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The atmosphere at my local Austin HEB last night was a bit . . . fraught. Checkout lines were long, shopping carts full to the brim. Customers traded tales of epic floods as they waited their turn. I can only imagine what it’s like closer to Corpus, where hurricane Harvey is due to make landfall and linger, smashing the coast, dumping feet of rain on the Lone Star State, knocking out power to millions of Texans.

So let’s assume you live close to the coast, or somewhere in Houston (which is due to be inundated, too) . . .

What firearm(s) would you keep close? Think about travelling away from the storm’s path, facing “unrest” in a post-Harvey urban environment or being cooped up in a mandatory evacuation center. [Note: while I can’t see Katrina-Style house-to-house disarmament in Texas, no evac center’s going to allow firearms therein.] What gun or guns would be your go-to firearms?

 

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99 COMMENTS

  1. “What gun or guns would be your go-to firearms?

    Well, these “are” mine:

    1. A .45 ACP loaded w/ 230 jhp for up close and personal;
    2. A 12ga, 7rd pump, loaded with 00 and 000 buck for a bit more range;
    3. A semi-auto .243 with 20 rd mags,

    But I’d likely be packing a lot more than that.

    • In the last natural disaster I was involved in, during which my kitchen was crushed by a tree, I brought my suppressed CZ Scorpion Evo in the BLACKHAWK! Diversion Racquet bag that it lives in. This gun is still my go-to HD gun and it’s the [first] one, other than the one already on my hip, that I’ll take with me if this hurricane business affects us in a meaningful way. Which isn’t expected here where I live, about 25 min North of downtown Austin. Though the lawn at the rental house here does NOT absorb water…it’s basically a veneer of sad grass on top of rock hard clay. It’ll be a swimming pool in the back yard for sure.

      • I do not share your optimism that Harvey will not have any significant effect in your location. My best guess is that it will dump an incredible amount of rain and, coupled with winds of even just 40 m.p.h., could topple a LOT of trees once that ground gets really moist.

        I sincerely hope that I am horribly wrong.

      • I’d bring my EDC Glock 26, my AR15, and plenty of ammo for both. As much as I would like to bring the rest of my guns, I just don’t see that as being very practical or useful. It’s hard enough carrying one long gun plus ammo, let alone two or three. And I can only shoot one at a time, they’d better off in the hands of someone I trust or locked away for later.

      • “I do not share your optimism that Harvey will not have any significant effect in your location.”

        I’m still seeing estimations of like 5″ of rain over the course of like 36 hours here plus winds of about 28 mph. We’ve had multiple storms at my house like that this spring. And, yes, I certainly hope that optimism pans out!!! haha …though…I haven’t seen any reports suggesting anything different for this zip code or area. They all expect the hurricane to stall out on the coast and literally just sit there, or possibly migrate very slowly NE towards Louisiana.

        • Jeremy S.,

          Oh, 5 inches of rain and 28 m.p.h. winds should be pretty much nothing. I was concerned that Harvey will stall and spin rain bands even over central Texas for several days which could be problematic.

          Speaking of problematic, can you imagine how dangerous the Rio Grande River will become over the next week or so???

  2. As conditions deteriorate and police become unable to respond to calls for help, opportunistic criminals will be selecting victims. Therefore, ALWAYS keep at least a handgun ON YOUR PERSON because you never know when those opportunistic criminals will select you. If concealment is a must, I would carry a subcompact 9mm semi-auto or a j-frame revolver. If you are not concerned about concealment, then carry a full size handgun in the largest caliber that you shoot accurately.

    If you are staying to defend the homestead during several days of disrupted services, a shotgun or semi-auto rifle could prove invaluable. Nothing tells a looter or opportunistic criminal to “move along” like a nice pump-action shotgun or semi-auto rifle in your hands.

  3. I live in Florida on the coast in St Petersburg. I can throw a Racquetball and have it land in the Gulf of Mexico LOL. I lived in Florida most of my life and I’ve been through every hurricane we’ve had since 1972. I’ve always been a bit of a prepper but when it comes to fire power I’ve always chose a good revolver back in the 70s nowadays ikaria M&P performance center full size 5 inch barrel gun high capacity. And nowadays I’ve been using as my bug out rifle and AR-15 pistol with seven and a half inch barrel and a cig arm brace with a vortex sparc AR that takes double-a or Triple-A batteries I can’t remember but you can get them anywhere. And a couple of D60 drum mags and 10 or 15 pmags 30 round same for the 9mm three or four magazines couple hundred rounds ammo and a bug out bag with a lockout kit in case I have to break into a car to steal gasoline or anything else to get to where I’m going water filtration much lighter than caring bottled water. And that’s about it besides first aid kit clothing and any personal documentation that I need to remove from the house such as a list of my guns and their serial numbers that I’m leaving behind I bring that with me along with any medical birth certificates anything like that all goes into a big ziplock bag. In a cooler and all of your medications that you and your spouse and children may be on. I also carry a couple of the wise buckets just in case I need to eat some high carbohydrate high protein food just to get me to the next state where I can actually go to a grocery market or restaurant that isn’t closed down or out of water food and everything else. Just a little hint when these Publix stores and Winn-Dixie’s lose power they usually stop selling groceries because they have no way to bring up anything a few of the small mom-and-pop grocery markets that may still be in your area if the Big Chain stores haven’t put them under yet they usually will go to a calculator and help people out that way but forget about Walmart they lose power you’re done it’s already happened a couple times where I live. Just a heads up waiting to see what everybody else says.

