What changes can we make to our lives to deal with the economic and energy crises ahead? Have you already started making preparations? Got tips to share?
I put in a practice session with my crossbow today. I adjusted the sight until the top dot was dead on at 25 yards. Then set back and tried the middle dot at thirty five yards. Hitting a little high so moved back to forty yards. Good hits at forty yards with the middle dot. Set the target at 55 yards and tried the bottom dot. Shooting with my hand resting on a bag of bark mulch I hit a little left and a little high with the bottom dot. So it probably is on at 60 yards but that is well beyond recommended hunting range.
When I set up my ground blinds I'll flag off saplings that are 25, 40, and 55 yards from my seat so I don't have to guess the range or what dot to use.
Best part of the day was I never missed the target completely so did not do any damage to the bolts.
Edit to add picture.
A typical group from forty yards shooting from my deck.
Not my best group mind you but a typical one. You can see several of the other holes in the target.
vtsnowedin wrote:For Christmas this year the Misses and I bought a gun safe as a shared present. She was concerned that as empty nester's which both worked, the house was unoccupied much of the day and burglaries to support opiate habits are becoming more frequent and very local.
So we purchased a safe that holds 30 long guns plus several pistols. Large enough to hold every gun we now own and then some.
But of course nature abhors a vacuum so the question becomes which guns to purchase to fill the empty spaces?
I could of course go to a few shops and gun shows and fill it with run of the mill beaters but I am leaning towards some higher quality weapons of each type that the children might find to be a good investment when they inherit them.
Any thoughts from the east side of the pond?
Cheap pump action shotgun. (Edited picture for size - Ken)
.308 calibre bolt action hunting rifle with scope in case you need to hunt.
.22LR plinker to teach the kids to shoot
9mm semi auto pistol for home defense. Love this gun. I have it at home.
EDIT: Reading through this thread I realise that I'm a noob compared to you so don't laugh at my suggestions.[/img]
Last edited by fifthcolumn on 17 Sep 2016, 05:59, edited 2 times in total.
fuzzy wrote:Thanks VT, you guys tell me stuff I could never experience over here. I have never wanted guns to be widespread in the UK in my life so far, but I increasingly think they make sense under some different situations - food shortages etc.
I have considered some cheap antique spring rabbit traps [illegal too], that could be reinstated... any thoughts?
A crossbow or just a bow is a reasonable weapon to keep in a cupboard in case of collapse. It's also pretty useful for hunting if you live near somewhere there might be large animals like deer.
mr brightside wrote:From a UK perspective i've been considering ownership of a little .410 shotgun for hunting food in a post-crash world. I already own a legal limit .22 air rifle, but they are only reliable in the hands of the truly skilled in terms of kill rate. They tend to be affected greatly by wind and target range, and pellet drop is a constant issue to be compensated for. You need to be good with one to be effective, and when your quarry begins to wise up they're almost useless. I think a properly choked shotgun could provide a reliable source of food, but you have to consider the availability of cartridges as your license will probably not allow you to stockpile them.
A 22 air rifle will work if you're mostly hunting birds at reasonably short range. A shottie would likely destroy most of what you could reasonably expect to hunt in the UK unless you have deer where you live. Then it's decent but not awesome.
vtsnowedin wrote:A typical group from forty yards shooting from my deck.
Not my best group mind you but a typical one. You can see several of the other holes in the target.
With a grouping like that I don't think the average white tail is going to complain you're a shit shot.
Fifthcolume:
The wife,s pistol is a stainless S&W service semiauto in 10mm S&W.some call it the 10mm short and wimpy. We have rifles in 7x57,30_30 ,30.06,7_08,243 Win.,22of and7.9mm Maurer. Plus three shotguns, a 58 caliber muzzlel loader.and now a crossbow.
woodburner wrote:And why would you need to shoot it?
Makes it easier to cook.
Spot on there Cat. Over the years I think I have done a very credible effort at consuming every palatable portion of the animals I have harvested because to shoot them without using them is abhorrent to me.
I had a friend of one of my daughters message me the other day. He has a son of a girlfriend (live in) That needs a place to hunt on youth day and during the regular season. I had extended an invitation to hunt with me before the youngster had completed the safety training. The boy has done his part so now I will now do mine.
I've done this several times and the new hunters vary a lot. I hope this new hunter is one I can be proud of.
Well the youth hunter ended up hunting elsewhere. No word on any success.
I hunted in Maryland this last weekend with family and friends. We harvested twelve deer in two days including this buck I shot on the run at 105 paces.
He was the third largest of the seven bucks harvested.
When you say "the game's afoot" V, I am bound to say, that all sounds like a bit of an attempt at a gentrifying euphemism, to be honest. It's not really a "game" is it.
A "game" would imply that there was some kind of "fair play" involved. There isn't. You have a gun and a deer is going to die from it. That's it. I am not saying you shouldn't hunt, by the way, if the animals are plentiful and you want meat to eat. It's no different to the meat I eat from the supermarket after all.
I put in a practice session with my crossbow today. I adjusted the sight until the top dot was dead on at 25 yards. Then set back and tried the middle dot at thirty five yards. Hitting a little high so moved back to forty yards. Good hits at forty yards with the middle dot. Set the target at 55 yards and tried the bottom dot. Shooting with my hand resting on a bag of bark mulch I hit a little left and a little high with the bottom dot. So it probably is on at 60 yards but that is well beyond recommended hunting range. 
