Building a Survival Battery

By John Rourke
http://www.modernsurvivalonline.com
Firearms must be an integral part of any survival and preparedness system.
hy! "he reason is simple.
#onsider a solar flare or EMP attack which causes most all electronics to fail$
"he power grid is down. #ommunication methods do not work. %ll businesses are closed. &o
method for pumping gas. 'roceries cannot be purchased. (edical prescriptions will not be filled.
(ost automobiles won)t start. &o "*. &o drive thru)s. &o calling your loved ones on your cell
phone. &o going to work. &o running up to the corner store for a gallon of milk and loaf of
bread. +ife as you know it has ended.
,ow are people going to deal with this situation! ithin hours panic will set in as no one will
know what happened. -eople will be displaced from their homes with few methods of traveling
other than to walk. ithin days food. water. and medical supplies will start to run out and
desperation will set in. /t is a cold hard fact that people who are not prepared will either die or
more likely they will look to take from others. 'uess who others is. /t is you and you must be
prepared to protect your supplies and your family.
Survival situations vary widely as to conditions. threat level. environmental specifics and
longevity. 0uring ,urricane 1atrina in 2334 gangs of looters violently rampaged throughout
&ew 5rleans 6 even in broad daylight. %rmed robberies and even sniper fire went on for days
and gunfire could be heard throughout the city. "he point is that in any serious situation 6
predators will take advantage and violence will spread.
0ue to the unfortunate fact that no one knows what the future holds or what type of situation one
may find themselves in 6 / approach the structure of a survival battery with diversity and
fle7ibility in mind. /t is a re8uirement for a battery of firearms to be able to function successfully
in as many situations as possible. For the rest of this article 6 this is a given.
(y preparedness philosophy regarding firearms and selection may not work for everyone.
Firearms are a very personal thing to most people. hat follows is a general recommended
structure for building a survival battery.
9. Semi-Automatic Rifle/Carbine :sed for ranges short ;3 yards< to medium ;943
yards=< depending upon specific model and caliber.
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
%ccurate 6 must be able to engage and hit targets effectively out to 943= yards
with either open sights or optics
,igh (aga>ine #apacity 6 minimum 94 round maga>ine capacity with a
preference for 23$?3 rounds
@uick ,andling 6 % long gun is not nearly as maneuverable as a short gun. For
moving though tight spaces. room to room. and getting in and out of a vehicle 6
shorter firearms make such tasks easier.
+ightweight 6 "he lighter the weight the less effort needed to carry it around.
-referred (odel: Stag %rms (odel 2 4.4Amm (B$variant
,aving owned the Stag %rms (odel 2+ pictured above for ? years / have found it to be
e7tremely reliable and accurate. (y preferred firearm for this category would be any
8uality %R$94/(B$type weapon. / prefer the %R$platform of weapons as it has a proven
track record of reliability and performance. %nother advantage to the %R is the
availability of many accessories available so each firearm can be tuned to fit its owner.
@uality high capacity maga>ines are very plentiful and as of this writing are very
ine7pensive ;due to varying political climates this could change at any time<.
+argest drawback for the %R$type firearm is the lower powered cartridge which limits its
range and the cost of the firearm itself. %R variants are not ine7pensive.
%lternative C9: Ruger (ini$9B
% very popular and capable semi$automatic firearm is the Ruger (ini$9B. #osting a few
hundred dollars less than most any %R$variant the (ini$9B is reliable ;with proper
maga>ine selection< and with some recent manufacturing improvements very accurate.
"he (ini$9B fires the .22? Remington cartridge which is nearly identical to the %R)s
4.4Amm round.
%lternative C2: %1$BD variant
"he %1$BD is very popular and has an e7ceptional track record of reliability in most any
condition found on the planet. Firing the D.A27 ?Emm cartridge 6 the %1 edges out the
%R platform in the power category. "he %1$BD is worthy of consideration when looking
to purchase a semi$automatic rifle/carbine.
2. Pistol :sed for short range situations such as house clearing and when a long gun is not
available. 'enerally carried on the hip ready to be accessed when needed. %llows hands
to be free and still be armed.
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
%ccurate 6 must be able to engage and hit targets effectively out to a ma7imum
range of 24$?3 yards
,igh (aga>ine #apacity 6 minimum 93 round maga>ine capacity with a
preference for 92$9D rounds
@uick ,andling 6 For moving though tight spaces. room to room. and getting in
and out of a vehicle 6 pistols are e7cellent.
+ightweight 6 "he lighter the weight the less effort will need to be made to carry
it around 6 and the 8uicker the pistol can be moved into position.
-referred (odel: Smith F esson (F-E Emm semi$automatic pistol

"he Smith F esson (F-E Emm is a fantastic pistol. G7tremely reliable and superbly
accurate 6 the (F- is an e7cellent choice for a sidearm. "he ergonomics are fantastic
and recoil is negligible. "rigger pull is better than acceptable and 8uick follow up shots
are easy. 9D rounds of Emm are held in each maga>ine. #ost is in right in line with other
polymer framed combat pistols.
%lternatives: -istols are very much like cars 6 everyone has their personal preference and
this is one of the reasons there are so many to choose from. "here are many reliable
8uality pistols on the market today. (ost any of them would do Hust fine as a defensive
pistol.
