“Armory” for the preparedness minded?

[NobullSKS]

I have gone through a phase……. Enough budget ar builds (bulk pack lowers or 80%, No kind of glass,carbine, but at least Anderson lower parts) to go around and I still got couple 9mm Yeet cannons. And semi auto deuce deuces….. can't have enough…. Even the new Sig is cheap.

 

[Rkangel]

View attachment 1197297

"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools..." Romans 1:22
"Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent." Proverbs 17:28
Which gave rise to the quotes often attributed to Abraham Lincoln: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."
and Mark Twain: "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."


May have different contextual applications, but the principle still applies. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. We may be gaining knowledge at record rates, but we are losing wisdom even faster. Knowledge without wisdom is very dangerous.

I will add my own quote. Never arm foolish people, they will drain your will to live before shooting/stabbing you in the back (literally and metaphorically).

 

[The Heretic]

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.

I have also said, there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom - which is also true IMO. Intelligence, knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom seems to me, to be the ability to use knowledge and intelligence, aptly.

 

[Knobgoblin]

I have also said, there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom - which is also true IMO. Intelligence, knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom seems to me, to be the ability to use knowledge and intelligence, aptly.

Applied intellect.

 

[GWS]

Why do I need to interchange parts of guns with myself? I can only use one gun at a time, and they are all reasonably dependable, so why would I take parts out of a working gun to fix a broken gun? What would I be doing to get a carry gun broken?

You cannibalize the broken gun to repair the working gun. Depending on the gun and how much you shoot it and how hot the loads you use are you can wear out a pistol or rifle. For example, a friend cracked the frame of one of his 1911s while running .400 CorBon. Per a couple gunsmiths it was unsalvageable so now he has a spare slide, barrel and various smaller parts for his other 1911s. Not the ideal way to get spare parts but waste not want not

 

[RX-79G]

You cannibalize the broken gun to repair the working gun. Depending on the gun and how much you shoot it and how hot the loads you use are you can wear out a pistol or rifle. For example, a friend cracked the frame of one of his 1911s while running .400 CorBon. Per a couple gunsmiths it was unsalvageable so now he has a spare slide, barrel and various smaller parts for his other 1911s. Not the ideal way to get spare parts but waste not want not

If you have two .400 Corbon pistols and they are both broken, what are the chances that they are broken in different ways? You can't repair a gun with a cracked frame by using the other gun's cracked frame.

I prefer some 'hybrid vigor' by having firearms that are unlikely to break down the same way and a selection of spare parts.

 

[Flymph]

Thoughts on how many is too much?

 

[Old Dog]

View attachment 1197297

I am just so in awe that someone on this forum used a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote in a post. And so apropos. Well done, sir!

 

[The Heretic]

The past few weeks I have traded (at least partially - often cash is involved one way or the other) a handgun for a rifle, then a rifle for a handgun, bought a handgun slide at a good price, then a handgun for a rifle again (and a chainsaw). It wasn't the same rifle or handgun each time.

I was balancing out some redundancies and trading them for guns that I felt better matched my needs if SHTF (I really didn't need three SIG 229s when I have 3 SIG 226s, and now that I have a 325TR, I didn't need a 460V, and I didn't need two RARs in 5.56 so I traded away the one that didn't take AR mags). Everybody got what they wanted and we are happy.

My point is, I could see a lot of horse trading going on with guns/ammo and other preps if SHTF. For one thing preppers and non-preppers would "**** or get off the pot" when faced with SHTF, and another thing would be that SHTF won't be at all what many people will expect, whether they prepped for it or not; and their preps may not be adequate or fit what SHTF turns out to be.

Best laid plans of mice and men.

I also bought two more of my favorite survival knives, even though I already have three (one for each of the three of us); the idea is to have them for trading. Some preppers have pointed out that if there is one thing that most people already have, preppers or not, it is knives - and that is somewhat true; most people have at least one very sharp knife in their kitchens, if not a whole collection of them in some wood block. And sure, they can use those, but a paring knife or the cheap thinned bladed knives in their kitchens, or the rusty hunting knives in their tool boxes that they inherited from their grandpas, are probably not appropriate for many of SHTF tasks they may encounter. Plus if they have to bugout, how many people are going to think to grab those knives?

So yeah, I got two more of the very same knives I already had plenty of. The intention being to have them for barter and/or to give them to relatives/friends who may show up if SHTF.

So - after that long tirade, I am getting to my point; that I am kind of envisioning a bit of limited and very private "yard sales" happening after SHTF where someone needs something and odds and ends get trotted out to balance out the trading where the main items are not particularly equal in value, so some items need to be added and/or deleted - especially when there is a large disparity in value. That happened last night, and how I wound up with a chainsaw (I needed a smaller lighter one anyway) to balance out the trade. I get the impression this happens more often than I have experienced in the past (I usually sell or buy with cash, I usually don't trade one gun for another - but the last couple of weeks I have used cash less to buy/sell) - I hear/see people take guns in trade that they don't need or want, to turn around and sell it later.

Anyway, that's my long winded obtuse take on the topic. Clear as mud?

 

[fstdraw]

Sounds like a lot of trips to the local FFL to do the trades!

 

[The Heretic]

Sounds like a lot of trips to the local FFL to do the trades!

somewhat - but the trades of firearm for firearm reduce the trips somewhat. today i was #29 in the queue and it still took the OSP 2 hours to get to my BGC. I can't figure out what is going on with them. So I had to hang around Salem for a while.

