James,
The response letter to Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist by S.M.O. caught my attention. While S.M.O. makes some valid points, I would like to expound on some of his points and offer some other observations.
I agree that the Ruger Model 10-22 semi-auto .22 Long Rifle carbine is a fine tool for the survivalist. In fact, I believe that this rifle is such an asset that it should be the first gun that everyone buys. It has been around for years and has proven itself to be dependable, accurate and reliable. It is arguably the best quality for the money of all the comparable semi-auto .22s on the market. In addition, due to it’s popularity, it has a wide array of accessories (both Ruger and aftermarket) to allow the owner to customize it to his/her own tastes. It’s even produced in a compact version for women, youth or any body who just wants a more compact rifle. Ruger has recently begun producing a 25 round magazine for the 10-22 which is based on the design of the original 10 round magazine. As opposed to some of the aftermarket magazines, the Ruger BX-25 works. It typically gets five star reviews on all of web sites that sell it. I recently purchased one to see for myself. It functioned perfectly in my rifle as well as in my brother’s 10-22.
Although S.M.O. did not say as much, I have heard others imply that the .22 Long Rifle cartridge as inadequate for personal defense. While I would not recommend the cartridge as a one-and-only defensive weapon, I certainly believe that it can play a role in defense. During my 28 years as a detective I have seen several people killed with a .22 Long Rifle. The cartridge is certainly capable and, as is the case with most bullets, bullet placement is critical. Since the rifle has negligible recoil and is capable of utilizing a large capacity magazine, it is possible to watch where the rounds are going and to observe the effect of each round on the target.
In a Get-Home situation, this rifle with the factory 10 round magazine and one 25 round magazine and 200-300 rounds of ammunition would provide for both food acquisition and a level of security with a minimum of weight and bulk. The weight and bulk of the average AR or AK would probably be more than the 10-22 and 300 rounds of ammo combined. And the weight and bulk of each additional 30 round magazine would be more than the 300 rounds of .22 ammo.
The objective in a Get-Home scenario is to get to your destination as quickly as possible with as little trouble as possible. That means minimal contact with other people who might want to rob you and/or to kill you. One of the attributes of the .22 is that it is relatively quiet. A single round fired to take a bird or squirrel for food would not be as likely to be heard by a potential enemy as would a center fire round. Also, shooting a quail with a .223 will provide you with a hand full of bloody feathers for supper.
I also take issue with the notion that 12 gauge bird shot is inadequate for defense. Bird shot is designed to kill ducks, pheasant, rabbits and other comparable size game at ranges out to about 30 yards. I am confident that it would be effective on a person out to about the same range. I also believe that it would be very effective on a person out to about 20 yards. Whether the shot penetrates to vital organs is not the ultimate determinate of effectiveness. If an assailant received a load of bird shot in the face, assuming that he was not immobilized, I doubt that he would still be focused on continuing the attack. I suspect that he would now be focused on determining if he could still see, determining the extent of his wounds and determining how quickly he can get out of the field of fire before he received another load of shot.
12 ga. buck shot costs about $1. per round. Thirty dollars will buy you about 30 rounds of buck shot. Thirty dollars will also buy you about 100 rounds of bird shot.
I like having some buck shot on hand, but I would probably feel better armed by having 300 rounds of bird shot than just 90 rounds of buck shot. The best option would probably be 200/30. Also, don’t forget that you might want to shoot a bird once in a while.
I get the impression from various sources that there are a number of people who keep all of their high capacity magazines loaded just in case TSHTF. That practice is largely unnecessary and it could cause magazine springs to weaken over time causing failure to feed malfunctions. Until The Schumer actually does Hit The Fan, it makes more sense to only keep one or two magazines loaded at any given time and to rotate magazines every two or three weeks. When TSHTF, then it would be wise to load all magazines. The percentage of magazines loaded at any given time should be proportionate to the level of threat. The last thing you want to be doing during a fight is to be loading magazines. Loading magazines requires fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the first to go in a stressful situation.
Which brings us to S.M.O.’s statements on rifles other than semi autos for defense. While I don’t discount the effectiveness of actions other than automatic, the type and capacity of the magazines is the reason that these are not the best choice for combat. That and the fact that they are not designed for sustained fire as the military clone rifles are. All of these other than semi-auto action rifles have magazines far smaller than the average military clone rifle. Unless you are talking about a bolt action rifle that can be loaded with a stripper clip, you are faced with extracting cartridges one at a time from a box or a belt or a pocket, orienting the cartridge and inserting it into the magazine. This is much slower to begin with than removing a box magazine and inserting another box magazine. And when you inject stress into the mix, the process becomes almost impossible. And that makes the stress even worse which translates directly to your accuracy when you are able to shoot. Add darkness to the mix and you can see how difficult it would be to try to use anything other than a semi auto with a box magazine or at least stripper clips in a combat situation. – G.R.
JWR Replies: In recent years, a general consensus has developed that “magazine springs taking a set” is more or less a myth IF a magazine are properly constructed. There is no need to rotate them to let springs “rest.”