James
Every time I see an article by Buckshot [3] [such as “The Basics of Stocking a Retreat For One Year”, posted May 19th], I am most impressed that he expresses the distilled wisdom of a true survivor. I don’t believe I have ever see him recommend a battle rifle as an primary part of a survivor’s arsenal. A military type rifle in the hands of someone without a realistic idea of combat gives a sense of super hero power. Sadly in a generation of video games where the “Hero” is able to take down whole rogue military installations a subtle psychological training shift takes place. I don’t so much fear the fake violence as much as the ludicrous expectation that the weapon makes the commando. More than anything what really makes a special team is combat practice several times a week, blitzkrieg tactics which make the opposing force play to your rules, and massive expended firepower giving your adversary sensory overload.
My recommendation is to play the mouse and hide using your .30-30 to bag meat and defend yourself until you have squared yourself away in the more important departments. For most people the heavy arsenal is an strong temptation to be the local super cop, an unpopular and very dangerous decision. The nail that sticks up (in a scary “black rifle” way) is the first to be hammered down by any new regional emergency authorities. Even worse are the temptations to use your heavy weapons to supply your family because you failed to do any other preparations.
Remember in a survival situation you are not the U.S. military expeditionary force. Please adjust your survival plans accordingly. – David