The ability to defend one’s life, home and family is something that’s enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. While it’s common to think of the Second Amendment as dealing with firearms, the amendment goes far beyond that, giving US citizens the right to own any and all types of weapons.
While Congress and the various states legislatures have passed laws that have placed limitations on that fundamental right, the battle is still ongoing, with laws in some states increasing our freedom to use that right, while other states seek to limit or even eliminate it.
Leaving the politics out of it, there are some very valid reasons to avoid using certain types of weapons for self-defense. Just owning any weapon doesn’t guarantee your safety, especially if you don’t know how to use it effectively.
Criminals use guns and knives to scare their intended victim; but that doesn’t mean you can do the same. Yes, some criminals may turn and flee, while others will try to take that weapon right out of your hand, especially if they don’t think you’ll actually use it against them.
What this means is that what works for one person may not work for another. While there are plenty of weapons that are impractical for any of us to use; there are also those which people who are trained can use effectively, even though the rest of us can’t. We might think we look like a formidable foe with that weapon in our hands, but to others, we might look like clowns.
Regardless of the weapons that any of us choose, we must make sure that we take the time to be well trained in their use. There is no magical weapon out there, which will make up for lack of skill. Even shotguns, which many people refer to as “point and shoot” weapons, need to be aimed if you want to hit your target and take out the threat.
With those thoughts as our basis, let’s look at some specific weapons that should be avoided for one reason or another. I’m sure some will disagree with me on my selections here, but I’ll give my reasons for including them in my list.
One thing I need to point out here is that my objection to many of these is only as self-defense weapons. That doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t have them; merely that if you do, make sure that they’re not self-defense weapons in your mind. Stick to weapons which you can use effectively and within the constraints of the law.
Related: The 5 Best Pocket Handguns For Self-Defence
The second major point to consider is who you would be facing with these weapons and how they will be armed. The old adage about not bringing a knife to a gunfight still applies. With that in mind, weapons that might be usable in some situations may not be usable in others.
Fully-Automatic Firearms
Perhaps the most dangerous mistake I can imagine is to use a fully automatic weapon for self defense. One of the big risks in defending ourselves with firearms is the possible of collateral damage. Bullets don’t just drop to the ground when we miss the target, they keep on going.
Even worse than that, they can go through pretty much anything in a home, even a brick wall.
Anyone with military training knows that recoil causes the shot pattern from fully-automatic firearms to rise as shots are fired. After two or three shots, all that’s happening is drilling holes through the air.
Even so, those bullets are going to come back down to the ground eventually and when they do, they’ll still have enough velocity to cause considerable damage, perhaps even to kill.
Related: Home Security Tips From A Military Expert
Any use of a firearm in self-defense has to be carefully aimed fire, regardless of what we see on television.
High-Power Hunting Rifles
Hunting rifles are effective weapons for use against people, but aren’t a good idea for self-defense. The big problem in most cases is that they are just too powerful.
In one test, a .308 Winchester 150gr bullet fired at ballistic gel penetrated to 18.3”.
Put simply, what that means is that if you shoot someone with that round, the bullet is likely to go through them, retaining enough velocity to kill someone beyond them.
The other problem with hunting rifles is that they are really too long to use as an effective weapon inside the home.
It’s hard to maneuver that long a firearm around corridors and walls, bringing up the possibility that the gun’s muzzle will become caught on a wall or doorframe, causing hesitation at the wrong moment. Keep the gun, just don’t use it for home defense.
Drones
Drones have become increasingly popular in recent years. Law enforcement, border patrol, military and civilians all use drones for a variety of different purposes. Of course, most military drones are armed, as they are used to hit targets without having to have soldiers put boots on the ground.
But just because the military uses missiles on drones doesn’t mean that you should modify yours to carry weapons, even though some people have done so.
The big problem with shooting from drones, like with a number of other things I’ve mentioned here, is accuracy. It’s unlikely that you’ll succeed in hitting your target, without hitting something else too.
Keep in mind that military drones don’t fire bullets, they fire guided missiles.
Those are area weapons, even when used against a specific building or vehicle. Collateral damage is accepted as the cost of doing business; but the courts won’t see it that way when it comes to you and I doing it.
Related: Why You Should Get A Drone For When SHTF
Grenades
Yes, some people actually have grenades in their home.
They either bought them on the black market or have them somehow leftover from their military service. That’s an awfully dangerous trinket to keep around; essentially a bomb.
If someone were to pull the pin, either as a joke or out of ignorance, the results could be deadly.
Grenades have a 5 meter kill radius, but shrapnel can travel as far as 230 meters. With that being the case, there are few places where one could be used in self-defense, without putting yourself or innocent bystanders at risk.
The same problems would exist for any other explosives. While using them might look cool in movies, the reality of using them is something that’s not nice and neat. Collateral damage is the rule, not the exception.
Anti-Tank Weapons and Grenade Launchers
Speaking of explosives, there’s something about anti-tank weapons that makes it so they appear in movies and television shows a lot.
I’ve seen many a scene, where an anti-tank rocket was used in an urban environment, usually against a gang or organized crime.
The problem with these weapons, besides being illegal to use, is that they cause considerable collateral damage. That’s obviously something we want to avoid, as we are criminally liable for any injury or death that we cause.
Related: Self-Defense Weapons That Are Illegal In Your State. Do You Have One Of Them?
So, shooting that gang member’s car that keeps speeding down your street with the sound system cranked up to full is a guaranteed way of changing your address to government housing, with even worse neighbors than that gang member.
Vehicles
While a vehicle might be an effective weapon, it’s a dangerous one to use.
Chances are just about as good that you’ll get hurt crashing into someone, as your succeeding in hurting your intended target. While I can see situations where running over a gunman who’s getting ready to shoot would solve the problem, that’s not an action to be taken lightly. It would probably be better to draw your sidearm and deal with them that way.
Related: Top 5 Awesome Bug Out Vehicles You Can Actually Afford
Military vehicles are even worse. Arnold Schwarzenegger owns his own tank, but he doesn’t use it as a weapon.
As I understand it, the main gun on that tank has been disabled; so about the only way he could use it as a weapon would be to run someone over. That’s actually pretty hard to do, unless you’re running over a car that’s stuck in traffic.
Booby Traps of Any Kind
I’ve read a number of articles at one time or another, which talked about using booby traps as part of your home’s defenses. There’s just one problem with that… it’s illegal. Getting caught with booby traps set up, let along having some neighborhood kid get hurt on one, is just too big a price to pay.
But what about in a post-disaster situation, where there’s a breakdown of society?
Related: 3 Non Lethal Booby Traps From An Army Vet
Even then, using booby traps is risky. You can be sure that there will be people who are keeping track of everyone who will be forced to defend themselves during that time.
While they may not turn that over to the DA’s office right away, there will come a day when they do, hoping that those who dared to defend themselves pay the price for having done so.
Autonomous Weapons
These kind of fall into the category of being booby traps. They’re also usually fully-automatic, counting on a mass of fire to take out a target, rather than precision aimed fire.
So even if they do take out a bad guy for you, the legal cost of having that happen is just too great, no matter how cool they are.
Martial Arts Weapons
I can see very few situations where martial arts weapons would be useful in an armed confrontation, even for someone trained in their use. About the only time they are useful, is if the person wielding them is facing someone else who is similarly armed or bare-handed. While that possibility does exist, the likelihood isn’t all that high.
The big problem I see here is someone taking those weapons and using them against you. Unless you are extremely well-trained in their use, you’ll have a hard time stopping them.
Unless your name is Deadpool, those katanas won’t do you much good against bullets.
At the same time, using those weapons against someone who is unarmed or armed only with a knife could be seen by the courts as using excessive force.
Swords and other Melee Weapons
I’m a fan of medieval weaponry, but I don’t have any of it as part of my self-defense arsenal.
While I might fantasize about using it to stop a criminal, I realize that it’s just not practical. In my opinion, those weapons have the same problems as the martial arts weapons I just talked about.
Wasp Spray
Many writers in the prepping and survival sphere talk about using wasp spray in lieu of pepper spray as a self-defense weapon. The arguments are that wasp spray will shoot 20 feet and is more effective than pepper spray.
While those are good arguments, they ignore one very important thing – wasp spray can cause damage, including blindness, that pepper spray won’t. Should you use wasp spay as a weapon against anything but a wasp, chances are pretty high that the courts won’t look kindly upon it.
It’s unlikely they will take that as a “reasonable” self-defense move, unless there is nothing else available.
Related: How To Make Pepper Spray
On the other hand, I have yet to hear of a case of wasps taking anyone to court for using wasp spray against them.
Tactical Pen
Before talking about tactical pens, let me say that I own a few of them. They’re the pens I carry on a day-to-day basis, mostly because I like how they look. I’ve also found that you can usually get away with carrying them on a plane. But as a weapon of choice? I don’t think so.
The tactical pen is a bit of a joke as weapons go. It’s a desperate person’s weapon, when they don’t have anything else they can use, such as on that airplane.
