Any fellow survivalists utilize their truck?

Absolutely, mission drives the gear. I know what you mean with the snowshoes, I'm in Alaska.

 

It's amazing how much more time it takes to cover the same distance when you're walking like a kid with a full diaper.

 

EMP has been tested on modern vehicles. Worst case they shut off and were able to restart. In most cases they continued running.

EMP doesn't work well against non long conductor ( things run of power lines) things.

You're truck is safer than you think

 

I didn't know that. Thanks!

 

Yeah, film-version EMP's are different from real-world EMP's.

Some of the risks from the Northern Lights are interesting, though. Some of the reading on the potential impact of Carrington Events is a good reason to prep harder, lol.

 

If you are wildly shooting any gun its only effect is suppression which if its one on one is pointless. If you have a squad to maneuver around than it CAN make sense though still a large waste of ammo in a SHTF situation. But as with every situation there are pros and con's you must determine to decide if the extra ammo is worth the reward. The AR platform is very accurate once you master the fundamentals and use it at its intended range. If you are trying to make a pin point shot with an AR15 at a mile out your gonna have a bad time. If you are trying to shoot the combatant down the city block you'll be alright.

 

I should add that you'll be alright providing you have the element of surprise. If they know your general area and are behind cover than your right back into multiple shots. Unless they hop out and just stand there like I've seen some people do on videos from over seas. As you said though its best to avoid contact regardless of your armory to conserve resources.

 

Just because it's in your truck or with your gear doesn't mean you have to carry it with you. But it gives you the option.

I don't know anyone that's been in a gunfight (of which I know many but won't claim to be one of) that carried less ammo afterwards.

 

All this talk of the AR vs 30-30 has been about self defense, but what about best all around? If you could only keep one rifle with you, which one would it be. There's the whole hunting side of things as well. I own an AR, but im not a hunter so i will defer. I think the 30 could take bigger game (if the AR is 5.56).

 

For one rifle, I like my Ruger Scout in .308. I have a 2x scope forward mounted and 10 round mags. It make a good, all around rifle.

 

I've killed deer with 5.56. Depends on your location and local game.

 

Deer can be killed with 5.56, but it's not an ideal hunting round. Shot placement and bullet selection are extremely important with the 5.56 for large game like deer, whereas a 30-30 would be a little more forgiving. Which is important in a survival situation, honestly. If you're hunting to survive, you do NOT want anything getting away, in addition to the usual 'not fair to the animal' aspect.
So I guess that what I'm saying is that 5.56 will definitely work as a hunting cartridge in a pinch, but it's far from ideal.

Edit- The biggest issue is that deer are unpredictable. You can shoot them and have them drop on the spot, or you can shoot them and have them run for 1/2 a mile, even with a good hit to the vitals. I've hit deer in the lungs and had them run 30 feet before they keel over, and I've put a round through a deer's heart and had to track it for over a mile before it finally died. A few years ago a buddy and I tracked a deer for 6 hours after he shot it in the front shoulder, with a 30-06. He missed the sweet spot by 3-4 inches at 200 yards and it translated into a blown afternoon.


Edit pt 2-
It also depends a lot on where you are. Deer vary in size across the country. For instance, the average Whitetail in CT are smaller than the ones in ME, so a 5.56 might work better on them than on the ones up here.

 

Yep, this was in the South East , where the deer are pretty small. 5.45 is also very effective on hogs, which are plentiful in the area, but isn't as widely available as 5.56, so for a survival situation, I'd choose 5.56 for scavenging purposes.

 

Hey man what bag is that I really like it

 

Maxpedition Mini Pocket Organizer

http://www.amazon.com/Maxpedition-0259-Mini-Pocket-Organizer/dp/B005CSYV82

 

How are you all carrying stuff in your trucks? I have an Access Cab and find storage for something like a long gun challenging.

I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of storage in the truck but I've only had it two days now so I haven't had much time to think on it.

 

Remington 870 with 20" barrel and +3 magazine extension

 

I took a bunch of coworkers and their friends from commie NY city and by the time we were done they were all online looking at prices haha.

 

Thats awesome but wont work for me unfortunately. My '12 is two individual compartments(at least I am pretty sure they are).

I plan to put some pistol ammo in one of the bins as "backup" to my loaded mags.

 

That's right, I keep forgetting they changed the AC design in '09, never seen one in person. That sucks. I wonder if you could do a conversion.