of ammo for each just in case I need to arm a less fortunate ally.
I shall not vote for evil, lesser or otherwise. Good plan and same here. It's not that easy to find out how the neighbors feel about self protection, the Second Amendment, and what action they've taken, or not, for a SHTF situation. I don't want to seem like I'm prying into their business, but I want them to know that we're not living with Ward, June, Wally and the Beav and longer.
Agreed. I have a Marlin bolt action in .22 magnum that I simply cant miss with. In fact, I have taken more animals than I have shot at. (I killed 2 squirrels with 1 shot. A shot of a lifetime, and I didnt see the other squirrel fall. A "little voice" told me I hit 2 and I started looking for the one I didnt see get hit). I like the 870 too. I had one, and sold it. That was dumb. Some firearms just should never be sold, no matter what.
Good to know - I've got one that I've never fired. Living in an urban setting sucks.
I paid $35 for the rough looking Stevens bolt action, $120 for the SMLE, and $200 for the 870, so my poor man's arsenal came in at $370. By the time I was done with the Stevens though, I had about $150 into it, including scope and mount. I refinished the stock, cleaned and polished all the metal and had it reblued. Now she looks better than new and shoots like a champ. So much can be had on the cheap. There is really no need to spend a bundle. I have an 1893 7MM Spanish Mauser which cost me $65, that puts bullets through the same hole at 50 yards and shoots sub 1 moa at 100. Not bad for a 115 year old relic. :)
I shall not vote for evil, lesser or otherwise. I heard that they literally cannot make mausers like that anymore. The workmanship on a mass-produced item is amazing. So many take the metal and build another rifle with that instead of using a new action, they are so good. One is on my wish list, just so I can have one, not for SHTF unless its a handout weapon.
Let's not forget our pollet products, which is all that I can use here, a single pump .177, scoped, can do hole-in-hole across the back yard - about 15 yards.
#2. To: lodwick (#1)
.45ACP is my handgun caliber.
#3. To: PSUSA (#0)
Body Art Cobleskill, NY
#4. To: PSUSA (#0)
#5. To: PSUSA, Critter, shooters here (#2)
Point is, people need to get something while they still can, and there are plenty of inexpensive but good firearms out there and learn them inside and out. There is no excuse.
#6. To: All (#5)
#7. To: lodwick (#6)
Body Art Cobleskill, NY
#8. To: Critter (#7)
I keep a few "extras" hanging around with plenty of ammo for each just in case I need to arm a less fortunate ally.
#9. To: Critter (#3)
The only thing I would change would be to dump the 10/22 in favor of a good bolt action .22.
#10. To: PSUSA, Critter, shooters here (#9)
I have a Marlin bolt action in .22 magnum that I simply cant miss with.
#11. To: PSUSA (#9)
(Edited)
I have a Marlin bolt action in .22 magnum that I simply cant miss with.
Body Art Cobleskill, NY
#12. To: Critter (#11)
#13. To: Critter, PSUSA, all (#11)
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