4 Self Defense Guns You Need

In my opinion, a well-equipped prepper should have four firearms for self-defense. Gun cranks can own more, obviously, but with four weapons you’re basically all set. You can defend yourself in pretty much any situation. You won’t be undergunned.

1) The first weapon is your defensive sidearm. Yes, soldiers would make their first weapon a battle rifle, but most of us are more likely to need a handgun. It’s portable and for most defensive situations, it’s really all you need. It can be carried semi-concealed and draws little attention. That’s a huge plus. It isn’t awkward to maneuver in tight locations, like inside your home.

There are many great pistols to choose from: The Glocks, the Beretta 92, 1911s, and many others. It could be a 9mm (9×19) Parabellum. It could be a 45 Automatic (45ACP). It could be in another caliber of your choice.

This is your main “Go To” self defense weapon. Whatever you choose, it should be completely reliable and you should learn to shoot it well.

2) A backup pistol. This gun serves as a smaller concealed carry handgun. Sometimes you just don’t want to carry a full-sized gun. In a more violent world, this gun would serve if you became separated from your main defensive pistol or if it failed.

There are many choices for this weapon. It could be stub nose 38 Special. It could be 380 ACP. It could be one of the smaller Kahr 9mm pistols.

This gun is very likely the weapon you’ll have with you in most self-defense situations. Is it the best choice for the Zombie Apocalypse? No. But, it’s great for daily life.

3) A shotgun. Probably in 12 gauge. It could be an autoloader or a pump. This weapon has several nice features. It has better stopping power than the two first weapons. It has more intimidation value. That could be important if you’re trying to discourage somebody from attacking you.

The shotgun does have some downsides: It lacks range, which could be an issue in some situations. On a battlefield against rifles, a shotgun isn’t really a great weapon. Buckshot is easily stopped by most body armor. Beyond maybe 50 yards buckshot really starts to loose effectiveness.

For most of us, we’ll never need to engage an attacker beyond 20 yards and most attackers won’t have body armor. This makes a shotgun a great choice.

If you have the three above weapons, especially, if your defensive handgun is a 357 revolver and your backup a 38 Special, you’re about as well equipped as a law enforcement officer from the 1970s would be. With the revolvers, many today would consider you a bit undergunned. 9mm Glocks have more firepower.

4) A defensive rifle or a battle rifle would be my fourth choice. This is a weapon you’d never need except in the most dire circumstances. If there is a complete breakdown of law and order, this weapon would give you the most firepower to defend your retreat and your family.

Your rifle should be a semiautomatic version of one of the battle proven assault rifles. It could be an AR-15 (OK, some say those aren’t battle proven!), it could be an M1A, it could be an FAL. It could be an AK-47.

To make this weapon most effective, you should have several magazines for it.

Those are my four general “go to” self defense choices. What four self-defense weapons would you choose if you could only have four firearms?

Charlie Palmer -author The Prepper Next Door: A Practical Guide For Disaster And Emergency Planning
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0967162491

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300,000 West Virginia Residents Without Water

300,000 residents have been without useable tap water for four days due to a chemical spill.

According to the news story: “The reliance on bottled water is taking its toll on frustrated residents who’ve stripped stores and spent hours in long lines to collect water from tankers set up by the National Guard. Until the water is deemed safe, residents have been asked not to drink, bathe and cook with the tainted tap.”

In my book, water is one of the central topics, because it’s so important. Those reading my blog already know the importance of water and probably have water reserves, the ability to purify and treat water, and the ability to collect rainwater. The ability to draw water from a well or a river is great, but always allow for the possibility of chemical spills cutting off that supply.

Use this as a teaching tool to encourage your friends, who you want to be preppers, to make modest preparations. Ask them if they have a four or five day supply of water reserves.

Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) Clothing

I planned on writing a post about prepping for the new year, with an emphasis on fighting the one thing that hinders our preps, procrastination. We don’t give ourselves enough time to prepare. Start early and you’ll have an advantage over those who delay. Alas, it’s now the eleventh of January and too late for a New Years Resolution post.

With record setting cold temps throughout much of the country, I thought we’d revisit preparing for extreme cold. This is a topic covered thoroughly in the book. Cold weather has killed car batteries, frozen water mains, and many have been without heat and electricity.

Many outdoor survival instructors will teach shelter building and fire building first, because these help warm us and protect us from the elements. In the worst environments, though, fires are exceptionally difficult to light. It can be difficult to find fuel.

Proper clothing is your first line of defense against extreme cold. If you want to assemble an ultimate ECW kit, watch this video to see the basic components:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPRxdxtzQsM
These guys are bundling up for a trip to Antarctica.

Another video give a short tour of the facility:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-XmHFQN6dU

Here’s a rundown of what you might want:

socks and thermal socks…
Carhartt bibs  –or other insulated bib…
wind pants
boot liners
heavily insulated working boots
bunny boots –warmer
face mask
hat
gaiter –for neck
parka  –Carhartt parka for work
glove liners
snow goggles
bear paw mittens
gloves
bottom base layer, and fleece pants, fleece shirt/pullover

In most environments, a danger is that it will get above freezing and rain, so add rain gear to the list. If you’re equipped with the above clothing, you’re all set for the cold. It doesn’t matter if you’re forced to travel or stay at home.

Everything has an important role. In extreme cold, you don’t want exposed skin. With this kit, you’ll be covered from head to toe, including goggles to protect your eyes.

The best cold weather advice: If you have heat and don’t need to go anywhere, just stay warm inside until the cold snap passes.

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Just noticed Harry Epstein sells some Mora knives, which seem to be all the rage:
http://store.harryepstein.com/c/Knives.html

http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/Knives/12095-BLACK.html

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