But as for any other time? If you can carry a tactical pen, why aren’t you carrying something more effective?
But the big problem with tactical pens, like many other weapons, is that people carry them, without being trained in their use. Personally, I don’t know of anyone offering lessons in using a tactical pen as a weapon, other than a few videos on YouTube.
So what are you going to do with it, if you ever have to use it to defend yourself? Have you thought about that?
Fake Weapons
There are a number of different fake weapons around, ranging from decorative swords intended to hang on a wall somewhere to phone cases shaped like a pistol.
The problem with any of these is that they really aren’t weapons.
Anyone attempting to use them as such, is probably trying to scare away their attacker. But if they don’t succeed, they’ll have their hands full of something that doesn’t work.
The other problem with many of these is that they can get you killed. There haven’t been a lot of cases, but there have been some significant ones, where someone armed with an airsoft gun or other fake gun has gotten shot by a homeowner or police officer.
When you point such a weapon at someone, they have to assume it is real and react accordingly. The red tip might give it away and save your life; but if you paint over that, like some people do, then you’re just asking for someone to shoot you.
Flerken
What Marvel fan amongst us can forget Nick Fury using the flerken (looked like a cat to me… and to him too) as a weapon in the Captain Marvel movie? While that made for some great comedy, I’ll have to say that the flerken wasn’t a very effective or reliable weapon.
But that brings up an important point; that any weapon we choose to use must be reliable or we shouldn’t pan on using it at all. We avoid some pistols as self-defense sidearms because they have a tendency to jam or stovepipe.
If we reject a pistol because we can’t rely on it to work when we need it to, why wouldn’t we reject a flerken or any other weapon that we couldn’t depend on?
Best to Stick to Pistols
Looking at the dangers involved in using a lot of these weapons, it’s clear why pistols are the only sensible self-defense weapon to choose. Granted, there might be some situations where a rifle or shotgun would be better, but that’s only when there’s enough room to maneuver with them held up to your shoulder.
Pistols are reliable and effective. But don’t count on the pistol to do everything for you. Make sure you have the proper training, so that you can use them well.
Your ability to fire accurately will be greatly compromised by the adrenalin flowing through your system in such a time of need, so you really need to train to be better than what you’ll need in the moment.
That goes back to the Spartan Army’s saying of “Their drills are bloody battles and their battles are bloody drills.”
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not really covered and actually, a fairly effective for home defense are the long reach stabbers – especially the bayonet mounts on the older military rifles – spears are an eazy DIYer and simple as a sharpened stick …
Your kidding. Right??
what would a truckstop tramp know about it – keep using your mouth for it’s good for …
Illini: I know Lisa and Kay never contribute a worthwhile comment to this list, but you shouldn’t let them jerk you chain, just consider that they or whoever it is, it might even be a guy using a female name are the infamous trolls that seem to be on every list and ignore their useless remarks.
Kay – Some men just have problems with women, especially women who speak their mind! They express it most often by simply being obnoxious, off color, and down right rude. I would not give the comment below a second thought. Here in the big city we say what goes around comes around. He would be better off if he just put his foot in his mouth.
Theoretically, you could be correct, if the perpetrator is armed with a knife, or even something slightly larger, though most situations in which you use a spear (Sharpened sticks don’t count. you’d have to be extremely strong to pierce the sternum or even more so the skull with a pointy stick) you’re basically saying “i’m taking you down with me” because if your opponent is armed with a gun, you might get one or two good stabs on them, but after, you’re probably going to be shot. Along with, if you DO survive the endeavor, the courts probably would call that excessive force unless the perp was carrying a gun. spears are effective weapons in general yes, but in a world with semi auto handguns and such? your best bet is fight firearm with firearm.
when you spend time on the international prepper circuit the subject is constantly active – and it’s just about 100% No Firearms – even retail mace is highly regulated – defensive shotgun ammo loads are regulated – rifles & handguns are nothing but hope & prayer – air rifles if you’re lucky ….
and – right now a newbie that recently came to their right mind about defending themselves are royally screwed – buying a firearm is months & months out on the wait list – then there’s the ammo matter …
in home defense without a firearm consideration – forget about anything with a necessary swing – the necesary space isn’t always there and doorway entries or stairways are a total negative ….
and using mace inside a home – better be ready with some protection for yourself …
While overall, your comments are on point, I think you overlook the fact that there are still jurisdictions in the U.S. where obtaining a handgun for home defense LEGALLY, is difficult and expensive if not for all practical purposes impossible. And typically those are jurisdictions with a very high number of crimes against persons. In those jurisdictions, using an illegally obtained firearm for self-defense will result in the homeowner being prosecuted. I know that is a disgrace in my eyes but it is real life. There have been too many cases of the home owner winding up with a longer prison term than the perp who started the whole chain of events. A travesty of justice in my eyes.
In such jurisdictions, one must consider viable alternatives. A fireplace poker, a Little League baseball bat, a machete, no shorter than 18 inches, no longer than 22 inches—there are many every day objects that can successfully serve as home defense weapons without arousing the ire of a snowflake local prosecuting attorney.
A great many home invasions are by a trio of unarmed criminals who expect to overwhelm the occupant of the home by mere force and fear, especially if the occupant is a single woman or aged couple. That is why law enforcement folk refer to them as target victims.
In such a case, a machete vigorously wielded will cause the home invaders to flee. That has been demonstrated on more than one occasion.
While the author of this article states that a rifle doesn’t make a good home invasion defense weapon, there are short rifles in pistol calibers that make very good home defense weapons. You have to be concerned about over penetration because typically the longer barrel on a pistol caliber rifle develops greater muzzle velocity than the same cartridge in a 6 inch revolver or 5 inch semi-automatic pistol. In state such as Nooyawk or Joisey a short barrel, lever action rifle in a pistol cartridge is overlooked by the gun grabbers and while more expensive than a low-cost, plastic semi-automatic, are more easily obtained under the radar, so to speak and make excellent home defense firearms.
If you are attacking the face with a sharpened stick, it has several soft areas that are easily pierced by a fire-hardened wooden spear. The orbits, the cheeks, the mouth and especially the throat are all soft targets that can easily be pierced with devastating results to the object of your thrust. A thrust with a wooden spear into the ear canal will easily pierce the brain. A thrust to the side of the neck can damage both the carotid artery as well as the jugular vein, both of which are mostly fatal. A thrust into the shoulder joint will disable that arm. I know in the movies the hero is alway shot in the shoulder with slight or no adverse effect. That’s the movies. In real life a piercing injury to the should joint will render the recipient unable to move that arm.
The sternum is that last place one should attempt to attack with any piercing instrument. It is all too easy to get the blade tightly wedged between a pair of ribs so that even standing on the object of your attack with both feet and pulling your stabbing instrument with both hands will not extract your blade.
The best place for stabbing instruments is the belly. It is easy to penetrate with almost any sharpened instrument. It causes significant pain to the stabbee as opposed to a sternum piercing which many times is unnoticed until the stabbee falls over from loss of blood.
Now, having said that, there are certain types of stabbing instruments which even if used against the sternum are easily removed. The French from the late 19th century up through WWII until they surrendered early on, that is, used a cruciform bayonet which was ideal for sternum stabbing, It was a long slender bayonet that penetrated deeply although would not necessarily immediately incapacitate the stabbee. The Germans hated it during WWI because frequently, the deep penetrating wound didn’t kill immediately but killed later on with gangrene infection which was worse than dying immediately from the thrust. With no antibiotics, a deep penetrating wound on the filthy battlefield would introduce infectious material deep in the body which resulted in either blood poisoning or gangrene in the wound channel.
Do not underestimate the seriousness of a spear attack, even if it is “only” a fire-hardened long hardwood stick.
I’m thinking an 03A3 with a WWI 17 inch bayonet is a dandy sticking weapon. There are many, many German soldiers who unhappily can attest to that fact. Also the metal buttplate is a very useful blunt force instrument along with the toe of the stock when applied to sensitive parts of the human body.
Of course, it helps if one has had some training in applying such force to opponents. Do they still teach bayonet use in recruit training and advanced infantry training these days? My brother spent a full tour in Vietnam and said he never carried his bayonet on patrol in the Delta. He carried an M60 and that was enough weight for him.
I just read an article in a firearms publication that talked about the M-1 Garand and in the article it talked about the excellence of the M-1 in hand to hand combat. We only had an 11-inch bayonet but the old WWI cut down and the shorter WWII 11-inch bayonets were handy, all purpose instruments from cutting locks off of wall lockers to opening cans of C-rations, they served more uses than just sticking an enemy who wouldn’t take “hands up” as a life-saving maneuver.
LCC: the oldest brother in the states got Dad’s Garand. He was celebrating his divorce and clocked somebody when doing 120 mph near Santa Monica. A lawyer, he didn’t stay in long, but had to take on a state-approved layer. He married her and she kept his personal things till he got out, then got him free of parole. The Garand, is, likely, on her farm in Belize. I know he still has it and a lot of other things because he hid them before the divorce. The ‘ping’ is telling, and troops used it to fake out the enemy.
