This is an extremely rare original working cannon that is currently being fired! Bore: 3 inches Tube Length: 46.5 inches Breech Diameter: 10.25 inches Muzzle Diameter at widest point: 7 inches Wheel Height: 44 inches Wheel Width: (Inside) 40 inches Trunnion Diameter: 3.5 inches Tube weight: 490 lbs. (222 kgs.) Danish naval cannon mounted on artillery chassis. This cannon dates from approximately 1780 to 90 and was found in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. (Formerly a Danish Colony). The barrel has new stainless steel sleeve (Lawrence Cook, Cook Arsenal, Meriden, CT) which was done to allow firing of zinc balls for hobby firing. The barrel has a three-inch bore. Sleeve has new touch hole machined for percussion system to allow firing by lanyard. Wheels and axle are from 1884 International Harvester U.S. Army ammo wagon. The wagon was used in WWI France. Wheels and axle installed because of forged steel axle and heavy wheels. Chassis came from the Great Danbury State Fair.
I just imagined Sea Cowboy towing that monster behind his truck going to the range. A cop pulls in behind him as someone raises the camper hatch with a lighter in hand!
Even better, imagine him towing it with the hearse........ I would LOVE to see some pictures of that.
Tango is wise beyond his years LOL . I agree completely in that most of us aren't truely up to humping it all day long with 50lb pack much less 2+ rifles and handguns and all the other crap so called expert survivalists advise . I use to roll laughing when I would read Mel Tappins old colums on having this and that gun for each individual use . This is why I am a big believer in the 308/45 acp or 30-06/357 combo , it isnt that the 223/9mm is worthless but what would we be more likely to scrounge up in a true SHTF ? What would you rather have if ball would be your only selection a 9 or a 45 ? How fast would all of these specialty defensive rounds for the 9 that make it a good stopper be scooped up in a SHTF ? While I have shot a few Russian caliber chambered guns other than us gun nuts how many homes do you think you might find ammo for them in ? If every home owner within a 5 mile radius of you let you search their home , I bet you would find tons of 30-30's , 30-06's , 270's , 308's , 12 gages and 45's and 38's long before you would dig up any 7.62x39's and 9 mm's , and you can't carry thousand and thousands of reloaded rounds you have stashed away .
Big0001: While I agree with the above poster (If you ain't got it, you ain't got it) and I'd like to point out that the guy with the 30-30 or 30-06 probably has 2 boxes of shells... You might be interested in considering how many SKS's and AK's have been sold in the last 10-15 years... As for 9mm... While I prefer a .45 they are MUCH cheaper and quite common.
Well it all depends on how/where you were to survive a SHTF situation . If you live in a rural area and being able to ride it out there is a real possability anything you want could be stocked up and and kept/used but if you are a city/suberbian dweller as most of us are hitting the road is more likely and I honestly think random searches of abandon homes would turn up far more traditional hunting rounds in more homes . After all my Mossberg pump with 2 boxes of shells is much better in a fight than a $1,500 AR15 thats empty . While the 7.62x39 is popular enough everyone I have ever met shot the stuff up almost as fast as they buy it as it is the cheap "play ammo" these days and has been for a decade or so .
Bigo01, I don't know how in touch you are with the rural community, but my wife's family farms in the far flung reaches that most would find inhospitable and if you don't think you will find much 9mm or 5.56, you are greatly mistaken. As for the Russian stuff, they know what a gun show is and they all go to town to the local Wal-Mart, Blue Stem, TSC that all have ammunition. You are right that a lot of the old calibers are around, but the new-fangled-ammunition is quite readily available. They have truely found that the mouse gun round is great for coyotes, so don't gocarrying a 30-30 because you might find those rounds out rural. Nomad is right, they usually have a couple boxes of 270, not the cases that you typically find with the newer plinking calibers.
I have to agree with sniper. My family from both sides are ranchers. I cannot tell you how many cousins, aunts, uncles, family friends, etc. have .223/5.56 scope rifles, Mini-14's, and even a couple of ARs. The .223/5.56 is a cheap round, great for predator control, and they even shoot deer with them (very little meat lost). That is typically the first center fire rifle a young shooter gets. Mine was actually a .222, but I also shot .223s. As far as 7.62x39, hell every one has a SKS and at least a couple of boxes of ammo. My step dad who is an old cowboys has several .223s and he hoards the ammo too. All of his friends have them also. His buddies that are Gov. trappers use the .223 more than anything else. Did any of you know that the AR is the #1 selling rifle in the United States? It is. That amounts to quite a bit of .223/5.56 sold. Why else do you see it flying off the shelves at Wal-Mart? There is still plenty of 30-30 there, I can guarrantee that.
Well I'll toss my hat into the ring here. My "survival" gun is whatever I have at the moment. We would all love to have our choice when the time comes be it 308,30-06, 7.62x39, 3" cannon, whatever turns our top. I don't want to know nor do I particularly care what you have in you vehicle. Thats for you and yours to know not some yahoo halfway across the Country, furthermore think PERSEC. Now what would I want to have if I was out and about when things went South? I'd say a 10/22 mag, a couple of 2 liter bottles and a couple of rolls of T.P. Not the best solution in the world but workable. That and the ball on top of your shoulders which to me is the best weapon in the world. Anyway thats my opinion and we all know what those are like. Take care Be safe Poacher.
