Preparedness!
Guns & Ammo
(gun pictures not to scale)
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no
match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
-- Han Solo
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." -- Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanlysis (1952)
"The people of the various provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their posession any swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other type of arms. The posession of these elements makes difficult the collection of taxes and dues and tends to permit uprising. Therefore, the heads of provinces, official agents, and deputies are ordered to collect all weapons mentioned above and turn them over to the government."
-- Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Shogun, August 29, 1558
[Stephen R. Turnbull, The Samurai: A Military History (New York: Macmillan, 1977; reprinted by the University of Hawaii Press, 1996), n. 59]Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys.
-- Jeff Cooper, The Art of the RifleEvery man who goes into the Indian country should be armed with a rifle and revolver, and he should never, either in camp or out of it, lose sight of them. When not on the march, they should be placed in such a position that they can be seized as an instant's warning; and when moving about outside the camp, the revolver should invariable be worn in the belt, as the person does not know at what moment he may have use for it.
-- Randolph B. Marcy, The Prarie Traveler, 1859.
If you find yourself in the middle of a disaster, you'll probably
wish you had some guns. "Everybody ought to have some guns" as my
brother-in-law the Highway Patrol officer says. See also
The Parable of the Sheep by Charles Riggs,
if you have any doubts about the wisdom of this.
If you still have doubts, read the short essays contained in Joe Zychik's Arm The People website. If you still have doubts, you must not be very bright, I'd say.
I've made up 3 different lists here.
The first list is what I would get if I had the money.
You'll need a rifle, a pistol or revolver, and a shotgun. Remember to buy a half-dozen or so extra magazines for the ones with detachable magazines!
You'll notice I list 2 rifles. What's with that? One is a "combat" rifle (no, not an "assault" rifle, a "main battle rifle" actually). The other is a "precision" rifle. You probably need both, if you can afford it. If not, you'll have to decide for yourself which you'll need most.
A .22 rimfire rifle and pistol will also be handy.
The second list is more-or-less a "lower-powered" version of the first list, for people who aren't able -- or think they aren't able -- to handle the "high-powered" guns on the first list.
The third list is for people who are just plain broke. "Something is better than nothing."
List 1
In addition, Glocks are simple to operate, unlike, say, the famous 1911. I
actually like the 1911 better, but it's more complex to learn. A Glock is as
simple or simpler than a revolver. You'll hear the experts tell you new
shooters should get a revolver because revolvers are simple. Actually, they
aren't all that simple mechanically, and the "manual of arms" (how you work
one) is not any simpler than that of the Glock. It's just that revolvers have
been around longer, so experts assume they're less complex than something
new without really examining their assumptions. I personally find revolvers
ridiculously complicated: you push on this button here (or pull it, depending),
and then swing out this complicated cylinder thing (but not too hard or you'll
screw it up! Careful!!!), and then ... and so on. People who tell you revolvers
are simple are just so used to them they don't really think about them
anymore. Sheesh.
Actually revolvers are simple to use. Just as simple as a Glock
in fact. Up until you have to reload, at which time they become much more
complicated ... and slow. However, I've been getting used to revolvers
lately, and I like them better, especially the medium-frame models.
Glock 21: 
Glock 30: 
Why Glock? In a word: Reliability! Glocks are the most reliable,
out-of-the-box dependable handguns on the market. And they stay that way.
They're not perfect -- I find the trigger disconcerting -- and they're really
ugly, but you can bet you life on them. And that's all that matters.
The AR-10s are very good .308 semi-auto rifles, but they are also expensive.
Savage Model 10FP in .308 Winchester/7.62x51 NATO.
If you look closely, you'll notice it has no sights -- you'll need a telescopic sight mounted
on it -- Fighting Firearms magazine (Summer 1996 issue) recommends the Tasco 3.5 -10 x 50-mm
World Class Plus with the 30-30 reticle or the Tasco SuperSniper 10x 42-mm as good but inexpensive
scopes. They also recommend the Harris Bipod with swivel-base.
Steyr Scout Rifle is
another good rifle. It seems expensive, but it comes with everything, ready to go
out-of-the-box, for about $2,600, if you can find it.
List 2
Glock (offical), and Glock (unofficial);
the ultra-compact Glock 26, the compact Glock 19 and/or the full-sized Glock 17 (all chambered in 9-mm Parabellum):
Glock 19: 
Glock 26:
Savage Model 10FP in .223 Remington/5.56-mm NATO.
List 3
Ammo
Blackhills Ammunition makes the best ammunition, or so I hear.
However, it's probably cheaper to stock-up on military surplus ammo which your
local gunstore will frequently have at amazingly low prices. Sometimes this
ammo is in poor condition, sometimes it's factory-new. Ask.
Hornady also makes excellent ammunition. I've heard especially good things about their "Light Magnum" loads for non-magnum rifle cartridges like the .308 Winchester. The editor of Fighting Firearms magazine highly recommends the Hornady Custom pistol ammo loaded with the XTP bullets.
Ammo Man sells ... ammo!
Cascade Ammunition sells ammo too!
Georgia Arms sells ammo -- their "canned heat" bulk quantities are an especially good deal.
Cole Distributing, Inc sells ammo
Dillon Precision-- the best ammo-reloading machines you can find, with a great "no-B.S." warranty.
MidSouth Shooters Supply, shooting accessories and supplies
Widener's Reloading & Shooting Supply, Inc shooting accessories and supplies
Graft & Sons, Inc
4050 S. HWY 54
Mexico, MO 65265
(800) 531-2666 -- shooting accessories and supplies (no web page apparently), a good
catalog you can order.
ProEars amplified hearing protection. You don't shoot without hearing protection (and eye protection!), and these let you hear without hurting yourself.
Training
Guns won't do you any good unless you learn how to use them, of course:
Books to supplement classes
by Chuck Taylor
Paperback
Published by Paladin Press, June 1982
by Gabriel Suarez
Paperback
Published by Paladin Press, September 1996
by Major John L. Plaster
Paperback
Published by Paladin Press, January 1993
by Ragnar Benson
Paperback
Published by Loompanics Unlimited, June 1996
by Jeff Cooper
Hardcover
Published by Paladin Press, August 1997
Comment: "Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the
rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the
skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys." -- page 1
by Peter Alan Kasler
Hardcover
Published by Paladin Pr, 1992
by Duncan Long
Paperback
Published by Paladin Pr, 1995
by John E. Traister
Paperback 2nd edition
Published by Stoeger Publishing Company, 1996
by Editors of American Gunsmith magazine
Paperback
Published by DBI Books, 1996.
by Cresson H. Kearny
Paperback
Published by Oregon Institute of Science & Medicine, 1988
Comment: if nukes start flying around, we're all probably toast. But just in case, I don't guess
it will hurt to see what kind of things you can do if you're really lucky.
by John Ross
Hardcover, 863 pages
Published by Accurate Press, 1996
Comment: the trouble with government is all actions have consequences, frequently unintended consequences
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http://www.webleyweb.com/preparedness/guns.html