1 Rifle to rule them all

[SidecarFlip]

I enjoy reading this kind of thread. I am always intrigued with the stand and fight plan, mostly because I don't own anything that requires it. I shudder to think of stockpiling the amount of ammo that would require for the long haul. Which raises the question do you think you have enough ammo for your 1 rifle to rule them all scenario?


I have no trouble starting a new thread and apologize in advance if I should have.

No apology needed.

How much is enough? One round may be all you get off so it could be anywhere from one round up to any number depending on the thickness of your wallet and your spouses tolerance for loaded ammunition around the house.

I look at stockpiling any amount of ammunition as an exercise in overindulgence of a distant threat that may or may not come to be.

I much prefer to have the components on hand to make what I require as I require it.

In other words, fresh is better than old.

But then I handload everything.

I guess if you don't reload/handload, then having a large number of unfired, loaded rounds is like having a warm blanket.

I've heard of people hermetically sealing containers of rounds and burying them in a descrete location. If I did that, I'd forget where I buried them.

I base my unfired inventory solely on use frequency. I shoot quite a bit of 22 rimfires so I have a couple thousand on hand all the time but I shoot very little of the 338 caliber so I have maybe 40 loaded. I shoot a fair number of 308's so I usually keep a couple hundred in various bullet designs for different applications and in handgun loads, I shoot my 44 and my 45 ACP quite a bit so those are in hundred quantities and 20 or so 45LC's and 410 shot shells for my derringer which I carry concealed.

I can load when I want to and I have the components on hand at all times so why stockpile ammunition over and above what I require over a set period of time, that time interval being what I consider fresh versus stale.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

223 is the ammo that I would go through more volume than any other cartridge I own. I would never stock pile more ammo than I thought I might use in a years time. That said I would probably stock pile less 223 cases than I might use in a year. Right now I have 300 Lapua and about 400 in various other mil spec cases. I would and will stock pile enough powder, primers and bullets to last me at least 2-3 years for all my guns based on the lessons learned from the last 2 presidential elections and fallout from Connecticut.

If I could see trouble brewing on the horizon I would probably increase my component inventory.

 

[BountyHunter]

Ok I will play. One rifle will not rule them all, but may give you certain advantages that you can live with.

IF absolutely limited to one rifle in anarchy and limited to ammo I could take with no other caveats. Then my heavy barrel 10/22 threaded with can would probably be my choice. I have over 10K of rds in the cabinet.

With that I can get all else I will need with good tactics and shot placement. Hey, after all it is anarchy time.

Otherwise, my AR, 12 ga and M&P 9. BTW, the AR is reliable and accurate and comparing military ball to commercial ammo is night and day and no comparison in killing capability.

You have to play the limitations and any round in the face takes the fight out 99%, especially if they do not hear it being shot.

Pluses and minus with each weapon in certain scenarios and terrains and you have to play your skill sets and likes and dislikes an no one universal answer for every person.

 

[SidecarFlip]

As an experimental observation only.....

To the 'can' reference...

A fram oil filter, properly threaded on the end of a barrel, ie: 10-22, 223 or 308 takes the 'bite' out of the report to say the least......

bang versus whoosh.

Oil filters aren't just for filtering oil.......

I'm like Sgt. Schultz on Hogans Hero's. I know nooooooothing.

 

[weird1]

That is true about the woosh, it is also amazing how little of a reaction a sonic crack gets when you remove the muzzle blast.

 

[BountyHunter]

As an experimental observation only.....

To the 'can' reference...

A fram oil filter, properly threaded on the end of a barrel, ie: 10-22, 223 or 308 takes the 'bite' out of the report to say the least......

bang versus whoosh.

Oil filters aren't just for filtering oil.......

I'm like Sgt. Schultz on Hogans Hero's. I know nooooooothing.

Requires the appropriate adapter to thread back up and by chance the round electrical box cover plate works perfectly to fit over the end of the filter to seal in gas and already has the correct size hole where the knockout is.

At least that is what I remember from the old military field expedients.

 

[Jcub]

So, according to your story, you expected to see combat daily, yet actually only cleaned your weapon twice in 6 months ??? Don't think I want you backing me up anytime soon...

