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I know many people will argue about stopping power, hunting and effective range but let's gets practical. The reason for this post is not to debate the reasons for owning other calibers but rather to point out some REALLY important points for people new to "Armed prepping".
There are a ton of inexpensive, quality .22 LR rifles out there. You can have them set up to be tactical or appear as nothing more than a small game hunting rifle.
The ammo can be bought by the dump truck load for an amazingly low price. IMO, this may be the single most important feature of any gun when it comes to survival preperations. A .50 BMG rifle is great but who can afford to buy 100 rounds a month ($350)? That's a damned car payment! .22 LR is $20 per 1000 rounds and that's not some crappy no-name ammo. Part of the problem with "preparedness" is that you don't know when you're going to need your preps. People that are just getting started may feel that they can never reach a substantial level of preparedness in time to meet the need. Choosing the .22 LR caliber will allow them to quickly and affordably stockpile a substantial amount of ammo. You can't win a gunfight if you don't have any ammo.
The ammo is light and can be carried easily. With gas prices going up and down in HUGE swings, one thing is for certain ... we can't count on gasoline being available forever. Even if your BOV breaks down and you are forced to walk, you can be well stocked and somewhat light on your feet. Being light on your feet can be as important if not more so than being well armed.
A combatant doesn't ask what caliber you're shooting. If the mere sight of a gun isn't enough to scare them off, the sound of gunfire probably will. Even if they keep coming, the .22 LR round WILL kill a human being. It may not be the best tool for self defense but people commute to work in hyundai's even though a ferrari would get them there faster. The point is ... it may be small but it's still a gun and that's always better than a knife or a club.
My suggestion is to create a good stockpile of .22 LR ammo (10,000 - 25,000rounds) and then look for a larger caliber rifle to address the issues of effective range, stopping power and larger game hunting.
There are a ton of inexpensive, quality .22 LR rifles out there. You can have them set up to be tactical or appear as nothing more than a small game hunting rifle.
The ammo can be bought by the dump truck load for an amazingly low price. IMO, this may be the single most important feature of any gun when it comes to survival preperations. A .50 BMG rifle is great but who can afford to buy 100 rounds a month ($350)? That's a damned car payment! .22 LR is $20 per 1000 rounds and that's not some crappy no-name ammo. Part of the problem with "preparedness" is that you don't know when you're going to need your preps. People that are just getting started may feel that they can never reach a substantial level of preparedness in time to meet the need. Choosing the .22 LR caliber will allow them to quickly and affordably stockpile a substantial amount of ammo. You can't win a gunfight if you don't have any ammo.
The ammo is light and can be carried easily. With gas prices going up and down in HUGE swings, one thing is for certain ... we can't count on gasoline being available forever. Even if your BOV breaks down and you are forced to walk, you can be well stocked and somewhat light on your feet. Being light on your feet can be as important if not more so than being well armed.
A combatant doesn't ask what caliber you're shooting. If the mere sight of a gun isn't enough to scare them off, the sound of gunfire probably will. Even if they keep coming, the .22 LR round WILL kill a human being. It may not be the best tool for self defense but people commute to work in hyundai's even though a ferrari would get them there faster. The point is ... it may be small but it's still a gun and that's always better than a knife or a club.
My suggestion is to create a good stockpile of .22 LR ammo (10,000 - 25,000rounds) and then look for a larger caliber rifle to address the issues of effective range, stopping power and larger game hunting.