% few that fit my re8uirements are as follows:
'lock (odel 9D
Springfield I0E
Ruger SRE
F& F&- E
"aurus 2B/D
?. Shotgun (eant for short ranges from point blank to 24$?3 yards. Shotguns can fire
shells of different load types for different purposes. 0ue to the ability to fill many roles 6
the shotgun is often looked at as the most important and versatile piece in a survival
battery.
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
Full #ylinder Bore 6 "his means no choke on the end of the barrel.
(aga>ine #apacity 6 minimum of 4 rounds in the tube
@uick ,andling 6 9JK 6 23K barrel ma7imum length and full stock only 6 no
pistol grip stocks.
-referred (odel: Remington JD3 G7press "actical 92 gauge -ump$%ction
"he Remington JD3 is one of the most popular shotguns in the world and is used
e7tensively for purposes such as hunting. sport/target shooting. and self$defense. "he JD3
is a shotgun with a proven track record of reliability and performance second to no other.
%lternatives: (ossberg 433
"he (ossberg 433 carries an e7cellent reputation for performance and value. %vailable in
many different models 6 the (ossberg 433 can be purchased with a multitude of options
and due to high aftermarket support can be outfitted to fit each owners needs.
B. Bolt Action/Long Range Rifle For engaging targets out to ?33 yards and beyond.
G7cellent for hunting large game.
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
%ccurate 6 must be able to engage and hit targets effectively out to ?33= yards
#aliber $ .?3J inchester
-referred (odel: &o preference
"here are so many great bolt action rifles like the inchester (odel D3 pictured above 6
can)t pick Hust one. Ruger. (arlin. Savage. (ossberg. and Remington all make rifles of
varying prices and each carrying uni8ue features of their own.
-rices for these 8uality firearms can vary from Hust a few hundred dollars up to a few
thousand. Budget$minded folks can buy a bolt action .?3J with a scope for under LB33
and be able to hit a gallon milk Hug at 233$?33 yards.
4. Utility Firearm *ersatile firearm to be used for training. harvesting small game.
potential 6 but not recommended 6 for self defense.
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
%ccurate 6 must be able to engage and hit small targets effectively out to 933
yards with either open sights or optics
(aga>ine #apacity 6 minimum 93 round maga>ine capacity with a preference for
23$?3 rounds
+ightweight 6 "he lighter the weight the less effort will need to be made to carry
it around.
-referred (odel: Ruger 93/22 .22+R Semi$%uto #arbine
"he Ruger 93/22 is arguably the most popular rimfire rifle ever sold. ith its rotary 93$
round maga>ine this carbine can fire literally thousands of rounds without e7periencing
failures of any kind ;proper cleaning needed of course<. % proven firearm 6 the 93/22 has
good accuracy and due to tremendous aftermarket support can be accessori>ed per the
owners re8uirements.
%lternatives: %lthough there are several very good rimfire carbines and rifles on the
market made by maHor gun manufacturers 6 the Ruger 93/22 in my opinion is
ine7pensive. ultra$reliable. accurate and fills the role of M:tility FirearmK like no other.
Nou can)t go wrong with the Ruger.
"hese have been my recommendations for a basic survival battery. %s already stated 6 not
everyone will agree with it nor will it work for everyone. Folks living in the city will certainly
re8uire a different composition to their battery than those living in rural or country areas. "his
should serve as a basic guideline to assist in developing your own survival battery.
% few random thoughts on building a survival battery:
Safety, safety, safety 6 #ommon sense / know but when dealing with firearms that have
no compassion for you or your family 6 the person behind the trigger must. /f unfamiliar
with firearms 6 take a course and learn to handle your firearms appropriately and
responsibly.
Ammunition 6 % rifle without ammunition is a very e7pensive and poorly made MclubK.
Find what ammunition your firearm likes ;reliability and accuracy< and stock up on at
least a few thousand rounds of each caliber for each firearm.
aga!ines 6 Several spare maga>ines should be purchased for every single maga>ine$
fed firearm in your survival battery. Factory maga>ines are often the most reliable
however some aftermarket models work e7tremely well. Research your particular
weapon to determine what to buy. Regardless 6 stock up as many as you can afford as
what you have may be all you can get should a serious situation develop.
"a#e care of your firearms 6 %fter each use each firearm needs to be cleaned and
lubricated. "he better you take care of them 6 the more likely they will work to take care
of you. #leaning kits can be found at any local gun shop or purchased online very
ine7pensively.
$%tics 6 (ake sure you can shoot each firearm accurately prior to placing any optic on
it. 5ptics such as red dot sights and scopes are great 6 but they can fail. Should your
optics fail 6 be ready to use standard open sights.
&'ui%%ing members of your grou% 6 %ssuming a survival battery of firearms are meant
for more than Hust one person 6 how should each person be armed! 5ne pistol and one
long gun is my suggestion.
RememberOOgun control is being able to hit your targetP
() Utility Firearm -
Re8uired characteristics:
Reliable 6 must be able to fire many hundreds of rounds without disruption
%ccurate 6 must be able to engage and hit targets effectively out to 943= yards
with either open sights or optics
,igh (aga>ine #apacity 6 minimum 94 round maga>ine capacity with a
preference for 23$?3 rounds
@uick ,andling 6 % long gun is not nearly as maneuverable as a short gun. For
moving though tight spaces. room to room. and getting in and out of a vehicle 6
shorter firearms make such tasks easier.
+ightweight 6 "he lighter the weight the less effort will need to be made to carry
it around.
-referred (odel: Ruger 93/22 .22+R Semi$%uto #arbine
%lternatives: