Firearms
No matter what your feelings are on firearms, make no mistake, the enemy will have them. If you are a prepper and are not at least familiar with some firearms then your head is in the sand. Firearms are the great equalizer. They put young, old, weak, and strong on an even playing field. Firearms require skill and practice to become proficient but they are a must for survival. They provide protection and food for the prepper.
Everyone in the TNGA Preppers are required to have at least one type of firearm and general knowledge of it's use. The founders of TNGA Preppers have years of Law Enforcement and Military Experience and are happy to instruct anyone who wishes to learn.
There are basically three types of firearms.
1. Rifle
2. Handgun
3. Shotgun
There are other types of firearms of course, but these are the general ones that people are going to have access to and be able to afford. When considering a firearm concentrate on cost, availability and use. Below, are the breakdown of the most common firearms and some pros/cons of each. This is not an all inclusive list and do not let it sway you into purchasing one firearm over the other. Just use it to help make an informed decision.
Everyone in the TNGA Preppers are required to have at least one type of firearm and general knowledge of it's use. The founders of TNGA Preppers have years of Law Enforcement and Military Experience and are happy to instruct anyone who wishes to learn.
There are basically three types of firearms.
1. Rifle
2. Handgun
3. Shotgun
There are other types of firearms of course, but these are the general ones that people are going to have access to and be able to afford. When considering a firearm concentrate on cost, availability and use. Below, are the breakdown of the most common firearms and some pros/cons of each. This is not an all inclusive list and do not let it sway you into purchasing one firearm over the other. Just use it to help make an informed decision.
Rifles
Rifles are the main firearm of every prepper. They defend the homefront and put food on the table. They have a lot better range than a pistol or shotgun and usually hold a lot more rounds. There are two kinds of rifles bolt action and semi-auto. We will discuss the semi auto first.
The AK-47 is probably the most prolific "bad guy" gun that there ever was. As intelligent people know, it is the man behind the gun that makes it good or evil.
Ammunition- The AK platform comes in many different types of calibers but I recommend only the 7.62x39. This is the most common and readily available ammunition for the AK-47. The more common ammunition is, the cheaper and easier it is to get a hold of. The 7.62x39 is a great self defense and hunting round. It is capable of taking any animal found in North America. 7.62x39 ammo can be found online for as cheap as $5.00 a box. It can be found locally at Sportsman's Warehouse of Chattanooga for $5.99 a box.
Cost- The AK-47 is relatively cheap and decent ones can be bought anywhere from $400.00 up to $1000.00. DO your home work and find a good one. The AK world is riddled with rifles that were slammed together with surplus parts. These hastily built AK-47 platforms usually have feeding problems and suffer from accuracy problems. Century Arms sells WASR-10 AKs pretty cheap however, I have owned three Century Arms AK platforms and only one of them fired without issue. That one however could not group under two feet at a hundred yards. Try to find Bulgarian builds if possible. The Saiga is a great rifle as well and can be bought decently cheap. They require work to be done to take standard AK-47 magazines however. The M10 AK is a very nice rifle for the money. Here is a link to it. http://www.m10-762.com/ It can be had for around $700.00. The best Ak platforms for the money are going to be the Arsenal AKs. Here is their website. http://www.arsenalinc.com/usa/. These rifles are going to be $1000.00 and up. Magazines are relativly easy to find and are about $15.00 to $20.00 a piece. http://www.classicfirearms.com/ and http://www.aimsurplus.com/ usually have them on sale and would be a great place to start.
Availability- These rifle are still readily available and so are parts. Many websites like http://www.midwayusa.com/ carry a bunch of accessories and spare parts. I recommend having an extra bolt carrier group with firing pin and shepherds crook.
Use- The AK-47 is easy to use but it has a little more recoil than the AR-15 counterpart. The field stripping and cleaning of the rifle is a breeze. The charging handle, safety, and sights are rudimentary, which make people able to learn their operation quickly. The sights are not the best for distance shooting and the sight radius is usually very small. With some practice, effective groups can be maintained at 200 yards.
The AK-47 is probably the most prolific "bad guy" gun that there ever was. As intelligent people know, it is the man behind the gun that makes it good or evil.
Ammunition- The AK platform comes in many different types of calibers but I recommend only the 7.62x39. This is the most common and readily available ammunition for the AK-47. The more common ammunition is, the cheaper and easier it is to get a hold of. The 7.62x39 is a great self defense and hunting round. It is capable of taking any animal found in North America. 7.62x39 ammo can be found online for as cheap as $5.00 a box. It can be found locally at Sportsman's Warehouse of Chattanooga for $5.99 a box.
Cost- The AK-47 is relatively cheap and decent ones can be bought anywhere from $400.00 up to $1000.00. DO your home work and find a good one. The AK world is riddled with rifles that were slammed together with surplus parts. These hastily built AK-47 platforms usually have feeding problems and suffer from accuracy problems. Century Arms sells WASR-10 AKs pretty cheap however, I have owned three Century Arms AK platforms and only one of them fired without issue. That one however could not group under two feet at a hundred yards. Try to find Bulgarian builds if possible. The Saiga is a great rifle as well and can be bought decently cheap. They require work to be done to take standard AK-47 magazines however. The M10 AK is a very nice rifle for the money. Here is a link to it. http://www.m10-762.com/ It can be had for around $700.00. The best Ak platforms for the money are going to be the Arsenal AKs. Here is their website. http://www.arsenalinc.com/usa/. These rifles are going to be $1000.00 and up. Magazines are relativly easy to find and are about $15.00 to $20.00 a piece. http://www.classicfirearms.com/ and http://www.aimsurplus.com/ usually have them on sale and would be a great place to start.
Availability- These rifle are still readily available and so are parts. Many websites like http://www.midwayusa.com/ carry a bunch of accessories and spare parts. I recommend having an extra bolt carrier group with firing pin and shepherds crook.
Use- The AK-47 is easy to use but it has a little more recoil than the AR-15 counterpart. The field stripping and cleaning of the rifle is a breeze. The charging handle, safety, and sights are rudimentary, which make people able to learn their operation quickly. The sights are not the best for distance shooting and the sight radius is usually very small. With some practice, effective groups can be maintained at 200 yards.
Lohem with WASR10 AK-47 field training exercise 2013.
The AR-15 is probably the most popular semi-automatic rifle in the U.S. today. There to many companies and variations to name them all. This rifle is highly recommended because it's low recoil can be handled by anyone and parts are interchangeable with almost any other model.
Ammunition- The .223/5.56 ammunition is very common and (though it has gone up in price recently) can still be bought for around $10.00 a box at the local Sportsman's Warehouse. Searching online, you can often find deals on bulk 223/5.56 ammunition. The .223/5.56 round is not as good of a hunting round as the 7.62x39 but it is still very effective and is a great self defense round as well.
Cost- The AR-15 is more costly than an AK platform. On average AR-15's start around $800.00 for a decent one and can go up to however much you want to pay. A very good one can be bought for around $1000.00 Just be sure to get a name brand and avoid the carbon rifles or ones with the very skinny barrels. If you buy a good name brand then they will have a warranty should anything be wrong with the gun. If you are looking for rifle around $800.00 then the Windham Weaponry rifles are one of the best on the market. The Smith and Wesson M&P series are very good as well. The best AR-15 for the money on the market right now is the Colt 6920. It runs around $1100.00. Magazines are inexpensive as well. Magpul Pmags (some of the best) can be bought for $15.00-$20.00 a piece. The old G.I. mags are usually cheaper. http://www.aimsurplus.com/ has the G.I. mags for as low as $8.00 a piece.
Availability- These rifle are available at almost any firearms store. Parts are available online and I would recommend getting spare pins and springs. Those seem to get lost the most. Also get a spare firing pin. The stainless steel ones are cheap and very common. They are durable and tough. The titanium firing pins are good, but easy to break and more expensive. There are more accessories and parts for the AR-15 than anyone could ever want. Locally GT Distributors in Rossville, and Sportsman's Warehouse in Chattanooga have many different accessories.
Use- The AR-15 is a very user friendly firearm. The light recoil makes it a great choice for women or anyone who does not like the recoil of an AK-47. The 30 round magazines allow the ability to engage multiple targets as well without reloading. The .223/5.56 round may not be as good at taking game as the 7.62x39 but it is still very effective. It makes up in accuracy and being effective up to 600 yards away.
