Bubbanomics 101: An Armed Camp is a Happy Camp!

As the White House’s Stimulus Bill stimulates everything but the economy (and “We, the people”)…

The hairs on the back of my neck are starting to stand up at attention! And that can mean only one thing;

“Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!”

First, those idiots in Washington D.C. “double” the National Debt (I only wish it had “only” doubled), and now… Well…  as President Obama and his minions work quietly to take our gun ownership privileges away… Personal firearms and Home Defense Weapons are much on my mind these days;

“The great object,” as one of the Founding Fathers wrote, “is that every man be armed.”

As the liberals danced like marionettes, the warnings and rumors quietly slipped out…  Obama wants your gun rights! You can imagine how the “red-blooded masses” responded to that!  In the recent  scramble for those evil high-powered rifles, many folks who failed to get theirs while the getting was good are now finding themselves left out in the cold. If you believe the news reports, many eager “potential” gun owners got there and found out that the Goldilocks had already gobbled up the goods!  I know, I know… I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

People! People! Please calm yourselves! All is not lost! I will save you!

Here is a list of proven, powerful, surplus military rifles that are readily available at bargain prices (and the ammo is pretty cheap, too!). Now, I’m not talking about Walmart bargains, but if you have 4 Benjamin’s,  you’re in like Flynn (whoever the hell that is!) Some of these weapons will actually go for much less.

Now, I know what you’re saying! “Those weapons are antiques! Are you kidding? You want me to stake my life on one of those ten pound torments?”

The fact is; I’ve personally staked my life on much less, many times. “

Remember, it’s not the “technological edge” of the handgun or rifle, it’s the expertise of the guy or gal behind it.”

The great advantage of the rifles that we are going to talk about,  is that they lack the outward features which seem to excite the attention of the regulatory fascists.  That’s a good thing. It’s like buying a weapon in stealth mode! And let me assure you that with the right ammo these will knock down anything that you decide to hunt. Anything! Capish?  And because we’re not talking “high tech,” there is much less chance of something going wrong, when you need them most!

Like anything else, you just look for a good one, and make it better thru a few simple upgrades and solid maintenance practices!

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  GET OUT THERE AND  ARM YOURSELVES!

(And remember to  follow the rules! I wouldn’t want you doing anything “illegal!”) 

The Mosin-Nagant, either the Russian or Finnish versions

You can’t go wrong with a Mosin.  They fire “flat and true.”  The recoil, although pretty stout, is not too bad. The ammo is cheap and quite plentiful. The only issue is that much of the surplus ammo is old and pretty corrosive,  so  if you’re shooting crappy ammo, you should flush and swab the barrel after shooting the weapon, and then clean it just like you would any other rifle.

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Here’s what I did;

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I bought my 91 at a sporting goods store, for $50 (granted, that was a while ago). I bought a $69 composite camo stock, and a $35 scope mount kit. I already had the scope.  So for less than $200, absolutely no gunsmithing or modifications, I got a great “shooter,” and added a real nice “hunting “rifle to my collection.

Now here’s a direct quote from an expert who also happens to be a Colonel serving with America’s finest;

“Both are reliable and powerful, but the latter generally has a better Finnish– ha ha ha Don’t like the joke? Whaddya gonna do, Suomi? HA HA HA. OK, I know you people are Lapp-ing this up, but I’m out of Finnish jokes now. Allright, allright! mind your Mannerheims… And it’ll be more expensive. Simo Hayha whacked most of his 500 Russian kills with a stock, iron-sighted Mosin. I think we can make-do.“

Once you stop grinning… er… um… groaning…

Now “ole Lexx” humbly suggests that perhaps you stick with the somewhat simpler 91/30 over the M44 carbine, because the pig sticker on the carbine is supposed to be deployed to arrive at a consistent zero with the iron sights. If you fold it up, your rifle will NOT shoot to the point of aim.

My wife fires this weapon without a problem, and she’s an “almost 5 footer.” And best yet, it’s an easy weapon to disassemble and clean.