    • Most Publix in Florida have a very large generator capable of powering the store for days. I worked for the one of the power co’s and we were working with them on this. As far as guns up until this year could not bring them as I would be on storm restoration. Now I’ll just load the trailer up and head to the mountains.

      • “Most Publix in Florida have a very large generator capable of powering the store for days.”

        I believe *every* Publix has a Caterpillar 12-cylinder diesel genset on a heavy concrete pad out in back of their stores.

        Publix is local to me, and they got an unpleasant taste of the 2004 hurricane season (3 hurricanes in about 5 weeks).

        Publix HQ is about 20 miles north of where all 3 tracks converged (second pic, below)

        http://www.recmod.com/hurricane/hurricane2004.html

        The Wal-Mart SuperStores went into hurricane mode, where only 100 people at a time were allowed in the stores at a time, and told to hurry up when they were in there.

        It worked very well. Folks went in, got their stuff, and left.

        This is an *excellent* tropical weather analysis website, worthy of bookmarking:

        https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/

    • Wise, while edible, aren’t my first choice. I find I have to cut back on the water by a couple of ounces and “doctor” them up a bit.

      My daughter is in Austin. She has a Glock 19, a S&W 442, and a Ruger American Ranch 5.56.

      I spoke with her this morning to check on her. She has more food in her 2nd floor apartment (that is on a hill) than I do, a water filtration system, a Coleman stove and lantern with plenty of fuel, and a good attitude.

    • Yep. My guns are valuable and compact. They’re coming with me if I leave. If not, there still close by.

      The difference between everyday and hurricane situation is that nobody seems to care about weapons and/or no shirt violations (and they’re mostly not violations anymore, the weapons part anyway).

      My hunting certification instructor (in Katy) opened carried without a shirt during the aftermath of a storm before open carry was legal. He didn’t even think about it, and no one batted an eyebrow.

  4. I don’t think this scenario requires much. A long gun, be it a shotgun, AR or lever action and your chosen sidearm should do it. We’re talking random looters here, not the apocalypse.

    • This about sums it up. I’m in Texas. We’ve got what we need, and while I’m far enough inland that I don’t think flooding would force me to evacuate, I’m sufficiently prepared to if needed. Panic is the result of lack of planning.

      • Panic is the result of the media saying that the storm could land anywhere from just about Brownsville to New Orleans. Sensational nonsense.

    • The rain here in Houston started a few hours ago and so far its… just a steady drizzle.
      I’ve not heard so much as a single clap of thunder, the power most likely will stay on and the D-cell batteries I waited 30 minutes in line for yesterday will go unneeded.
      So as far as Harris County is concerned it’s just business as usual as far as self defense goes.
      Nothing more to report.

      • “The rain here in Houston started a few hours ago and so far its… just a steady drizzle.”

        If it stalls out and wanders east, you’ll get wet:

        http://www.weather.gov/hgx/

        Hurricane guns – Like the others, long and handguns, preferably corrosion-resistant, extra ammo in a watertight Pelican case or similar.

        Hopefully, Texans and Louisianans will have hurricane supplies at hand that include adequate supplies of ‘adult beverages’.

        If you’re gonna sweat in the steamy aftermath without power for a few days (like I did in 2004 for 3 hurricanes, nearly in a row) you’re gonna be needing it…

        • Hopefully, Texans and Louisianans will have hurricane supplies at hand that include adequate supplies of ‘adult beverages’.

          What do people call it Geoff PR … a “hurricane fifth” or something like that?!?!?

        • “What do people call it Geoff PR … a “hurricane fifth” or something like that?!?!?”

          Per person, per day, is ideal…

          *snicker*

        • I’m in San Antonio and didn’t realize the city was freaking out at every HEB in town when I went for my typical weekend supply of fresh fruit at noon. No ice to be had and bottled water was coming off the shelves as fast as it could be stocked. Not that I needed any. But the only people who were stocking up on alcohol were women buying six packs of wine. Maybe there was a sale or something.

          I filled up a couple jerry cans of water to make sure I can flush my toilets and add a splash to my Scotch, just in case.

