Tab Clearing

Used AK buying checklist

General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis Email About Being 'Too Busy To Read' Is A Must-Read

 IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups

 Why one cop carrries 145 rounds of ammo

Quote of the Day

"I'll take the simple life. Give me an AK-47, a good guard dog and a nymphomaniac who owns a liquor store."
-Bob Brown on "The Unit"

Gun Show Report 4/27/13

Turns out our little town had a gunshow today! So needless to say I had to check it out. As I'm in the market for a Glock 26 it made sense to go look. It was interesting for sure. Aside from the baby Glock I wasn't really looking for anything but was open to a great deal or something small to fill a need.

Guns: Tons of AR's, AK's, SKS's and Mini 14's. A good variety of semi auto .308's; M1A's and PTR-91's, a FAL n a solitary genuine HK G3 (semi). Older guns like Garands and M1 carbines were present as well as lots of hunting type rifles. Plenty of semi auto pistols like XD's, M&P's, Sigs, Glocks, etc though due to the sheer variety in that market the specific gun you want (in my case a Glock 26) might not have been be present. As to Glocks there were at least 1 each 17 and 19, a few various .45's and a couple G27's.Shotguns and .22's were also present in large numbers.

Prices varied widely. Some politically incorrect guns (mostly AR's n AK's) were priced OK considering the state of things. A couple AR's were at or around a grand. They were DMPS, the basic M&P's or comparable brands. Saw 2 nice new (dealer) rifles (BCM and Stag) for $1,150ish. Other rifles varied from optimistically priced to just silly. Several AR's from brands I have never heard of were listed at $1,600-1,700. AK's ran from $1,200 Norico Mac-90's to a $850 WASR. SKS's were running $500ish. M1A's were $2,200-2,500 and PTR's were 1,200-1,400.

Hunting rifles, shotguns and .22's were a little high but if you consider that bargaining is a given part of it's probably their padding. Ruger 10/22's were consistently priced at $325.

Pistol prices were consistently 50-100 higher than they should be. Glocks were 550-600. A guy was trying to get $850 for XDm's and another wanted $800 for a Jerico (IMI the same gun as the Baby Eagle I think) in 9mm. Revolvers were priced pretty optomistically also.

Mags: Lots of mags available. Big stacks of various AR mags and a decent speckling of PMAGs. Sig and Glock mags were present as well as some Glock 33rd 'happy sticks'. A lot of AK mags also. A speckling of less common rifle mags like Mini-14, M1 carbine, SKS detachable mags (d model?), HK G3, FN-FAL. Probably 2 dozen Ruger BX-25's and a dozen various off brand 10/22 25rd type mags. Several old guys with stacks of used mags for just about every gun made in the last 50 years.

Mag prices: USGI used AR mags $20, new aftermarket type (Brownells, Lancer, etc) AR mags $25, PMAGs $35 which is odd because a shop in town has a bunch @$21-22. Those big 60 rd surefire mags from $160-200. AK steel presumably surplus $25 except a solitary mag @$45. BXP's $60-80. Glock mags $35-40, HK G3 mags $20-25 and they were pretty rough. Those are all the prices I remember but they generally fit the same relative price point as the ones I paid attention to.

I saw 2 CMMG .22 conversion mags for the first time in awhile. Wanted to buy them but didn't see the .22 conversion kit sitting nearby and justifiably the guy would not sell them without the kit. He of course tried to sell me an AR to go with the kit I didn't want to buy (wanted the mags) then we ended up talking. He wanted my opinion of the kit. I said without changing my rifles sights it offered sufficient practical accuracy out to at least 25 meters to train or I suppose shoot small game. Told him that was sufficient for my needs and I am happy with the kit.