Iswandia movie. This is a great classic! niio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQrE8vOM0ss
Illini: Just picture Kay with 3 fingers aiming back at her.
Yes, a bayonet is a great idea. The Zulu wiped out a lot of brits using Ashanti spears, which are for only stabbing, war and lion hunting, against modern late 19th century weapons like the Enfield. niio
I have a Zulu spear with a short handle. It is an awe-inspiring weapon. You are wrong about just being a stabbing weapon. The blade is sharpened on both sides making it a slashing weapon as well as a stabbing weapon. As one might gather from reading my posts, I have been a fan of cutting instruments ever since I first laid eyes on a Japanese katana. While the Ashanti is an awesome cutting/stabbing instrument, in my view, nothing can equal a Japanese katana with the matching wakizashi for grace and beauty in an implement of war. A good quality katana is reputed to be able to slice a piece of silk floated in the air. It also will sever a limb or the head in a single stroke, thus combining delicate cutting together with brute force cutting. It also is an excellent stabbing weapon with its reinforced point which was designed to penetrate Japanese armor to a mortal depth.
Of course, as with any weapon, effective implementation requires expert instruction and practice. Even a 12 ga shotgun needs instruction, practice and patterning even though there are some misinformed who insist all you have to do is point it in the general direction of the target and jerk the trigger and the target will fly backwards ten to fifteen feet.
Yes, read about the battle of Rourke’s Drift. The Brits “won” that battle, although it was a pyrrhic victory for them. I am sure the thought mostly running through the survivors’ minds was, “A couple more victories like that and we will be totally wiped out.”
LCC: Zulu used the spear on up close and personal lion hunts. Yes, it can be used for slashing, but stabbing was what it was made for. When 2,000 Xotho invaded Zululand after S. Africa fell to the communist party with the help of the clintons, the Zulu told them to leave. Xotha were armed with AK-47s, and beat up their messengers. Next dawn, a few hundred Zulu showed up east of the shanty town the Xotha built and killed almost 2,000 Xotha men. The rst fled and King KaButalezi stated that S. Africa would have a Zulu king if this crap happened again. S. Africans have been very polite ever since.
I’ve loved the spear since watching Zulu Dawn and the respect Zulu showed, honoring the valor of the Brits they left alive. You’re right that nothing beats a Japanese-made katana! And, I’m happy that Japan is preparing for war and hope they won’t have to. Xi is an albatross even for a communist. niio
I know the author’s heart is in the right place but I’ve got to put this article in the Oh Brother file.
I agree and disagree. I think a lot of it boils down to context and training. Martial arts weapons aren’t as good as guns. Unless you have training to use them and live in a country guns are illegal or nearly illegal. High powered rifles are dumb for defending your apartment. But they’re plenty useful for defending your ranch if you’re a good shot. I’d never own a grenade as a prep for the reasons specified. But if things really go south I’d gladly collect discarded ones or improvise them. Confronting someone with a fake weapon can get you killed. Fooling someone into believing you’re armed and leaving you alone can be genius. I have on two occasions used a pocket tool that operates with a loud clack and some acting to make muggers believe I had an automatic pistol and was chambering a round. In both circumstances it was dark, somewhat remote, and they were following behind me. Perfect conditions. Otherwise I’d have just run or given them my wallet.
Prepping should be a rational decision action chain based on the likely threats, what you want to protect, your location, your abilities, your budget, and legality. That’s gonna be different for everyone. But once the bad thing happens, so long as you don’t let panic dictate your actions, nothing should be off the table. If it comes down to legality, consider how many of the judges, prosecutors, and jury in your area are huddled in their homes in absolute terror like you. If the answer isn’t “most” or “all” don’t go full Mad Max.
Will have to disagree when it comes to rifles for defense. It is much more the bullet being used than the cartridge pushing it. I have bullets which go off like miniature grenades once they have pierced flesh…..this at 4,000 feet per second. They could never make it clear through a ground hog, let alone a human, but the devastating hydraulic shock has an immediate effect.
Good rational comments, Eric.
Maybe I’ve watched too many horror movies, but I keep certain things that could be used against me locked up when not in use That includes kitchen knives and tools. The author makes some very good points in this article. The first being, if you don’t know how to use it and aren’t well trained in how to fight with it, take it out of the theater sort of speak.
Good comment, CC. If your home defense firearm is in the drawer of the nightstand in your bedroom upstairs, and you are in the kitchen with the bad guys coming in through the glass patio door which they have just kicked in, that 8, 9, or 10 inch butcher knife that you slash the lead bad buy with across his eyes so that he yells that he can’t see is certainly going to be a deterrent. In all cases? Probably not. In some case, certainly. In the last year I read of a home invasion where one of the bad guys was armed with a machete. The home owner picked up his own machete and the three bad guys turned around and did a Hank Snow. In another case, a young teenager was hiding in a closet with a machete when the bad guy opened the closet door. The bad guy immediately turned and ran while the young teenager slashed his back with the machete.
One one caveat I would mention is that if at all possible, you should enroll in a good class on how to use whatever cutting instrument you select as your backup home defense weapon. If you can’t find a good class, try finding a book about using a sword or knife as a defensive weapon, keeping in mind the best defense is a good offense.
I would point out from practicing with cutting instruments, that while Japanese Katanas and European Broadswords look fearsome when looking at your self in the mirror, try carefully swinging them in your house. Unless you live in Hearst Castle, most of the houses we live in do not allow a full swing with such a long instrument. You are going to be catching it on a lamp, the recliner, any number of obstacles to a full power swing. That is why the Japanese samurai took his long sword off when at home but kept his short sword or wakizashi and dagger or tanto close by him when in a building. Europeans in the age of swords also kept short swords or long daggers on their person at all times for use in buildings.
I recently read an article by a self-proclaimed defense expert that a baseball bat was a lousy home defense weapon, that it was too awkward to use in the typical house. Well, yeah, see my comments about long swords. That’s why you buy a Little League bat. They still make cheap aluminum Little League bats. There is no reason to spend $300 on such. A LL bat is much handier in the home than a full size major league bat. In addition, an adult can easily wield a LL bat one-handed. Not to be misogynistic, but there are many ladies who cannot swing a full size bat one handed who can easily perform that task one-handed with a LL bat.
LCC – It’s fascinating when you see pictures of the entrance hall or reception rooms of grand Scottish Castles and European hunting lodges. All those weapons artfully and strategically placed up on the walls in decorative patterns for easy access! Talk about multipurpose decorating!
CC: Swing a broadsword is a lot easier in the great hall of a castle than it is in my living room. For one thing, my ceiling is only 8′ high, most castles’ ceilings were considerably higher allowing for greater maneuverability. Yes, that was multipurpose decorating and were quite handy to have in case obstreperous guests didn’t want to leave.
There are machetes with Tanto points that are good for slashing and are better at penetrating when stabbing than the standard drop point type, but try to aim for soft tissue as they may get stuck – they do not have “blood grooves”. We have a couple of Tanto point machetes with sheaths that have saw teeth on the back of the blade for whenever we need a slashing type work blade, including to use for defense if nothing better is at hand, and will probably be taken if we ever have to bug out. We also have kukri type knives for husking coconuts and whatever else when we need a sturdy chopping, prying, as well as cutting knife, and will use those for defense as well if that is what is the best “weapon” at hand. We also have some modern military combat knives that are in reserve for bugging out, or for self defense if that is what is best “at hand” – these have blood grooves and come in polymer sheaths that have as sharpening item attached.
I also agree that a well crafted spear can be very effective, especially if used against a charging opponent, then you brace the butt, hold tight, adjust the “aim” to meet the charge and let the assailant impale themselves, this is the same principle for using spears against charging animals like wild boar – very effective.
As stated, the common sense approach is to try to get your real defensive weapons in hand if needed, but also be ready to use anything and everything else for defense if needed, to include tools, hot liquids and foods, anything on fire, a fire extinguisher, even rocks and sticks if that is all that is available at the moment you need to defend yourself. When stationed overseas I even watched a lady use an open umbrella to block wild monkeys from getting close enough to attack her or grab for the bag she was carrying, she was aware of and immediately adapted to the circumstances with what she had at hand, a very impressive display.
You keep those items locked up, good idea, but…..
What if you need to defend yourself? I am not asking you to give up all your “secrets” as I am also a woman living alone in a large city. What I am asking is, do you have access to something/s you can get to quickly if need be? It is great to say, “my kitchen knives are all locked up so they can’t be used against me”, but what do you have access to in order to defend yourself?
Plenty!
There are a large selection of knives and machetes that come with a sheath or scabbard. Right now, crkt.com has the Chance N Hell 14″ machete on sale for $50.00 plus shipping. It is a very sharp small machete/large knife. It comes with a sheath that allows you to keep it by your side at all times while in your home or yard. Smoky Mountain Knife Works has a fairly large selection of medium and large machetes as does the USA Marketplace, Amazon.com.
