#1 Question Every Doomsday Prepper Should Ask Themselves About A Survival Rifle

There are many things to consider when purchasing a survival rifle that every Doomsday Prepper should consider, but I think the one thing that almost everyone overlooks, myself included is how many rifles are you planning on buying in the future to not only arm yourself but your loved ones as well?

It sounds crazy I know, but I wish I would have thought about this before I started buying $1,000 rifles. The reason I want you to think about this question is because you want every person in your Prepper group to have the same caliber of rifle. This not only makes buying and stocking up on ammunition easier, but assures that in an emergency situation that if you or anyone else in your prepper group run out of ammunition that everyone else in the group will have some to possibly spare. That is just my thought on why this should be the number one thing that you should think about before purchasing any survival rifles.

Picking Out A Doomsday Preppers Rifle

To me a survival rifle has to be a semi automatic rifle with a high capacity magazine. I don’t want find myself in a situation where I am not able to put a lot of lead down rage if I need to. So the next question that you should be asking yourself is what kind of semi automatic rifle should I buy? There are two popular types of rifles that most people pick what you chooses is up to your own personal needs as well as your budget.

Black Rifles - I personally own two black rifles one is an AR15 and the other is an AR10. These rifles are great to shoot and accurate as hell but are quite pricey to purchase. I spent around $1,200 for each of them (yes I know you can find them cheaper if you shop around) Another drawback to an AR type rifle is that they can be kind of picky when it comes to ammunition. I have ran several different types of ammunition through both of them and unfortunately they like the better quality ammunition. I have shot Wolf and other similar ammunition through them which sometimes is not a problem, but other times the rifle will jam up after a few rounds. So I wouldn’t count on buying several thousand rounds of low quality ammunition and expect to get by with it during an emergency when the Shit Hits The Fan. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be trying to unjam my rifle when someone else is firing back at me.

Overall though any of the AR15 or AR10 rifles are a good survival rifle to have. They are accurate, easy to shoot, and are usually built with the utmost quality.

AK47 - The AK47 although in my opinion is not quite as accurate as most AR platform rifles it does have many benefits that every prepper should consider. First off the the AK47 is very affordable which makes it perfect for most preppers who are prepping on a tight budget. I paid around $550 for the one I purchased and have seen them even cheaper. Secondly ammunition is dirt cheap for an Ak47 when comparing it to an AR10 or AR15. I can usually pick up around 1,000 rounds of Wolf ammunition for around $200 online. Plus my AK47 has no problem shooting this ammunition. Another great thing about the Ak47 is that it comes in tons of different variations and styles. My personal favorite is the underfold Ak47. It features a thin under folding metal stock that makes the rifle a little more compact.

Final Thoughts On A Doomsday Preppers Survival Rifle

Like I said earlier I own all three of the above mentioned rifles as well as several other rifles. They are all great rifles and would stake my life and the ones I love on all of them. My personal opinion though is that if you are a prepper on a budget and are wanting to purchase more than one rifle then I would would pick the Ak47. I could have purchase 4 really nice Ak47′s for the same price as what I have invested in my two black rifles. This not only would have given me a backup rifle or two in case something breaks, but would have also given me extra rifles to pass out to any friends and loved ones that might happen to show up at my door step unprepared for the worst.

If you don’t want to waste time on training people, look for experienced airsoft players for your team. You can put on fliers around airsoft playing grounds or in your neighborhood. If you don’t care that much about winning games fast, just ask around and find people who would like to play airsoft. Before having a clear list of players on the team, make sure everbody gets along with everybody. It’s important to avoid conflicts with in a team if you can.

No matter what kind of team you put together, keeping everyone’s morale high at all times is very important. Do this by establishing a hierarchy in the team and by allowing people to go higher in the hierarchy if they get good results in games. Also tell people that it’s important to win, but that losing isn’t a tragedy and that it’s good to have fun.

If you have more than 9 people on the team, establish clear roles for everybody and ask them to practice and to learn their role. You should have a team leader, a tactics officer, an infantry squad, one or two snipers, and so on. Make sure that each player gets the role that fits his or her skills.

Have the players on your team get quality equipment. It’s one thing to play airsoft once or twice and it’s another thing to be part of a team and want to win games. The snipers should have good airsoft sniper rifles, as they will be responsible for making the most strategically important shots in the games. If some of the players are new to the game, explain to the them the difference between an airsoft shotgun, rifle and pistol and help them make the best choice for their role.

Make a list of a few players you know who could replace one of your players in case he or she can’t make it to a game.

One way is to attend a technical school or community college that offers a gun smithing course. You may be surprised to learn that many of these schools offer a weekend and/or evening classes in addition to their normal full course daytime classes. This means that you can attend training at your leisure while still remaining full time employed.

But what if you don’t live within reasonable driving distance to a technical college or community college that offers this type of training? Then you have correspondence courses that you can study at home. There are many fine gunsmiths that got their start this way. Correspondence courses will give you the foundation that will get you started learning your trade. From there, the sky’s the limit as to where you want to go. Some continue on learning other skills such as machining and drafting while many others simply decide to become specialized in one area of gun smithing.