Ammo: This was just silly. The big local shop had a table selling .223 (PMC X-tac 55gr) around $11/20 with a 2 box limit. They had a bit of pistol ammo but I think it was for folks buying guns. Everybody else pretty much lost their damn minds. 9mm 25+/50 for brass FMJ's. .40 and .45 were more like $30/50 brass FMJ. .223 at 17/20 at one booth with the rest at a buck a round (for various low end range type ammo). 7.62x39 from $9/20-$11/20. .308 was at least a buck a round. A solitary spam can of 7.62x54R for $140, surplus 30'06 was a buck a round. Surprisingly shotgun ammo was pretty expensive also. The dudes selling .22 ammo must have been smoking a special type of crack that breeds optimism. Bricks (500-550) of bulk type .22 lr were on tables varying from $80-120. Saw the little 50 round boxes of CCI Mini Mag for $30.

One dealer in particular seemed to have utterly lost their minds. They were trying to get $40 for standard (Federal or Remington, I don't remember) 20 round boxes of 150gr soft points and $179 for a brick of federal .22lr. They had ammo cans (albeit the plastic with rubber seals) at a decent price but out of principle I did not buy any.

Discussion: Loaded guns were not allowed inside. Some guy cleared my Glock 19 for me into a makeshift (think it was a 5 gallon bucket of sand but it faced a cement wall) barrel then it was zip tied, marked with a white sticker and returned to me. Not sure how I feel about that but considering folks have been shooting each other fiddling with guns inside or busting caps all over the place trying to clear their guns on the way in it makes sense.

Now that we have talked about what folks were TRYING TO SELL it makes sense to talk about what was actually being sold. Semi automatic pistols were moving. I was driving around trying to find the place and saw a dude walking down the street with a pistol in his hand (think it had a tag on it) and asked him if it was the gun show to which he relied that it was. People were looking at handguns then some of them were buying. Hunting rifles and shotguns priced right were moving. Various collector type stuff as well as little odds n ends (holsters, etc) were getting picked over, examined, bargained over and occasionally purchased.

As to mags they weren't going anywhere. Didn't see a single AR/ AK/ G-3 mag sold nor any common pistol mags like Glock/ Sig/ XD/ etc. Saw one guy getting Mini-14 mags plus a few people looking for a spare mag for their hunting rifle, .22 plinker or an oddball (50's era .380, etc) pistol mag.

Plenty of people seemed to be looking at ammo but few were buying.  At the prices I saw it is hard to blame them. One dude really wanted .22 but not at the prices being asked. A couple folks picked up 1-2 boxes of .223, a couple got a box or two of pistol or shotgun ammo and a few folks wanted a box for various hunting type rifles. Nobody was picking up arm fulls of the stuff.

Some individuals were selling doing the walk around with a sign on their chest thing. Most had the usual odd mixture of a 40 year old .22, a 1911 and whatever. One dude had an FN-AR .308 which was pretty cool, didn't even ask the price. A dealer I asked about G26's tried to buy my Glock 19.

Personally I bought a book and 3 of those little plastic AR muzzle caps. Stickers said 12 to which I offered 10 which was accepted.  Looked at lots of guns, handled a few, laughed at some ammo prices, chatted with some nice people and generally had a fine time. Would have liked to leave with a Glock 26 but it wasn't a bad way to waste a couple hours.

How does this compare with your neighborhood?

AK Mags for $20ish at Midway

Military Surplus Polymer AK mags for $20 or $23. Not a great price by pre panic terms but a very good one now. If you didn't get all the AK mags you will ever want when they were cheap and have a few extra dollars this would be a prudent move. Import restrictions can change overnight via executive order (it happened in 1989) which would make surplus AK stuff unobtanium in a hurry.

Midway is a company I have done a bit of business with. They are good folks who run a professional business.

AK-47 vs AR-15- Interesting Video

A very interesting video from Iraqvet888 and Barry of Moss Pawn and Gun. I am not sure what model AK they are using but it looks like a nice gun. Anyway this video is another compelling argument that the AK vs AR argument is probably a wash. Features and shooter preference might be bigger factors than the guns themselves.

Since Everybody Else is Talking Shotguns I will also

Unfortunately I could not find a cheesy obviously photo shopped picture of Joe Biden with a shotgun. So you get assassin Joe. In an case Joe thinks shotguns are better than assault rifles. He also likes washing his Fire Bird in front of the White House.