I do not recommend any kind of spray for indoors. As I have mentioned before, most of our homes are too small to allow us to deploy such deterrents inside the home. I can assure you from first hand experience, just a tiny spritz from a pepper spray canister will render remaining inside a building a large as 2200 square feet impossible. So you spray the intruder. Then you both have to leave and you are once again in a poor position.
It is possible to store knives in a drawer or closet throughout the house. Harbor Freight sells 1 1/2 inch large magnets that have a center hole for a screw so that you can screw the magnet to the wall over the door of a closet. Make sure it is low enough so that you can reach the handle of the blade without any assistance. No one looks up above the door opening to see if there is something hidden there. If the blade is long enough, mount the blade vertically so that you can reach the handle and as you pull the blade down you are ready to deploy it.
A large knife can be stored in the middle drawer of a chest of drawers. It is common to store defense weapons in the top drawer. A thief will start at the top and work his way down. If you are in bed and the blade is adjacent to where you sleep, you can reach the middle drawer without even leaving the bed in many cases.
I have a Cold Steel wakizashi machete in the furnace closet which in my house is inside and not in the garage. Who stores stuff in the furnace closet? I have another one in the linen closet under the sheets on the middle shelf.
You are limited only by your imagination,. If you are not going to wear a large knife/short machete on your person at all times while in your house or apartment, then stash them in places that are easy to reach but think about the location. Is it easy for you to get to, knowing it is there but out of the way such as over the door opening? Or is it some place a thief would look to immediately such as the nightstand drawer or the top drawer of a dresser? Using a couple of the Harbor Freight magnets and your bed frame, you can store a machete right on your bed frame where it possible could be covered by blankets or sheets but be readily available for you use in the night time. If your bed is against the wall, move it out just a little bit so that you can get your arm down and grasp the handle while lying in bed and magnet it to the bed frame. I used quick setting JB Weld to fasten a magnet to the side of my gun safe to hold a 10 inch bladed knife. It has been there several years and is still in place. It is on the side next to the wall and is not readily visible unless one knows to look along the side of the safe.
CC: Victorian era, corsets with knives for stays, long hat pins (sharp knitting needles), odds and ends a lady can hide. Where we don’t keep knives, we have tools like screwdrivers and more. I learned as a kid and passed it on how to throw not just a knife, but screwdrivers and rabbit clubs (stick with a heavy knob, looks great decorated with a fake stone (iron) arrowhead on the knob hanging on the wall). Short handle manure fork that’s over a century old. It was Grampa’s, now cleaned and used for a coat tree. The key chain works like a nunchuck if you learn how to use one 🙂 All legal and no cop ever batted an eye at any of it. niio
There you go Red! The list is endless once you look at things from a slightly different angle! Ask yourself this question, Could this hurt someone? If yes, how much?
By the way, Red, the name for the Zulu spear is assagai, not Ashanti. Ashanti is the name of an African tribe. The Ashanti may have used assagai but the Zulu did not use Ashanti to poke Brits in the veldt.
LCC: Yep, I goofed, but am feeling better 🙂 sinus and ear infection, blew out an ear drum, and the gods of medicine dictate this too shall pass. God bless the VA, we’re back to dnc nazi medicine. niio
Hi Claude,
Are the tips we are seeing in the “Ask a Prepper” emails contained in your book, “The Lost Ways”?
One thing people frequently overlook is the mind set about using any kind of weapon from a knife to a gun and anything in between. In the self defense courses I have taught you would be surprised how many people will say “I couldn’t hurt another person “. Even if it’s just pepper spray. YOU have to be WILLING as well as able to hurt someone else to keep yourself alive. The bad guy attacking you will have no qualms about hurting YOU so you need to think the same way. Unfortunately many can’t do that and will either end up in the hospital or having a chalk line drawn around them. That’s not to say it will never bother you but you HAVE to worry about that later and worry about staying alive NOW. I teach people to use what they have like car keys and go for the eyes or throat. But a few people would get physically ill just thinking about gouging out the eyes of someone trying to rape them much less shooting them. And a few would even cry and yell at me saying “How could you be so cruel to another person?” There is little or no help for someone like that. And when the zombie apocalypse happens they will be the first fresh zombies.
A very sensible reply, Bubba. If you have a weapon you also must have the mind set to use that weapon when the circumstances demand. I also have heard comments such as you listed.
There are two scenarios we all, hopefully, are preparing for. One is the local disaster, flood, fire, earthquake, blizzard, tornado — you get the picture.
In the local area disaster, where the rest of the country is unaffected and is available to furnish the supplies and services that are needed in a timely manner to meet our needs, in all likelihood, most of the weapons described in the article are off limits. In fact, many of them are unobtanium. I have shopped repeated at Big 5 sporting goods stores, and Dick’s sporting good stores for a goodly supply of RPGs for the apocalypse to no avail. I did have a line on a MiG 15 for a phenomenally low price but the shipping was FOB Leningrad and was just a bit over budget. And the seller wanted the price in Target gift cards which made me a bit leery.
The other scenario some of us are prepping for is dramatic country-wide shut down of services and supplies. In that case, all bets are off. Hand grenades? If I can score some, you betcha I am going to use them when the situation calls for it. Dispatching wounded bad guys after a fire fight? I am not going to waste ammunition on them. I am going to dispatch them with a tomahawk or machete or lacking any sort of manual weapon, a large rock but not waste ammunition which will too soon become very scarce.
Which leads me into the next topic. You have run out of ammo. Now what? Well, chances are, if you have run out of ammo, the bad guys may well be out of ammo too. As someone said, he didn’t know what World War III was going to be fought with but he knew World War IV was going to be fought with rocks. Well, perhaps not rocks, but certain sharpened wooded staves and clubs with sharp objects sticking out of them, the name of which I cannot recall at this moment — something like morning stars or some such.
In an end of the world scenario, any and every type of weapon will be employable and deployed, including caltrops, punji sticks, deep pits, deadfalls, flaming arrows, black powder cannons firing grape shot or bits of metal, nails and stones — every deadly device ever devised by man.
And, by the way, Rich M. once again reveals that he really doesn’t know that much about weapons. He talks about automatic weapons not being accurate. He has watched too many Hollywood movies and made for TV videos where the bad guys with MP-5s are taken out by the good guy with a snobby Detective Special .38.
I have personally found that the B.A.R. with its long sight radius, recoil buffers in the stock, shoulder brace and bipod was an extremely accurate sniper weapon, albeit, a bear to lug around. A M-2 is a great device for placing a really vicious slug in the open portal of a reinforced fighting position at a significant distance. Even an MP-5 with a suppressor on it, turns it from a spray and pray device to a fairly accurate firearm. An experienced automatic weapons operator doesn’t spray and pray. He operates the trigger to fire short bursts otherwise the barrel overheats and you don’t have a clue where the bullets are going. Changing out a barrel in the middle of a firefight is not looked on with pleasure by the company gunny. If you survive you can be sure he will have derogatory comments to make about your gunnery skills.
LCC, when I was active duty I was once fortunate enough to try a real H&K MP-5 and discovered a firearm that fit me so well I could even “ping” the steel plates firing off handed from odd positions such as on my side while prone. Unfortunately, Uncle Sam would not let me take it home with me, but it’s one of those memories you never forget.
And yes, full auto has to be used properly or you will experience weapon failure, and is why most training of small arms involves semi-auto shots fired in rapid succession, such as the famous “double tap”, followed with a head shot if practical to ensure the enemy is dead.
I fully agree that if SHTF then a blade through the aorta or eye and then slashed vigorously while inserted to ensure maximum bleed out would be better than wasting ammo, but will depend on the exact circumstances at the time. If not using a blade then a good bashing to the cranium with a tomahawk/hatchet or even a hammer can also quickly kill your enemy. If you have time always check the eyes before moving on, you don’t want them to get back up and attack you from behind – a poke in the eye will get a response from someone still conscious, but usually not from a corpse, but then again I have never encountered any zombies and hopefully never do.
Bubba902 – It might be helpful if you give your students some homework to help prepare them and get their head in the right place to make the most of your classes. The news is all too full of what could be used as lesson material. It is unfortunate that even today, many women still live in a bubble that doesn’t exist anymore except in their mindset.
Many of the reasons given for NOT having these items for self-defense are either “they are illegal” or “someone could get seriously hurt”. If anyone’s paying attention, your life is on the line, right? You’re defending your home and you’ve been prepping for the collapse of civilization. THE LAWS HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT THE WINDOW AND YES, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET HURT!! Do I have to add the DUH!?
I believe the remarks about collateral damage were meant for day to day non collapse times. Like tomorrow you’re on your way back to your car at the mall and someone tries to mug you.
Do I have to add the DUH?
