and you need money to survive, will you be selling some of your choice Smith & Wesson's or will other things go first?

Not sure. I do know the first thing that will happen in a depression is this Lounge will get 300 million new members.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Can you still sell your blood?

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Dum vivo cano

I don't think I have any "choice" S&Ws but I expect the ones I have will be needed to help keep my other things from leaving before I want them to.

You’ll need those guns to protect yourself from the thieves and looters.

+10,000,000

I'll be trading protection for food, gas and other necessities.

I'll be trading all my guns for whiskey! Then after the recovery, I'l most likely open my own casino...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

guns, tools, cars.
these are the things I'd sell dead last as in them lies the means of survival.

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it just needs more voltage

what's marketable to sell in a depression if noone has any money?

need my guns to kill my food and protect my family.

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

If a true depression comes around you'd probably have to sell them for peanuts if you did. As mentioned earlier you'll brobably be needing them anyway. that reminds: pick up some more ammo.
We've got water, catfish, and bluegills in the pond, lots of small mammals and birds around here. It'll take me about 3 months to get a good garden going so I think we'd be ok.
Steve W.

Another true depression will create the necessary ingredients for a SHTF scenario. Those who reside within their gated, guarded communities will hardly notice and the rest of us will have to do what is necessary to protect our homes and family. A firearm may be worth its weight in gold.

Isn't that the mob's job?

The last several days I have heard on the news we are going in a recession. I want to know just when did we get out of the last one I thought we were still in? I do know I have on paper, lost something like $40,000s in my 401K and IRA acounts that I live off! I still am a man of faith. On top of that I am/was a gambler. Quite a mix, huh? Well I retired january of 2,000. By march that year I had lost roughly40% in my 401K and IRA`s. It never did go completely back, but did regain quite a bit. Of course it`s been up and down like a yo-yo ever since. Ever once in awhile when it tops out we pull a few thousand out to supplement my soc sec.
This morning I am down $9,700s as we speak! I just checked. That figure is just right now down from last night!!!
I aint going to kill myself. I havent lost a dime untill I sell some stock. The same stock will eventualy go back up.
As to the question about selling guns. It`s pretty hard and maybe stupid to sell a beloved gun for $500s when your portifolio go`s up or down 5 or 10 Xs that amount on the average daily! There is a time to sell those guns though. It`s just before your death, after the ones you have ear marked for heir`s, to sell the other ones as our wives probley wont get 20 cents on the dollar of what we would sell for! I aint doing it yet though. I am both a christian AND a gambler. A very odd mix! EDIT: Just looked again, and now it`s well over -$10,000s down! Brother, can you spare a dime?

My apartment sits between Lake Erie and the Cleveland Metroparks. I'll have all of the fish and venison I can eat... and can keep others from taking from me. I've pretty well got the latter part covered.

Somehow I keep picking apartment complexes that are easily defended, with limited access and large fields of fire. And these days, I'm pretty glad of it too.

Market is down 300+ today.
A modern day depression will make 1930 look
like a cake walk.

I've been buying ammo every time I go into a place that sells it, even if it's only a box or two. Times get tough enough, a bullet will sell for many times what a gun is worth.

I've got guns, ammo, paper money and a bit of food. If the paper money is good, so am I. If the paper money is no good, I will hardly be trading guns for it.

I may be dumb enough still to trade a gun for a gun, but you will never see this Bob Barker EVER sell another gun for money. I'm to Heston for that. I will just keep buying better bullet molds, stock up on powder and primers, and dream that I have a rat's chance of defending against come what may.

A couple years ago I got in the habit of every other time we went grocery shopping picking up an extra brick of 22s. Everyone where we live has a 22 so that could mean good trading stock. On the other hand I shoot a lot of 22LR so if things don’t fall apart at some point I’ll stop buying and enjoy shooting it all up myself. I did buy a few pounds of FFG to set back. I have a flintlock that I can fall back on if things get real bad and BP is getting hard to find.

I probley am lone man out here. While I see no downside to haveing ammo, I think at some point enough is enough. I got ammo sitting in the garage I know I reloaded far back as 40 years ago! Most of you/us probley have many times more ammo and guns than any mountain men and even in some cases we probley have more ammo and guns apeice than could be found on the average wagon train comeing west in 1850. Do what you want, but a few of us need to get real, I think!

Merril, I agree with you 100%.

I'm stockpiling toilet paper, tampons and duct tape for trade bait.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

On the other hand, most street gangs are probably much heavier armed than any pre-1900 group of American Indians ever were. Though that is a moot point for me because I live in the middle of nowhere and closest street gang is probably a county or two away.

I don't think that's necessarily the case.

Don't confuse cartel armies with run of the mill gangbangers. A lot of the stuff I've seen confiscated from them was junk, busted AKs and SKSes, Jennings .25s, and the like.

Most of the serious gun owners I know could and would scythe the average gang "posse" like corn.

According to the news today, our national debt just passed our gross domestic product. In other words, we now owe every cent we make.

