{"id":265,"date":"2024-09-03T20:57:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T20:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=265"},"modified":"2024-09-03T20:57:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T20:57:24","slug":"are-you-prepared-epictactical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=265","title":{"rendered":"Are YOU Prepared? \u2013 EpicTactical"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By Fred Rowland \u2013 SOFREP<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Fourteen earthquakes of 6.0 or greater magnitude since June 1st, (and many smaller ones), the 7th named storm of 2024 is another Category 3 hurricane, major flooding this year in the northeast, a very contentious election year, wildfires, cyber hacking is at an all-time high including threats to our infrastructure and transportation grids.\u00a0 Wars in Europe and the Middle East threatening to explode into global-level conflicts, and multiple countries looking for opportunities in all of this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0War In Europe and a Proxy War for Countries Around The World<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imagine a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of multiple events happening at the same time and we lose law and order in the United States temporarily.\u00a0 I\u2019ve written before about being prepared for hurricanes<\/a> where I covered things like water, food, having a plan etc including a gun for possible looters.\u00a0 This time though I\u2019m not referring to \u201cthe first 72\u201d I\u2019m talking about having to protect yourself and your family for a month or more God forbid.<\/p>\n

The SOFREP News Team posted an article about \u201cTop 5 Survival Firearms<\/a>\u201d recently and I\u2019m not here to debate the validity of those weapons.\u00a0 Instead, I\u2019m going to offer a few thoughts on what types of weapons you should think about having and why I chose the ones I did.<\/p>\n

The Primary<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Meet Ethel, The Loud Girl Who Never Fails Me. EVER<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rifle caliber, semi-auto, you should be able to carry plenty of ammo, and most importantly no matter what, when you pick it up and pull the trigger it needs to go BANG.\u00a0 Most people say pick up an AR in 5.56 because everyone else is going to have one and I don\u2019t disagree with that reason.\u00a0 But\u2026..\u00a0 I\u2019m not a fan of the power of 5.56 with 55 grain bullets which are the most prominent and readily available.\u00a0 Is that something you can overcome, yes you can stockpile 60\/62\/70\/75, and 77-grain ammo, start early and good luck.<\/p>\n

I chose an AK-47 made by Arsenal, it shoots straight and consistent, has legendary reliability and 7.62\u00d739 is more versatile than 5.56.\u00a0 The gun has other trade-offs, a safety that can be heard at 300 yards, and the sound of the action is unmistakable, but it will go through hell before it fails me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Radical is My Primary Backup. An AR in 7.62\u00d739<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Secondary<\/p>\n

Pistol caliber, semi-auto, you should be able to carry plenty of ammo, and most importantly no matter what, when you pick it up and pull the trigger it needs to go BANG.\u00a0 This one isn\u2019t hard to debate, most people will agree Glock makes some very reliable handguns, you just have to pick your caliber.\u00a0 I chose 45cal but 9mm or 40S&W are just as good so carry what you are comfortable with.<\/p>\n

Backup<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 45 Long Colt or 410 Shot Shells, Both Are Very Damaging at Close Range<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not required but if you have the option I\u2019d recommend a revolver.\u00a0 Some people will say stay semi-auto and the same caliber as your secondary weapon and that\u2019s not a bad idea, just remember the goal of the backup is a last resort.\u00a0 Mine happens to be the Taurus Poly Defender, the 45 Long Colt is very damaging at close range.<\/p>\n

Shotgun<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Remington VTac 13 and Mossberg 590, Devastating When Used Properly, I Have Shoulder Stocks For Both<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12 or 20 gauge?\u00a0 With advancements in shell technology 20 gauge shotguns are seeing a resurgence in popularity especially in female shooters.\u00a0 Now the question is, pump or semi-auto?\u00a0 Pump action shotguns require practice under pressure and can have a greater kick but semi-auto\u2019s can cost more.\u00a0 The two 12 gauge shotguns I have here are devastating weapons and as an added bonus the Remington Vtac is concealable with minimal effort.<\/p>\n

A Good 22 Rifle<\/p>\n

Semi-auto or bolt action, to me it doesn\u2019t matter but a 22 is essential for small game, and training.\u00a0 Yes not everyone is going to be trained in weapons usage so a 22 is a good place to start.\u00a0 And who doesn\u2019t like a squirrel or rabbit on occasion for supper?!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A BC-201 or My Old Marlin Bolt Action With a Tasco Scope<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I got my first 22 when I was 15 from my Grandfather and I\u2019ve shot hundreds of woodchucks and rabbits with it over the years.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty confident I\u2019ll pass it down to one of my Grandson\u2019s in the future still in good working condition with plenty of cheap ammo and a good appreciation of its versatility.<\/p>\n

Knives<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Big, Small, Folders, Multi-Tools And More. They Never Run Out of Bullets!<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You never know what you\u2019re going to need to do, cut brush, cut parachute cord, cut meat, tighten or loosen a bolt, file a sharp edge down, stab something that needs stabbing.\u00a0 The point being knives are very useful in our everyday lives now and more so when you are forced into extreme situations.\u00a0 I recommend at least 3, a strong fixed blade, a good folder and a good multi-tool, that\u2019s my absolute minimum but I usually find a reason to carry something more.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve presented these thoughts\/priorities to people and had varied responses.\u00a0 The biggest negative one is, \u201cwell I don\u2019t have one of those fancy semi-auto black rifle things, I have my hunting rifle and I can shoot that just fine\u201d.\u00a0 To which I reply, GREAT that\u2019s what you use for your primary, get plenty of ammo and stay in practice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The British 303 Enfield and The 30-40 Krag Built in 1898. Both Still Hit Hard<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have guns I\u2019ve inherited from family members, a 30-40 Krag that\u2019s a great shooter and a 12 gauge shotgun from a Great Uncle I never met, a British 303 Enfield that kicks like a grumpy mule, and if need be they all would be used to protect my family.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d probably give the Enfield to someone I didn\u2019t like though.<\/p>\n

Garfield out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fred Rowland \u2013 SOFREP Fourteen earthquakes of 6.0 or greater magnitude since June 1st, (and many smaller ones), the 7th named storm of 2024 is another Category 3 hurricane, major flooding this year in the northeast, a very contentious election year, wildfires, cyber hacking is at an all-time high including threats to our infrastructure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-265","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-survival"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}