Silent Weapons

Silent Weapons
No, not the kind of silent weapon used by CIA spooks or KGB assassins to dispose of targets during the cold war or the type screwed onto the barrel of a long range sniper rifle, with cross hairs zeroed on the heart of a charismatic evil leader or the ex-wife that continues to suck at the wallet year after year forcing you to live in deprivation while she and your replacement live in the lap of luxury at your expense.

No, the silent weapons I am talking about are less sinister in nature. The value of silence under certain survival conditions could literally mean the difference between life and death for the survivor. Taking game silently could be essential in keeping your location secret and avoiding potential threats, or frightening away every other animal in the vicinity.

Never fall into the trap of being totally dependent upon one food source. Too much can happen to cut off or eliminate your supply. Remember old man Murphy will be in full effect and in top form after any disaster. Plan to supplement your food storage with wild game, eatable plants, a garden, domestic animals etc., evaluate your location and personal situation and plane for at least three independent sources to meet your survival needs.

The area around my trailer is surrounded by thousands of acres of forest; my area has an ample supply of deer, wild turkey, black bear, pheasant, rabbit and squirrel I would be foolish to not use these abundant resources to supplement my food storage.

By far the best foraging tool is a firearm, but under certain conditions silence may be desirable or even essential. For this purpose I have several tools to take game without arousing suspicion or attracting unwanted attention.

.22 caliber CB caps

While not completely silent the .22 caliber CB caps caps are much quieter than standard loading with this round. The sound is more of a thud compared to the crack of standard rounds. Small game can be taken out to twenty-five yards with careful shot placement.

BlowGun

A blowgunis the epitome of simplicity. It is basically a hollow tube through which a dart is blown. Blowguns offer silence not found with other weapons and the dart can reach a muzzle velocity of 250 fps or more. I bought mine years ago from a mail order supplier but they can be made at home for nearly nothing.

SlingShot

The slingshot is generally seen as a child’s toy but can be very effective on small game and birds out to about twenty yards. The key is to practice enough to become efficient in its use. I used a folding slingshot to great effect during my walk from TN to Florida most of the time game is stunned rather than killed and must be finished off by other means.

Bow and Arrow

Modern compound bows are great for taking larger game, but are expensive with most models costing more than a comparable firearm. Primitive bows are easy enough to make from materials found in nature, for me the hardest part has always been the arrows. I have several handmade bows, but for the most part I prefer to use commercial arrows and broad heads.

Air Guns

In my opinion, the spring piston models are the best design choice of the models currently available. They are cocked by a single stroke and the force driving the pellet out of the barrel is consistent meaning better accuracy. Look for a gun with a fully rifled barrel, adjustable sights and grooved for scope mounting. Also look for a rated muzzle velocity of at least 1,000 fps. This site has a good rundown of the types available Airgun Depot.