Upon my retirement, I received a gift card from my fellow employees. It's for Cabelas, and it's for a substantial amount. I would rather not cloud the issue with the exact dollar amount. It's a few hundred, let's say, but for purposes of this drill I would like everyone to know I am willing to augment the amount with my own funds in order to score the next "perfect" piece in my battery.
You need to know what I already have. Well, I have pretty much all the traditional prepper bases covered, and then some.
I have battle/assault rifles in .308, 7.62x39, and 5.56mm, with redundancy, as well as 6.8 SPC and 5.45x39 to help keep things convoluted. For defensive pistols, I have .45 ACP, .40 S&W, and of course 9mm; throw in a .357 Sig and 10mm Auto on top of that. Again, with back-up and redundancy in most calibers.
For working/hunting rifles, I have .22lr, .22 Magnum, .243, .270, and .308. One of my ARs is a Colt HBAR in .223, with scope, and I have used this for hunting as well. For working revolvers I have .38 Special, .357, .41, and .44 magnums, as wall as .45 Colt. I have a .22 revolver, but it has been on long-term loan to my father-in-law.
And I have a mess of shotguns, overwhelmingly in .12 gauge. Defensive pump and auto-loader, over-and unders, turkey gun, an all-purpose 870 Express, a cruiser-grip and a Mossberg 500 for "truck guns". I also have one of those Rossi matched pairs in .20 gauge, paired with another .243 barrel.
So, here's description of my new property. Half flat, half a sloping hill, where I own the immediate crest, but it broadens out to a small plateau with another owner/parcel (but no house for now). The closest neighbor is a couple hundred yards away, however we don't have direct line-of-sight because of a substantial, wooded riparian area between us. There are other neighbors as well, further away. The property is sparsely wooded with mesquite, cedar, and a few odd oaks. It is in a valley-type situation, and there are a few long-range site opportunities presented by surrounding hills and mesas. The house is large, 2400 square feet, and made of wood.
Now, here are my perceived niches/needs for an update to my survival battery:
1. An extreme long range rifle. My .270 is impressive, but I don't think it is a 500+ yard gun. And no, I am not that guy, but I do want to be that guy that can consistently ring the gong at that range. I have always been a great shot with a rifle, and have been shooting rifles since I was 13. Hell, for all I know I could be that guy, I just haven't found any opportunities yet to try my hand at it. I'm retired now, so no excuses. Thinking along the lines of 6.5 Creedmoor .
2. A long range material destruction rifle/round. I used to think that this requirement was the same as number 1. above, but with the advent of so many new smaller bore, lighter weight rounds in the 6.5/6.8/.260/.280 range, I find that a heavier-hitter, in my way of thinking, has become a separate niche. There is road leading to my property that is the principal avenue of approach. Being able to disable an engine could come in handy. I have had this requirement in my mind before I moved to rural Arizona though. Thinking along the lines of .338 Lapua on this one.
3. An everyday, lightweight, working revolver in a sub-.38 caliber. This would be used for the opportunistic dispatch of garden pests or marauding coyotes, the humane slaughter of livestock, and of course still be reasonably capable of fending off two-legged critters. I had a .32 H&R Magnum on the wish list for a long time. I would have scored a .327 Federal by now if the economy didn't take a tank in 2008 and the cartridge had more support. But I am open to other suggestions. Obviously thinking along the lines of a .327 Federal revolver on this one.
4. An everday, large bore working revolver, more-or-less "optimized" for shooting shot. I have had to shoot two rattlesnakes off my front porch since I moved in. In both instances I ran back inside the house to the other end of the house to fetch my home-defense shotgun. While I likely will set up another shotgun to be close by my porch, I am sure the time is coming soon when I will be a substantial distance away from the house and will need to dispatch some creepy-crawly without the luxury of being able to retrieve whatever gun I want. Obviously, this gun should also be adequate for personal defense as well. Thinking along the lines of a S&W Governor here.
So those are my thoughts......what are yours? Did I miss anything? Maybe as a new rural-dwelling Arizonan (with the hopes of adding some livestock to the homestead) you might think I need some more specialized, purposeful coyote medicine? Say .25-06 or .22-250? Should I even be interested in the "micro-calibers" of .17 H&R Magnum, or .17 WSM, or .22 Hornet?
One other thing, I do have a reloading machine, but have never used it. Never had the room.....until now! So I do plan on getting into it, and would relish the excuse to buy an obscure cartridge if reloading meant the logistical difference.
And don't forget, I need to use the Cabela's gift card. With so many recent expenses, and a newly diminished fix income, they only way I am going to get into a new gun for the foreseeable future is using that money. So your suggestions for my next acquisition should be reasonably available at Cabela's (or perhaps Bass Pro Shop, I think I heard they except each other's gift cards?).
Thanks for playing!
Last edited by arizonafusilier; Today at 04:04 PM.. Reason: one
New gun for the ranch; help me spend my gift card!
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