How much is too much?

[John Patrick]

. I always get a kick out of the city folk who are gonna “bug out”. Really? Where to? How if fuel is disrupted? Not many places within a few hundred miles of any city in the eastern half of the country where you can just “go”. Somebody is already there, and more than likely isn’t going to look kindly on outsiders who are not long term self sustainable trying t displace ‘em. I equate “bugging out” to the whole “Rambo” fantasy some folks live in. A huge percentage of folks today would starve to death in a wilderness full of game even if armed to the teeth

I’m a suburban guy.

I have two bug out locations, a hunting club about an hour and a quarter on an average day to the NE and a hunting club about an hour and a half to the SE.

Going NW gives the choice of highways or backroads, not so much going SE. I have the truck to run a median or for limited cross country to bypass traffic jams if it comes to that.

Prevailing wind is NW to SE late fall through early spring, generally WSW to ENE in the late spring through early fall. So if an event occurs which makes bugging out the better idea, and where wind direction is a consideration, I have a choice. Living off the land would be easier going SE.

But it would take a hell of an event to get me to choose to bug out.

Maybe oddly, I didn’t preplan this situation, just realized the unintentional situation way back when ricin attacks in subways was a thing.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Where am I bugging out to? Every artery will be clogged and every store, farm and ranch will be overrun with urban locusts.

I'll top off my moat, lay in a few extra sandbags and break into my reserve fruitcake stash.

Y'all have fun.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I prepped for Y2K. Had a few friends say they were coming over if it got hairy. Told them not to come empty handed. Luckily I didn’t need it. Didn’t buy TP for a year. Bought a second mini30 for my son to use. Had 60,000 rds of .22. A dead freezer full of 2 liter bottles of water. Wood for the heater. Still have some .22s and x39 left. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[rockquarry]

I prepped for Y2K. Had a few friends say they were coming over if it got hairy. Told them not to come empty handed. Luckily I didn’t need it. Didn’t buy TP for a year. Bought a second mini30 for my son to use. Had 60,000 rds of .22. A dead freezer full of 2 liter bottles of water. Wood for the heater. Still have some .22s and x39 left. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Rather than "failing to plan", most ignored Y2K because they saw it realistically as nothing more than a hoax or even a joke. I don't recall anyone who actually prepared for it, or at least admitted to prepare for it, but I don't know anyone who keeps a bail-out kit by their front door either.

 

[ladder13]

Waiting on the trumpets.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Ha, this thread is fun and all over the place!
Regarding the OP's question of "how much is too much?"... Back in my infantry days "too much" usually meant extraneous junk that I tried to stuff in my day pack while humping through hilly terrain. Too much would NOT have involved weaponry, though, in spite of how heavy ammo is when you are packing enough for a potential heavy firefight.

Today, I conceal carry a steel framed 1911 with one spare magazine, or a K frame revolver with a "speed" strip.

Using good quality gunbelt and holster and learning exactly where to carry on my body, along with years of experience.. have led me to be able to comfortably carry a "heavy" weapon without complaint.

My time at the range has shown me that a "pocket" weapon is slow to get into action, not very accurate at speed (for me) and more prone to malfunction.

I carry what I shoot the best, and I do NOT leave it at home due to the weight (as someone suggested in an earlier response)

Too much is a relative term, but I know that "too little" doesn't work for me

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

I am 5 foot 5 and for years and years carried a Colt Gold Cup. In the 80's we had all read about guys like Swenson and Chow, but nobody I knew had a custom 1911. So you put a solid bushing in a Gold Cup, because it had sights you could see and was throated for target semi-wadcutters. That made it reliable with hollowpoints of the day. Ruined a lot of suits with those sights, just part of it. It can be done, and with crime being what it is today I am afraid it should be done as well.

That’s quite short for a man. I’m 6’ even and never had a problem carrying a full size Government, but have transitioned to a a Lightweight Commander in my old age.

 

[John Patrick]

Ha, this thread is fun and all over the place!
Regarding the OP's question of "how much is too much?"... Back in my infantry days "too much" usually meant extraneous junk that I tried to stuff in my day pack while humping through hilly terrain. Too much would NOT have involved weaponry, though, in spite of how heavy ammo is when you are packing enough for a potential heavy firefight.

Today, I conceal carry a steel framed 1911 with one spare magazine, or a K frame revolver with a "speed" strip.

Using good quality gunbelt and holster and learning exactly where to carry on my body, along with years of experience.. have led me to be able to comfortably carry a "heavy" weapon without complaint.

My time at the range has shown me that a "pocket" weapon is slow to get into action, not very accurate at speed (for me) and more prone to malfunction.

I carry what I shoot the best, and I do NOT leave it at home due to the weight (as someone suggested in an earlier response)

Too much is a relative term, but I know that "too little" doesn't work for me

Get a little older and I predict you’ll start looking at lighter options.

