Here we are approaching the half-way mark of the year (we are not there yet), and the ammunition shortage is showing no signs of letting up.

22 Long Rifle – I have not seen 22 long rifle in about 6 or 7 months. The last time I can remember seeing 22 long rifle in stock was back around November,,, maybe even October 2012.

Even before Sandy Hook 22 long rifle was difficult to find.

223 Remington – Is hit sand miss. Places like Palmetto State Armory have been getting bulk 223 Remington in stock, but my local wal-mart has not.

I have not seen American Eagle or Federal at my local wal-mart in months. The local wal-mart here in Jasper Texas has been getting Tula in every few weeks, so that is what I have been buying. In this type of situation you buy what you can find.

Online stores that are lucky enough to 223/5.56mm in stock are sold out in a matter of minutes.

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Man oh man, what a weekend.  My wife and I left Jasper Texas around 6 am Friday morning, got breakfast at Jack in the box in Woodville Texas, and arrived at the NRA show at the 9 am.  Traffic was not that bad.  thank goodness there were no wrecks on HWY 59.

We found a parking lot directly in front of Minute Maid park, which is across from the George R Brown convention center.  Holy crap was parking expensive, we had to pay $30, but the location was perfect.

My wife and I entered the show, obtained our media badges, then started walking around.

This was my wifes first real gun show.  She never showed any interest in gun shows, that was until I built her a pink M4.  Now that she has something she can relate to she is showing more interest.

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For the sake of discussion lets say that some kind of SHTF event has happened; some kind of new flu has developed, financial collapse, nuclear war,,, something has happened to send the world to hell in a handbag.  It is now up to you and your family to protect your property, livestock, garden,, and other resources.

Building my wife (her name is Kristy) an AR-15 that appeals to her is part of my prepping in depth rather then breadth SHTF survival plan.  Instead of trying to get my wife to shoot a rifle that does not appeal to her, I decided to build a Palmetto State Armory M4, then deck it out in pink Magpul MOE and Suregrip parts.

In the current state of panic buying anything AR-15 is almost impossible to find.  In most cases, if a website or store gets something in stock, it is sold out in a matter of minutes.  What is sad is a lot of companies resort to price gouging when panic buying kicks in.

I have to say a couple of things about Palmetto State Armory, they are getting stuff in on a regular basis, and they are not price gouging.

Bill of Material

Palmetto State Armory lower receiver, shipped to Devil Dog Guns in Jasper Texas for the background check and paperwork.

Palmetto State Armory / Magpul MOE lower parts kit with fire control group, milspec stock and buffer tube.

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While my wife an I are camping at Martin Dies State Park – which is closee to Jasper Texas – I thought this would be a good time to talk about our Bug Out Box. We do not call it a Bug Out Box per say, we call it our camping box. But it would serve either purpose.

If some kind of SHTF event happens and we have to bug out to the homestead, the box contains everything we need to prepare, cook and eat a good meal – pots, pans, coleman stove, propane, utensils, plates, radio,,,.

As my wife and I use the equipment in the box while we are camping, lets talk about how things are working out.

Related Article – Never underestimate the effect of a hot meal on morale.

The Box – My wife and I use a Rubbermaid 36 gallon / 136.3 liter green tote, which measures 29.75 inches long, 20.25 inches wide, and 20 inches tall.

After several years of camping with friends and family I think the Bug Out Box is tuned enough for me to share my experiences.

Two burner stove – in my case I have a two burner coleman stove.  But any good quality stove will work.  Please do not think of this as a sales pitch for coleman, because it’s not.

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I wonder how the ammunition shortage are affecting the competitions and training.

I saw this on youtube and thought my readers might be interested.

Its called the Reflex Magazine Pouch. when you pull out a magazine, the one behind it moves up. the magazines are held offset so its easy to grab the magazines, even with gloves on.

In all honesty I did not expect the ammunition shortage to go this long. There is talk that its going to get worse.

When Obama and Dianne Feinstein opened their mouths about gun control in the wake of Sandy Hook, gun owners went into a panic buying frenzy.

Shelves have been empty for close to a month. Sandy Hook shooting happened on Friday December 14, 2012. The following week guns and ammunition were flying off the shelves.

Here we are a month later, December 14, 2012 – January 14, 2013, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

Pistol ammunition – gone
Rifle ammunition – gone
22 long rifle – gone
Shotgun – hit and miss

Bolt action and lever action ammunition such as 270 Winchester, 30-30 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and 45-70 is still on the shelves. The ammunition that is still available has gone up in price over the past month.

November 2012 30-30 Winchester was $15.97 for a box of 20 rounds. During the first week of January 2013 that same box was $16.97. A year ago 30-30 Winchester was selling for $13.97 a box. What is that, close to a 20% increase in a year?

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Military Arms Channel on youtube does some pentration test on the 308 Winchester, 7.62×39, 5.45×39 and the 5.56mm.

