As people that want to be prepared for most anything, preppers know that the basics include; food, water, shelter, and protection. In the wake of recent events, protection seems to be a relative topic at hand. Gun control laws are the hottest debate among politicos and Joe Blow on the street. Hit any prepping website or look in any survival magazine and you are inundated with countless assault rifle specs and ads.

This lead me to a question; Are all preppers and survivalists pro-assault rifle? I know this one is not. Before I get blasted for this statement let me tell you why. First I should clarify my definition of an assault rifle, my main emphasis focuses on the ammunition for the weapon and that primarily is the 5.56 or .223 round. This round was developed for one purpose, to kill people. This goes out to all my friends that “hunt” with an AR-15 or Bushmaster or any other variation of this weapon. STOP! You are not only wasting your hunting trips but harming your prey as well. This is too small a caliber to effectively use on game from deer on up. I have tracked too many deer for friends and family shot by a .223 round that end up with a lost blood trail and no meat on the table.

From a preppers standpoint the 5.56 seems to be the shining icon of protection, easy weapons to use, cheap ammo, and 1000′s of mods make it unique to the shooter, plus they do look good in your hands. That said when the SHTF, the 5.56 rounds may disappear quickly as every soul that owns a 5.56/.223 will horde every spare projectile they can find. These weapons and rounds are very different from its predecessors that were based around the 7.62 or .308 round that was a proven hunting round. Personally I will take my .270 any day, this round is strong enough to stop deer, elk, or even bear in its tracks. Which means it will have no problem stopping a person as well.

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cyoung067

I am an outdoor enthusiast and avid hunter and camper. I live in Ozark, MO with my wife, two daughters, and two dogs. I traveled the world as an Army Brat with our last stop being in the Ozarks. Being the perfect age when my dad started teaching ROTC at then Southwest Missouri State University, I got to see and participate in a vast majority of the Army Survival Manuel as he taught it to the Ranger Team on campus. This knowledge along with countless hunting and camping trips have taught me a lot of tips and tricks in the woods. I am self-employed but also have a degree in culinary arts, so I have experimented with tons of different foods and applying techniques to them for food storage and prepping. I look forward to sharing my take on hunting, prepping, and basic survival.

Latest posts by cyoung067 (Posts)

• Assault or Not, Survival Weapons - February 20, 2013