          Oh, yeah. A G22, an AR15 in commie 7.62 and a 590 are my primary choices.

  5. I am curious – after watching this video, do any cops or people working at law enforcement that are on this site – do you expect the citizens to still respect you?

    • Those are New Orleans cops. They have different moral and ethical viewpoints than others of other cultures in the US.
      (I.E. not all cops are the same.)

      • Very likely that not all cops will act this way, even if given the same orders. But I’m sure many will. It would be good to know which areas of the country are expected to act which way. Perhaps those cops that would not want to be associated with exactly the opposite of what they swore to defend and protect, should make that known, for obvious reasons. Keeping quiet is being an accomplice.

        • I’m sure cops around here would expect to get shot if they tried to confiscate guns during/after a storm.

        • Governor Rick Scott of Florida, after hearing and watching the news reports of this going on in Louisiana during the Katrina hurricane. He made a statement that he was going to push forward legislature that would prohibit law enforcement from violating the Second Amendment. This was put out so that all these small departments that might be thinking of trying to do the same thing as the sheriff’s department did in Louisiana and certain counties and certain parishes there would be a law restricting them from doing such unconstitutional Acts and a punishment would follow after all the dust settles. More less just a gentleman type of agreement that make sure that no need jerk reactions that happened in Louisiana would happen in the state of Florida. I think a lot of this kind of activity that happened during Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana was brought on by the total Lac of preparedness by the sheriff’s department and the city police departments. I remember news teams videotaping quite a few police officers breaking down in tears in the streets covered in mud and dirt and all kinds of gross stuff as bodies floated by. There was a total breakdown in organization and command structure. The police departments were not used to calling on the radio and not getting a response back. I didn’t have to experience the horrors of what was going on in Louisiana we had our problems with power outages and water and sewage backing up in Orlando but it wasn’t nowhere near what they went through in Louisiana. That was a lack of breakdown of command structure from the very top with FEMA all the way down to the local PDS

        • Concealed carry permits not needed in a declared emergency, as long as you are not a prohibited person…

          “Gov. Scott signs Florida emergency concealed carry bill”

          “It will now be legal for gun owners in the Sunshine State to temporarily carry concealed handguns without a permit during periods when the sun isn’t shining so bright.

          Now law is a measure to allow law-abiding citizens without concealed carry licenses to bear arms during declared mandatory evacuations. A reboot of a failed 2014 bill that was killed in last minute political maneuvering, this session’s effort had an easier go of it after police lobby groups embraced the proposal. It passed the Republican-controlled Senate in an easy 29-10 vote while the House last month approved it by a 86-26 margin.”

          http://www.guns.com/2015/05/22/gov-scott-signs-florida-emergency-concealed-carry-bill/

  6. First would be a pistol. My Springfield 1911 would be my first choice. It reliable and comfortable to carry including spare mags and ammo

    A second firearm would honestly have to depend on what type of situation I am expecting to encounter.

    If I am heading out into the country side and planning on it being a few week or month process my Mossberg 930 would be the choice as it would be plenty to provide food for me and my own

    If I was planning on hunkering down and hoping to ride out the storm and the following temporary downfall of society, the AR10 would be my preferred secondary

  7. High-capacity Ruger American Pistol 9mm with 5 extra mags and an ammo can of 115JHP. Kel-Tec 16C with a 1.5-5x scope (illuminated reticle) in a tennis racquet bag, plus 4 extra mags and an ammo can of 5.56mm – 68gr BTHP. For those serious social situations. Plus a .22LR compact takedown (Henry or Armalite) and 500 rnds of .22LR .

    First rule – avoid hurricane/tornado/big city riot locations.

  8. Ok. Your adds are causing Safari to crash. Third time I tried to comment.

    This is a situation for a battlebelt with my Glock 40 MOS on me at all times and a plate carrier with an M4 or AK racked by the door for quick access.

    I’ve looked into moving to Texas several times, so my house would be relatively flood proof (look for a place where the ground level drops at least 10 feet below got basement within a mile.) I wouldn’t be “evacuating” screw that noise. My current house is good for a month without bringing anything in from the outside and if I lived in a free state, it would be significantly more.

    • Basements aren’t really a thing in Texas, you’ll probably need to have one built for new construction.

      A while back you mention some specific things you wanted for your next ‘bunker’, so a custom home with an extensive ‘storm shelter’ may be what you want…

        • Holy crap, you’re a PE as well?

          Sheesh.

          (PE = Professional Engineer. An ‘Uber-Geek’ Engineer. They *don’t* hand those out in boxes of ‘Cracker-Jacks’…)

          But wait a sec, here – And you have a JD. That’s kind of a conflicted mess, isn’t it? 😉

        • Every mechanical engineer should graduate with an FE certification. My school pushed hard for all of us to to take the test. After that, it’s just a matter of working with another PE in the field for four years. Depending on what you do for a living, it can be fairly routine.

