Armory consolidation a marriage of practicality and survival.

This guest post by Anthony M and entry in our non-fiction writing contest.

I  know what everyone is thinking.  Oh great, another gun nut.

Well  I am a gun nut, but I do not have an entire vault full of every weapon  ever used in a war.  I do not collect them just to show them off.  I  am not a person who buys $3,000 dollar firearms just because it is “the best” and I do not have a “complex” where everything  I own has to be the largest.

What I am is an average Joe who wants the most bang for his buck,  literally.

I  used to have firearms of many calibers and thought I was prepared for  whatever task may be needed from a “boom stick”.  But as the  preparedness life style started creeping into the back of my mind I  started to look at things differently.  I started getting sick  of having to stock 6-8 different calibers and then having to select  what firearm to use whenever I went out.  With much deliberation  and a few tears I decided to limit my arsenal and stock up on the essentials.   But what are the essentials, you ask?

Well, the idea came to me when I was reading about cowboys and the  old west and how they used to carry a rifle and pistol in the same caliber.   The cowboys, who ultimately lived the bug out lifestyles, having everything  they owned on their back (or their horse’s) and making do with what  they had, are what some of our plans are for a SHTF situation.   My SHTF scenario is not to run off into the woods.  But, on my  way to my BOL I may not be able to use a vehicle which would force me  to go on foot.  The reasons that I would be on foot could be a  solar flare, EMP, road blocks, or break down.  I’m sure you could  think of a few more reasons why you would be on foot.  Having a  long gun and pistol of the same caliber makes my load lighter and easier  to carry.  Taking this one step further, to make my pack simpler  would be to use the same magazines and same parts for my long rifle  and pistol.

The  benefits of having your pistol and long rifle share ammunition and parts:

1. Same ammunition
2. Same platform for muscle memory
3. Same magazines so no confusion when in a firefight   or a hurry
4. Less extra parts need to be carried for repairs
5. Common parts between team members
6. Lighter and smaller pack to carry

The first step was to assess my collection and do some research on  velocities of handgun calibers.  I found the caliber that I liked  and decide to stick with it.  For me that was the .45 acp, mostly  because I already owned a few 1911s, liked the simplicity of the 1911,  and I liked the muzzle energy of the 45 acp out of a 16 inch barrel.

NOTE: There are many other fine calibers to choose from.  The  .410 ga./45LC, 9mm, .40 cal, 22 mag, .357/.38 spl, and many others just  to name a few.

Then the hard part started.  I needed to cut down on my arsenal  to pay for my new toys.  Now, I do NOT condone selling firearms,  but since I was buying some to replace them I figured it was acceptable  as long as I did not tell anyone.  Mostly for fear that they would  think I was really going off the deep end.

NOTE: There is no need to sell your firearms to pay for new ones.   But it was the right thing to do in my situation.

First  I had to decide which ones I would absolutely NEVER give up.

• 1. Heirlooms  that were handed down to me and I intended to hand down
• 2. My  go to guns such as hunting shotgun, carry pistols, and rifles
• 3. My  first gun that I bought
• 4.   Hand out weapons for neighbors

This  left me with a nice combination of all around firearms that would suit  many purposes.

Then  I had to decide which ones I could part with.

• 1. Expensive  special editions that I would never shoot
• 2. Odd  ball calibers that I never shoot (or can’t afford to shoot)
• 3. Unreliable  guns that I do not trust nor would want any friends to use
• 4. Guns  that were cool to have at the time but have since lost their appeal

Once  the sales were completed I needed to turn the money into steel.

NOTE:  I used my local gun shop to sell them on Gunbroker.com.  They only  charged a few percent and did all of the pictures, listings, and shipping  which was well worth it to me.

To finally decide what I was going to choose I had to do some research.   After some research I found the mech-tech systems, high point carbines,  marlin camp carbines, pistols with butt stocks, and many other carbine  systems.  All of these were great options and I was really close  to going with the mech-tech.  However, after seeing the price tags  on all of these I decided to build my own carbine.

NOTE: This is not an easy option and not for everyone, but I have  a good friend who is a machinist and we were looking for a project to  do.