I think the trading is mostly done for a while. I have one more high ticket item in the classifieds waiting for a buyer/trader, and when that is done, then, if no cash is left over from it (if traded instead of sold), I will be done for a while.

I am thinking of selling/trading my dirt bikes, but that doesn't have to be done solely here - plenty of other forums for that to happen also.

 

[coop44]

Heretic, you confuse me. Alot!

 

[The Heretic]

Heretic, you confuse me. Alot!

Welcome to the club

 

[coop44]

No trading/selling the sigs!!!! Unless it's to me!!!

 

[The Heretic]

No trading/selling the sigs!!!! Unless it's to me!!!

Too late. It is a done deal - I am now officially two SIG 229s down. I do not anticipate further SIG trading/selling, but I do now officially declare myself cured of the SIGness as I had no trouble at all trading/selling them. The recent acquisition of a new (to me) 226 and yet another Mk25 slide helped a lot. I just need to find a 220 rimfire kit and get some trigger work done, and I will be good to go - Josey Wales will have nothing on me!

 

[GWS]

If you have two .400 Corbon pistols and they are both broken, what are the chances that they are broken in different ways? You can't repair a gun with a cracked frame by using the other gun's cracked frame.

I prefer some 'hybrid vigor' by having firearms that are unlikely to break down the same way and a selection of spare parts.

Unless you're experimenting with .400 CorBon, while leaving your other 1911s as is. My pal tried the .400, I've tried 9x25 Dillon out of my G-20. The round screams and in this case did no damage. The experiment ended because the ammo is all but impossible to find anymore and pricey as hell. The barrel and spring are now in the parts box. Part of the fun of shooting at least for some of us, is trying new calibers. The economical way to do this is to have a couple "test" guns that you can swap out the barrels and recoil springs on. Sometimes, you have to buy the gun to try out the caliber like the 22 TCM or 5.7x28.
Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

 

[Member 3687]

We all have different mind sets when it comes to being prepared and I know mine has changed a lot over the years from when I and my boys where younger until now that they are adults and I am getting old and tired.

I have been into firearms from my teens through now in my mid 60s so I have always had doubles of certain guns I really liked when I could afford it.

When the kids where younger ages 6 and 7 they had more guns than most adults ever thought of because it was my hobby so in a way it became theirs. All three of us had the same stuff and we went to training classes together.

I have always felt that spare parts are a necessity along with spare mags because one never knows if a SHTF will happen or if some new law will put a stop to spare parts and if your gun breaks you would not be able to fix it. Spare parts could also be used for barter if needed as well.

When I first started, I had a medium size fish and tackle box of cheap spring kits and high ware parts then it became two, then a shoe box here and there and now I have combined it all in a 14x44 in tool box that has nothing but gun related tools, spare parts and cleaning supplies that cover the verity of guns I have. Even now I wounder if I should have gotten a bigger box. I have also gone away from the cheap parts to higher end/quality stuff over time as well.

To the original post I would not just hand out guns to folks I do not trust but as I stated in an early post if certain friends or family get caught with their pants down during a SHTF they know to come here and I will help if I can and that includes providing a gun, chest rig, mags and ammo.

In my mind it is better to fight with friends than just die alone.

My first parts box


My new parts storage

 

[American123]

We all have different mind sets when it comes to being prepared and I know mine has changed a lot over the years from when I and my boys where younger until now that they are adults and I am getting old and tired.

I have been into firearms from my teens through now in my mid 60s so I have always had doubles of certain guns I really liked when I could afford it.

When the kids where younger ages 6 and 7 they had more guns than most adults ever thought of because it was my hobby so in a way it became theirs. All three of us had the same stuff and we went to training classes together.

I have always felt that spare parts are a necessity along with spare mags because one never knows if a SHTF will happen or if some new law will put a stop to spare parts and if your gun breaks you would not be able to fix it. Spare parts could also be used for barter if needed as well.

When I first started, I had a medium size fish and tackle box of cheap spring kits and high ware parts then it became two, then a shoe box here and there and now I have combined it all in a 14x44 in tool box that has nothing but gun related tools, spare parts and cleaning supplies that cover the verity of guns I have. Even now I wounder if I should have gotten a bigger box. I have also gone away from the cheap parts to higher end/quality stuff over time as well.

To the original post I would not just hand out guns to folks I do not trust but as I stated in an early post if certain friends or family get caught with their pants down during a SHTF they know to come here and I will help if I can and that includes providing a gun, chest rig, mags and ammo.

In my mind it is better to fight with friends than just die alone.

My first parts box
View attachment 1198056

My new parts storage
View attachment 1198057

Seems prudent. I have family who aren't into the passion/hobby half as much as I am, but they are still good marksmen. If we needed to go from simple civilian life to holding a rifle more regularly, as long as you can trust them, more armed people is better!

I like your method of keeping things organized.

 

[American123]

View attachment 1198051

Those "friends" are the type of people who make statements like. "I'm coming to your house if things get really bad."

My follow up question is always, "and what will you be bringing to the table to make it worthwhile to have you here?"

People act dumbfounded when you point out to them that their mere existence as another mouth to feed is not welcomed unless they provide a benefit worth including them for.

No man is an island, and if things are really bad it will be significantly better to have a team, but if they don't have any meaningful skills and they are drawing off your resources and supplied nothing of their own, it becomes a seriously questionable benefit.