For example, maybe a P365x with Maguts magazine internals. 14 rounds, in less than half the weight and less bulk.

Or a Scandium K or L frame, from 19oz to 24.5oz depending on model.

I’m 62, and I appreciate the pocket carry idea, but won’t do it for more than the one block run to the gas station. Except as a second gun. Which means almost never.

Maybe in another decade or so…

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Rather than "failing to plan", most ignored Y2K because they saw it realistically as nothing more than a hoax or even a joke. I don't recall anyone who actually prepared for it, or at least admitted to prepare for it, but I don't know anyone who keeps a bail-out kit by their front door either.

I did some preparing for Y2K, but just additional supplies of what I normally use. The only specialty item I bought was a good quality emergency/hand crank radio ($100). I thought it was just blown out of proportion! Living in the country I already could go 3+ months without resupply, I just took it to 6 months, and when it was over went back to 3 months.

About 2004, I was talking with a regional V.P. for Farmers Insurance. He told me those scenarios about computer main frames going stupid, were actually true. They were part of a national Team that updated software or subsidized replacement hardware to prevent the collapse of society. His company alone spent $22 Million on software upgrades.

In September of 1999 I was in a big box sporting goods store when two suit and tie guys came to the gun counter and bought 500 rounds of FMJ 9mm and 500 rounds of FMJ 40 S&W. I ask them if they had checked to see if their guns were Y2K Compliant? The look of terror on their faces when they realized they hadn't checked!

Ivan

 

[Badkarma1]

How may guns do you need? Maybe only one. Or maybe just a couple. A couple of handguns - one for bear and one for PP. A few rifles - one for varmints and one for PP and one for bear. Or, you can have as many as you want or as many as you can afford.

However, ammo is another story. With the world going the way it is, my belief is that you need a near lifetime supply to feed each and every gun you have. There may come a time when you can't get any more.

Ammo is the currency of caios. Stack it deep. We all may all be needing it soon.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Get a little older and I predict you’ll start looking at lighter options.

For example, maybe a P365x with Maguts magazine internals. 14 rounds, in less than half the weight and less bulk.

Or a Scandium K or L frame, from 19oz to 24.5oz depending on model.

I’m 62, and I appreciate the pocket carry idea, but won’t do it for more than the one block run to the gas station. Except as a second gun. Which means almost never.

Maybe in another decade or so…

I'm only 5 years younger than you, so your "get a little older" comment about carrying a lighter gun... not yet!

 

[Ingramite]

Ha, this thread is fun and all over the place!
Regarding the OP's question of "how much is too much?"... Back in my infantry days "too much" usually meant extraneous junk that I tried to stuff in my day pack while humping through hilly terrain. Too much would NOT have involved weaponry, though, in spite of how heavy ammo is when you are packing enough for a potential heavy firefight.

Today, I conceal carry a steel framed 1911 with one spare magazine, or a K frame revolver with a "speed" strip.

Using good quality gunbelt and holster and learning exactly where to carry on my body, along with years of experience.. have led me to be able to comfortably carry a "heavy" weapon without complaint.

My time at the range has shown me that a "pocket" weapon is slow to get into action, not very accurate at speed (for me) and more prone to malfunction.

I carry what I shoot the best, and I do NOT leave it at home due to the weight (as someone suggested in an earlier response)

Too much is a relative term, but I know that "too little" doesn't work for me

Well said.

 

[Doug M.]

Today, most of the time, a G33 with one reload. After my bypass, when I was not supposed to shoot at all, a G42. Usually I use a pocket holster with these. If I leave town to go someplace with potentially higher risk, one of the RDS equipped pistols and at least one reload. My main plan is aggressive avoidance. Most of my time out of the house is to the office and grocery, and the office is pretty nondescript so few people know it is ours. I do at least go out the door with a window so I can survey the parking lot when I leave.

When I was in LE? Hah. With a 1911, I had a 4 mag pouch, and a few loose bags in my duty bag, the G33 and a spare mag as a BUG, my AR and my shotgun. I could easily be alone in a mess for 10-20 minutes. When I went to the issued G21, I had a 3 mag pouch and a couple loose mags. Only once was in a mess where my portable did not work (that was great) and my backup in dealing with a resistive mental was the MHPs and ambulance crew.

 

[GypsmJim]

I'm only 5 years younger than you, so your "get a little older" comment about carrying a lighter gun... not yet!

Dad carried his venerable 12 ga. Parker double well into his 60's. After about age 60 I was the good son and dragged every buck he ever shot back to camp for him.

At age 70 he retired the old girl and bought a Model 57. Sadly he never shot a deer with it. By that time his hearing was so bad that a deer could walk behind him and he didn't even know it.

A lifelong injury because of being a gunner's mate on a Destroyer Escort, but he refused to go on disability because
"it was his job for America".