The Short-Magazine Lee Enfield, the famed British .303

With a design incorporating lessons learned in the Boer War (1899-1902) the first version of the .303 SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield), the Mark III, entered service with the British Army in 1907. The SMLE’s action gave it a high rate of fire relative to other rifles of the time, and it had a 10 round magazine. When German troops came under British fire early in World War I, the British put up such a sustained, rapid fire the the Germans believed they were under attack by machine guns.

The K98 Mauser

The K98 was the main battle rifle of the German Wehrmacht.  Production began secretly in 1934 as a violation of the Versaille Treaty.  The German Government ordered the factories to “code” their receivers in order to hide the origin of these rifles.  Coding continued throughout the war often changing every few years.  Production continued literally until the last days of WWII.  Even though the German ordnance industry had developed the first true assault weapon.  Hitler felt that troops would only waste ammunition when equipped with automatic rifles, so the vast majority of German soldiers spent the war with a bolt-action Mauser.

While millions of K98 rifles were produced very few survived the war intact.  Many of the countries devastated by the war were re-equipped with these rifles, the dreaded NAZI markings were ground off and many also had their receivers re-stamped.  You can find K98’s that have been procured from “extended storage”  that still have their original markings.

The Yugo SKS

If you watch the gun magazines, you can pick these up for as little as $300, unissued. That’s right, still wrapped in the original protective paper. Fires the 7.62×39 cartridge, comes with a grenade launcher, and has a handy dandy bayonet so you can use it “close up and personal.”  I found a pair of them, and paid $595.00 shipped.

As you can see, easy to load and ready for action!

Here’s the “Nuts and Guts” of the SKS:

The SKS is a gas operated, magazine fed, self-loading weapon. It utilizes a short-stroke gas piston with its own return spring, and a tilting bolt locking, where a bolt tips down to lock onto the floor of the receiver.

The charging handle is attached to the right side of the bolt carrier and moves when the weapon is fired. The receiver is machined from solid steel. Just like illustrated above, the SKS is fed from the integral 10-rounds magazine, which could be loaded from the top through the open bolt by loose cartridges or by using special 10 rounds stripper clips. Stripper clip guides are machined into the front of the bolt carrier. The SKS features a bolt catch device, an essential feature for any clip-loaded firearm.

The magazine can be safely and quickly unloaded via swing-down opening magazine cover. The SKS is a hammer-fired weapon. The safety switch is located inside the trigger guard. The SKS features a single-piece wooden stock (after market composite stock ARE available for around $100), a hooded post-type front sight and a range-adjustable open rear sight. The military-issue SKS carbines are equipped with non-detachable bayonets that could be folded down and backward when not in use.

Here’s one way to figure out where your SKS was actually manufactured; Soviet, East German and Yugoslavian carbines use blade-shaped bayonets, Chinese Type 56 carbines use spike-shaped bayonets, which are slightly longer than blade-shaped ones.

In general, the SKS is an excellent all-around weapon that offers slightly longer range and better accuracy than Kalashnikov AK-47, but, for military use, lacks the magazine capacity and selective-fire capabilities. But for civilian use it’s still hard to beat, especially when it comes to the cost/effectiveness issues.

Here’s what they look like on the inside;

The Swiss K31

The Swiss K31 is undoubtedly one of the best combat weapons ever crafted. The barrels were made by Sig and Hammereli. The workmanship is top quality and you can get a very nice one for about $150.00. K31’s are supposed to be one of the most accurate standard military issue bolt action rifles ever made. Believe it.

Go to any shooting tournament and watch how they just STOMP all over the competition. Guys spend thousands of dollars “hot rodding” their “shooters,” only to get smoked by some guy shooting a $200 K31. And they do it consistently!

They fire G11 Ammo (7.5×55), which can be scarce, but it’s starting to get back into the system. Remember also that you’re probably going to reload your own ammo, so that you can experiment with loads.

Mine is in storage, but it looks very similar to this one.