It’s just a little ridiculous to write an article about using RPGs and talk about collateral damage. The same with automatic weapons. If you can find an automatic weapon for sale, the price tag is going to be in the middle five figures. Even small hand held automatic weapons are in the low five figures if you can find one for sale. There are no automatic weapons legally for sale in the U.S. manufactured after 1968, So the newest automatic weapon one can legally purchase is 53 years old. Of course, if you are a criminal and connected, you can buy an automatic weapon, but again the price is so high in this country that except in certain limited circumstances, even criminals don’t use them. I am not talking about home grown autos and once again, for the dedicated criminal, home made autos are available but beyond the budget of your average gangbanger.
So, in my view, talking about collateral damage from using automatic weapons indicates to me that the author was blowing smoke, trying to sound like a firearms expert but lacking knowledge in depth to talk meaningfully about them. That’s why I talked in an earlier post to this list about purchasing a MiG15 to mock the author and his lack of knowledge. Although I must say, at one point immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union there were ComBloc MiG fighters for sale although they had been de-milled and I am not sure at this late date if they were even airworthy.
There are a lot of every day items we have in our homes that although common place, and certainly not at all illegal, could in fact be used as a weapon if need be. Look around each room of your home. Imagine “What if scenarios” and “What would you do?” Think about it. If you can’t come up with something that would be a plan, it maybe time to redecorate!
Good thought provoking article. Generally, the use of most outlined weapons will result in criminal charges being brought against the weapon’s user in normal circumstances. In a WROL situation, you use/make what you gotta. For the everyday folk, check your state’s laws to see what isn’t a felony to possess, or use for defense. If the laws are too ponderous, check out knife or self defense forums as most have links to specific legislation, and local court decisions regard use and possession. No its not fool proof, but a few hours of research may well keep you from becoming a felon or worse.
Good advice. Each state has different and weird rules about weapons. The PDRK legislature is terrified of ninja weapons, so in this benighted state, every ninja weapon that I know of is forbidden. Considering that all ninja weapons are at least 400 years old and in Japan, predated firearms, it seems a little ridiculous to me that they are in the same class as fully automatic firearms. But whoever accused legislators of having a brain?
If one is going to move out of mainstream weaponry, it behoves one to check the statutes that apply. Please do not rely on the advice of anyone who is not a lawyer unless they have qualified as a weapons expert in court. Even then, I always want to check the pertinent statutes of the state concerned for myself. That used to entail a trip to the law library and talking nicely to the librarian on duty to help you find the pertinent statutes. Today with on-line services searching for statutes is much easier. When searching statutes, be sure to read the footnotes about any case law on the statute.
Let me give you an example from the PDRK. There is a statute in this state forbidding the possession of a shoji-zue which states that any blade attached to a wooden handle constitutes a crime which can be as much as a felony. Wow! rather broad wording. However, reading the footnotes indicates that there is a CA Supremes ruling on that statute and if the instrument described in the complaint can be used in an agricultural purpose, it is not a crime to possess. So I have an SKS bayonet that I attached to a broomstick. Oops possible felony ! ! ! BUT just a minute, Officer Notsofriendly, I use that demonic device to probe for and locate gopher runs so I know where to place the traps. Get Out of Jail Free card. According to the CA Supremes, that is an agricultural use and so by court edict is not a felonious, exotic, 16th century Japanese weapon of mass destruction.
Great tools for self defense are the bilhook, also known as the linoleum knife, and the entrenching tool. The Brits favored the bilhook in WW1 trench raids, the Germans did a lot of damage with e tools.. I used to carry a linoleum knife around construction sites and working in muddy fields and gardens, it is the best thing ever for scraping mud off your tools and boots.
In medieval battles, the bilhook with a four-foot shaft was a deadly device which was used quite successfully to unhorse an armored knight. Once on the ground such knight was dead meat as trying to out-maneuver an unarmored farmer who was accustomed to swinging a bilhook all day, eight days a week working his marginal farm while the armored up-knight was barely able to stumble around, especially after falling off a tall warhorse and maybe being dragged some distance because he couldn’t kick off the stirrup. The farmer didn’t really work 8 days a week but the hours he put in made it an 8 day week with the cumulative hours he put in. sometimes more, sunrise to sundown six days a week. He was ready to go to church and listen to sermons on Sunday no matter how boring. Anything but swinging that damned bilhook for another day of sunrise to sundown.
For those unfamiliar with the bilhook, sometimes called a sling blade, it is a sickle-sized, but heavier duty blade with a long straight blade and a short, perhaps 4 or 5 inch hook on the end. The straight portion of the blade is usually sharpened on both sides as is the hook, so that you can swing the blade in either direction and make it a cutting stroke or you can push or pull the hook and make it a cutting stroke. In the hands of a large, strong guy, it is a scary weapon. In my hands, not so much. I more rely on cunning and trickery as opposed to strength and stamina. You can get the handle in short lengths which, while not as terror inspiring as the long handled model certainly are capable of inflicting devastating wounds. The weight of the blade, if you can get the speed up is what creates the possibility of the significant wounds. I suspect that skillfully applied with a slashing stroke, one could easily completely sever the arm of an opponent and in the back swing, inflict an incapacitating slash on the opposite side.
Bilhooks, except for the short handled ones are definitely outdoors weapons. The bilhook I own stands either just as tall as I am or slightly taller and I am 5’8″ tall. It would be hard to swing that in my living room. I could use it as a push weapon as both sides of the hook are sharp and the hood would make an impressive wound in the gut with all my weight behind the blade.
As far as entrenching tools are concerned, they are battle tested weapons. The Marines used them extensively in the March Down From The Reservoir. One Marine used one as a bat, swatting back grenades thrown by the ChiComs, back into their own lines. He was inducted into the Order of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his feats in The March. If I recall correctly he performed his batting feat while in his stocking feet in snow in way below zero weather. He couldn’t find his boots in the dark in time to get into action. He recently passed away. I had always visualized Hector Cafereta (I am sure I have screwed up the spelling of his last name. My apologies, Corporal Cafereta) as being some six foot giant but I read upon his passing that he probably just barely made the height requirements for the Marine Corps at that time. It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it the size of the fight in the dog.
Entrenching tools were frequently used in Vietnam when fire bases were overrun and using a firearm would endanger fellow troops. I witnessed that getting whacked in the head with the shovel blade in the folded position and the cover still on will ring one’s bell and cause one to assume a supine position. I have three small garden tools that only have 12 or 14 inch handles but would make very handy impact weapons. One has a pointed bill on one end and the typical pickax blade on the other end. The second one has a small pickaxe blade on it with the typical tomahawk blade on one end and the pickaxe blade on the other end. I am having difficulty picturing the third one in my mind but it has a similar double blade configuration different from the other two. Any one of the three would deliver a significant wound from either blade. They appear as ordinary garden tools.
Hoes were often used by farmers as defensive weapons in day of yore. Typically, however, the hoes were not the light gardening hoes we are mostly familiar with but were very heavy bladed hoes used to break up soil, skulls, arms. legs, etc. Even wearing a helmet, getting whacked on the gourd with a heavy bladed, long handled hoe would ring one’s bell, make one wonder who am I, why am I here?
It might not cut through chain mail but would be likely to break a bone in the arm and certainly have a paralyzing effect on swinging one’s sword or controlling one’s war stallion.
LCC: You said it. And, napping in church is allowed by real preachers. niio
I don’t have to think up clever weapons to use in self defense because Texas has permissive Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground laws, and nobody does it but it is legal for me to strap on my old P226 and stroll around town like an old gimpy balding cowboy. But I’m a guy and can’t resist the idea of the improvised weapon. The linoleum knife is a general purpose construction tool, a good one has a round wooden handle with a knobbed end to give you a good grip when cutting, and a 4 inch steel bilhook blade. It is a weapon for close in slashing, across the gut, across the face, your opponent will never see it coming. I watched a video by a Green Beret years ago about improvised weapons. In his demonstration of the e tool he charged his opponent (a ballistic dummy) holding the handle down in his left hand, blade up with right hand choked all the way up on the handle striking at the collar bone with the blade and driving it down and to the left across the front of the torso.
You have to file a knife edge on a linoleum knife, sharpen the e tool to a knife edge on the bench grinder. I learned a long time ago to sharpen up my work tools at the end of every day, and to dress them with a file or whetstone while working. Keeping a shiny edge on your garden tools is one of the best garden tips I know.
sometimes the best self defence is unobtrusive entirely legal device such as sqeeze bottle full of vinegar, ammonia cleaner, hot sauce etc. i was truck driver for many years and could not carry a gun for a vareiaty of reasons. i once diffused a road rage incident by just smiling broadly and giving the “cmon down” wave. stopped him in his tracks. but i still had my squeeze bottle in my right hand, just in case.
Invade my house or my life you wont live to tell your side of the story. With that being said if you can’t own up to your own shit with whatever consequences that follow for using said weapon for self defense then you shouldn’t own it.
This is for SHTF, not for today. Anything resembling illegal should be hidden till later.