I bought a 16 inch barrel for my 1911 and built a butt stock for it.   I put a fore grip on it, a 120 lumen light, and nice iron sights which  rounds this off to my perfect long gun.  It has the reliability  of the 1911, the accuracy of a rifle (to a certain range), the same  parts as my side arm, and is very light.

NOTE: The butt stock is a prototype and we are currently designing  new ones.  It looks rough but is completely functional and sturdy.

My main 1911s and 15 round magazines.
Concealable ATI 3.2 inch barrel stainless steel
5 inch 1927 Argentine colt
2011 single stack RIA with Picatinny rail, 16 inch barrel, and butt stock
(Not pictured-5” RIA that is completely interchangeable with the carbine RIA)

I am not telling everyone that this is the only way to have a sidearm/carbine  combo that is interchangeable. There are many firearm conversion kits  out there that people should look at and I suggest some searching to  find the right combination for you.

Below  is a picture of my firearm grab bag.  Just an idea of how much  smaller your load can be without having to pack two different rounds  or magazines.

Grab Bag (old tool bag from garage sale)
Carbine is usually collapsed so only the barrel is sticking out of the bag
Magazines loaded and easily accessible (~90 rnds)
2 boxes of ammo (100 rnds) on inside (white box on left side)
Cleaning kit attached to handle (top of picture)
Extra batteries, goggles, hearing protection, holster, spare parts, and
simple take down tools also inside.
(Extra ammo in all vehicles and GHBs)

So, now I have a pistol and firearm that share everything in common  and cover quick draw (pistol), close range (pistol/carbine), and long  range rifle fire (carbine).  One reason that I do not want to carry  around an AK or AR or other long range rifle is because I do not foresee  myself having to fire over 200 yards and this does not justify the extra  weight.  My reasoning for keeping my shots under 200 yards is due to  a limit of my abilities, moral grounds for shooting that far at an animal  or person, and if I am that far away I should either leave or move closer.   How many of you could make the 200-500 yard shot that many of your rifles  are capable of?

My next problem was how much ammunition to store?  I contemplated  this a lot and finally came up with my stock up number, but I will leave  this number up to you to decide.

NOTE: I am not giving you a number because it will be different for  everyone.

Some  options that I thought of that may help you decide on a stock up number:

• 1. How much ammo active duty personnel carry on  a patrol and multiply that by projected duration of SHTF.
• 2. How  much ammo is recommended for an active forward operating base
• 3. Look  up statistics for how much ammunition is used in an average firefight
• 4. Look  at the route to your bug out location and find the entire population  between your location and your destination.  Then you could do  some arithmetic, multiply the population by 2 (double tap), or some  other method to figure out a number.
• 5.  Look at availability of your decided upon round in a SHTF. Does LE,  military, militias, or local ammo selling points carry your ammo?

My next problem that I encountered was when I started thinking about  my neighbors.  I realized none of my neighbors even had firearms and  if they did they were not reliable.  I figured I may need some  help defending my local area or getting to my bug out location in a  SHTF.

NOTE: I am only counting my neighbors who have earned my trust and  will be beneficial to my safety in a SHTF.

This  lack of firearms meant I had to figure out what to get for hand out  weapons.

I figured out that the most common weapon that my neighbors have is  the 12 gauge.  Also for the neighbors who did not have experience  with firearms the 12 ga. would be the easiest to learn.  I had  to choose a platform so that all of my hand outs were the same for simplicity.   I decided to go with the Mossberg 500.  Some of you may be skeptical  of the Mossberg but it has been used and trusted in the military, law  enforcement and by hunters for many years.  I have used it hunting  for years and have never had a problem.  I trust it and knew that  I could get them rather cheap at my local gun shop.  I was able  to pick up a couple Mossberg 500s really cheap (cheaper than mosin nagants)  and am keeping them as hand out weapons.  I hear many people talk  about the mosin nagant and how you can get them and a lot of ammo for  cheap.  My issues with the mosin nagant are; who knows how to disassemble  one, I do not trust them, and where am I going to get ammo for them  in a long term situation?  The advantages to me in using the Mossberg  500 is because they are reliable, tear down easily, easy to operate,  and use one of the most popular rounds in the U.S.