Population Gun control issues aside I am disinclined to take tactical advice from old Joe for a variety of reasons. In any case since Mountain Guerilla and American Mercenary have talked about them I might as well chime in. The best way I can think to do this is to talk myths about shotguns and then get into pluses and negatives.

Myths:
Shotguns do not need to be aimed. The general guideline is that buckshot spreads at about an inch per yard of travel. So at realistic home defense type ranges you are looking at a fist to open hand sized pattern. It cuts you a bit of slack over a single round but you can still definitely miss.

Shot penetrates walls less than other rounds so it is better for home defense. This has been demonstrated false at a variety of places including Box of Truth. Bird Shot does penetrate a bit less however it is designed to kill little birds and thus falls short in terms of deer/ man sized animals.

Shotguns are easy to use. This is confusing for a couple reasons. We lack standardization of what constitutes being capable of using a weapon (example: load, cycle, unload, score X in under Y time on El Presidente (or whatever), reduce stoppage, field strip and clean). Without that standardization we cannot say with validity that it is easier to learn to use a shotgun than a rifle. When the issue is dug into folks far too often have the impression that you can can load a shotgun, pump it and pull the trigger you are good to go. Sadly this is just not the case.

More to the point shotguns in an anti personnel role are not ideal and require a lot of manipulation. Most common shotguns must be manipulated before every shot and are reloaded 1 round at a time. This is especially problematic because they hold 5-8 shots. The more a shooter must manipulate a weapon the more chances they have to mess up and make the darn thing not work. In particular for shotguns short choking is an issue.

Now that the myths are set aside we can talk about the shotguns advantages.

Positive

Cheap. You can get new Remington 870's and Mossberg 500's for somewhere in the mid- low $300 range. Used guns can be purchased for less depending on their condition as well as how desperate the seller and buyer are. At that price range a solidly decent pump shotgun is something any functional adult can easily purchase with a little bit of planning. For a quality gun that will last you a lifetime this is a bargain.

Legal pretty much everywhere. If you can own guns you can have a shotgun. To the best of my knowledge you can have a pump shotgun anywhere in America. They are also looked at much more favorably abroad if that is a concern for you.

Versatile. Shotguns can harvest all manner of game, defend your home and be used for a variety of recreational pursuits. A Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 with a long choked barrel and a short riot barrel can do a lot of things.

Super Common. If a place sells ammo they have 12 gauge shells and probably 20 gauge also. For the common guns (Rem 870/ Moss 500) there is a ton of aftermarket support in terms of different parts.

To be fair shotguns also have some downsides.

Negative

 Round count. More shots are better and shotguns fall short here. Between 5 and 9 rounds in most common configurations.

High recoil. Shotguns recoil more than any standard defensive type rifle. More recoil means a longer time between shots.

Slow Reloads. One round at a time in a rather cumbersome fashion. This makes the low round count all the more problematic because you need to be constantly reloading to keep from running empty.

Limited envelope of performance. Shotguns are very lethal up close but if you get past 40 yards (and that is generous) for buck and 100ish for slugs in a standard configuration they aren't much good. Yes rifled barrels with scopes are available that push this envelope but those only exist because of states that only allow shotguns for hunting. If you want this configuration just buy a rifle.

Mediocrity. As we talked above it is true that shotguns can do a lot of things. However like any 'jack of all trades' they are pretty mediocre at all of them.

Bulky/ Heavy ammo. Shotgun shells are big and heavy which means you either carry less of them, less of something else or pack a heavier load.

It is true that more purpose built semi automatic shotguns like the Benelli's and in particular the mag fed Siaga 12 have leveled some of the historic weaknesses of pump shotguns. These are problematic because the high price point cancels out one of the biggest advantages of the shotgun.  Even beyond cost these shotguns are are in my opinion still a distant second to a rifle. Like we discussed some time ago I cannot think of a 2 legged predator situation where I would reach into a safe/ closet that held an AR/ AK and a shotgun and pick the shotgun over the rifle.

Anyway those are my .02 cents on that. Guess we can file this under the biannual rehashing of topics. Comments may be fun.