Being country, i like rural. We were taught a lot of non-gun hand to hand called slap. When the men came home from WWII and Korea, and especially Vietnam, they brought kali with them. Slap is a game, but you’ll walk away with bruises. Kali is a martial art like slash and burn is a form of agriculture. Either one, anything goes, everything is a tool. I was taught the quarter staff/bo, and later how-to with a hay fork (3 tines, 5 foot hardwood handle). Key chains can cut like a knife, use it like a nunchuck. the rattle of keys is nerve-wracking. Everything you have is a weapon. Your first weapon is your brain, and that’s the best one. niio
That’s why man is called the deadliest game. Getting stuck with a hay fork is like getting hit with three stilettos at once. Ever notice the pictures of the farmers with their hay forks in their hands? That wasn’t because they were hayseeds. A hay fork thrust vertically will get one in the throat, the chest and the belly in one stroke. Damn! That smarts!
LCC: and if the fork is dirt, some manure, say (4 times on them!), you just punctured a lot of nasty infectious material into the assailant. Redneck punji sticks. Reminds me, I need to get in gear again. Mesquite wood makes good pitch forks, is blood red, and work just fine. niio
Hay forks would work well with the new Farmhouse Style of decor so popular today.
CC: 3 tines. Make your own of a hardwood (maple) and it’s colonial. Old sickles and scythes, things laminated under a sheet of cardboard on the back of pictures and old mirrors, and so much more. niio
Interesting read and comments. I’m not going to wade into the debate as all sides have been pretty well covered, but I will pass on my simple list and personal opinion:
Three things that everyone and anyone should have for self protection or SHTF situations:
1) Quality Handgun (where allowed by law):
Revolver or Semiautomatic – your choice or preference. Know it inside and out, practice, practice practice.
2) 12 Gauge shotgun semi auto or pump. This is essential to me for two reasons – it is LOUD. Ever hear the term shell shocked? Loud noises are a total disrupter and game changer, and you don’t need to be an expert marksman. Aim and go, anyone with sufficient strength can pull this off and it is a show stopper. Pull the trigger and you instantly get everyone’s attention. Also easier to legally purchase in states that make it tough to get a pistol permit. Practice, practice, practice.
3) A very large and long flat blade screwdriver. Why? Because unlike a knife it rips and tears and shreds on impact. No clean cut here, these are puncture wounds – and it takes no time for the body to catch up with the mind in terms of pain. I mean, it hurts! In close quarter combat – which is what this will be, it’s a very simple and reliable self defense tool (unlike TV shows there will be no standoff or dancing around). Besides it safe, strong, common and easy to wield.
So there you have it, my personal opinion, based on circumstances I’ve seen. Feel free to disagree, but I like to keep things simple, and in the midst of chaos simple is doable and repeatable.
Be well.
Some OK advice, some not. Eat the meat, spit out the bones. But definitely explain to me this concept…. Buy a gun, because that wasp spray might blind someone…???
I’m curious why things like a wrist rocket are not mentioned? They fit in a glove box and rocks are everywhere. It seems if you have a few minutes and a little distance they can be very nasty!
Because a lot of lib states want them outlawed. But, I like your idea! niio
I agree that most of this artical is in the (oh brother) catagory.
A can of hornet spray is a great weapon if it is all you can get, highly effective and decent range. It is still obtainable in places where the MAN in his wisdom has outlawed mace and pepper sprays which are less dangerous, and it does not have nearly the danger of affecting the user in enclosed settings.
Most of the list is just rediculous. Automatic Weapons? Grenades? Anti Tank Weapons? Armed Drones?. GET REAL.
People keep talking about wasp spray. Every spray device I have ever used in my long life has had some back spray or fall out spray from the main stream. Some have more back spray and fall out spray than others. That said, I don’t want to use a device where I am liable to get the effects of side spray. I have had two occasions where I negligently released pepper spray which is why I can speak with some authority about the results of using pepper spray.
The first time I negligently release pepper spray was in my printing plant. It was 2200 square feet, generally a little larger perhaps than most of our homes. I was describing how the pepper spray worked to a man and his wife who were my guests. I negligently hit the spray button and release the minutest amount of pepper spray. With a few minutes, we all were choking on the spray and had to leave my plant. It was clear the next norming but the urge to leave was compelling.
On one other occasion I had my pepper spray in my pocket. I was working on my car doing something under the hood. As I leaned on the fender, I felt the pepper spray release a small amount. No problem. It’s in my undershorts and trousers, so I am okay. In just a few minutes I had an urgent desire to remove my clothing. Inasmuch as I was working on my car on a public street, immediate removal was not desirable. I closed the hood rapidly and with celerity, moved rapidly to the water closet in my home where I rapidly removed the offending garments. I can attest to the fact that pepper spray applied to portions of the body other than the face has a significant impact on one’s comfort level. I am sure there are several areas of the body where pepper spray sprayed on the clothing will cause significant discomfort. However significant discomfort does not mean that the sprayee will cease aggressive conduct. Many folks who do not realize they have been mortally wounded continue aggressive conduct. We have all read about combat awards where the awardee, although seriously or mortally wounded continued attacking enemy forces with considerable aggression.
I would suggest to one and all that circumspection is required when releasing any kind of spray agent in an enclosed area. If you release wasp spray or pepper spray inside your home in an effort to repell some miscreant, it may well be that you will suffer the effects of such spray to your detriment if the sprayee is not affected as seriously as you because the sprayee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both.
LCC: True. Under SHTF we’re going to encounter a lot of creepy-crawlies, the arrogant, the dopers, and desperate. To the mindless, pain only makes them that much worse.
Does sacred datura grow around your town? Keep an eye on it. If someone is digging it up it’s possible they mean to do murder. The old timers, traditionalists, are saying the datura is beautiful this year. Not as a compliment, but in fear of death cults like skinwalkers. niio
Y’all need to learn more about full auto weapons and how to actually deploy them in a proper manner.
Fiction writers need to learn more about auto weapons and how to deploy them, in the real world very few of us will ever have one. Might pick one up on a smoking urban battlefield after SHTF but very doubtful you’ll have enough ammo to actually deploy it in a proper manner.
That said I still hear country boys in the distance firing their bump stocks, stubborn Texans.
True thank trump for banning bump stocks that is a total shame. Its possible and fully auto isn’t even used that often unless its a crew serve weapon in the military.
I just love the adult conversations on these posts. It would be a shame if we degenerated into third grade behavior like name calling.
Sean Connery in a red breech cloth with matching red bandoliers and Charlotte Rampling zipping around Vortex 1 on a ZTR?
Judge: We all have our little hobbies 🙂 niio
Yeah, it would be nice if we could keep it on an adult level. Unfortunately we have either one troll who uses multiple names or two female trolls whose only contribution to this list is to insult one of our regular contributors. Unfortunately, he responds to their gigging rather than ignoring it. I understand the frustration, although I do wish he would use more sophisticated rebuttal language.
While the contributor in question does not always hit a home run, who among us does? We can’t always post cogent, compelling concise comments. Occasionally we are off point or our comments, while clear to us, are obtuse to other readers. I probably am the worst offender for wandering off point although I feel some experiences from a long life might be educational to some readers who do not have a doctorate degree from the school of hard knocks or a postgraduate degree from the equally educational facility, the school of stupid blunders. The past president of Motel Six is quoted as saying the difference between school and life is that school teaches us a lesson and then gives us a test. Life gives us a test that teaches us a lesson. When one reaches my stage in life, having made the same dumb mistake numerous times, the lesson is finally starting to sink in and if my blunders can keep someone from falling into the same snake pit, I am happy to pass along the lessons I have hopefully learned.
See what I mean about blunders? This reply was supposed to be to Zeroturnzed’s comment about abusive language. Instead I posted it to Judge Holden’s comment. Although my comment about obtuse comments would certainly apply for me in the case of his comment about Sean Connery and Vortex 1 and ZTR. While I know who both Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling are, Vortex 1 and ZTR are not in my data banks. The comment is too obtuse for me to compute.
Zed: ah, ya mutter wears army boots! 🙂 niio
Some folks aren’t smart enough to come in out of the rain.
I did a long post about this article. But I neglected to add a bit on automatic weapons. First of all, they’re largely pointless for a prepper. It’s very hard to even get a full sized heavy machine gun. They’re absurdly expensive and the paperwork is intense. Also, they eat ammo – and if we’re talking a .50 caliber – we’re talking very expensive ammo indeed. Again, context is important. If you’re a millionaire with a bunker in Nebraska where it’s as flat as a pool table, maybe a .50 caliber machine gun is a good idea. But most people aren’t like that.
For smaller full automatic weapons, they still largely suck. Full auto rifles were designed for human wave attacks. A human wave attack is when troops pack themselves nearly shoulder to shoulder and charge. It was a thing in WW I, some fronts in WW II, Korea, Vietnam, and even as late as the Iran-Iraq War in the 80s. You could actually spray and prey and get your money’s worth in enemy casualties. But armies don’t do that anymore and unless you literally expect zombie hordes, it’s not something a prepper has to worry about.