Ammunition- The .223/5.56 ammunition is very common and (though it has gone up in price recently) can still be bought for around $10.00 a box at the local Sportsman's Warehouse. Searching online, you can often find deals on bulk 223/5.56 ammunition. The .223/5.56 round is not as good of a hunting round as the 7.62x39 but it is still very effective and is a great self defense round as well.
Cost- The AR-15 is more costly than an AK platform. On average AR-15's start around $800.00 for a decent one and can go up to however much you want to pay. A very good one can be bought for around $1000.00 Just be sure to get a name brand and avoid the carbon rifles or ones with the very skinny barrels. If you buy a good name brand then they will have a warranty should anything be wrong with the gun. If you are looking for rifle around $800.00 then the Windham Weaponry rifles are one of the best on the market. The Smith and Wesson M&P series are very good as well. The best AR-15 for the money on the market right now is the Colt 6920. It runs around $1100.00. Magazines are inexpensive as well. Magpul Pmags (some of the best) can be bought for $15.00-$20.00 a piece. The old G.I. mags are usually cheaper. http://www.aimsurplus.com/ has the G.I. mags for as low as $8.00 a piece.
Availability- These rifle are available at almost any firearms store. Parts are available online and I would recommend getting spare pins and springs. Those seem to get lost the most. Also get a spare firing pin. The stainless steel ones are cheap and very common. They are durable and tough. The titanium firing pins are good, but easy to break and more expensive. There are more accessories and parts for the AR-15 than anyone could ever want. Locally GT Distributors in Rossville, and Sportsman's Warehouse in Chattanooga have many different accessories.
Use- The AR-15 is a very user friendly firearm. The light recoil makes it a great choice for women or anyone who does not like the recoil of an AK-47. The 30 round magazines allow the ability to engage multiple targets as well without reloading. The .223/5.56 round may not be as good at taking game as the 7.62x39 but it is still very effective. It makes up in accuracy and being effective up to 600 yards away.
Fenrisulfr with Colt LE6920 AR-15 at Urban Tactics exercise 2013.
Pistols
There are actually two kinds of Handguns. They are pistols and revolvers. Revolvers are very simple to use and hardly ever malfunction. Pistols carry more rounds and are quicker to reload.
Handguns should never be your primary weapon, but you should always have one handy. The best attribute a pistol has is that it can be concealed a lot easier than a rifle. This allows you to draw less attention if need be. A pistol is also light weight and can be carried easily with extra ammunition. Pistols are a great asset to preppers because they can carry them almost anywhere (with a concealed carry license) and trouble does not always happen at the home. The most popular calibers in pistol are 9mm luger, 40 Smith and Wesson, and 45 auto. The most popular calibers in revolvers are .357 Magnum and 38 Special. It is highly reccomended that you get a pistol in one of these calibers because of ammunition availability.
Pistols are either made of a polymer composite and steel, or a solid steel frame. The polymer pistols are lighter than the steel frame and easier to carry. The most popular pistols are Glock, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P, Beretta M9, 1911 Service Models. The TNGA Preppers carry Glocks in either 9mm luger or 40 Smith & Wesson.
Ammunition- The ammunition is very common and can be bought online and at your local sporting goods stores.
Handguns should never be your primary weapon, but you should always have one handy. The best attribute a pistol has is that it can be concealed a lot easier than a rifle. This allows you to draw less attention if need be. A pistol is also light weight and can be carried easily with extra ammunition. Pistols are a great asset to preppers because they can carry them almost anywhere (with a concealed carry license) and trouble does not always happen at the home. The most popular calibers in pistol are 9mm luger, 40 Smith and Wesson, and 45 auto. The most popular calibers in revolvers are .357 Magnum and 38 Special. It is highly reccomended that you get a pistol in one of these calibers because of ammunition availability.
Pistols are either made of a polymer composite and steel, or a solid steel frame. The polymer pistols are lighter than the steel frame and easier to carry. The most popular pistols are Glock, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P, Beretta M9, 1911 Service Models. The TNGA Preppers carry Glocks in either 9mm luger or 40 Smith & Wesson.
Ammunition- The ammunition is very common and can be bought online and at your local sporting goods stores.