If Things Go Back To Normal I Will Buy....

After identifying some relative shortages this is about what I will buy over the course of the next year if things go back to normal.

-6 Glock 17 mags

-5 Ruger BXP 25 rd mags
 
-4 more 33rd factory Glock 9mm mags

-3 cases of ammo (2x223, 1x 9mm)

-2 75rd Eastern European surplus AK drums and

-1 AR-15 stripped lower receiver

What would you buy? Try to be realistic. I would LIKE to get an AR pistol, a PTR-91, an Arsenal AK, 100 various mags and 10 cases of ammo but that would not be realistic for me in the 1 year time frame given. Also you do not have to stick with the count down format I did that just make it a bit more fun.


PS: Sorry for the short post it has been a crazy day and I am done. Going to have a couple beers, watch Vegas and go to bed. Will have something good tomorrow, I promise.

Southern Prepper 1 Video and Tab Clearing

Hat Tip to Modern Survival Online for highlighting this excellent video by Southern Prepper1.

The points about working on your fitness, confirming zero's and testing weapons are excellent. Also the reminder about web gear/ chest rigs/ something to carry ammo, spare parts and such is very valid. Personally it reminded me that we need a couple of good schematic books and do not really have a solid dedicated rig for the AK. Sure I could slap something together from the various pouches that are lying around and worst case could use one of those com bloc 5 mag(?) pouches that were tossed into mag deals forever but but that is not idea. More stuff to add to the list I guess.

French soldiers are joining the fight against Islamic rebels in Mali. 

Dangerous Old Men. I would humbly submit that the last decade of war has produced a whole lot of dangerous young men. Many of whom are right minded and bought an AR on leave or shortly after getting out.

Precedent Teaches Us The Left Really Wants ALL Our Guns by Charlie Daniels. Yes, that Charlie Daniels.

Saw this picture of Rick Perry on the drudge today and could not help but share it. It went up awhile back in conjunction with Texas allowing law abiding concealed weapons permit holders to carry on campus. While he came off as the stammering idiot of the group during the Republican Primaries, which says a lot; he actually seems legitimately pro gun which is cool.

Anyway I hope you all have a great Sunday.

Recent Conversations

I have had a couple conversations with close family members lately. One about precious metals and another about rifles. We will talk about them as part of the need for a quarterly rehashing of all basic topics.

A relative asked what I thought about silver and gold as an investment:

For the sake of avoiding repetition check out this post on getting into precious metals. I told him that I do not like PM's AS AN INVESTMENT. Making money buying and selling commodities requires buying low and selling high. If you have those skills that is great. Personally if I knew how to do that reliably I would be doing it for a living. That makes it basically gambling which probably is not smart.

I do like PM's as a conservative piece of my overall financial situation. Sort of like insurance or an alternative savings plan. I like them for protection against high inflation, currency debasement and even an outright economic collapse. They generally move opposite to more modern instruments like stocks and such which is nice. For most people assuming they are halfway financially squared away (no huge credit card balances, etc) putting some money into PM's makes sense.

We talked the qualities of both silver and gold. To recap silver is affordable and valued appropriately for day to day type transactions but it gets heavy fast while gold is very compact for it's value which would be useful if you have to move it. For his situation I said it would not be a bad idea to buy a big bag of silver then put the balance into gold, mostly 1 ounce bars/ rounds.

As to total amounts I recommended not to go crazy but maybe to put a certain % of your liquid assets into PM's. Depending on your situation and where you think the doom thermometer is this could be lower like 5% or more like 25%. Like most things somewhere in the middle is probably the way to go.

Another relative asked if I would recommend that he purchase an AR-15 or an AK-47. I told him to go with an AR. This is for a variety of reasons. First the price gap between the two weapons, which was part of the AK's advantage has closed drastically in recent years. Second given his military experience muscle memory lies with the AR. Third the logistics of potential resupply are probably better for the AR. John Mosby makes a case that the AR is a better weapon which is hard to argue with. That being said (and this is how I closed the talk) both are good guns that should serve you well.

