Now before you get all ready for an "ultimate survival gun sparring match" with the little plinkers and their .22's on one side and the shotgun buffs on another etc. etc. etc. I am NOT talking about the best all around survival weapon, I am talking about the most sustainable modern day firearms in general from an ammunition stand point. So you black powder guys can stay out of it as well.
In my humble opinion the most sustainable modern day firearms are hands down the various pistol calibers that you can also readily find long guns manufactured in the same caliber for.
My reasons for this are many but mostly it hinges on two important characteristics. 1. The cases for these rounds being straight walled last infinity longer than rifle calibers without the neck and shoulder stress areas. 2. A shooter can easily cast his or her own bullets for these calibers.
Now of course you can cast bullets for any caliber of firearm but the easy lead alloy or linotype bullets lend themselves to the slower velocity pistol rounds much better and obtaining lead in the lower hardness ranges will be much easier in a grid down situation. Simply put lead that can be tempered into the 15 hardness range is easy to come by just by stripping out abandoned vehicles.
Personally I prefer the .357 since it can also use the .38 rounds but in reality any pistol caliber from the various flavors of .45 down to I would imagine even the .32's could be easily reloaded many times more often than the higher velocity rifle rounds.
Not to say pistol caliber brass doesn't wear out because it does, I have found it typically wears most from the bottom right around the top of the rim, but pistol brass seems to last many times longer than rifle brass in my experience.
A few other advantages is the amount of powder you can store gains you as much as a 20 or 30 to 1 ratio over hi-powered rifle rounds. Primers always seem to be in stock for small and large pistol when the small rifle primers are long gone. There isn't a significant price difference or storage size bonus but at least you can always find em to buy and store. In a pinch you don't have to be as accurate on trimming pistol, especially revolver, brass either. Of course I still would.
Last Winter I briefly began playing with some brass .410 and .12 gauge shells but the verdict isn't in on them yet. My thoughts were they might be as sustainable as pistol brass and it is also possible to buy molds for various shot sizes and wading can be improvised. Powder it looks like will still be an issue and I have no experience yet with primers. I had hoped to delve into the shotgun reloading a bit more this Winter but that never came to pass.
I certainly am going to keep my 5.56 and .308 preps (And others) but for some deep firearm preps that could last a decade or more without needing to be resupplied I am stocking .38sp and .357 magnum.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
What you say is also backed up by history as the 44-40 and 38-40 were once popular rifle and pistol rounds in the old west. The other thing is that if you hit small game with a 38, there will be something left to eat. The 38/357 would be much better than the old calibers and could even use black powder if it came to that. There used to be a tool to make musket caps, is there anyway to make primers or is that the draw back of not using flintlocks?
ReplyDeleteSF - There are some shoulder and throat pistol calibers I think like the .357 sig but mostly ya straight walled cases last a lot longer. Primers are an issue because the only real way to make em yourself was with the older matches. I am sure some chemist could figure em out though.
DeleteI must look into this musket cap tool.
DeleteAll throughout the current ammo shortage, .38 Spcl has been available. I know everyone wants the latest/hottest/fad ammo, but the ammo you have on hand is better than the ammo you're waiting for.
ReplyDeleteRe: reloading, any bend in a casing is a weak point, so there's something to what you say about straight-walled brass.
RP - I personally love the .38sp load. Most people sneer at it as under powered but for thick woods like we get around here it's actually a good deer round.
DeleteYes the casing necks are were the rifle rounds always break.
My preference is the 38/357, but since I started shooting Cowboy, I like the 45 Colt. I have single actions, double actions, and lever actions in there calibers.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably pick up something to shoot 44 Spec in if the opportunity presents itself on the used market
JP - Basically you have hit the nail on the head what we are really talking about here is cowboy shooting. I mean sure we are using more modern weapons and not wearing a coat but that era's technology is the easiest to sustain I believe.
DeleteMy 10mm is metric, so that mean I can use all sorts of European tooling/equipment. Right? LOL
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side the 10mm was just as available before and after the scare. Which is to say uncommon, but not impossible.
Russ - 10mm was about the only brass I could find around here for about a year. It was terrible.
DeleteI never argue this point - which combination this, or what firearm that to own...just have a few firearms in case. At least one of each....rifle, shotgun, handgun. The ammunition is key. Whatever caliber or gauge. Very good post. We all have our preferences and we are all right in our convictions.
ReplyDeleteStephen - I don't look at this as a preference thing or even which weapon would be more useful. I am just breaking it down into what I could sustain almost indefinitely. Some out there may have a way to keep a .22 goign forever I don't know. Also airguns are a thought but I just don't know enough about them.
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