This has not happened since 1947, in the aftermath of the horrendous spending it took to fight and win World War II.

In other news, Barack Obama celebrated his 50th birthday in Chicago with a lavish fundraiser costing participants over $35,000 each so he could be re-elected next year. Gotta respect a public servant who would go to such lengths to help his country survive this economic crisis.

By comparison, I celebrated my 50th birthday by having a nice dinner at home. As I recall, we had hamburgers. But then I'm just a taxpayer, and I have to keep funding out-of-control government spending, illegal aliens and those not willing to work for a living.

Any connection between these three events is, I'm sure, purely coincidental...

John

P.S. I just realized I'm beginning to sound more like Andy Rooney every day.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

There can never be enough ammo... That's just crazy talk...

That's still too close. Why we tolerate gang violence is beyond me.

Oh how I wish we could clean up where we live.

If I could live my life over I would be rich. But then so would everyone else! If a genie gave everyone a million dollars who would wash dishs or wait a table for our banquets? Who is going to be at work to sell me that escalade?
Cash is and always will be king. If you have a fortune in guns & ammo and you want to get seriously rich, sell your excess and buy real estate with the money at the bottom of the recession. Dont listen to me though, I drive a 11 year old truck and live in a two bedroom. -----but if I could do it again and was 20 years old instead of 70-----

Paladin,
A large part of our current debt is the spending it took to win the Cold War, the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan. All those weren't paid for. Neither was Medicare Part D, essentially welfare for the drug companies.

All of my previous opportunities to be "rich" probably lay in Chicago, doing things a decent human being wouldn't do, with and for people a decent human being wouldn't want to know.

I think I'd rather die homeless in an alley.

In retrospect, the OP may just be feeling out future shopping opportunities with forum members that have posted some of our awesome photos of amazing guns…

Not a thing wrong with that, he makes a lot more sense than our political leaders do.

Six months ago, I'd said if a depression hit I could live off our property - large garden, cattle, chickens, and a stocked pond. Not now. The drought has burned up the garden, the pond is totally dry (bye, fish) the cattle had to go to auction, and the chickens have joined a union - they refuse to lay eggs. But I will not be selling off the one thing that could protect us from the slugs.

Just had my power go out momentarily while trying to write this. One of my current projects is to get my hunky Honda inverter (generator) to run on the natural gas line into the house. I guess that was a reminder to stay on it. Trouble is that that's "thinking out of the box" when denial is more comfy. Since my son is pretty handy he will get to help.

Some time ago I saw the movie "The Road", which was uber-depressing. But it did illustrate all too well the utility of a plain-jane beater Model 10 and the significance of "enough" ammo.

Seems to me that ammo, particularly .38 Spl. and .22 LR, has a whole lot more inherent value than gold.

If times get tough(er), there's a lot less social cohesion and ability to survive in this country than there was 80 years ago. I hate to say it, but we just aren't the same people anymore.

God help us all if this goes south.

One theory is that if you took all the money in the world and divided it up equally within a couple months the distribution would be pretty much where it is now.

I watch shows like Minority Business Report and Black Enterprise just to kind of keep my information sources well rounded. On one of them, I can’t remember which, an ethnic financial adviser told this story, and I’ll clean it up a little for the board policies: An “Ethnic” guy and a white guy were walking down the beach. They both tripped over a bottle buried in the sand causing a genie to appear. The genie said that as they both were touching the bottle when it was found he would give them each two wishes. The “ethnic” guy said he wanted to go home and find $1,000,000 in small bills waiting for him when he got there. Poof, he was gone. The genie turned to the white guy and said “I suppose you want $1,000,000 too?”. The white guy said “Don’t bother, just give me $10,000 in flashy gold jewelry and that guys address.” The financial adviser went on to make the point that money would not help anyone unless they first learned how to handle it.

He was obviously tailoring the story to his audience but the “ethnic” guy could be anyone. Most people around the world seem to be like that. Look at what happens to most big lottery winners, at least according to the stories you hear.

I have enough grandkids to sell to the white slave trade, I won't be needing to sell any of my guns.

I've been living in an economically depressed country for 20 years. Life goes on, and you probably won't have to sell your Smith and Wessons. You just might be doing more home cooking, and getting cheaper transportation, that's all. It's not NICE to go through and it's no fun, certainly. On the other hand, Mexico has "bottomed out" a few times now since I've been here, and definitely the first time was the worst because the News hype convinces you that it is the "end of all things" and when it's not...it takes a while to adjust to the fact that things are gonna go on and you are gonna be poorer as you go on along with it all. So far, in Mexico's case, the economy has always come back -- albeit many times much more slowly and grudgingly (like right now for example) than one would like.

What really is starting to scare me is the sneaking suspicion that not only the U.S. President, but the gunwriters around me are now YOUNGER than I am. It was bad enough when my Doctor appeared younger than me...and most of the traffic cops and teachers as well. But the darned gunwriters should be older...and I am suddenly scared that I might be older than John.