There was also a separate thread of the conversation about specific builds for AR's and barrel twist rates. The answer was that considering that his intended uses of casual plinking and potential SHTF I suggested not to bother. If so inclined he could do a lot of research and spend a bunch of money. However my recommendation was that a good basic carbine like a S&W MP would do everything he wants for a lot less money.

Maybe these questions give a bit of insight into what normal non whacko survivalist folks are thinking about these days.

Relooking Cost AR vs AK #Whatever

Longtime reader Chris gave us a blind flash of the obvious about this ongoing debate over at his blog. One of the benefits of the AK platform has always been price. For the price of an AR you could have two AK's or an AK with some ammo and mags or whatever. Even 5 or 6 years ago AK's cost half to two thirds as much as AR's. Accessories such as mags and ammo were cheaper too.

With the massive explosion of the AR platform in recent years (for goodness sake they sell them at Walmart now) many new folks have gotten into, or expanded their role in, making AR's. This has driven down the cost point of real quality mil spec type fighting guns too which is pretty great.

As Chris pointed out it is pretty hard to touch an AK for under $600 these days. I did some checking and confirmed this to be accurate or close enough. There are some basic but solid AR's at or very near that price point. Some nitwhit AR hater or fanboy might argue that only a $1,600 big name AR is capable of being a decent fighting gun. That nitwhit's AK fanboy buddy could argue with equal effectiveness that only an Arsenal AK customized out of a big name shop is capable. They are both stupid and equally wrong.

I did wonder if accessories for the AK platform were still cheaper.

As to ammo this 7.62x39 Tula FMJ in a spam can is running 24.8 cents a round. You do pay a premium for getting ammo in a spam can (though it is already properly stored which is something to consider). You can get it closer to 20 cents a round if you don't want or need it already packed.

PMC .223 ammo is available for $350/1,000. At first glance this is more expensive than 7.62x39 but we are talking modern manufactured brass cased ammo vs com block steel cased stuff. If we compare apples and apples steel cased .223 can be had for a tiny bit more than 7.62x39. Conversely brass cased 7.62x39 is pretty expensive both because it is relatively rare and it requires more metal than .223.

[Personally I do not shoot steel cased ammo in the AR platform. I shoot steel cased ammo in AK's and Glocks but not other guns. The only hassles I have had with AR feeding were with steel cased ammo. While not in any way scientific the answer to use brass cased ammo was obvious to me. YMMV]

So ammo is really a wash in terms of cost.

As to mags I can answer this somewhat easily looking at recent purchases. I got a bunch of PMAG's from Brownells for $14 a piece. Mil spec type (new) AR type mags are running around twelve and change if you buy in any quantity. The excellent to good condition surplus eastern European milsurp AK mag's I use are running $15 right now. Then again they do pop up cheaper sometimes, I bought some for $11 back in April.

Mag prices are also a wash.

Spare parts are one area where AK's still have the edge. You can get a full AK parts kit (the whole gun minus receiver and barrel) for under $200. I am not willing to look up prices and make estimates but you cannot do that with an AR.

Chris's point that AK supplies are drying up (at least in part due to import regulations on Chinese guns) is valid. AK prices are going up. I would guesstimate AK's and AK stuff is up about 40% over the past 5 or 6 years. AR stuff, except ammo has generally stayed flat or dropped in price.

This is not meant to be a comparison of the two platforms. John Mosby made a very compelling case for the AR which is worth considering. That being said if you have an AK (especially if you bought it at $250-350) and are happy with it then keep on keeping on. My point was to take a look at the cost to purchase, equip and train with an AR and an AK today. It is fair to say that when considering the strengths of either platform (real or mythical) you can pretty much remove cost from the discussion as it is very comparable.

Take care of each other,
Ryan

Reader Questions: M1 Garand Sale

To yesterday's post and the ongoing discussion about selling guns " Anonymous said...You *really* want to sell an M1 Garand at this particular point in history? With BHO about to be re-elected with a new 'mandate' from the Aurora shootings to permanently ban semi-autos once and for all? 

 

No offence, but give yourself an early Christmas present and wait for the new year to consider sell that 7.62x51 piece of awesomeness."