The AR has a well documented history of being an unreliable weapon if not maintained. The Galil, which I carried, was more forgiving, yet I still cleaned it every opportunity I got and it was always clean going into combat (other than external dust from convoy activity).

Seeing as how you were never in the U.S. Military I wouldn't expect you to understand the capabilities of OUR equipment. I received training that at times required a top secret security clearance. I trained so often with my rifle that I knew how long I could go without cleaning it. Not sure if you ever fought a war, but when you go outside the wire for weeks on end, sometimes a cleaning kit isn't as important as other things, since our main method of transportation after getting off the bird was walking.


I won't comment or speculate on any of your "military" experience because I was not there, just the same as you were not with my team and I during my deployment. Seeing as you weren't there and don't understand or know where we were stationed and what our JSS was like. ( I was not on a FOB). I will respectfully ask you to keep your unfounded comments about who I am or what I was about as a soldier to yourself and I'll do the same for you.

 

[westcliffe01]

It didn't sound like this scenario involved fighting for the worlds largest military. You would not be enjoying any more chopper rides and resupply might be sketchy.

I was not part of any "elite" unit. I was part of a very small contingent of engineers who had to provide services in a very large area with almost non existent backup. No air strikes to support us, no attack helicopters, medevac was an hour flight one way and had to be refueled before lifting off.

My "non combat" unit had 10% fatalities in 87 and our infantry support even more. Fortunately, we were equipped with decent mine resistant vehicles, the better of which would rival anything used by the US more than 25 years later. I personally walked through 2 ambush "kill zones" to have the convoy behind us shot to pieces. Was involved in 2 land mine incidents. Discovered and removed a cast TNT mine which was undetectable with the equipment we were issued. Had our base attacked (quite successfully) on 2 occasions. Started the year with 275 infantry and ended with about 25. Enemy forces were up to groups of 50. Terrain so flat that 1/2" of rain obscured every footprint. Hardwood forest (trees >500 years old) of thorn so high that no landmarks are visible from any vehicle. No surface water whatsoever. No pipeline. No air drops. Re-supply was 1 convoy every 2 weeks.

All of the "real" military hardware was deployed about 200-500km North in Angola, where the South Africans supported Unita with boots on the ground. The US provided Stinger missiles to help against the russian MI 24 attack helicopters that were deployed there just like in Afghanistan in times part. The Russians and East Germans provided support for the Angolan airforce with their Migs and the gunships. 30k Cuban troops on the ground. Our people were cluster bombed by the migs back in those days. There was no such thing as air superiority on our side. Their SAM systems bested our own by a pretty big margin. Our air force pilots did not have a very long life expectancy, particularly the guys who flew the silly alhouettes with the 20mm sticking out the side who supported the big Pumas which did the medevac work, wherever it was.

It is not a dishonorable thing NOT being part of the largest military in the world. We had to make do and improvise a heck of a lot more than might be the case in the US military. We certainly took nothing for granted and few of us expected to live to see the end of it. We fought anyway, since we believed in the cause and we were not cowards.

 

[westcliffe01]

Not my pictures, but these give a little perspective to the job of the engineering corps and nature of the land and cover.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Can you PM me just to keep this thread on track without going off topic too much? I am interested in your experience as I am an engineer...whats your nationality? Why were you there? I feel like Angola was WWIII waiting to happen after reading about it. You never hear about Angola in the history books. I have some photos and videos to share. Also, I'm assuming you would also use a ruger 10/22 if the **** hit the fan! Ok, Q and A over, OP bring us back on track!!!

 

[westcliffe01]

I guess the point I was trying to make is that in the absence of a big "uncle SAM" with its budget and hardware and logistics, life is a bit different. I don't know where the US Army has served in recent memory where it did not enjoy outright air superiority and "overwhelming force" leaving plenty of options for how to get people out of "tight spots" that they got themselves into...

 

[codyjoe1128]

Id grab my 300wsm.....hunker down in a fencerow and wait.....ammo is not a problem and in a few minutes should i servive, they (who ever they are) will being me more ammo and more guns, maybe some claymores, blastin caps and if im lucky some c4! 62e/12b!

 

[codyjoe1128]

Darn phone, double post fail!

 

[Garyshome]

rifle, pistol, shotgun, I have to have them all!

The Semi auto with the most ammo I have. Something larger then a 22.