Ammunition

[Kevin L]

I have lots and lots of ammo for lots and lots of guns.

Yet 500 well-placed shots is quite a lot.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that this many decomposing dead bodies around your bug-out location will kill you from disease?

To quote a survivalist author named Ragnar Benson, "If you sit in an obvious castle loaded down with food, a mini-gun and 60,000 rounds of ammo won't be enough to hold off the starving hoards that you might face . . . "

A retreat and/or home should be unobtrusive, and a prepper should adopt a "grey man" mentality. If you do these things, then you probably won't need 100,000 rounds of ammo to begin with.

The cost of two "black guns" is more than enough to stock up on antibiotics, IV fluids, and a course as an EMT or an LPN at the local community college.

Am I being a hypocrite because I have a large gun collection and lots of ammo?

I don't think so.

I've channeled at least as much effort into getting professional training in the medical field, learning Spanish, repairing cars and small engines, and buying a house in a semi-rural area. In a month, I'll be starting nursing school . . . and, hopefully, I'll be an RN if everything works out.

I also have a huge collection of books.

There is more to prepping than guns.

 

[BillMasen]

I have lots and lots of ammo for lots and lots of guns.

Yet 500 well-placed shots is quite a lot.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that this many decomposing dead bodies around your bug-out location will kill you from disease?
.

No, 4 reasons easily available

1 Gasoline and styrofoam mixed jelly
2 Bucket or two of Quicklime
3 Domestoc porkers or wild hogs
4 Hungry wild critters

Or ten minutes with a pickup fitted with a plough.

 

[Kevin L]

No, 4 reasons easily available

1 Gasoline and styrofoam mixed jelly
2 Bucket or two of Quicklime
3 Domestoc porkers or wild hogs
4 Hungry wild critters

Or ten minutes with a pickup fitted with a plough.

I see your point, but I would rather not have to become a self-taught expert in mortuary science.

 

[DrHenley]

OK, so from the BOL...
City #1: 11,000 population, 35 miles away.
City #2: 15,000 population, 45 miles away.
City #3: 500,000 metro area population, 85 miles away.
Highway coming from them is 10 miles away.

BOL is 1.5 miles by dirt/gravel roads from the nearest public road, and not visible. 1st 1/2 mile is a private farm road, next 1/2 mile is catfish pond levees (catfish ponds are abandoned and overgrown). Last 1/2 mile is a dirt road through the woods that is not visible on Google Maps.

But the analysis breaks down because natural barriers like this will completely prevent people coming in a straight line from the cities, from the highway, and from the public road.

Instead of spreading out in a continuous circle, they will have to be funneled down the highways and roads from the cities, with MANY choke points along the way - on the main highway, county road, and private roads. Does Thermopylae ring a bell? One of those choke points on the county road is named "Deadman Lake" LOL.

I would estimate that 90% of the people living between the BOL and the cities are armed.

 

[Kevin L]

OK, so from the BOL...
City #1: 11,000 population, 35 miles away.
City #2: 15,000 population, 45 miles away.
City #3: 500,000 metro area population, 85 miles away.
Highway coming from them is 10 miles away.

BOL is 1.5 miles by dirt/gravel roads from the nearest public road, and not visible. 1st 1/2 mile is a private farm road, next 1/2 mile is catfish pond levees (catfish ponds are abandoned and overgrown). Last 1/2 mile is a dirt road through the woods that is not visible on Google Maps.

But the analysis breaks down because natural barriers like this will completely prevent people coming in a straight line from the cities, from the highway, and from the public road.

Instead of spreading out in a circle, they will have to be funneled down the highway from the cities, with MANY choke points along the way - on the main highway, county road, and private roads. Does Thermopylae ring a bell? One of those choke points on the county road is named "Deadman Lake" LOL.

I would estimate that 90% of the people living between the BOL and the cities are armed.

That's a good arrangement.

I now live in Ocala, which is--in many respects--very good for a prepper. Most of the people here are very religious, very pro-2nd Amendment, they are conservative, and there's less of a drug problem. Ocala is on the fringes of the Deep South.

When SHTF, I doubt that looters and rioters will be tolerated very much.

 

[Maverick]

Largest city to me population 3,400 25 miles away, the 2 towns one has a population of 2,100 and the other 1,500 20 miles away, these 3 place are heavily armed, Portland/Vancouver 70 miles away. City worriers looking to come out here to cause problems would be disastrous.

 

[Jayson]

No, 4 reasons easily available

1 Gasoline and styrofoam mixed jelly
2 Bucket or two of Quicklime
3 Domestoc porkers or wild hogs
4 Hungry wild critters

Or ten minutes with a pickup fitted with a plough.

Very gruesome, but the Mafia used chain saws and chipper/mulchers to dispose of any human remains.

 

[tmttactical]

The best defense is not having to fight at all. Second best defense is making the opposition fight where YOU want them to fight. Remember human nature, people like to take the least path of resistance. Make sure that path leads them to where YOU want them to be.

 

[Jayson]

Make sure that path leads them to where YOU want them to be.

I have a nice garden path lined with beautiful, green Claymores that they can walk down.