 

TOR here: Yes  I do, otherwise I wouldn't be selling it. Maybe more accurately I don't totally want to sell it but I want other stuff more than I want to keep it. As to a potential ban. There is a solid chance President Obama will be reelected. I don't think any sort of ban is imminent or even likely due to a variety of factors such as people's opinions and our current political climate. That being said my prioritization of potentially targeted items has gone up a bit, maybe from gun hording condition yellow to gun hoarding condition amber if you will.

 

One could argue that selling a gun in a time where there is an uncertain political climate might not be smart. Then again, as the case is, I am selling off weapons that are in (to me) redundant/ unnecessary calibers, or otherwise do not really have a solid place in my defensive battery. I am not saying the Garand is a bad gun or whatever, just that the resources currently sitting in said Garand could better serve me elsewhere. Keeping a gun that doesn't have  a solid place in your plan doesn't make much sense.

 

The more pertinent question might be "Ryan, what do you plan to do with the money from selling an M1 Garand?" If my plan was to sell a couple guns and spend the money on internet poker or a years supply of frozen pizzas it probably wouldn't be a good choice. However if the plan is to use that money to either acquire gun(s) or ancillary stuff thereon  that fit better into my defensive battery or food storage/ etc I would say it makes pretty good sense.  As to specifically what I plan to purchase that is still kind of up in the air. It depends on what I happens between now and any potential sale and on when and how much cash I get. If some rifle plates haven't come home with my by then I will take care of that. Ditto for a few more Pmag's. Half of whatever I get will probably go towards whatever ancillary stuff like mags or night sights is next on the list and the other half toward the purchase of some sort of firearm. I kind of have an urge to get a pretty nice AR-15. The whole landscape of the AR-15 market has really changed in the last few years. A lot of nice rifles have come out at real nice price points. When funds allow I will probably order a complete upper from Spikes Tactical or BCM then shop around for a lower.

Hopefully that answers your question.

What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?

I have been tightening up my diet. As Wifey noted in the way only a spouse can I tend to gain and lose about 10 pounds 3x a year. Nothing crazy, just trying to use some common sense. As they say if you want to lose weight eat less and move more. On the moving I didn't do so well this week. Some stuff came up and whatever but the bottom line is that I just didn't get it done.

Also we got a new carrier for kiddo which I will talk more about later once we use it some more. Took a walk with Wifey, kiddo and my GHB. I am pretty happy with it but having pouches to hold the water bottles outside the bag to free up interior space would be aweful nice.

On the bright side I did pick up a half case of Wolf 7.62x39 and a few more mags to feed the AK. Thanks to a late birthday present I was able to order an Ontario Rat 3. My plan is for it to be a small field/ camp knife and go onto the war belt I am piecing together.

What did you do to prepare this week?

Is Your Ammo Stored Properly?

I saw A Hard Lesson; Survivor Ammunition Storage awhile back and for whatever reason didn't discuss it. Definitely a hard lesson and I am glad the fellow had the humility to share it. Letting people know when you are a bad ass is easy but telling them when you step all over it takes guts. Anyway the point of storing ammunition in ammo cans is made abundantly clear in the lesson.

I look at ammo cans the same way I do other cases, as a form of insurance. Spending less than twenty bucks on an ammo can to protect a few hundred bucks in ammo is a simple decision for me. Check the seal, put the ammo in the can, toss in some silica gel and it will be there waiting for you in a year or a decade.

We use mostly 50 caliber ammo cans but have a few of the big 120mm mortar cans too. The 50 is a good size because they hold a lot but yet small enough to easily move and fit into nooks and crannies. The big 120mm mortar ones hold a ton of ammo but loaded weigh a lot. Probably a couple hundred pounds when fully loaded. Really a hassle but they have the advantage of a really low cost per round/case stored. Odds are I will reallocate things at some point and use them for something a bit lighter.

Now comes the question of how to load your cans. I would recommend having some sort of logical system before you get started. It is a lot easier to maintain a system (and inventory) then it is to impose one retroactively. We will discuss what I have going on and what is probably optimal.