Career development doesn’t have to mean you quit your full time job just in order to get an education and the training you need. Not in these days with the Internet and online courses!

Another way that some potential gunsmiths receive their training is by finding a local gunsmith and becoming an apprentice. While this may be a long shot for many, it’s still a possibility and a very good one if you can find someone to take you under their wing.

A pickup truck has the luxury of having a nice big back window to mount a gun rack in.  They can be secured either to the glass using suction or screwed in above the window frame.  They make a great place to keep your guns (and you) safe when you are driving in the woods.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a great solution for the jeep or SUV.  I spent one night before hunting season searching all over for a solutions.  There is a small company that manufacturers a jeep gun rack that could be used in just about any vehicle to safely keep your rifles out of the way.  The company is Big Sky racks.  They have been making different roof mounted racks for years for police.  Most of these are screwed into the roof of the vehicle.  Not an option or preference for many hunters.

Their new unit is held in place by simple pressure applied against the space on the roof, below the door frame.  It uses a horizontal bar that can be tightened up to create a solid platform to secure your guns to.  It looks like one of those old fashion clothes rods for your back seat hanging there.  I don’t care what it looks like, but it works very well as a vehicle gun rack.

• Rack ‘Em probably makes the best pistol rack for your gun safe that I have seen.  You use the empty space on the safe door to hang your pistols and then they occupy the wasted space just inside the door when it is closed.  You need to be sure that you are prepared to drill some small holes on the inside of your safe door to hand the metal rack.  Often, you may be able to remove existing screws and reuse the current holes.  Also check with the gun safe manufacturer to insure you are not voiding the warranty.
• Another option is that some manufactures sell a door panel made of Velcro.  You attach the panel with a universal hook-in system which does not require drilling, but then the pistols are held in holder like fabric that is attached to the door panel with Velcro materials.  I have read some reports that this fabric can attract moisture, so do your homework before purchasing.
• Lastly, if you have shelf space, but want a less expensive option or one that does not require anything mounted on your safe door, you can find many different pistol racks that look like paper organizers.  Some are metal, others are plastic, and one is round and looks like a turning spice rack.  A good option for a quick fix.

Keeping your pistols stored in your gun safe is a perfect way to protect them.  Sometimes you need a little organization using a pistol rack to keep things efficient.

If you are wondering these custom rigs are available for Remington, Ithaca, Mossberg and similar 12 Guage shotguns.

Utah Conceal Carry Permit

Here is a list of the 31 states that the Utah permit is valid in:

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Idaho
* Indiana
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nevada (this may be reversed with new legislation)
* New Hampshire
* New Mexico
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Pennsylvania
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wyoming

The great part about getting a Concealed Carry Firearm Permit from Utah is that you do not need to be a resident of Utah. You do need to be at least 21 years old, and can’t have a felony conviction on your record. You also can not have been convicted of any crime of violence. You must not have been convicted of any offense involving the use of alcohol or unlawful use of narcotics or controlled substances. No convictions involving any domestic violence. Also you can never have been adjudicated in U.S. courts as mentally incompetent, unless that was reversed or withdrawn. You can not have been convicted of any offense that involves moral turpitude.

If you meet all of the requirements above then you will only need a few more things including the proper application form (available online or by calling (801) 965-4445 ) to the Bureau of Criminal Identification in Salt lake City Utah. You will also need a valid copy of your drivers license along with a passport quality photograph of you for the new permit. Also you will need a fingerprint card taken by a trained fingerprint technician that is legible and completely filled out, and finally you need a weapons familiarity certification from an approved instructor. The instructor does not need to be a Utah resident but must be approved by Utah for the course and also fill out part of the application required showing you completed training.

There will be a few hundred dollars in fees for an FBI background check and for the instruction course. Overall though that seems pretty easy for a valid Concealed Carry Firearm Permit that is valid in 31 states.

Is your weapon of choice Battle Tested?

Will your caliber of ammunition penetrate and do what u want it to do? I Like a lot of people out there trying to protect themselves have never been in a combat situation, and have always in the back of my head wondered how well prepared I am to defend myself if need be.

Obviously having a firearm when the SHTF is a hell of a lot better than not having one, but did I buy the right caliber? Is it going to do what I need it to do or am I going to have to empty the magazine out before I stop someone. Well the story below is from a father who picks his son’s brain about the different weapons platforms that the United States military is using in Iraq. It will give you a good idea of what to expect out of your 9mm or your .223 AR15 if you ever have to use it!

I found this at NeverYetMelted.com stop by and check out all their posts they have some good stuff there!

Originally Posted on FREE REPUBLIC by Infantry Marine, who asks that it be passed along:

Hello to all my fellow gunners, military buffs, veterans and interested guys. A couple of weekends ago I got to spend time with my son Jordan, who was on his first leave since returning from Iraq. He is well (a little thin), and already bored. He will be returning to Iraq for a second tour in early ‘06 and has already re-enlisted early for 4 more years. He loves the Marine Corps and is actually looking forward to returning to Iraq.

