Limited to two firearms for preparedness....

[The Heretic]

I think I'd rather be in Costa Rica than Puerto Rico. Lot of US exPats in CR, with better fishing. CR gun laws don't seem as draconian last I checked?

I hear they are cracking down on guns in CR

https://insidecostarica.com/2016/01...earms-citizens-complain-constitutional-court/

 

[DeanMk]

So, I've done business down in Puerto Rico for many years. Our company also has a field tech on the island who reports to yours-truly. Over the years, we talked about all sorts of matters, and occasionally brushed upon preparations. I recall him, for example, asking me questions on generators at one point. Off hand, I don't recall if we discussed firearms, though it is possible. I recently read that the applications for a firearms license rose dramatically in the wake of Hurricane Maria.[1]

The laws down there concerning firearms are truly obnoxious. You need to apply for a firearms license, it costs $100, and it requires a lot of supporting materials. Once approved, you may own two (2) firearms and total of fifty (50) cartridges. There are exceptions for inherited firearms. If one wants more firearms, you have to get another license (target shooting or hunting), which cost more money, paperwork, and supporting documentation, but allows an almost unlimited number of arms. If you have one of those licenses, and more than fifteen (15) guns, at least 80% of them have to be locked up at any give time.[2] CCW is "may issues" and rarely granted. Open carry is not allowed. Some federally-registered NFA items are legal (AOWs, SBRs), while others (machine-guns, silencers, and short-barreled shotguns) are not. There is no "assault weapons" ban or magazine capacity limit though.

Anyway, as a thought experiment: If one were limited by means, an annoying law (as they do in at least one of the territories), or something else, to two firearms for preparedness, what would they be (make, model, accessories)? And most importantly, why?

I'd do a break action with a rifle barrel and a shotgun barrel.
Maybe something like .308/12 gauge.
150 grain PSP's and high brass 2 3/4" #6's.
You can do a heckuva lot with those two loads.
Since the closure of H&R the only rifle/shotgun combo's I'm aware of are Rossi and I'm a bit hesitant to bet my life on that gun.
I do see Henry now offers a Single Shot Rifle and a Single Shot Shotgun, but I don't know if one can fit the scatter barrel on the rifle receiver.

.....I should write to them and ask about that....


Dean

 

[DunRanull]

When I escaped from the gulag and took off across the taiga, I had the only firearms available to me at that time: A trusty mosin rifle and a somewhat aging and worn Nagant revolver. I had a bit of ammo for each and the revolver worked well for small game and the occasional snoopy peasant left to sink in the bogs... the mosin I used for the various siberian elk and deer species which can be found in some areas of the vast hinterlands of central Siberia... bears were also around, which made for good furs and plenteous grease...

 

[DunRanull]

Puerto Rico is a sub-tropical hole which serves as a useful naval base and a constant stream of US dollars going in and a constant flow of immigrants coming out.

 

[Camelfilter]

Puerto Rico is a sub-tropical hole which serves as a useful naval base and a constant stream of US dollars going in and a constant flow of immigrants coming out.

Puerto Rican's are US citizens, since ohh, about 1917.

The economy, on the other hand, is akin to...ohhh say Oregon (meaning Govt debt/CORRUPTION).

Puerto Rico has had 9 Medal of Honor recipients.

 

[The Heretic]

I'd do a break action with a rifle barrel and a shotgun barrel.
Maybe something like .308/12 gauge.
150 grain PSP's and high brass 2 3/4" #6's.
You can do a heckuva lot with those two loads.
Since the closure of H&R the only rifle/shotgun combo's I'm aware of are Rossi and I'm a bit hesitant to bet my life on that gun.
I do see Henry now offers a Single Shot Rifle and a Single Shot Shotgun, but I don't know if one can fit the scatter barrel on the rifle receiver.

.....I should write to them and ask about that....


Dean

I believe Savage still makes combos, Chiappa makes smaller ones, and Valmet makes/made combos with switchable barrels.

 

[The Heretic]

I'll take my Model 12 for defense and hunting, then probably a reliable revolver. As much as I love my semi-auto hand guns a revolver won't jam up on me when it counts.

Unless you get it dirty.

Combat semi-autos are more reliable in field conditions. When revolvers get dust/sand/dirt in them they do jam up because of tight tolerances and delicate lockwork. Combat semi-autos are also simpler in design. Try taking a revolver completely apart with just a simple pin punch. And yes, I had a revolver jam on me - the cylinder to barrel gap was so tight that after the first 50 rounds (NIB) the powder debris stopped the cylinder from rotating.

The main advantage of revolvers is that they can fire a much wider variety of ammo than a semi-auto.