Sniper your post confuses me a bit . As I stated those who can reasonably expect to stay where they are live in rural areas , many of which are normally considered ranchers or farmers as such a "Bugout" isn't part of their plans so they can and probably do stock up on whatever round they so choose as a prep for SHTF . Quite frankly I expect these are indeed the folks with expensive and extensive weapons and ammo in stock . But for those in a much more populated area folks with the "Get the Gun" mentality I expect a few simple weapons or even a single handgun for home defense is far more prevalent . I am basing this opinion on almost 30 + years of shooting at local public ranges and hunting in public areas and while I have indeed seen a fair number of SKS/AK , ARS , Fals etc. while in these areas the typical bolt action 06 or 270 far outnumbers them at perhaps a 50-1 ratio . In the hunting field I have seen exactly one SKS being used in deer season . When it comes to handguns the revolver still outnumbers all autos and the 45 acp and 22 rimfire is tops among them . Perhaps this is a regional thing I honestly don't know , but in a SHTF in my area if we managed to survive and were forced to scrounge through neighbors homes who the owners had either been killed or had fled I am fairly certain I would find more "traditional calibers" . And yes I know 9mm is popular due to its cost but this is with ball only , and if reduced to that I would much rather have a 45 than a 9 with it's bigger hole . Me I have tried to keep things simple with 1911 45's, 357's , 30-06's and 308's a few shotguns in 12 ga , 22 rimfires and one 40 S&W out of curiosity of the round . Personally I think the 9 shines due to its small size and makes a wonderful compact CCW piece but in a SHTF where medical assistance could be hard to come by or impossable I would rather carry a more substantional round than a 9 and have a better chance of putting a man down with 1 round rather than needing multiple hits to get it done while he is firing at me . I would far rather count on my 45 acp semi wadcutter reloads than a 9mm with ball .
Just my on scrounging ammunition. I doubt the caliber of what you're carrying will matter much. It seems to me that, as often as not, if you find ammo in an empty house, the appropriate gun will be sitting right next to it. When people bug out, they'll probably take all the ammunition they have. At least until the weight catches up with them.
EL, Good thoughts and good post. Pick your platform and replicate it around what you and your family/group is comfortable with. If your wife and daughter have shot your ARs, don't hand them an M1A if the balloon goes up. I like the commonality of parts, mags, and ammo.
I heard a stat last month that said that the AR-15 was the most popular selling rifle in 2006. Like 4 million of them. Was on Tom Greshams 'Gun Talk' Most places I go around here speak 223, 9, 45, 22 and 12 In East TN, I know very few AK shooters. Not that they aren't out there but they are alot like Mac users, a little introverted. No offense to the AK guys here. Just my take on my area
No offense but this simply wont be the way it works . A few examples 1) While sheep often wont grab their only gun/guns because they doubt they'll need it or will simple forget it when facing an extreme emergency because it isn't part of their normal thinking process . I bet if we could accurately find out how many homes had only a few guns "or only 1" in them that number "whos use is strickly hunting or home defense yet they aren't considered gun people" would far outnumber the number of homes of people who think like we do . More likely if this type of person grabbed a gun the extra ammo they would carry would be perhaps a few complete reloads per weapon yet they may have 3-4 boxes of 50 or 20 if rifle loads . When you yourself are running low on ammo finding only a box or 2 could be a lifesaver . You have to remmember many city guys have a hidden gun the wife doesn't know about and while he might grab it and a box of shells he wont carry so much that it would be obvious to his wife . No offense ladies but women love to get hysterical about crap they dont like at the worst times . Just an example of their thinking from personal expierence , my brother inlaw many years ago was going on a float trip and asked if he could borrow a pistol to shoot while out in the country "the only time I have ever loaned a gun out" I gave him the gun and 2 full boxes of shells knowing he would have friends with him and assumed they might want to shoot also . He looked at the 2 boxes and gave me an almost frightened look and said "Hey man I ain't gonna be fighting off indians" at which I asked him how many rounds he wanted and he said "only a few" so I opened a box and gave him 18 rounds only and he seemed very happy . 2) Big time collectors or reloaders who decide to bug out wont waste the time trying to carry everything . Melbo would be a good example of this , he is a huge AR and Glock advocate if he were my neighbor and I knew they had bugged out I would see if I could find some 45's and 308 rounds he hadn't bothered with and 9's and 223 he hadn't tried to carry if I owned any , same thing with the typical hunting ammo like 30-06 or 270 if I knew he had them in his collection .
As for the 9 vs 45 debate, my take on it is what the rounds were designed for. The .45 is knockdown power on a nearly naked Moro, while the 9mm was designed by the Germans to penetrate layers of web gear to get to the man underneath. If I have to engage a heavily dressed man in the winter, I will poke a couple holes in him with 9mm as opposed to roll him around with a big bruise. Just my slant
While sitting here reading this thread I was trying to think of one person that I know that doesn't have an SKS, but I can't think of one. The guns are cheap and so is the ammo but yet it is plenty powerful enough to take down any of the local game. That is a winning combo in a depressed rural area. As far as pistols go if they have an auto it is 9mm fokr wheel guns most are .357mag's. Of course 12ga.'s and 22lr's are a shore bet. Over all though I think you better have what you think you need because when the S really HTF the sheeple will wake up quick as to the value of ammo. OGM
Don'think you'll find much laying around anywhere after the fact, but that's just a guess...katrina troops went door to door,looking forsurvivors/injured and weapons; They didn'tseem too negotiable on gun confiscations.( yes the gunrights groups sued afterwards.) Tappan era thinking says every gas station hardware store, and stop and rob has 12ga/.22 -.06 maybe 30-30( in hunting season)( that makes that a vintage wildass guess) but that still makes it blind dumb luck,and you certainly wont find 460ruger 375 H&H or other weired stuff ( unless you are living a survivalistpaperback).