I have one can loaded with the stuff I regularly use when home on leave. It has mags for the Glock 19 and AK as well as ammo to fill them and some more to keep handy. Also a holster for the Glock and a Cold Steel folder. The purpose of this can is to avoid digging around to find the things I need and keep things easy. I did this the trip home before last and it seems to be working pretty well.

The rest of my cans, I am ashameed to say are a complete mess. Some are all one caliber, others are a mix, there really is no rhym or reason. If I need something it is guess the ammo can time. Really the only good thing I can say about the system (or lack theirof) I am using is that a) my ammo is stored in ammo cans and b) they have sillica gel inside.

The optimal system, as far as I can see, is as follows:
-Special purpose cans. I have the home carry can. Another guy might have a hunting can or whatever else suits your specific purposes.

-Combat loaded cans. Combat loading in this context is a way of loading your supplies so things are spread around. The goal is to have a logical mix of whatever you need in multiple locations. So if hypothetically you can only move a few cans of ammo to a new location in a hurry you wouldn't accidentally end up with just pistol and shotgun ammo but no rifle and rimfire or whatever. I don't think you need to get too crazy about this. For example you probably don't need a box of .220 Swift for the old varmiter Grampa left you or .32 S&W for the antique safe queen you picked up years ago in every can. I would focus mostly on the core guns you use and rely on like your defensive rifle and pistol, a hunting rifle, rimfire and shotgun.

Having a portion of your ammunition combat loaded makes sense. How much I can't say exactly. I would say at least as much as you plan to have make the first cut if you have to leave town for whatever reason in a hurry.  [Yes I would like to say that I would take all my ammo but that may not be realistic. Lets say we define (this is off the cuff) the first cut as in and on top of the vehicle, the second as a trailer and the third as a potential second trip, etc. What is loaded in our BOB's and chest rigs plus 2-3 cans would probably be all that could make the first cut when you consider extra food, camping gear, photo albums, etc. The rest of the cans would have to go in a trailer or whatever. Obviously bringing 30k rounds of ammo or whatever would be more of a concern during a Mad Max scenario than if we are leaving because of a more mundane event like hurricane or other natural disaster. ] So maybe 2-4 50 cal cans worth would probably make sense for most folks.

-The remainder of ammo would be loaded into cans by caliber and if applicable type of cartridge.

All cans would be labeled with at least caliber and quantity and if practical/ applicable type, it could be as simple as "7.62x39 2,200 rounds". I would probably do it using permenant black marker on duct tape so it is easy to remove/ change. Depending on your scenario you may want to have it be discrete for opsec. However folks probably won't think you are storing chocolate bars in ammo cans anyway so I would just think about where I store them and who I let go there.

Anyway those are my thoughts on that.

You Can Haz AK Parts?

Cope Distributing has Romanian WASR Parts Kits for $179. If you have an AK and are not squared away on parts this is a good way to get there. Assuming you have the available funds this would be a prudent purchase.

Got AK Magazines?

$9.95 Surplus European Steel AK47 7.62x39 30rd Magazines 

I have gotten AK mags and ammo from them in the past and have only good things to say. I receive no compensation for mentioning them and our only relationship is that I buy stuff from them.

What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?

I put some time into my systems over the long weekend. I need to find a few things and order some odds and ends in the near future. Still good progress was made. Will get off my lazy butt and do some posts on this stuff soon.
As Zero noted it is about time to freak out that the next administration, in this case most likely a lame duck Democrat will bring about another AWB or whatever. If I was just a shooter this would be easy as I would toss all available resources towards guns, ammo and mags. However since I need to worry about eating, drinking clean potable water, communication, shelter and such there are certainly trade offs. Luckily I have had a few years working a decent paying job to fill most of my needs and some of my wants. Thus I don't need to freak out but looking at where I am and prioritizing filling a few holes is not a bad idea. I sort of overlayed my biggest holes with the stuff most likely to be easily taken out of circulation (at current prices) and got a shopping list.
The stuff I see as most vulnerable are imported items and magazines. For example imported Siaga shotguns and dirt cheap HK G3 and AK-47 mags could be gone in a single executive order or a change in import regulations. I don't own or have a huge desire to own a Siaga, though if I did I would get one and plenty of mags. Since I picked up some mags for the PTR-91 I may get some day that is off the list.
Today I ordered an AK-47 spare parts kit and 10 more European surplus AK mags. I don't really need the mags but at $9.95 a piece they are a great deal.They give me enough to comfortably equip another AK which is a nice option to have. If I never get there they will go into the barter/ charity pile. This purchase is the last I really want to make before November timeframe.