 

[Boboclown]

Revolvers require more craftsmanship, as in more attention to detail. One of the things I like about em is you can tell a company cares by looking at the revolver.

But militaries change their weapons and for a reason. If the new design was not reliable it either isn't adopted or its replaced as soon as they can (fixed if possible). So the idea the old guns are much more reliable is without any basis other than nostalgia.

 

[Certaindeaf]

The good thing about revolvers, especially the Colt Python, is when they get tied up from grit, you can just horse the trigger back and get it to rotate.

















not really

 

[DB is Here]

Ruger 10/22-Mainly because we have a lot of same game and with a BX25 I can get a lot of lead downrange if needed.
Glock 19-Reliable, available ammo & small enough to conceal very well.

 

[DeanMk]

I believe Savage still makes combos, Chiappa makes smaller ones, and Valmet makes/made combos with switchable barrels.

Darn it, I knew I would be mis-understood.
Apologies for not being clearer.
What I meant was a rifle/shotgun combo where the barrels share a single receiver....maybe we should call them switch guns, since the barrels can be switched out.
I didn't mean a single combo, like a Model 24, but more like this...



...just with a nice carrying case.


Dean

 

[DeanMk]

I'd do a break action with a rifle barrel and a shotgun barrel.
Maybe something like .308/12 gauge...I do see Henry now offers a Single Shot Rifle and a Single Shot Shotgun, but I don't know if one can fit the scatter barrel on the rifle receiver.

.....I should write to them and ask about that....

...and a quick update on this...I wrote to them and they said those guns are not made that way, so no such combination is available.


Dean

 

[HB of CJ]

Or you can do what the US Military did during World War 2 by providing for the personal defense of non front line combat troops. The USGI M1, (later M2) Carbine. Forget pistols. One M1 Carbine for each responsible person.

 

[DeanMk]

You know, Buffalo Bore used to offer an interesting loading for the .30 Carbine round.
130 gr. SP @ 2100 f/s MV.
ME was a little more than a .357 mag in a lever gun.

Dean

 

[The Heretic]

Or you can do what the US Military did during World War 2 by providing for the personal defense of non front line combat troops. The USGI M1, (later M2) Carbine. Forget pistols. One M1 Carbine for each responsible person.

I am a believer and practitioner of the methodology that a handgun is a 'sidearm', almost always on your person, and that a 'long gun' (whether rifle, carbine or shotgun) is what you use principally for either defense or offense, but you cannot always have it in your hands - especially if you are a civilian in a SHTF situation where you need to be doing many other things with your hands other than carrying a long gun (like planting/harvesting/processing food, cutting/splitting/stacking wood, carrying/pumping water, etc.). Even having a long gun constantly slung over your shoulder is often not practical.

Therefore, while it is best to have some long gun in the immediate vicinity, it often cannot practically be on your person, but typically a sidearm can be - so your sidearm is something that you use to fight your way to your long gun and/or a defensive position/cover, or when your long gun is out of commission your sidearm is your last resort defensive weapon.

 

[The Heretic]

Darn it, I knew I would be mis-understood.
Apologies for not being clearer.
What I meant was a rifle/shotgun combo where the barrels share a single receiver....maybe we should call them switch guns, since the barrels can be switched out.
I didn't mean a single combo, like a Model 24, but more like this...

View attachment 456562

...just with a nice carrying case.


Dean

Valmet 412:


Valmet Model 412S O/U Six-Barrel Set

 

[The Heretic]

Fair enough! I won't argue with good information. Though I'd probably still stick with a revolver. Just my preference.

Revolvers are a good choice, especially where selection and number of firearms are limited. I am just saying that this is a common misunderstanding I hear from time to time, that they are more "reliable" than a self-defense semi-auto.

 

[Boboclown]

Revolvers are the worst thing you could stick with, and are horrible guns.

You should send them to me for proper disposal, I'll pay shipping.

 

[The Heretic]

And BTW - there are a number of other rifles that allow for switching barrels. Thompson Center makes several different lines. I believe Savage has one model that allows switching - albeit probably not with shotgun barrels.

Then there is of course all the different ARs that allow switching uppers, and even a few that allow switching between 5.56 class cartridges and .308 class cartridges.

If you want a bullpup semi-auto then the DT MDR will allow switching between a few different calibers, and I think some of their bolt actions do too.

 

[DeanMk]

Valmet 412:
View attachment 456706
View attachment 456707
Valmet Model 412S O/U Six-Barrel Set

Nice gun, but that's still not what I'm getting at (I even showed you a picture)
...whatever...
I gave my two cents. If you don't get it, or are just trying to bait me into some kind of "argument", that's your issue, not mine.


Dean