Posted: 8/31/2007 5:46:04 AM EDT
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ok, we all know this is a gun web site and we are pretty much all "into" guns. that said, with the current political, financial, and social issues currently on the radar, I am curious what the good folks here are focusing on "right now". for me I am finished with guns and ammo right now, I just ordered some black hills ammo for my AR, and that's about it, for ammo and "weapons" stuff. now my priorities are in this order, pay off credit card bills, harden my homestead, with fences, lights, and thorny plants. and catch up on maintenance items for long term reliability. I still think we will have another year to stock up on food and plan on a garden next spring. also I think stocking up on semi-durable goods for the long term like jeans, boots and other clothing, is a good priority. the higher quality the better. as inflation really starts to hit us these things will be harder to aquire on tight budgets. as for food, I will have my "base" items to eat for emergencies. However I think the added ingredients like powder butter, milk, and spices will be of great benifit as things rise in price and you are just buying the basics to get by like pasta, meat (whatever may be available) vegatables, and rice. for the next 5 years I don't see these things "runing out" for long periods of time but I do think there will be short term shortages and price spikes. but even in poor areas in russia there is " some " food on the shelves. and I don't think america will get to that point for several years. although there will be periods of panic rushes on the stores, that is the time to sit back and eat your staples and enjoy them with the stocked up condiments you were putting back, sure mac and cheese is fine, but mac and cheese with re hydrated tomatoes, salt pepper and hot sauce is better. anyway what are you doing now days with your preps? I am not so concerned with food "now" I have enough to last several months, but those who have nothing in their house, and during the panic rushes, will be out trolling and breaking into homes and businesses looking for food and something to turn into money. I think home security, and a financial "cushion" will carry you through better than 2 years of food but a house easy to break into when your not home or no money when the banks close, and you need something NOW. whatever that something is. I don't forsee things going bad LONG TERM for at least 10 years,but I definately see spikes and hard times and panic rushes that should be avoided for safety and financial reasons. but I could be wrong. 
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| If there's a national SHTF event in the US it'll most likely be widespread terrorist attacks or a financial meltdown. In both cases we'll still have LEOs and military running around. Roving gangs that rape, loot and steal everything in sight will be rare. It's much more likely that being able to stay in your house for long periods of time and not having to spend money will be more important than having enough guns and ammo to fight a small war. I'm concentrating on getting several months worth of food right now. Having extra clothing is a good idea. Instead of giving stuff away to Goodwill you're better off just putting it in a box somewhere. |
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Not to sound too simplistic, but to answer which to buy, beans or bullets, depends on which one is lowest on? If a person is set with a reasonable amount off guns and ammunition, then I would stock up on the food. The idea of cloths is also a good one. I would also ensure a good supply of first aid and any meds one needs. Don't forget items like TP and soap, shampoo, ect. |
I would say mostly beans, but but it's important to have a few bullets to protect said beans. A good ratio might even be the cost. You can buy a whole lotta beans for 400 dollars, but not as many bullets. So if you split the cost, you will have lots and lots of food, and will still be able to satisfy your love of guns 
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I've said this before on here, but it is worth repeating I think. No matter what happens in a SHTF scenario, you will have to eat every single day. You will have to feed your wife and children every single day. Guaranteed. What is possible, but not guaranteed, is daily firefights against hordes of mutant zombies. |
I agree, however I don't think the food is going to disappear. I think it will be varying degrees of price or availability issues, it may be there but expensive, it may not "all" be there but there will still be available types of food. but i am also concerned for the hard to find items like repair supplies for the house, tools, things that if they break or wear out, you'll play hell to get more, except black market prices/risk. I would like to avoid that if possible. |
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I think that eveyone needs to evaluate their own situation and judge for themselves. One can only store so much food, and if SHTF, or even TEOTWAWKI comes, food is alot easier to produce from nothing than even a single .22 LR cartridge. I think 3 months to 1 years worth of stored food is good, much more than that is excessive unless you have ALL the other bases covered. On the other hand, having an arsenal, a safe full of ammo, and 2 cases of MRE's and a camelbak won't get you very far either. As Rawles repeatedly points out on his blog, having the ability to produce and procure food is extremely important to surviving a long term SHTF or TEOTWAWKI. Another few things to stock up on pre-SHTF are skills and the tools needed to carry out those skills. You can trade your skilled labor for other things you might need like bullets and beans. If you have a "white collar", or unskilled "blue collar" job, now is the time to find a "hobby" that will teach you some skills. Home improvement, welding, fixing up an old car or bike, amateur gunsmithing, cooking, etc. are all things people with said bullets and beans, might need post-SHTF and be willing to trade for. Even if you don't need any bullets or beans from someone else, maybe you'll need those skills for yourself, or to trade someone else who also has their fill of bullets and beans. For example if TEOTWAWKI came tomorrow, most SF folks wouldn't want to even talk about a canned food or ammo trade, but would gladly trade some of their own beans or bullets to the doctor next door in enchange for his services. The ability to survive long term will be determined by your stocks, your ability to produce or procure those that you deplete, your real life skills, your physical fitness, and so on. It's an overall package. |