 

[tmttactical]

Here is an example: Fire fight /ambush (you opened fire) and what is the first thing those being fired upon do? They look for cover / concealment. That is where you plant your mines, claymores or other booby traps. Gel gasoline container with thermite wrapped detonators and most of the invading problems are quickly resolved. Once the first shot is fired, the invaders will seek shelter behind your pre-positioned traps. Least path of resistance and human nature are on the thinking persons side. Do you walk through the thorn bushes on down the nice path?

 

[BillMasen]

I have a nice garden path lined with beautiful, green Claymores that they can walk down.

Caltrops, nuff said

 

[BillMasen]

In the US can you still buy those Propane Garden Weedkilling torches that the flames will reach two or three feet or more ?? Just Saying.

 

[tmttactical]

In the US can you still buy those Propane Garden Weedkilling torches that the flames will reach two or three feet or more ?? Just Saying.

Yes and we can actually buy real flame throwers, without any government restrictions.

 

[Kevin L]

In the US can you still buy those Propane Garden Weedkilling torches that the flames will reach two or three feet or more ?? Just Saying.

You can buy a military style flamethrower that will hurl napalm over 70 feet.

Strangely enough, flamethrowers are not regulated as firearms.

You can even buy one off the Internet and have it shipped to you in California or New York City, and it's perfectly legal.

They even have a stylish T-shirt to show your pride of ownership:

You don't need a background check, paperwork, or a psych evaluation. You can even keep the flamethrower in your car while you're picking up your Haldol at the pharmacy.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

GP,

It's the geek in me. I was even worse. Let's say you have 2 cities. City #1: 40 miles away, 1 million people, 25% will be a problem. City #2: 70 miles away, 2 million people, 33% (1/3rd) will be a problem. Let's say your area of protection is 1/2 mile across.

City #1: circumference is pi x diameter, or 3.14 x 80 miles (2x distance) = 251 miles. You're covering 1/2 mile of that, or 1/2 / 251 or 1/502 or 0.002 (0.2%) of it. If people uniformly spread out, you have 250k people (25% of 1 million). The number coming across your place is 0.2% of 250k, or 497 people. Now people won't spread evenly, they'll primarily move via major roads, then minor roads, then paths... A major road might face 10 times that number, dead-end knarly gravel roads might see 1/10th that.

City #2: Circumference is 3.14 x 140 miles = 440 miles. You have 0.5 / 440 = .11% to protect. 1/3rd of 2 million people is 667k. Or you will have about 760 people to deal with.

There is another factor. As these trouble makers / lead-eaters move outward, more of them will get taken out. But those number grow as more suburban people join the trouble-making gangs. Again, this varies greatly in different locations (hint: don't live near Chicago!). I think a 1-2% drop per mile is a reasonable guess. That drops as the group drops. So, for example you start with 100 thugs and a 2% decrease. 1 mile away you have 98 thugs. 2 miles away you have 96.04 (98 x 0.98). At 5 miles you have 92.2, 10 miles 83.4, 15 miles 75.4. 20 miles 68.1 thugs.

Using this decrease number, if I use 2% rolloff per mile, that 497 from city #1 drops to 221 thugs (good!). And the city #2 760 thugs drops to 185 thugs at a 2% drop, but city #2 would still be 376 thugs if you used a 1% per mile rolloff. And, bad news, somewhere like Chicago might be a 4% increase per mile given the crime rates there! Just guess at these numbers, it'll give you guidance.

A key takeaway is looking at how 'attractive' your property is to troublemakers. Location matters. Main roads suck for this. But 'appearance' also really matters. If they can't see it, they won't come for the most part. If you're the mansion on a hill visible for miles, oops! All of these are factors that you scale up or down for.

My head is spinning! LOL. Take my location...approximately 107 miles from the bad areas of Atlanta...on a dead end small road 2 turns off of a 2 lane road. Not visible from more than 1/8th of a mile from one direction only. Surrounded by forest, but in a small “neighborhood “ with lots of between 4-10 acres.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

Yes and we can actually buy real flame throwers, without any government restrictions.

This looks like a stellar thing to have if all he’ll breaks lose and laws have gone out the window.

 

[tmttactical]

Nothing will change the mind of a group intent on evil doings, like being confronted by a flamethrower. LOL

 

[DrHenley]

No, 4 reasons easily available

1 Gasoline and styrofoam mixed jelly
2 Bucket or two of Quicklime
3 Domestoc porkers or wild hogs
4 Hungry wild critters

Or ten minutes with a pickup fitted with a plough.

We have another option...
Let the gators clean up.

 

[Kevin L]

Nothing will change the mind of a group intent on evil doings, like being confronted by a flamethrower. LOL

I agree with you.

A maniac spraying flaming napalm all over the place with a flamethrower is profoundly terrifying.

Even more terrifying would be the sight of a shrieking, screaming man covered in burning napalm frantically running . . . which only makes it worse as the air fans the flame.

Anyone in the rioting hoard would be scared shitless.

I would be scared shitless.

 

[DrHenley]

A maniac spraying flaming napalm all over the place with a flamethrower is profoundly terrifying.