Jordan spent 7 months at “Camp Blue Diamond” in Ramadi. Aka: Fort Apache. He saw and did a lot and the following is what he told me about weapons, equipment, tactics and other miscellaneous info which may be of interest to you. Nothing is by any means classified. No politics here, just a Marine with a bird’s eye view’s opinions:

1) The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it’s lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the Picatinny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits cant be reliably counted on to put the enemy down. Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use.

2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of shit. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly. (that’s fun in the middle of a firefight).

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.

4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect.

5) The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 NATO (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun, developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!). Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts ‘em down. Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up the structure over there.

6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun: Thumbs way, way up. “Ma deuce” is still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper, puts them in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.

7) The .45 pistol: Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there.

Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put ‘em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45’s are being re-issued en masse.

The M-14: Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.

9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle: Thumbs way up. Spectacular range and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Frequently used to take out vehicle suicide bombers (we actually stop a lot of them) & barricaded enemy. Definitely here to stay.

10) The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700’s. Great performance. Snipers have been used heavily to great effect. Rumor has it that a marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually exceeded Carlos Hathcock’s record for confirmed kills with OVER 100.

11) The new body armor: Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs. and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as shit to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat (which averages over 120 degrees). Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the BS about the “old” body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IED’s was a non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn’t make any difference at all in most cases.

12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment: Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We’ve all seen the videos.

13) Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights are Surefire’s, and the troops love ‘em. Invaluable for night urban operations. Jordan carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it. I cant help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old With all our technology, it’s the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

Bad guy weapons:

1) Mostly AK47’s . The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like shit. Undisciplined “spray and pray” type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran, again) Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let’s just say they know better now.

2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys. Simple, reliable & as common as dogshit. The enemy responded to our up-armored Humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.

3) The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in Jordan’s area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2 or 3 155mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You’re not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated “shape charges” (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED’s are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That’s why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.

4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The Soviet era 122mm rockets (with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of Jordan’s NCO’s lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage “inside the wire”. Jordan’s base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then haul ass in a matter of seconds.

5) Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and “Google earth” for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.

Who are the bad guys?:

Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly “foreigners”, non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.) , and then travel down the “rat line” which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that we’ve been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in “sacrifice squads”. Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.) These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters. (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shi’a have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govts, the police forces and the Army. The have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80’s. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago.

Bad Guy Tactics:

When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AKs and RPGs directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time. ( see the M2 and M240 above). Jordan’s base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that’s the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo’s (Allah’s Waiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast movers, mostly Marine F-18’s, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all. The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we’re seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber s***.

The new strategy is simple: attrition.

The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they are trying to influence but cant reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.). The first thing our guys are told is “don’t get captured”. They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don’t give a shit about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.

The Iraqis are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren’t worth a s***. Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi’s use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqi’s were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqi’s are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.

According to Jordan, morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like “Are we losing in Iraq” on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren’t enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can’t stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).

Anyway guys, that’s it, hope you found it interesting, I sure did.

We have all been experiencing a shortage of ammunition, guns, and reloading supplies here since last fall, with stores finally starting to get their stock back up. This run on the gun stores was based on peoples fears of what might happen, could you even imagine how fast the stores would be cleaned out if something actually did happen. So having you own reloading equipment and all the supplies to reload your own ammunition might be something to think about.

These two videos are of the Dillon 1050 reloading equipment with aftermarket modifications. I realize that the Dillon 1050 is out of the price range of 99% of the people out there, but they do a good job of showing the extreme that you could go to when reloading ammunition.

This is a great video that shows what the 7.62X39 Ak-47 is capable of doing by demonstrating it on a watermelon and then comparing it with what several other rifles can do. I think everyone has their personal choice of rifle for their own personal situation. I prefer a .308 AR-10 style gun as my main rifle with an 7.62X39 SKS or AK-47 as a back up. I know there are a lot of people out there that prefer the .223 AR-15 OVER THE SKS or the AK-47.

In my opinion the AR-10 and the AR-15 are more precision rifles but are a little more finiky and don’t take the abuse as well as the SKS or AK-47. But probably the main reason for having one of these rifles as a back up is the price. You can pick up a decent SKS if you look around for $225 to $300 and 500 rounds of wolf ammunition for $155. So for under $500 you can have a decent semi automatic rifle with a decent amount of ammunition, and for those of you who already own an SKS rifle I found this great book on how to convert you semi automatic SKS rifle into a fully automatic SKS rifle. Be for warned though that converting your rifle into a full automatic version is illegal in most states and can carry stiff penalties if you are caught with a fully automatic SKS. These penalties often include large fines and jail time so if you do convert your SKS to full auto make sure you are fully aware of your local and state laws.

Yugoslavian M70B AK-47

YUGOSLAVIAN M59/66 SKS