Another reason for full auto was suppressive fire. Basically hosing an enemy position down with bullets so they wouldn’t shoot back while your buddies get close enough to take aimed shots, throw grenades, or bayonet the enemy. But with a semi-auto rifle you can actually put multiple aimed shots at the enemy, probably hit them, and definitely suppress them. Unless you’re a professional, full auto is hard to aim and control. If you HAVE to have full auto capability, you can legally buy triggers groups for an AR that mimic it so well the ATF might come looking for you someday.
In the end, you’re a prepper. You probably don’t have the money to buy a full auto weapon or the rivers of ammo it consumes. Stick to semi-auto rifles with 30 or 20 round capacity magazines if you can get them and it fits the context of your prep.
One of my bucket list items is to fire a quad .50. However, unless I win the giant powerball lottery, I think that particular bucket list item is going to remain unfulfilled. The cyclic rate of fire of a M-2A1 .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun is 600 rounds per minute although the practical rate of fire is about half that. Even assuming that in my excited state I were able to hold the rate of fire to the practical rate of 300 rounds per minute times 4 is 1200 rounds per minute. The cheapest .50 cal BMG ammo I can find anywhere is $3.50 per round from some ComBloc country of unknown vintage and heritage. It doesn’t take a math genius to figure out how much a minute of fun would cost me without even considering what folks who own one rent them for which I figure is at least in the low four figures.
However, if someone on the list has a quad .50 and would like to see me check one item off my bucket list, I would surely be appreciative.
I worry about any knife or bladed weapon without a guard! I’d prefer to not sever all the tendons in my fingers.
Also good luck with getting a hand gun in a lot of countries. Remember y’all on here, people from other countries read this! It’s almost impossible to get a handgun in Canada. And I have kids, ones smart enough to hack a digital lock, guess a code or find a key. I’ve had to settle for a self defence stick and ‘coyote’ spray.
Some while ago I read a book that described duels through the ages and the results to the involved duelists. It was amazing how many of them finished the duel with less than ten fingers, despite typically wearing leather gauntlets during the duel.
Your comment about not wanting to engage in sharp instrument confrontations without a hand guard is certainly well taken. I believe the law of physics about objects in motion probably at least partially applies in thrusting a knife. When the point hits an object, some of the forward thrust is going to continue forward. That’s why we wear seatbelts so that we don’t either eat the steering wheel or try to break out the windshield with our head. That’s why fighting knives have hand guards so that the tendency of your hand to continue on forward is at least partially impeded by the hand guard.
Japan and Mexico are the only countries where I have any familiarity at all with firearms ownership. In Japan civilian ownership of handguns is almost universally forbidden. Licensed hunters may own shotguns and rifles but becoming a licensed hunter is so onerous that most hunters are my age and were doing so before the Japanese government got its act together after WWII and so were somewhat grandfathered in. It is one reason why they are having so much trouble with things like wild monkey, wild pigs and bears. Fortunately, nobody has smuggled in wolves yet.
Even owning a sword in Japan requires permission from the police. It helps if you are a political figure, especially one who might have control over police budgets, a famous actor or a very wealthy industrialist. As I understand the knife law, a foreigner is not allowed to have a knife with a blade longer than 2 cm on his person outside of his home. That begs the question, how does one get the 8 inch santoku home from the knife shop if one is a resident foreigner?
A retarded visitor from the U.S, was wandering around Tokyo with his Buck knife in a sheath on his hip when it was noticed by a cop. I think he only spent 3 days in the Japanese lock-up before he was released to depart Japan. I first ran into that back in 1972 on our first trip back to visit my wife’s family and tour Japan. When we were dating, my wife had given me a lovely little Swiss Army style knife with sterling silver engraved scales. The cutting blade was 1 1/4″ long. When she gave it to me, U.S. service personnel were still under the old status of forces agreement which meant that basically we could not be detained or tried by Japanese authorities without permission from the U.S. Armed Forces. There were exceptions but basically unless you were attacking a Japanese citizen off base, the Japanese cops would just notify the M.P.s
When I returned in 1972, I was no longer in the service and the status of forces agreement had been adjusted to allow the Japanese law enforcement greater latitude. In transiting from Haneda to fly to Nagasaki, I had to go through baggage check. In LA, going through baggage check I put the little knife on the tray and the screener didn’t even look at it. It certainly wasn’t my weapon of choice if I had a sudden urge to fly to Havana instead of Tokyo. I thought if I pulled it out the cabin attendant would look at it and say, “Put that away and sit down before I hurt you.”
The security inspector was fiddling with the LAX to HAN routing tag and asked me if I had a knife. Figuring he wanted to cut that tag off so the baggage wouldn’t get sent back to LAX instead of Nagasaki, I said, “Sure” and handed him my little piece of jewelry. He whipped out his ruler and held it against the blade and the blade extended past the red mark on his ruler. He hollered something and two other uniforms came running over, one with his hand on his S&W revolver. There was a discussion in rapid fire Japanese which was too swift for me to follow. I didn’t want to have the little knife confiscated because of sentimental reasons. I suggested they break the offending blade off because the rest of the blades like nail file, scissors, can opener were not verboten. Finally, due to Japanese deference to visitors in general and at that time to tourists because at that time Japan was not the tourist destination it is now, I was allowed to keep the knife intact but I had to put it in my carry on luggage as opposed to carrying it in my pocket. In my carry on luggage it was not on my person and so was not within the limits of the law against a foreigner “carrying” a knife with a blade longer than 2 cm. I should add, as interpreted by a very understanding supervising Japanese police officer. Some other officer could just have easily decided to confiscate the knife and keep it.
Lesson learned: If asked about a knife by a uniformed Japanese, say slowly and loudly, “I don’t understand.” Do not under any circumstances wear a Buck knife in its holster on your belt. Do not offer to let the uniformed Japanese official use your pocket Swiss Army knife no matter how innocuous it may appear to U.S. eyes. This, of course, was way before TSA and all their dog and pony show antics at airports. As I mentioned, at that time the screener didn’t even give it a second glance. I just picked it up off the tray, put it in my pocket and proceeded to the gate. Even today it would not be in the top 100 objects I would choose to use to hijack a plane.
Rebecca: I remember zip guns. A narrow hollow tube, a heavy duty rubber band, and nail darts. Friends in Canada who don’t live close to an American Indian reservation or canadian reserve are making do with them, with nail guns, and so on. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Be blessed. niio
Red: Or an old fashioned car antenna with the bolt portion of a sliding bolt door lock and the ubiquitous rubber band. An old fashioned hollow car antenna used to be the the perfect fit for a .22 long rifle. The face of the bolt was filed to make a slam fire firing pin and the little handle that stuck up from the sliding bolt was the perfect device to fasten the rubber bands to to provide the force to fire the .22. While I am sure the statute of limitation has long been in effect, still, don’t ask me how I know about that.
Not much for accuracy past about 10 feet and the bullet was liable to tumble even at that distance, but a tumbling .22 lr makes a nasty looking wound.
Today’s car antennas are solid — at least the ones I have had an opportunity to examine up close. They make dandy whips like the collapsible batons mall cops carry. Not too much damage to skin under clothing I suspect, but leave a nasty slash on bare flesh like the face and hands.
I am sure a trip to a big box plumbing supply department will find six or eight inch nipples that will handle a small caliber pistol cartridge. For zip guns, I don’t think I would use anything over .32 caliber — maybe not even that, limit your zip guns to .22 and .25 caliber. I will make that stronger. I know I wouldn’t try anything over .32 short. not even .32 acp.
For more sophistication, there are lots of gun supply stores on line that sell barrels for a variety of guns so that one could purchase a four or six inch rifled barrel that would provide greater accuracy for your zip gun. Using something like that, one might want something stronger than rubber bands for retaining the natural tendency of the firing device to give the “equal but reverse reaction” to the force of the bullet exiting the barrel. The chamber would contain the pressure but the firing bolt just might inflict as much damage on the shooter as the shootee if the springs on the bolt were not strong enough.
Of course, in jurisdictions where owning a real handgun is verboten, owning a zip gun is probably doubly verboten. The excuse, “Yeah, I hit him with the baseball bat” doesn’t fly too well when the cop says, “What’s this hole in his chest from?”
LCC: We called dart guns zip guns. Given the gang structures years ago, we were not allowed bullets unless hunting. Homemade crossbows are good, as well, but to me, clumsy compared to a zip. Put vanes on the dart and the zip is pretty good. Not great, but OK. Sling staffs were good, as were slingshots. niio
train your kids not to be idiots or train them to shoot ?
Eric, thank you for a common sense approach. It seems all to often some “prepper” articles and comments stray into “Hollyweird” fictional scenarios that are completely impractical for the vast majority of people to even attempt.
Well this is an article written by someone’s child or marvel fan. Lets see the level of what the heck was the point of even posting this was surprising. Must be a slow news day for everyone.