In the video the tress are said to by 3 feet in diameter. I think that statement is in error. Its probably more like 3 feet in circumference instead of diameter. A simple way to convert circumference to diameter, measure the circumference then divide by 3. If you want to be exact, measure the circumference and then divide by 3.14. For most intents and purposes for this type of video, divide by 3.

I was surprised the 5.45×39 penetrated the tree while the other calibers did not.

What “really” surprised my was the lack of penetration by the 308 Winchester. But then again, shooting from a bullpup the 308 may not have reached terminal velocity. I wonder how the 308 would have done out of a 20 inch or longer barrel, or from a bolt action rifle instead of a semi-automatic.

Why did the 5.45×39 the tree, while the 7.62×39 and the 5.56mm did not?

This video has made me consider adding an AK-74 to my collection. Before I can add an AK-74 to my collection, the panic buying will have to slow down and my wife and I need to get moved to the homestead.

The shelves are empty, except for a few select calibers.  Those calibers are 243 Winchester, 30-30 Winchester, 270 Winchester, 7mm magnum, 45 colt and 30-06 Springfield.  A line of people are  standing at the counter in the hopes the store got a shipment in.

Sounds like something from a movie?  Nope, its the result of panic buying after the Communist Dianne Feinstein talked about another gun ban in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting.

The calibers left on the shelf share some common denominators, they do not fit semi-automatic rifles, nor are they chambered in modern day military grade rifles.

The M1 Garand is chambered 30-06, but its not like the M1 Garand is sold by very many sporting goods stores. When someone goes looking for a new deer rifle, chances are the M1 Garand is not even on the screen.

There are semi-automatic rifles on the market chambered for 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester, but they are not very popular with modern day hunters.

What Was Sold Out

Everything besides the calibers listed above were sold out. 223 Remington, 22 long rifle, 308 Winchester,,,,,.

If it fit a semi-automatic rifle, and especially a military style rifle, it was sold out.

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Are you considering buying a rifle chambered in 308 Winchester to help you and your family through a long term SHTF situation?  The three main rifles on the market are the M1A, PTR-91 and the FN/FAL.  There are a lot of articles out there discussing the points of each rifle.  What is rarely talked about is the overall cost of ownership.

Why should we worry about the cost of ownership?  You save to buy the rifle, then you find out how expensive spare parts are.  To some people, the price of spare parts and magazines might be a deciding factor.

Lets look at 2 topics, spare parts and magazines.

What will not be discussed is tacticool items, such as rails, slings and scopes.  With so many options on the market, there is too much to discuss when it comes to scopes and slings.

Lets look at just the basic rifle, something that can be used to protect your property, protect your crops, livestock and hunt with.

Magazines

For this project lets stockpile 25 magazines.  This provides 3 rifles with 7 magazines each, and 4 spares.

The following prices are samples taken from random websites.

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James Yeager on youtube made a couple of interesting video about the 1911. One of the point is when the 1911 was designed, gun companies employed craftsman who knew what they were doing. Today, gun companies are about production and the bottom line. CNC machines mill out the parts, then the firearm is assembled.

After watching that first video, I said “yep, that is my Remington 1911 R1.”

The first time I took my Remington 1911 R1 out to the sand pit, it had a failure rate of close to 8%. Meaning, out of the first 100 rounds, the handgun had around 8 failures.

8% is not acceptable.

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Looking for a quick and easy way to improve the handling of your AR-15?  Look no further then the Ergo Grip. In this article we are reviewing the Ergo Grip 4045 BK.

Some details from the Ergo Grip website:

• The ergonomically enhanced ERGO Tactical Deluxe Grip® fits AR/M4 rifles

• Same grip features as our original ERGO Grips, but in a wider, heavier textured design

• Ambidextrous palm swell provides shooters with proper trigger finger placement

• An A2 sized inner cavity that is capable of storing many kit systems available on the retail market

• Ambidextrous

Installation of pretty straight forward.  On my AR-15 the pistol grip was held in place by a flathead bolt. I got a flathead screw driver out of the tool box, removed the original pistol grip, then installed the Ergo Grip 4045 BK.

My Ergo Grip 4045 BK did not come with a new bolt, but the package did include replacement washers. This is in contrast to the Ergo Grip 4139-BK I installed on my AK-47, which included a replacement bolt.

Overall, the Ergo Grip 4045 BK handled well through the shooting test. The oversized grip did not seem to be to large my average sized hands, or my daughters hands.

With heavy gloves on, the grip handled better then the factory AR-15 grip.

One of the things that I really like about the Ergo Grip, its made in the USA. With the economy the way it is, we need all the jobs we can get. By buying an Ergo Grip, you are getting a quality product at a great price, and you are supporting jobs here in the USA.

Ask yourself, would you rather pay higher taxes to support people on welfare, or would you rather buy stuff made in the USA? Think about that when you are thinking about buying gear for your AR-15.