| To state the obvious, dont forget that bullets can be a food source as well. I believe hunting for small game, such as squirrels, rabbits, birds, etc... can be considered a viable food source, as long as the environment is not contaminated in some way. My advice: stock up on .22LR now while its cheap. |
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How long will the game last if only a small percentage of Americans takes to the woods to kill all the game they can? When I hunt, I can expect to kill a buck and a doe (limit in PA in most areas). So can most of my hunting companions. A 90% buck to hunter ratio is not out of line for us. If the private land we hunted on was overrun with other hunters, or the surrounding properties covered with other hunters, our deer to hunter ratio would go down tremendously. If my family needed meat, of course I would kill any animal I found, regardless of any hunting regulations. Why would I expect any other person with hungry children to act differently from myself? While I keep some ammunition on hand, I do not expect to be able to supplement my families food supply with wild game to any large extent. Edited to add, I referred to large game, while you were referring to small game. If the local children are not in school in your area, rural American history would show us that they would be expected to help supplement the family table. In our family, hunting was greatly preferred to pulling weeds, picking rocks or to be completely honest all most anything else. I am not sure that the small game population is going to survive numerous children with scoped 22's (of which I will be providing 4). The Children are going fishing (they take a 22). The Children are going to check up on a elderly neighbor (they take a 22) The Children are working in the Garden/Field (they take a 22) The Children are going to Church (they take a 22) The Children are going to school (they take a 22) Now, I am only in my 30's. I know some of my uncles took 22's to school with them. I am sure some of the older members here remember doing the same. If there is truly a disaster, and if the Children (teens) need a form of self defense, they will have a firearm handy. Of course they will try to kill anything they can for the table also - since they have a firearm handy. |
| I'd make sure you've got the food base covered. While some of us have tons of ammo, I'd hope we also have tons of food first. Chances of a daily firefight will be rare! Yes it's a good idea to have in order for self defense, but in all reality the food will be most important and most likely to be used. |
gotta eat to have the energy to shoot  if ya got a ok supply of ammo,, get the beans..... |
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well in my OP I said I was done with bullets, so the "beans" are next, but I don't forsee needing A "moutian" of them because if I had to BO I couldn't carry it all. not that I would BO unless it was a chem/nuke attack.. for economic and social issues,I see life (in my neck of the woods) just plodding along, sad, dreary, broken, but still plodding along. I think there will be increased property crimes, some violence, increased restrictions on movement and curfews, but (in my area) I don't see a katrina style breakdown long term (months or years), we don't have that kind of weather, social make up, or poor infrastructure. no, I am not in las vegas!!! good luck to any sucker that is. 
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Here is another thought: If (or when, depending on how you see it) IT happens, those people (like the many in New Orleans) who live in the big cities and depend on others for their survival (ie; on welfare) will eventually come out looking for food. They will take what they want because they are "entitled" to it. If you live near a big city, and there are farms nearby, it might not be a bad thing to keep up your marksmanship. You can always offer it to the farmer in exchange for being fed. That way he will have either his crop or his livestock protected. If there is a shortage of food, food production facilities will be a priority, and they must be protected. If the police do it, then you won't be able to rely on them to come when needed, so be prepared for that too. |
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Spend 25 extra bucks on SHTF food supplies per walmart trip. Also spend 25 bucks for ammo per walmart trip. Rotate through your major SHTF calibers. So in a month you make 4 weekly trips. Thats 100 extra dollars for food, but might end up being 25 bucks for 45acp, 25 bucks for 9mm, 25 bucks for 223 and 25 bucks for 308. |
One of my concerns is that right now probably less then 2% of Americans hunt. In SHTF or TEOTWAWKT most game animals will hunted to near extinction in a very short time, even if only 40% of people were hunting for food. I believe that storing enough food, water and seed will be more important then ammo in the long term. Having enough for defense is still important. |
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I believe stored food will be very important initially, but as the months and years go by hunting for food will become more important. I do completely agree that growing food will also be critical in order to survive, and hunting for meat would only provide a percentage of the total food needed. People who are not hunters now will not be effective hunters in a SHTF situation. Not only will these people not have the guns or ammo to hunt, but they also will not have the skills. Expecting 40% of the population to suddently become effective hunters is unrealistic. I also believe that, while big game such as white tail deer may be over hunted, small game will always be plentiful. This is all theoretical of course, based on a scenerio that will most likely never happen. |