Firearms and all it entails on a budget

Some will swear you get what you pay for. Some believe something is better than nothing. So when looking at purchasing a firearm what is best? Some have budgets and some do not. Firearms are not cheap when you are prepping on a shoestring budget; the purchase of a fire arm is a huge investment.

Here is an article on Building an Arsenal on a budget. Agree or disagree the author put thought into each suggestion. The whole article can be found by following the link.

Building A Survival Arsenal On A Budget | Off The Grid News


Not only is the firearm costly but the ammo, protective gear, lessons and cleaning kits all add to the cost. I have had discussions on CCW classes whether to take the cheapest one you can find vs. one from a reputable gun store. If you are new to firearms in general then store usually recommends a class on the basics. These classes run around $150. Some have said just get a few books and self- teach but is that really the safest way? Protective gear and cleaning kits- what is the minimum needed, what are the best for the best price. What gadgets to avoid. Ear plugs vs. ear muffs.


What about glasses? Can basic safety glasses be worn or do we need to get those fancy ones? I can get a pair of safety glasses for $3 at home depot.

So building an arsenal and all goes with it is costly but when prepping on a budget there has to be a way it is obtainable. Let’s discuss what works, what is truly needed and ways you got the best ”bang for your buck”.

 

W e followed that exact plan as in main defense, shotgun, pistols and long guns. Then came that day we sold them all to traveling salesman. I didnt ask for a receipt.

 

Wish I could afford something like this, Guy call's it a Thunder Lizard what ever that means ?

 

A bow isn't a bad thing to have either. Add some snares and traps while your at it.

 

The old saying "you get what you pay for" is especially true when it comes to firearms and firearms training. Get the best you can afford.

If you are a novice do yourself a big favor and sign up for a basic firearms safety class. Check into what kind of price break(if any) you can get for two people and take your 18 yr old if funds allow.

Eyes and ears- the Almighty gave you a pair of each, but that doesn't mean you have one to spare. Again, buy quality protection for them. That doesn't mean you have to have 100 dollar glasses and ear muffs, but not the el cheapos either. You have to remember that you will be using this protection every time you shoot, and to get proficient you will need to shoot on a regular basis. Crappy, uncomfortable glasses and/or earmuffs will not only become a PITA, but will distract you from your practice.

Cleaning kits
You can pick up a cleaning kit at WallyWorld that will cover the calibres you need for 20-30 dollars to get you started.

I'm of the single shot /iron sight only until you learn to shoot properly school of thought and taught all of my children that way. However in this case, I would suggest that you look hard at the Ruger 10/22 for the1st rifle and the Ruger MKII pistol for the 1st pistol. Both are semi auto, but this way you don't have to worry about selling/buying another .22 rifle later on. IMHO the above are the best overall in their class, and as a survivalist mindset goes, there are 1,000's of replacement parts and add ons out there for both.

The next purchase (IMO) should be a pump action shotgun. Like @Dunerunner said, nothing smaller than a 20ga. @Sassenach is a smaller framed lady and while she can handle a 12ga with full house loads, she prefers the 20ga. The Mossberg 500 series is a good solid platform and probably the cheapest of the big 3- Mossberg/Winchester/Remington.

Centerfire rifle
The AR15/AK47 are the two biggies in the prepper world and while either would suffice, on a budget I'd look hard at a good bolt gun or maybe a lever action like a .30-30win. In a bolt action give the Savage 300 series(I think that's the model #) with the accutrigger a look. I bought one for my kid brother in .300 Win mag a few years back and it's a nice rifle. One chambered in .308 win would take care of pretty much any critter you'd come across-two and four legged. Remington and Winchester both make nice bolt guns, but are higher priced.

Centerfire Pistol
If you decide on a revolver, I'd go with a Taurus or a Smith &Wesson. Nowadays,again IMHO, the Taurus is cheaper and every bit as good as the S&W. I think a 4" barrel is a good size for both concealment and accuracy. Gives you a little of both. Chambered for .357mag. You can shoot .38 special through it until you are ready to move up to the .357 round, and again as a prepper you have one pistol that can use two different cartridges.
If you go with a semi auto pistol, there are a boatload to choose from. Go to the gun shop/range that you took your classes from and ask to try several different ones to see what fits you the best. One of the best for Ladies IMHO is the Browning High Power in 9mm or .40 S&W. Sig-Sauer, Glock and Smith &Wesson all make good semi autos. The Colt 1911 is a fav of many but if you have small hands it can be a challenge to master.