Where did the time go? And I mean, I was young just yesterday...

Read the book "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen... While the book isn't about a depression but an attack on America by an Electro Magnetic Pulse which basically takes away everything electronic and modern that we normally have and the country has to live like the wild wild west...My point is that ammo became the new currency because it was was the only thing worth anything...I remember one guy would trade 10 .22 shells for a rabbit...It goes to show that when the shtf the only thing that matters is guns, ammo and water...It is a very interesting but sad book but a very good read...

In the event of another "Great Depression" we'll probably see many areas go back to a barter economy. Also we'll see "quantative easing" of the money supply with all the problems that will bring.

I suspect that if it were not for unemployment, welfare, food stamps, WIC and all the other social programs that did NOT exist in the 20's and 30's we would already be calling this The Great 21st Century Depression.

The thing most overlook about the last "Depression" is that 7 out of 10 folks were still working and a good portion of the people in this country still produced or could produce a good portion of their own food. We don't have that many working when times are good any more. . .

Those who worked didn't have to travel far - there was little commuting since there weren't many roads or cars. How many could walk or bicycle to their jobs these days if they still had one to go to ?

The whole dynamic has changed and we have millions who are helpless except for Uncle Sugar's handouts or what they will manage to take from someone else if the defecation hits the oscillating unit.

The world has been coming to an end in one form or another for my entire time here on the planet. We live, we die. I'm not a fatalist, but I don't sit around and worry myself to death about what I cannot control. If it comes, I'll deal with it. If I don't or can't . . . problem solved one way or the other . . .

I am not smart enough to say with certainty what I believe is true. Those of you smart enough cut me a break and don't jump on me me with both boots.

1. I "think" if we compared today's overall country wide financials with those of the 30's they would be worse. In other words we are in a depression.

2. I was 35 and had worked for the same company for 16 years when they came out with the 401K plan. Then as now I thought it was a pie in the sky idea to bail this country out of Social Security. If that was the case contributions to SS should have been phased out, to be used as personal contributions to your 401K. Instead SS deductions continued across the board, and SS funds were dumped into the Governments "general fund" and borrowed against never to be repaid. "UH OH".

3. We're repeating the quick money stock market schemes of the late 20's. Coincidentally what's left of our thankless agrarian society is being pummeled by season after season of drought and financial devastation. "UH OH"

4. We have the largest Federal, State, and Local governments ever seen in this country. They all have a "let them eat cake" attitude. I think no person amongst our elected officials could find their butt with both hands if there was a candy cane sticking out of it. "UH OH"

5. I wish you good luck in your own personal situation.

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SOS USA

Sir, I got my very own "personalized Depression" (layoff) two years ago. Since then, a lot of things have been sold, including some guns. My battery is much smaller than it was, but still sufficient for things I do or foresee doing.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Those who place wistful admiration in the mythical powers and prowess of the Maya should read Jeff Cooper's "Fall Of The Wild".

The stock market is the largest "confidence game" on the planet. Dow finished down over 500 pts today and down 9 of the last 10 days. Not too much confidence apparently. Don't know where "we" are going but I know 20 years from now is going to look mighty different from 20 years ago. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Just re-read it. Apparently Jeff's native Mayan guide had the sense of direction "...of a toy balloon." I always enjoy reading Cooper. His articulation always reflected his erudite nature. We all lost something special when he passed away.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

A long time ago an old man told me, "if it happens be prepared, the only things you should be concerned about is, guns, ammunition, hard money, and tradable goods". I am prepared.

To return to the standard of living in 1930's... We would have to lose about 99% of medical services and medicines that we enjoy today. Most everyone living in rural areas would have to lose electricity and indoor plumbing. Most everyone in America would lose air conditioning in their homes. Only half of American families would have a refrigerator or own a car. And of course... the worst thing of all.... we would lose about 99.999% of TVs and 100% of Internet service.

If we were to abruptly return to the standard of living of the 1930's, I'd have to guess that 25% of the population would be dead in a few weeks.

Probably whats needed anyway. Population 1930: 122 million. Population 1947 when I was born: 155 million. Population today: 320 million.

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SOS USA

When I was a kid in the 50’s we didn’t have any of that stuff. We lived so far out in the country that we didn’t get rural electricity till 1953. We used kerosene lanterns for light. No TV. We did have a battery radio that we listened to in the evenings. Didn’t know what air conditioning was back then. If you wanted to cool down, you jumped in the creek or tank. I carried water from the well in a bucket every morning and evening. We used an outhouse into the late fifties before my dad built a pump-house and installed indoor plumbing. When he constructed a septic system and built an indoor bathroom we thought we’d died and gone to heaven. I still live in the same house today but it now has a lot of modern conveniences and a lot of updating.

Funny thing, back then we never missed what we didn’t have.

If a depression comes would I sell guns? Yes. They are not sacred. If it came down to it, I'd sell whatever I had to sell to take care of my wife and children.

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