Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Gun and Run

We, the gun-blogosphere 'we', have discussed what you grab in a SHTF scenario.  15 minutes or less to grab the Go Bag, your best rifle, your CCW pistol, and out the door.  Jeff Cooper would have grabbed his Scout Rifle (he'd already have had the 1911 on his hip...)

What if you have more time, and a safe full of guns.  Like a day.  The slow moving magma from the Hawaiian volcano is coming to your neighborhood, say.  You can load the car but there is no time to get a trailer or moving van.  You are leaving your house 'forever'.  And you can't take everything in your gun safe.  You gotta choose a subset.  And this is after the valuable, important papers, photos, and favorite family heirlooms that are portable.  Great Grandpa's gorgeous roll top desk might not make the cut.  Not because you don't want to save it badly, but because you just can't fit it in the trunk of the Grand Marquis.

What got me thinking on this was JayG and his travails moving his household goods to Virginia.  And also where he is crashing, MBtGE's house.

Now, MBtGE has a big and full safe.  Like JayG.  But some of those guns are better than others.  MBtGE has a Hi-Point, for example. Other Saturday Night Special wannabes.

He'd leave that Hi-Point behind.  He'd prolly choose ARs over Mini-14s.  The Ruger revolver would come, but the Taurus?  No.  MAYBE the ancient family double barrel shotty, but maybe not.  Maybe NONE of the shotguns would make it, or only one.  12 gauge shotguns and ammunition are still plentiful and cheap.  Certainly anything with NFA cache would come.  Mainly for the expense, but also the utility.  I don't see him leaving many Glocks (he has dozens) behind because they are small, but onesy twosy things like a FiveSeveN or knockoff Single Action Army that really is less fun to shoot because of the reload times and the rarer caliber... Bye.  Miss you... 

You'd also might think "commonality".  Anything that takes a glock magazine, anything that takes an AR magazine.  Or you may think to leave some of the less expensive magazines behind and take the guns and mags that cost the most.  A whole class of caliber may be abandoned.  Sorry .40 stuff, I already have 9mm and .45 in the case.  A pile of ammo would get left, but definitely some would come for the ride beyond the already loaded.  But NONE of the cheaper stuff would have a spot on the lifeboat, is my guess.  Poor .32 Iver Johnsons...  Poor .270 bolty....

For me, my safe isn't as big.  I'd leave behind pump .22, and lever .357 and all shotties.  Take at least 2 or 3 1911 (gah, I have more than 2!  Can't believe that...)  No 1903.  Sadly.  No SIG.  All the revolvers (.22 and .357s) and a 10/22.  Half the loaded magazines.  Maybe less.  The Garand?  I dunno....  It has a scope...  Maybe just the scope.  Damn, that would depress me.  The M1A and the AR definitely.

The next thing is... why do you have those guns that you'd abandoned?  Well, I have them because they are neat.

I bet if Tam had this exercise she'd take the "User" guns and spares, and leave all but the cream of the "Collecter" guns.  But she is less sentimental about it.


4 comments:

Murphy's Law said...

I would NEVER leave a .357 Mag rifle behind, especially if taking pistols in that caliber. It just gives the round that much more utility by extending it's range and velocity. The .357 rifle and pistol are an excellent combo and it makes no sense to break that up.

That said, I also have a plan as to what goes and what stays, and sadly, a plan to ensure that the weapons left behind don't fall intact into the wrong hands.

Anonymous said...

Different Scenarios affect my decisions.

Tornado (this is Texas after all) where I'm likely to be gone for a little while but come back to a house or not -- the most valuable and least able to replace firearms.

Riots forcing me out of the house -- thinking fire power and crowd control.

TEOTWAWKI -- Long term viability and functionality reigns. What can I reload, what I can find cartridges or parts for, etc.

Unfortunately or luckily for me; there isn't much I could or would leave behind. I just don't have that many firearms yet. Definitely don't have more guns than people who would be going with me.

And that last point is the most important in my mind -- does everyone going have one or more firearms. Preferably a 3 gun set up.

Tam said...

I'd take the user guns but leave the spares. They're fungible and easily replaced.

The collectibles would be saved in order of value.

Old NFO said...

+1 on Tam's comment. And I WOULD NOT be grabbing the AR...