* Full Disclosure – I received the Ergo Grip 4045 BK at no cost to myself. Even though I received the Ergo Grip 4045 BK at no cost, I did my best not to let that influence my opinion.  My honest opinion of the grip, is that you are getting a quality product and at an honest price.

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Maybe “dividing resources in your long term survival plans” is a good title for this article. But its all I could think of at the time.

Like a lot of people my wife and I have limited resources. We are just everyday middle class people trying to get by. Just like everyone else we pay our taxes, pay the electric bill, internet, health insurance,,,,. Once everything is paid we try to decide how to save money.

The issue we are running into, my wife and I are looking at moving away from Jasper Texas to a rural area. Jasper is already rural, but we want to get further away from town.

We need to put a water well on the land, sewer system, build a chicken yard,,, and a few ether odds and ends to get our new life started.

Then came the Adam Lanza incident and renewed calls for an assault rifle ban.

I am finding myself pulled into some of the panic buying. There was a short period of time between the shooting and Dianne Feinstein calling for more gun control and prices going through the roof. During that short time period I picked up another AR-15 for less then $1,000.

A gun store has some AR-15s for $1,300 each. As I consider buying another AR while I still can, I keep thinking about what that $1,300 could pay for at the homestead. We could probably put down a septic system for between $1,500 and $2,000.

But then again, we are not looking at a ban on septic systems.

When you have X amount of resources, and two projects that need funding, how do you decide which is the best long term investment.

I see the AR-15s as an investment into security for my family and my property.

But then again, if all I wanted is a firearm, I already have those bases covered.

Will a new assault rifle ban really ban military type weapons?

For those of you old enough to remember the 1994 – 2004 ban, all the assault rifle ban did was affect the appearance of the rifle. Companies were still making AR-15s, just without a bayonet lug and flash hider. I currently own a Bushmaster XM-15 that was made in the assault rifle ban. The only difference between my old AR and the new AR, is the flash hider and a bayonet lug.

I might buy the other AR, then after the first of the year focus on getting moved.

What do I “really” want in life? To live in peace and quiet.

I want my chickens to be able to scratch through the leaves, roam around looking for food, to live as chickens are supposed to live.

I want to be able to sit on the back deck and listen to the win blowing through the trees.

Buying another AR-15 does not help me obtain that goal. All that rifle will do is help me protect what is mine.

Forum Thread – Dividing Resources

As liberals and gun haters dance in the blood of children in their call for new gun laws, survivalist need to wake up. SHTF comes in a wide range of disasters. Sometimes its hurricanes, earthquakes or other natural disasters, sometimes its losing a job or financial collapse,,,.

In the case of December 2012, it was a crazy kid with a gun that gave liberals and gun haters the needed fuel to call for more gun laws.

Over the course of a few days gun stores were stripped of every AR-15 they had, and all of the ammunition they had in stock.

The following days people became desperate to get their hands on an AR-15, magazines and ammunition.

Some examples include:

Colt 6920 for $4,000
Ebay – (2) (TWO) AR-15 NEW, Aluminum NATO 5.56 AR15 M4 30 Round .223 Magazine Magazines Winning price: $315.00 (24 Bids)
Bushmaster patrol rifle – $2,299.00
PTR-91 – $2,275
S&W M&P 15 – $2,000
Ebay – Magpul PMAG 30 MagLevel, Black with Window & Dust cover NWT $65.00
Ebay – 3 Magpul PMAG 5.56×45/.223 $165.00
Ebay – Two BRAND NEW IN BAG black Magpul PMAG 30 5.56/.223 $95.00 (sold)
Ebay – Magpul PMAG 223 5.56 Black High Cap Mags 30 Round $39.95 (10 available / 40 sold)
GunsAmerica – Colt 6920 M4 rifle $3,400.00

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The panic buying of December 2012 is a reminder to preppers / survivalist, if you do not have it before SHTF, you are not going to find it afterwards.

For well over a year I have been looking at buying a new AR-15. I can prove that statement by the various forum threads I posted – Who makes the best ar-15 lower for the money, Need honest opinion on this AR-15, BCM or Spikes Tactical M-4,,,,.

For well over a year I had been sitting on the fence on buying a new AR.  Then came the Connecticut school shooting and renewed calls for banning so called “assault rifles.” At the time it seemed the crazy politicians finally had the fuel they needed to drive some form of gun control through congress.

Congress was out for the holidays, so its doubtful anything could be done until January. The president had the financial cliff to deal with, which means gun control was going to be on the back burner for a few weeks.

The actions of Adam Lanza and the venom filled words of anti-gun members of congress lead the shooting sports community to believe we were looking at a new assault rifle ban. If you do not have it now, chance are you are not going to get it. In response to the current events, I jumped off the fence and got serious about buying an AR-15.

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