However if I can get around to it picking up 10 more PMAGs, 10 more Glock 9mm mags, and an AK drum would be nice. Speaking of which does anybody have experience with an AK drum that doesn't suck and is currently available at a reasonable price? I have to weigh it up against other things on the list and am not sure where this stuff will fall. Still though November is a long time away.

It is probably not a bad idea to take a look at your situation. If you have a gun lying around with just 2-3 mags, especially one that you rely on it might be prudent to order a few more just in case.

Survivalblog Article: A Practical Utilitarian's Take on Firearms and Calibers

Worth looking at and thinking about.

I respectfully disagree on the overall assessment of M16/M4/AR-15 platform. They do need to be cleaned now and again but nothing crazy. They don't need to be spotless, just have the inside free of junk (chunks of carbon usually being the culprit) and some lube in there. If you are unwilling to do that then buy an AK. As to durability. I haven't seen the Buttstock/ buffer tube of an AR series rifle break during the course of military operations.  Like any precise mechanical object they can be broken; I confident it would be easy to destroy any of the old WWII bolt action warhorses, a Remington 870, AK, Glock or whatever in 60 seconds flat by slamming it repeatedly into a rock or a curb. (The exception to this is the old M2 .50 cal because it is too heavy to swing well and has really thick metal components, I would have to take off the barrel and mess up the threads or take pliers to the trigger mechanism which would kind of be cheating).

In my opinion the M16/M4/AR-15 platforms ergonomics and commonality/ availability of parts/ accessories/ ammunition as well as the unparraleled modularity outweigh it's modest negatives.

Tons of Firearm Manuals on PDF

Check out this great selection of firearms manuals on PDF over at AR15.com. Hat tip to Commander Zero for the find. Even if you do not own them it is probably not a bad idea to have manuals for common weapons like the AR, AK, FN-FAL, and HK G3 as well as pistols like the HK USP, Glock, Sig, 1911, etc. With so many PDF's available for free there isn't a good reason not to have them.

Stuff From The Interwebz

How to live in your car

A very nice minimalist chest rig for an AK. I think they also make a 4 mag model. I will probably pick up one of these when I get around to filling out my whole AK setup.

A gal talks about how to carry a gun and a baby. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for women who carry handguns that are not a) subcompact/ cracker jack box sized or b) in a diminutive caliber like .32 or .380. She is not a big lady or wearing a "I have a gun vest" or a parka.

Highlight, quote and understatement of the day "if your child can get to the trigger that is bad." My .02 cents on that topic. First put on your gun then grab the kid. Kid doesn't go where the gun is because it wouldn't be comfortable for everybody involved. I carry appendix inside waist band slightly to the right. Kiddo either goes on the left hip if he is just riding or in my chest area if I am doing the comforting screaming baby thing. Since we are talking about kids and guns it is worth rehashing my core belief on this topic. Simply put guns are secured or under the physical control of an adult. In other words lock it up or carry it.

Today I have been intrigued by Iceland's reaction to the whole great recession/ economic collapse thing. 1, 2, 3.

Also I stumbled into a new blog Jerking the Trigger andreceived an email about the Open Garden project.

Hope that stuff gives you something to read and enjoy or at least think about. Have a great weekend.

Question- AK Parts Kit?

Hi All, I am tentatively in the market for an AK parts kit (gun sans barrel and reciever). The usual places I shop do not seem to have them. If you know somebody that has them in stock please drop me a note in the comments section. Thanks,
Ryan