Let see someone above was wrong 1968 wasn’t the when machine guns where banned in the us. It was 1984 with Regan and thus you can’t own or make anything after 1984. Regan was a massive sellout and a fraud like most republicans.
The pistol is a terrible weapon for a few reasons. A pistol caliber sucks when it comes to killing, and most medical doctors would agree. The Pistol AR 15 would be a idea platform for a home defense weapon. One your more accurate and you have a larger capacity with a lot more stability and easier to use.
The RPG, Tanks and machineguns all have a purpose and i would rather have a mp5 in 10mm but thanks to the Anti gun fudds its impossible for anyone but the elites to afford it or a SOT.
Wait, are you saying a pistol is a terrible weapon to own in a SHTF scenario, or are you saying pistol calibers in semi auto or full auto rifles are a terrible weapon to own?
I am pointing out the (blog poster suggestion that all you need is a handgun is a dumb and wrong statement) The Pistol AR15 in 556/223 is plenty with a 7inch barrel setup and with a standard mag or drum . You have 30 to 100 rounds of ammo before a single reload is needed. The Pistol has a purpose and that is to get you to your main rifle. Pistol rounds often don’t kill as much as Hollywood as pointed out. they just don’t create the hydrostatic shock much like a rifle round does. (not saying you won’t bleed out but if we are comparing killing faster then a ar15 dominates.
the screw driver and zip guns…… go for it if you want to see what hand to hand combat is…..good luck
raven,, i think machine guns were banned in 1934 firearms act. machine guns are still legal to own if you can deal with the paperwork and background checks,,,,,,,,,, if you can afford to buy one.
Sorry you’re half right
. In 1934 they banned machine guns without a tax stamp by 1984 they banned production of owning one. Meaning you couldn’t own anything made after 1984 . Clearly a sad day thanks to shady republicans.
Reagan was a sell-out only to liberals and other complainers. Nazis and other communists hate him because they were defeated when he was president. You keep slandering him only because you have no proof. Yes, there were compromises, and now your president is in office and there will be no compromise with them. Only strict obedience. right now your president is threatening to invade Texas. He’s taken away the right of self-rule. The supreme court won’t uphold it, but like your favorite president in history, Jackson, told them, “Where’s your army to stop me?”
I just don’t agree with selling out on the second amendment. Its been a downward slope of giving up a small part at each point and we keep losing. The idea that you assume, I am a liberal is exactly why i laugh at the voting and party sides. It’s all a joke and pointless. They distracted the public and divided them along party lines and both of the republican and democrat leadership all want you disarmed and just a slave er tax payer to the system.
I view it as your either a Patriot to this country (meaning you want that dangerous freedom over regulations and rules) You want to be left alone to do your own thing and not be bothered.
hope you have a good day and yes its sad when Bush himself destroyed the imported firearms in the late 80’s and Regan himself was in favor of the assault weapons ban. ( i have previously linked in videos on it. ) What you choose to do with that information is up to you. I wish you well and hope you can find a way to get out of the slump of this party divided bs… Come to the patriot side where freedom and the founders love it.
AR 15 with a short barrel due to doorway and close quarters limitations (if in a SHTF scenario) and out in the open, a semi automatic AR10(309 or 350) to cover down on your family using AR 15s. If you lack accuracy, close quarters demand a short barrel semi-automatic 12 gage shotgun using 7 or 8 size shot. Spray in the face, make sure to fire into the legs to disable then apply accordingly as you get closer. Remember to fire quickly because forensics can assume the angle of the shot to the victim as they stand and assume a pattern as a threat. Buy yourself and your family some body armor and a gas mask. In SHTF scenarios, everything is open if one can assume society has no hope of coming back. Rule 1: it is you or them. Judge accordingly
what is a 309 or 350 ?
Most pistol ar with 11 inch barrel are cabable of hitting 300 meters with ease…
If your not accurate with a rifle …. you won’t be accurate with a shotgun…. its not a spray weapon.
Oh Ok, Thank you.
Just wanted to make sure I didn’t misunderstand you, being that you’re a tactical expert prepper and all……
not a problem and yes i am a expert. you can learn a lot from myself and my school.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LMAO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you an expert . ?
what a DAM joke.
I can’t stop laughing. ??????????
man that is the funniest thing I’ve heard. Hell that is like saying biden makes a good president. LOL
What a joke.
raven, “you can learn a lot from myself’ should be you can learn a lot from ME.
Raven is an “expert” in his own mind, but hey, if you join his “school” he can teach you how to read minds just like he does!
dz: given his contempt for conservatives? ya, definitely. niio
by definition would ta “conservative want to conserve the constitution and not give away “the peoples God Given rights” i am a libertarian by far and you can ask me directly what my views on life and policy’s are.
Raventacticalmedia@gmail.com hit me up and we can chat .
When it comes to political views and who to support its all about compromise Mr. Raven tactical expert prepper.
Slinging a lot of vitriol at past President’s like Reagan and blaming him for what you consider to be an assault on our 2A rights is naive and foolish.
BTW, I see your email provider is gmail, owned by Google. Supporting a far left leaning organization that actively supports organizations and politicians who seek to crush 1A and 2A rights seems at odds with you libertarian views….. you should ponder that contradiction in terms.
Have a happy day.
buxx,
if we can find a neutral media company that handles email and video uploads… I would be the first to join in it. (The Regan , Bush and trump anti 2a gun deals exist but “when its your guy you voted in or the same party” we tend to ignore it all. )
Like i previously said, i am pro 2a and don’t agree with any laws that take away gun’s.
If your party of “conservatives ” as you call it… no longer want to conserve the constitution what does that make them? Sorry it took me a long time as well to leave the republican party and it was mostly due to the republican party leaving me. They don’t share the same values as the founders did and they have done nothing but fold every time.
Raven, I’m calling you out, post the name and link for your “school” so we can all check it out for ourselves. If you’re for real, you’ll post it, if not, its just more BS from your “Mind Reader Institution”.
Still patiently waiting….. for the name of your school the link Mr. Raven tactical expert prepper.
Red, this is a COVID-19 related post but I wanted you to have this link for How to Get Ivermectin
https://covid19criticalcare.com/guide-for-this-website/how-to-get-ivermectin/
there are several medical practitioners in AZ and also Southern Kalifornication that will prescribe Ivermectin, a very low cost prevention and treatment medication for COVID-19 that has been suppressed by the Fascist CDC, corrupt politicians and appointed officials, and the Mainstream Media Propaganda machine.
dz: If you know someone with cattle or horses, see about getting it thru them. Ivr was developed as for humans anti-viral but the cost was so low, big pharm shuttered it off. There’s a poster out showing the top 1`0 investments of congressmen. Pizer and another pham is 6 and 7. Exxon Mobile is 10th, oil and gasoline importers. niio
‘Scuz me, top 10 investments 🙂
I have a friend who gets Ivermectin from local livestock supply outlets like Feed-N-Seed and Tractor Supply, he says for human use you have to crush the tablets and divide into smaller doses.
dz: that’s good info. half-ton Bossy vs. 200 lbs man. niio
Good news for .50 BMG fans everywhere. Midwayusa.com has IMI .50 BMG on sale right now for only $4.49 a round versus the usual price of $5.00 per round. IMI is Israeli Military Industries, so this is first class .50 BMG, not some obscure head stamp corrosive Berdan primer crap in copper washed steel cases.
Now if I can just spot a reasonably priced quad .50 on Gunlists.com.
Damn it!!! I have to get rid of my machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades and bazookas!! Because the author said not to use them for self defense. And my state of the art weaponized drones and fake pistols. And dismantle all the booby traps on my property. Dog on it !!! But he did not mention land minds and nuclear bombs so I can keep those. Whew!! No I don’t own any of these weapons just showing the absurdity of the article. Peace out
Stu, lets not forget the pending “buy back” programs for your cruise missiles and stealth bombers.
Raven, when does your next “class” start? How do we sign up?
Now… That’s funny!!!!
Who wrote this article? It sounds like it was written by some libtard who’s watched too many 80s action movies. Are you serious we shouldn’t use a belt fed Browning machine gun to ward off home invaders? I have some RPGs and a couple bouncing bettys and my uncle left me his flame thrower he used in Nam!
Belt fed browning?
Bouncing Betty (S-Mine)?
Flame Thrower?
Please go back to your room.
The adults are having a conversation.
Gabriel, you can get a brand new flame thrower starting about $700.00 and going up into the $1,000’s, they sell them for controlled burns and such.
dz Yeah, but there’s nothing like using the tools of the man who raised you to be a man! niio
Interesting Article and Comments
Regardless of whether a person is a noob with weapons or a highly skilled Navy Seal with Gunsmith experience…Avoiding Conflict is ALWAYS the best option.
You will eventually meet someone more deadly than you, or their numbers will overwhelm you.
Having said that, a person should acquire the best weapons that they can use, and be fully trained and thus quite deadly when Conflict Avoidance is NOT an option.