Wolf is now marketing 7.5×55, and Grafs sells loaded ammo under the Hornady name, as well as brass believed to be Prvi Partisan.

There is one significant difference between the brands. Graf/Hornady loads softpoint bullets appropriate for hunting. Prvi Partisan loads FMJ mil-spec bullets fine for target shooting and plinking, but not particularly useful on game.

I’m warning you now that the Wolf rounds are dirty, and you’ll do more maintenance. There is lots of GP-11 out there, which is wonderfully accurate but Berdan primed and therefore a hassle to reload. Look for rounds with Boxer primers. Those primers are non-corrosive, and that makes cleaning easier. 284 Winchester mag brass can also be reformed and it works pretty well.

The M1 Carbine

In a gun store, you’ll fine them like this one.

Unless you bought M1 Carbines from the NRA back when they were dirt cheap (I remember “ironing “out the stocks, when I was was a kid, to make extra money…) most WW2 and Korean War carbines are beyond the four hundred dollar mark. However, the post-war Plainfield, will still fill the bill quite nicely. No matter what M1 version you but, practice ammo is cheap and plentiful! And, quite effective “target-stopping” ammo is available, as are lower capacity magazines for low-profile work. Let’s face it, the last thing you want, is to be trying to hunker down with  50 round clip attached to the bottom of this lil beauty!

Same M1 – Most common modification

I have a few of these. Great for teaching, and inexpensive to shoot!

But, there is another M1 Beast lurking out there for guys who have Plainfield’s or Iverson’s in their collection;

If you’re feeling “overwhelmed…” You can actually buy a kit that allows you to disassemble your M1 rifles…

and then reassemble them into a “Gattling Gun.” And you can “stack” the kits, to make a “quad.”

You have to admit that it’s a handsome devil…

But standing behind it makes my reloading equipment cry out in anguish!

But some of you still aren’t happy…

Okay, so you don’t want your personal protection cabinet filled with M1 Carbines, or old Springfield’s…

You could always step up to the plate, and buy a few of these to keep the neighbors at bay…

I give you the most powerful handgun you’ll even need… The  Smith and Wesson Model 500

And if that doesn’t get them off their bellies and back down the alley, you could use this:

The world’s deadliest Shotgun;  Introducing the AA-12!

And if you REALLY want to put the hurt on the “bad guys…”

But for the best overall protection, without having to ever leave your front porch…

The most powerful Sniper Rifle in the World!  The Barrett Model 95 .50 cal Sniper Rifle

And here’s one more bit of bad news that you should probably be thinking about;

Go to your local Gun Shop, or your local Sporting Goods Store, and you may find yourself left wanting… It’s not just weapons that are flying off the shelves!  The evidence is there  – the scarcity and price of ammunition is driving more and more shooters to reload, but real facts and figures are scarce.

Chris Hodgdon, of Hodgdon Powder, put it into perspective during a phone interview today. “We sold more Varget in the last three months than in any other year,” he said. “Seventy percent of our service calls are asking where they can buy powder.”

He said the customers they’re seeing generally fall into one of four groups, but “the main customer is afraid of new restrictions… “ and the rumors are flying around that Congress is going to step in again, and that means a massive tax increase on gunpowder!  Hodgdon said;

“We haven’t seen anything like this in our 60 years plus of business.”

The company has been forced to run in 16-hour shifts running 6 days a week, just to catch up. Chris said it’s important to remember that;

“The moment powder is produced it starts to deteriorate—or more accurately, its protective coating starts to break down.”

I know from experience that you can used powder that you’ve stored for years, if you’ve STORED it properly in the first place. Gunpowder can be stored nearly a lifetime under the right conditions, but;

“If you need to buy 3 or 4 pounds, by all means go ahead and do it, but you probably don’t want to buy 48 pounds, unless you’re supplying  a few squads!”

So consider SAFELY storing some extra primers, some powder, and anything else you might need to insure that you have rounds when you need them.

Stay tuned… there’s more…

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