newbie here....so please excuse my stupidity, but i guess the way to become not stupid is to ask questions.

what's the best way to go for home defense....handgun or shotgun? and what's the best way to go for a possible SHTF or WROL?

thanks folks.

newbie here....so please excuse my stupidity, but i guess the way to become not stupid is to ask questions.

what's the best way to go for home defense....handgun or shotgun? and what's the best way to go for a possible SHTF or WROL?

thanks folks.

 

 

Home defense depends on where you live, lots of people like shotguns but I like my handgun. Easily locked up by the bed away from kids and I am not expecting a mob to break in.

 

SHTF I dont have one yet but I am going to guess most people would say an ar or ak. I would go ar because of accuray and if you can only have one gun I want something i can hunt with and take a doe out with one shot.

SHTF or WROL? from one newb to another.

This question gets brought up here and debated here a few times a year. It's sort of like asking what th best vehicle to buy is.

This is largely a matter of circumstances and personal choice. If you really like shotgun shooting and are good with that, stick with a shotgun and choose ammo that doesn't put neighbors at risk (if your in an apartment avoid slugs). If you are fearful of shotguns or not familiar with them but do well with a handgun then stick with a handgun.

Whatever you choose make sure you practice with it and are comfortable with it. Always be safe with it.

I personally have a shotgun and a pistol. Both are easily accessable for my wife and I but locked and secured in a location where our son can not get to them. NJ doesn't define loaded or unloaded to my knowlege. According to the state of Utah (who does have a defination) my guns are unloaded. The magazines are full but there is nothing in the chamber, requiring manipulation of the firearm before it is servicable. I take the shotgun and my wife takes the pistol, she defends the child, I defend both.

I'm sorry but.....I smell a troll.

SHTF or WROL? from one newb to another.

 

poop hits the fan or world without rule of law (anarchy).

SHTF I have choices. I'd take my XD and AR.

Wifey gets whatever she wants, but the 10/22's are good options.

Why not get both? My go to gun is my shotgun but my pistol is close at hand too.

SHTF or WROL? from one newb to another.

 

Sheet hits the fan or without rule of law.

 

Let me dispell any notions you may have that there will ever be a time without a government. There will always be government. Even if your community gets completely isolated from the rest of the world, the cops will still act like cops unless someone takes out the entire government structure. It would have to be a complete wipeout to WROL to happen.

 

What is possible are periods of unrest or natural disasters, like a Katrina where law enforcement can't and won't be everywhere.

 

I have to say, the very first thing you should buy is a handgun. If you ever have to leave, you can conceal the handgun. The shotgun is superior firepower and is more desirable to have in your hands the problem is that it can't go with you everywhere. In Fernando FerFal Aguirre's book "Surviving the coming economic collapse", about the economic collapse in Argentina, he illustrates why it's so important that if you have only one gun, it's a pistol. ARs, AKs, shotguns, etc. are all great...but if you can't go into public with one, you're defenseless.

 

While it's important to remember, carrying handguns in NJ is a felony, there may come a time when you have to choose between the risk of becoming a felon and the risk of dying. In a full on economic collapse where people are getting stopped at impromptu road blocks and getting robbed, you may need to make your own choices about your own safety. We're clearly not there yet and who knows, one day the state may be forced to allow us to carry.

What else if part of your WROL planning besides a gun?

Good post Mark!

Great post Mark.

thanks for the input guys. I'll probably go the handgun route to start.

and yes, Malsua, i didn't think how much portability could be important in a SHTF scenario.

as far as what else would be in my WROL planning...

flashlights

games for the kids

food

blankets/jackets

first aid kit

Esee RC-4 fixed blade

(not a complete list, just going off the top of my head)

While I do not lose sleep over the threat of a lawless society.. I have given it a little though.. and in a situation where the government has lost the ability to insure my safety in the location I am in there will be a determination made.. and that initial determination will determine if I need to become mobile, or if it is better to sit tight and wait out the threat..

 

The following is what I would do based on a legitimate threat.. I am not talking harsh summer storm that knocks out power for several hours... I am talking a situation (similar to what was illustrated above) like Katrina..

 

If the determination to sit tight is made I would likely gear up pretty heavily.. side arm.. rifle.. body armor.. chest rig.. and literally prepare for the worst.. I would fill the tub, sink, and any other water tight vessel with clean drinking water.. we also keep a lot of water filters on hand... I think that those are pretty useful if you have to go mobile also.. you may still need to boil water to get it safe.. but the filter will definitely filter out some of the grossness.. and take immediate inventory of the amount of food I have readily available... food would be eaten on an expiration priority basis.. eating things that require refrigeration first.. ration all that out.. and figure out how much time I have left in that environment... following that I would likely go dark.. cover up the windows heavily to give the appearance of being not occupied.. funny I watched a show on "what to do/lawless society/rioting type scenario" and the guy took a bunch of valuables and scattered them on the lawn.. broken.. rummaged.. to give the appearance that his house had already been gone through.. I would consider a similar strategy with some of the more disposable house hold good.. the best fight is one you can avoid.. so camouflage would be important IMO..

 

If the home front becomes too unstable.. and we need to be mobile.. we would pack out to one car... I have important documents ready to go.. ammo can be made mobile quickly... we have a predetermined spot in the middle of nowhere that is a good go to location.. but that is assuming something really terrible happens.. we would just pack out the need items.. go light.. and get out...

 

as far as stuff I would bring it would be bare minimum..

 

as far as weapon systems... guns are minimized down to a few common calibers.. and the main rifles have weapon mounted lights which I would think are a must for a situation like that.. several magazines for each weapon.. and a fair amount of ammunition..

 

the type of weapon should be something you are comfortable with... typically I think sidearm... main rifle... a shotgun and longer range rifle would be good to add if there is room... you can always dump portions of a heavy load if you are forced to ditch the vehicle and go on foot.. but if you react quickly enough to the things around you, I doubt you would really need to.. we live in a fairly modern world so this is something that would happen slowly over a few days... not something that is just going to happen over the course of an hour.. complete civil unrest in a modern civilized society will likely take a bit to occur.. lol if this is something you really concern yourself with get a plan.. think about it.. address all aspects.. who are your neighbors? where are you going if where you are now becomes uninhabitable? how are you getting there? can you get there without refueling? who in your family can operate a firearm? who can drive? these are all issues of importance... as far as things like games to keep the kids occupied? you are preparing for massive civil unrest.. give them a pack of cards.. you are not going on vacation to the shore..

 

my 2 cents on a pretty unlikely scenario..

 

all of this may sound "movie" or fantasy and it is to some degree because you are asking us to speculate about something very unlikely.. but that is how I would deal with the situation..

This is my weapon of choice for when SHTF

If I had to go mobile I would holster my beretta 92fs, possibly concealed. I would want to bring my shotty since its very versatile but I think the nod would go to my .22 rifle. It's lightweight, scoped, and ammo is plentiful as well a very light. I can easily carry hundreds of rounds.

 

The 9mm would be used for personal protection/up close threats. The .22 while small can be used for hunting small game as well as reaching out and touching someone from 100yards if need be. If someone got tagged with the .22 they would prob think twice about coming at me. Ideally I would want to use a bigger rifle but I am positive the .22 would be pretty much all I would need. If I was holed up in a house and not mobile I would obviously use a bigger caliber rifle. On the move Ill take my .22 and a brick of 525 rounds!

Handgun for home defense. AR-15 if the fecal matter goes through the rotary cooling device.