# Standardizeing weapons and gear for SHTF



## thomasdangerpowers (Mar 2, 2012)




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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Standardizing weapons yes but not an excuse to limit your self either.
Having weapon platforms that use the same ammo is important .
One of the many reason We own AR's and AK's


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Have weapons that use the same ammo as the military/cops.


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## thomasdangerpowers (Mar 2, 2012)

roy said:


> Have weapons that use the same ammo as the military/cops.


hell yeah exactly why I choose the AR15, Glock 17 combo. after the ammo scare I saw 7.62 everywhere which means that is not what people are stockpiling so it will no be around or in very limited quantities later, plus the police use 5.56 and 9mm. in addition the economic collapses in the past have had a surplus of military ammo in their markets this means more 5.56 and 9mm. right on brother, thats the way to go


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

Smitty901 said:


> Standardizing weapons yes but not an excuse to limit your self either.
> Having weapon platforms that use the same ammo is important .
> One of the many reason We own AR's and AK's


I like the SKS and AR combo. :-D I like to standardize 80% of my ammo on .223, .22lr, 7.62x39, and .308. (pretty much in that order)

I do stock away 50-100 rounds of almost every semi-standard rifle/handgun caliber. IE if you can find it at the normal gunstore I have some, even if I don't have the gun. .243, .270, .32, .25, .17, .22mag, .223hornet, .300wsm, .357sig, 10mm, etc, etc etc. Gives me the option of trading to someone who really needs it, or being able to use a gun when someone else runs out.


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## thomasdangerpowers (Mar 2, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> Standardizing weapons yes but not an excuse to limit your self either.
> Having weapon platforms that use the same ammo is important .
> One of the many reason We own AR's and AK's


I never implied limited ourselves in anyway i said "standardize or familiarize". I even said in the video to cross train when possible. If your going with an AK stock up on ammo now. During the entire ammo scare I saw 7.62 everywhere which means that is not what people are stockpiling so it will no be around or in very limited quantities later, you cannot trade or barter what other don't have. I know the AK is a popular weapon but it is important to learn from what is going on and what has happened in the past. Plus the police use 5.56 and 9mm. in addition the economic collapses in the past have had a surplus of military ammo in their markets this means more 5.56 and 9mm. finally if you did standardize the platforms that not only used the same ammo but magazines too plus parts are interchangable incase a few break down you can salvage part from 2 broken firearms to make 1 working firearm


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## AvengersAssembled (Dec 13, 2012)

When I get a new gun, ammo availability is one of the biggest factors that go into my decision. If it can be found at Walmart (not just what they have in stock at the moment), or is a NATO standard round, then it's good for me.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

It's funny no one mentioned .40 as that is reported to be stockpiled over a billion rounds by the government.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

Standardizing can be great, but what happens when you can't find your standard ammo? If there's no 9mm on the shelves, for example, nobody in the group has anything to shoot. Those with more diverse collections can pretty much shoot any ammo they find.

Personally, I like the idea of standardizing. My weapons use .22, 12 ga, 5.56mm NATO, 7.62mm NATO, .40 & .45... all pretty common calibers chosen for their availability.


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

I really haven't bought anything for "standardization." I bought calibers for their intentive purposes.

22LR training, small game
9mm solid high capacity hand gun, affordable
38/357 easy to reload, capable of medium game, yes I have a revolver/lever combo and they are my pack weapons on horseback (+22)
AR-15's for inside 300 yards 5.56 nato
M1A/M14 I like what I'm learning about it in the 300/600 yard range
338 Lapua for an 800 + shot needed
12 Gauge for close defense and birds
I also have hierloom 32-20, 45 ACP, 44-40s but don't think any but the 45 will ever be used.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Montana Rancher said:


> It's funny no one mentioned .40 as that is reported to be stockpiled over a billion rounds by the government.


 While I was never a big fan of the 40 it would not hurt to have a weapon or two around that fires it . Because it fell from favor there are rounds for it even now, when others are sold out.


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

If there is that much shooting going on pick up the dead guys gun and use his ammo.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Smitty901 said:


> While I was never a big fan of the 40 it would not hurt to have a weapon or two around that fires it . Because it fell from favor there are rounds for it even now, when others are sold out.


Yep, when I heard about the big government purchase of .40 S&W I went out and got a Glock 22. The .40 S&W ain't as good as the .45 ACP but much better than the .9mm.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Difference in a 40 and a 9mm in first round kill is not even worth looking at . More about shot placement and follow up shot than caliber. That was another reason the 40 hype was short lived.
People even survive a shot from the 45 just they most often don't do much after they are hit.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

roy said:


> Have weapons that use the same ammo as the military/cops.


Why? Do you honestly believe they would share their ammo with you?
Serious question, I was not trying to belittle or make fun of you.
Why?


