Nice to meet another brass scrounger. My range fee is $2 for active military. I probably pick up $30+ worth of brass each trip. I grab everything that is reloadable. Anything I don't use gets traded (to friends or placed on Craigslist for trade). .223 is another round that is so common you should never have to pay. .40, 9mm, and .357 Mag are all easy to find. I sometimes pay for .308. It doesn't seem that many people are leaving those behind. I found one of the best places is Top Brass. I buy it once fired and already processed for $198 / thousand. You can get it cheaper if you are willing to swage/resize/trim. Generally it's Lake City brass. They don't chamfer, but with a quick turn of the wrist, they cases are good to go. I think I have hijacked enough here. My original point was for the OP to look into reloading. There are small kits for those that don't have room for a large bench and tons of equipment. This is especially true if you pick a pistol caliber. Check out the Lee handloaders or similar products.
Actually we are not that far off. During the ammo shortage after BO was elected, I didn't have to worry. I buy my ammo in case lots. The same case of (lets say) 9 MM shoots in all my 9 MM weapons, that 5 handguns and 2 carbines. All but one of those take the same magazine, that 1 is a revolver. So I don't have to worry about getting mags mixed up or what ammo for which gun. Again YMMV, but it works for me. I don't plan on trading ammo except to some one I know very very well. If I still live in Alaska or some such place, I would have chosen heavier calibers. We actually and chosen 44 mag for our "ranch" guns. But just prior to retirement we both had to have neck operations, and both were kind of beat up from the job. So we swapped down to 357 mag. Much more fund to shoot these days. I also have a reloading set up for each of my main calibers, excludeing shotguns. My handgun primers are all small, my rifle primers are all large. No I'm not OC, it just happened that way.
I lucked out just before I retired. A friend was contracted to help train some S. American LEO's. He told me that the next day they were going to be shooting 308 sniper rifles, he also said that they threw the brass away! I told him I wanted it. He brought me a 3 1/2 gal bucket full of once fired nickle plated Winchester brass!!
I made my first choice today at a gun Show. I purchase a saiga with a 16 inch barrel. 32 long and a caliber of 7.62x39. whether that’s good or bad choice, its what I got. I decide the 9mm strategy wasnt the best of plans.
The Saigas have a good reputation. Good choice for a first 'defense' rifle. Be sure to stock plenty of magazines! When 'it' starts, the action could be heavy.......... That Saiga will also serve as a hunting rifle with five-round magazine and the Wolf 154 grain SP loads. Pretty accurate in my SKS's......
Saigas are good rifles. Much better than a 9mm for hunting. Good choice. Start stockpiling that ammo and look for boxer primed, brass cases.
Kel Tec is making a 9mm or 40 cal carbine that uses Glock mags. Good fit if you like glocks and want interchangeability for mags.
Standarized Calibers This is such a hard decision, not so much for the pistol, but the rifle that is an issue. First off, for the Pistol I would stick with two (2) Pistol calibers. #1. 9mm, cheap easy to obtain, and high capacity magazines. #2. a .45 platform in the 1911 design for extreme close range and stopping power. Now for the rifle, I have three (3) choices. #1. I love my RRA LAR-8 in 308 for long range and stopping power. #2. an AR-15 in 5.56 is a classic all around weapon, for both hunting or defense, and finally #3. a good quality Underfolder AK 47 for SHTF room clearing capabilities. I must also state the AK 47 is without a doubt the most reliable weapon of its type on the planet, simple to maintain and easy to repair. However, since the ammo primarily comes from outside the US, at some point in time feeding it may be a problem. So for now, buy it cheap and stack it deep.
I have recently added to my list of Standardized calibers to use for the famous shtf scenario, we all speak of. I was going to go with 3 differant calibers but I have rethought that decision of .40 s&w,.308, and 12 gauge. I am adding to this list .45 acp, 9mm, .22lr, and as of right now 5.56. I may yet add more, through careful deliberation, and much range testing to see what gives me the most bangs for my buck.
For me, this late in the game, I try to standardize with what my ring of friends have. Some are preparing for something, and others just happen to like shooting and collecting firearms. None of them have AK or East Block calibers, so I've stopped with that (there are great bargains w/ East Block supplies that stretch your money a long way). I'll never have enough and I'm woefully short of some items. I hope this can be corrected gradually as I pursue land and water, which are more important to me right now. Having a "schedule" of sorts helps spread the preparedness money. Every month I try to remember to get one brick of 22LR (Fed box-o-550) and one box of .308. If I get a great deal on .223 or .308 I'll buy more (e.g., a box of 200 pcs), but that's pretty rare. Reloading equipment will be extremely useful and worth a lot. I like how J.W.Rawles says: "2 is 1 and 1 is none" -- relating to having backup tools. Hope I kept on subject :^)
Standard Calibers Well I have standardized to some extent on SHTF events. I have 264WIN MAG, 6mmPPC, 270Win, 223/5.56x45, 22rimfire,and 458Win mag. But in the event of SHTF I would rely on 223/5.56x45,270win,and 22rimfire as that is what I stock up on in quantity.
NVBear has pointed out an important dimension to this decision. The same holds true for platforms as well. Sharing/trading spare parts, components, and ammo in a small group requires commonality.
I am not lugging around a rifle that only has a 150m effective range. I chose the AR-15 in 223, with a .22lr unit, for its tremendous versatility, and a pocket 9mm, because if that can't handle your problem, a bigger pistol probably can't do so, either, you need the AR, and probably also need body armor, cover, smoke grenades, tear gas, claymores, frag grenades and friends to help you!
A few years back I decided to "start over" and sold off all but 2 firearms. I had too many calibers and too many weapons that required a lot of maintenance. So, I went back to the basics: .22, 9mm, .38/.357, 12 gauge, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r. Each has it's own category and it's own use. All have their limitations and I had to get rid of some nice rifles, in order to get lean and mean. #1) self defense, #2) hunting/food procurement, 3) anything else. I got it covered.
the shotgun is of no real value, and neither is any bolt action, for survival purposes. if you have a 9mm, you have no need of a 357, either. if you would get a 22lr conversion for the fighting rifle, no need of a .22 pistol or rifle, either. you can carry one rifle and one (small, lw, pocket pistol) along with all the other survival gear you need. If you don't have it with you, it is of no value if shtf. No enemies are going to let you go get the "ideal" gear for the current situation. So you have no choice but to carry and use the most versatile rds and guns available. in the US, .30 Ak is a bad choice. it is not the GI rd, Nat'd guard armories don't have a single rd of this ammo in them, many sporting goods stores no longer bother to stock it, now that it is no longer so cheap. The guns that take 30 Russian long, are clunker bolt actions and the Dragunov (sp?) They are nothing to brag about, that's certain, when it comes to accuracy. So why bother with them, or their foriegn ammo? The 223 autos don't require barrel liners in order to utilize the .22lr conversion units. That liner is a hassle and a potential disaster if it gets dented, lost, bent, etc. Best to avoid such things. The 223 is certainly the way to go in the US
GUNKID! When did you get out of prison?! When you have something of real value to contribute, we may be interested.
I was thinking along the lines on .22, shotgun, and .357 revolver and lever action. I'm more jed clampett then rambo, and i've heard that hornady leverolution ammo has ballistics close to a 30.30. out of a long gun.