NOTE: There are many other shotguns that would fulfill this role such  as the Remington 870, Winchester 1300, or a variety of other trusted  shotguns.

Some of my Mossbergs:
Top one is my go to with side saddle, 3-point sling, and smooth slug barrel
Bottom two are nice guns with longer smooth barrels.
50 round bandoliers. (2 for $17 at sportsmanguide.com)

Another reason I went with the 12 gauge is for the versatility of  the round.  The 12 ga. round should have its own article but I  will just cover some of the basics.  I can use slugs for 150 yards  and under, buck shot for out to 50 yards reliably, and cheap birdshot  for practice, hunting small game, or indoor defense.  There are  also the novelty rounds such as flares, flechette, dragons breath, grenade  rounds (rare and expensive), and short shells.  The short shells  should have their own topic also, but I just wanted to cover them quickly,  I like short shells because they add capacity to your magazine and have  the same knock down power at close range (usually same powder less pellets)  as normal shells.  There are different sizes such as 1-3/4 inch  or 2 inch.  They can jam easily so make sure you test them before relying  on them.

NOTE: The 1-3/4 is only recommended for the Winchester 1300 by the  manufacturer but can be reliable in other shotguns if some simple modifications  are done.  The 2 inch is generally reliable in most pumps.

It is also easy to get inserts for the 12 gauge that will fire just  about any other round on the market.  These inserts look like a  12 gauge shell with a hole in the back.  You can put another (smaller)  round into the hole and the firing pin from the shotgun will fire the  smaller round.  Your weapon might be a single shot with these but  it adds a lot of versatility, especially in a shortage of ammunition.

Do  some soul searching and duckduckgoing and try to come up with a good  plan.

• There  is a plethora of hand gun caliber carbines out there and I wanted to  list some that may spark some interest:
• 1. Grease gun
• 2. Sten gun
• 3. Mech-tech
• 4. Glock butt stock adapter and 16 inch barrel
• 5. High point carbines
• 6. Many cowboy gun combinations
• 7. The judge and Rossi circuit judge
• 8. 1911 butt stock and 16 inch barrel
• 9.  AR uppers that accept other ammunition

NOTE: I would like to bring up the Judge pistols and the Rossi Circuit  Judge.  They are a 45 Long Colt and .410 gauge combination revolvers  that can be bought in a pistol version or carbine version.  You  can read up on .410s and 45 LC rounds and make your own conclusions  but I would trust a .410 to take down a deer so I’m pretty sure it  would work for two legged varmint.  You could also get adapters  similar to the 12 ga. to fire just about any caliber out of the revolver  judge and make it very versatile.  I would highly recommend the  Judge family to anyone who is just starting out in firearms.  Make  sure you get some adapters to shoot 22s out of it to start out and ease  into the larger calibers.

After all of this running around and putting my ideas into action  I only need to know two gun systems and I only need to store 2 types  of rounds.  45 ACP and 12 gauge.

The reason for this article is not to sell you on buying a bunch of  1911’s and Mossberg 500s.  The reason is to get you thinking  about simplifying your arsenal so you can simplify your life. Nothing  in this article is an endorsement for any products or services mentioned.

Thank  you for reading and I look forward to discussing your opinions in the  comments below. Please  let me know if you disagree or have a different opinion than me because  the whole pack will benefit from having more than one option to think  about.

This contest will end on April 22 2013  – prizes include:

• First Place winner will receive - A $500 dollar gift certificate courtesy of LPC Survival that is good for $500 off anything on their site. And  a Wonder Junior Deluxe hand-mill courtesy of Kitchen Kneads,
• Second Place winner will receive – Two cases of MRE’s courtesy of Camping Survival and a $150 gift certificate off of Hornady Ammo from LuckyGunner.
• Third Place winner will receive -  a one year subscription to Personal VPN service courtesy of unspyable.

Well what are you waiting for – email your entries today. But please read the rules that are listed below first…