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Why? Do you honestly believe they would share their ammo with you?
> Serious question, I was not trying to belittle or make fun of you.
> Why?


I didn't figure on askin'.

I was flippin' through the Glock manual and found a chart of all the Glocks All the full size Glocks have about the same outside dimensions. The weights fully loaded range from about 32 to 38 oz (9mm lightest, .45ACP heaviest). Capacity ranges from 17 for 9mm to 13 for .45ACP. For the 9mm, .40 and .45 the muzzle energy is around 500 j. The only calibers that show a significant difference are the 10mm and .357 Sig with 670 and 765 respectively. If I were gonna pick one on performance alone it would probably be the .357 Sig.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Why? Do you honestly believe they would share their ammo with you?
> Serious question, I was not trying to belittle or make fun of you.
> Why?


 If it comes to that I will not be asking them to share.
357 sig is a novelty round
The real 357 125 gr round has for many years in real world proven to have the highest first round kill. It also has the flexibility to shoot all 38 rounds


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

The "real" .357 is the 158 g/1550 fps round.

All rounds were novelty rounds to start with. I think the .357 Sig has a chance of catching on. Several police departments have already adopted it.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

As for the .40, if I (ok, when...) I buy another handgun it will be a Glock 22 in .40. Then for ~100-150 you get the 9mm conversion barrel and you can shoot 9mm in it. This works for all the .40 glocks, just need a new barrel and mags (I already have 9mm mags so no change there.)

As for the .357sig, I wasn't a fan, LOTs of bang/flash, bad recoil. You would need a longer barrel to get the full power out of it. When I tested out the Glock in it I put 1 mag downrange and said no-thank-you. YMMV (and not to mention ammo is not cheap for it.)


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## Fuzzee (Nov 20, 2012)

I think standardizing is smart depending on your outlook of the future and intentions. If you plan to sit on your BOL and never leave when shtf than it matters more how much ammo you've got. If not and you're bugging out where you'll be best replenishing your ammo in hand whenever you can, commonality and standardization is smart. You should be more likely to obtain some even if it's from the weapon of the guy/girl lying dead at your feet you had to shoot. And if your group has weapons in common you can share the resources.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Standardize with common calibers...then go play.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Standardizing won't do me any good at all. I reload and all my rifle calibers are neck sized only to provide me with the most accurate rounds fo my gun. It is unlikely that my ammo would fit the chamber of anyone elses gun. I could use any ammo that was full length sized but the accuracy (probably the point of impact) would be completely different from my own ammo.

Accuracy and repeatability are my points of interest. I want ammo that shoots to my point of aim and does so with sub-MOA accuracy. I have never found commercially produced ammo that would shoot smaller groups than my reloads. I haven't even bought commercial ammo in so many years that it would be difficult for me to figure out when my last purchase was. The only part of this "ammo shortage" that has affected me is the reduced availability of components - powder, primers and bullets. Even that has had little effect on my reloading because I have large amounts of components stocked.
I agree that having calibers used by the military/police is a good idea but they won't be able to use my ammo in there guns. I can use their ammo to make my reloads or shoot to short ranges with their ammo as it is. Pistol ammo is a bit different because my revolvers require full sizing of the cartridges but I don't and probably won't use semi-autos. They don't have near the fire power that my revolvers have and I HATE chasing brass!


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I have tried to "standardize" to a degree hoping to spend less money but have a good inventory of ammo. One reason I went with 5.56 mm is the same as stated previously. It's what most LEO use and the same for national guard troops. I doubt they would share if they survive. I personally feel wearing a badge would be like wearing a bulls eye. The perp would most like grab the gun, but how many perps would grab the ammo pouch. None or most, makes no difference to me.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

When I reload for calibers such as the 5.56/.223 or 7.62x51/.308 etc. and have a bolt action in a corresponding caliber, which I do...I reload for the semi auto. My semi autos are often pickier about ammo than my bolt actions. 

I reload first and foremost for reliability in the semi auto. On the other hand, If I were to need some super accurate .308/.223 tailored for a bolt action then I'd simply sit down and load a box or two.

I seem to get by nicely shooting my semi auto reloads in my bolt actions...then again my focus is on replicating factory cartridge dimensions and performance. I'm not too concerned about getting sub MOA groups. If it happens (some times it does) great, if not...oh well. I can live with inch and a half to two inch groups.


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## Gallo Pazzesco (Dec 22, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> Standardizing weapons yes but not an excuse to limit your self either.
> Having weapon platforms that use the same ammo is important .
> One of the many reason We own AR's and AK's


Agreed. And that is the beauty of the AR most of all imho - the ability to switch out a M4 upper with a Long Range accuracy upper for instance.

But the real beauty of standardizing and redundancy is having interchangeable parts which would allow for one gun to become a parts gun for all others.

I myself like to standardize, but again, I do it with the rule of a minimum of two of everything. "Two is one and one is none," as they say.


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