 

For ear protection at first I picked up those disposable orange foam plugs. They were horrible. I ended up getting a few nice pairs of ear buds. The gun shop showed me some that looked like what the kids wear and they seem to work okay. They are not as good as high quality ear muffs but they are much better then the disposable plugs.

I like how everyone has agreed that a .22LR is a good gun to own. I have often wondered how many .22's there are in this country. I have considered a .22LR pistol but have not heard either way yea or nay on investing in one, thanks @Tully Mars & @BTPost.

 

Foam plugs under the ear muff worked well for me.

 

Ouch!!

Oakleys and Wiley X's for me as well.

 

LOL! wow, such a simple little tool and I got it incorrect. Mine stuck out but then I got a little uncomfortable when the plugs were inserted properly (in the video). They were way in there. I am a Mom so I have dealt with things getting shoved into places and having to drag the victim to the Drs to get it fished out.

@Dunerunner they come out okay when they are that far in? No rubber breaking off?

 

Oak's for me as well

 

From someone that has used them for 40 years, they will come out fine and I've never had one "break off".
If you use them on a regular basis, you can be prone to ear infection if you don't clean your ears regularly or if you are a person who happens to generate a lot of ear wax-like me.
I used to use both plugs and muffs when target shooting but now I only use the muffs. Buy a clip on belt clip for your ear muffs. Very nice to have. That way you aren't setting your muffs down and forgetting where you left them-like me..

 

I have been bird hunting for years now and consider myself good with the shotgun. Did not know much about pistols until I purchased one several years ago. After instruction from friends that had weapons training did I realize how bad a shot I was. Many years of hunting gave me the wrong impression of how well I handled a gun. My thoughts were that I routinely drop doves and quail so something as easy as a ten yard target would not be an issue. Boy was I wrong.

 

OK, as usual when it comes to guns on an internet forum, I disagree with most of what is written (though much of it I would have agreed with as little as 10 years ago).

First of all, while one USUALLY gets what one pays for, there are exceptions. When it comes to first guns and being armed on a budget, I am not a proponent of saving up for a high end handgun (or shotgun). Over the past 5 or 10 years, I have found that the Kel-Tec brand is generally accurate, reliable and inexpensive. There are exceptions, so I say practice quite a bit with it when new and, if needed, take advantage of their excellent return policy. I have owned about 10 of their guns and have never had one that needed to be returned.

I am also not a fan of the idea that the first gun you buy should be a .22. I like .22LRs and own a number of them for (very) small game and plinking...but recommend a reasonably priced 9mm for learning "real" shooting. I have known far too many people who bought a high quality .22 as their first gun learned to shoot it well and were then surprised when that skill did not carry over to an effective defense caliber. One of the Kel-Tec 9mms or a good used Ruger P series (the choice being whether someone wants a carry gun or a home defense type, since the Ruger is too bulky and heavy for most people to carry easily...especially concealed) are, in my opinion, excellent starter guns...they won't be as easy to quickly master, but are easy to shoot and when mastered one does not need to reinvent the wheel when they want to "move up".

The other disagreement is with regard to training. While good training is very helpful and I believe that everyone should have a basic safety and legalities course, it is my experience that this is one area where you do NOT generally "get what you pay for". Over the past 10 years, with the growing popularity of carrying, a lot of people have proclaimed themselves experts and started teaching defense courses and have learned that the more one charges for their course, the better people will believe that it is. For a person with a decent functioning brain, a combination of (get ready for it) You Tube videos and a lot of practice time trying the things one sees in order to determine what works for them is equally as effective as the majority of $200-$300 per day instructors. The key for me is practice, practice, practice. I have carried for 40 years (not counting military) both for work (where I was forced to use my gun more than most) and for personal security (where I only used my gun once..and that was as a club) and still do not go a week without putting a magazine of ammo through the pipe.

I do agree with everyone else on safety equipment, though I use foam ear plugs and basic safety glasses and still have both eyes and hear as well as I did at 25 (I already had tinnitus from spending my time in close proximity to a minigun while firing an M60 in my misspent youth...without ear protection to speak of) so I am not a big proponent of early money going for high end protection if one has budget issues. I also recommend SOMETIMES practicing without ear protection (gasp!!) so that one gets used to the way it will be if they are ever forced into emergency use of their weapon...just don't do it a lot if you want to be able to hear when you get old.

These are all only MY opinion, based on MY experience and should be taken with a grain of salt (hell, use a whole shaker if you wish)...they are given only as a different perspective than that which is usually expressed.

As always, YMMV