        • Getting a PE is rather easy if you graduate with a FE and work in the right field. (Basically you “apprentice” under another PE.) It’s rather routine if you work in the right industry.

          My JD was entirely night school via uncle sugar thinking I wanted the money. Turns out, it’s not worth the headaches. Right now, my professional resume is four pages that I just redact to relevant data.

  9. First choice: AR15 pistol with arm brace. Reliable (and waterproof) red dot or similar, wylde chambered, w/BUIS.

    Good hiding spot in your home (attic, basement, etc) to evade door to door government gestapo.

    • 1. The smallest building with a basement on the Gulf Coast that I’ve ever been in was a three story high half a city block federal building built like a literal fortress with gun ports and everything.

      2. A basement is the last place you want to be in during an event that primarily dangerous because of flooding.

  10. Of the guns I own (all handguns currently), I trust my HKs to handle the weather better than anything else I have (1911s and a wheelgun).

    Of my HKs, it’d probably be my USP .45C that would come out with me if I had to venture outside.

  11. A pistol or two and a side-by-side 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck should do the trick. As a bonus, the SxS breaks down into two short parts in about ten seconds and is easily carried in an unobtrusive day pack.

  12. yeah I saw all of this when it was live on TV during Katrina. The Louisiana government and their law enforcement agencies overstepped their bounds just because the state declared an act of natural emergency disaster. In the State of Florida we are protected we will not be stopped by police and asked to give up our Firearms ammunition or anything like that our governor has protected us that during a state of emergency we have the right to keep and bear arms and the right to remove our firearms from our houses that may be destroyed or looted. That crap wouldn’t fly here that damn Sheriff’s boat would have been sitting on the bottom of the by you LOL.

  13. We will have to consider this question when we relocate to the NC coast. SR9C, Sig 238 and Taurus TCP for backup, and the AK. The .380’s for deep concealment in situations where “firearms are not allowed but you would be better off still having them” and the AK because of reliability and nothing else says “keep your distance” like that shape. Three calibers is a pain, but we would leaving in an SUV. If I had to reduce the ammo, the SR9C and a HiPoint 995 TS. I have plenty extra mags and 9mm ammo for both, and this HiPoint is good out to 100 yards. I’d still stick one of the .380’s in a pocket.

    • Come on down brother! We haven’t gotten a truly devastating hurricane in a while. Matthew last year was the worst one we’ve had since Floyd really. We are definitely due and they are calling for a much more active season this year…where that will lead in terms of devastation, who knows? We tend to handle the hurricanes a lot better than we do a quarter inch of snow. Heck, I got married in a pier house during Matthew…literally. Luckily though, if you make more than a few friends once you move down east, chances are many of them will have a boat if the need arises.

  14. I have assisted in with evacuations as well as shelter operations and rescue/recovery as the result of major floods for a variety of organizations. I did some of the medical triage during Katrina.
    Although it is likely not allowed by the hosting organization, I would highly recommend a small, concealed handgun kept on your person at all times in the event that you are voluntarily or forcibly evacuated. Concealed means concealed.
    I’ve seen people beaten pretty savagely just for their Ambien right outside of the Austin Convention Center when it was used for shelter operations.

      • I agree with pwrserge. I’d rather hide in an attic to avoid discovery, than be disarmed and sent to the “beat down” shelter.

        • I agree as well. If I am being forced to go to a shelter, I’m pretty much going to assume that I’ll either die one way or t’other or that my home will be destroyed by either the hurricane or marauders. I might as well stay and do my best.

        • “Hide in the attic”
          The reason my family moved to Central Texas was because hurricane Allen left our attic about 2 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico.

      • That’s all well and good. You can of course take your chances. But sometimes you end up on the wrong side of those chances, and get to either drown, or leave.
        I don’t know about your topography and geology, but here, very few places are truly safe from flooding. A couple of years ago a rental property of mine flooded. It was 21 ft above the nearest floodplain, which was the hundred year flood line. The water was 11 feet high in the home. That’s 32 feet above the highest water line on record.

        • Right now I am very near the crest of a hill about 200 feet above the nearest flood plain. If my house is flooded, downtown Chiraq will resemble water world.

  15. In a hurricane, I think I might try out a flame thrower. Doesn’t sound like a good idea on the face of it but you never know until you try.

  16. I live in Friendswood, TX. We’re enjoying some time off during the storm but we’re ready. I spent more time shopping to get my neighbor stuff than us as my wife got all we needed early.

    As for guns, I’m wearing a Springfield XDM 3.8″ in 9mm. My wife has a Ruger LC9s. I have an AR-10 in .308 ready in addition to my M1 Garand in .30-06, as a backup. I seriously doubt I need to shoot more than 50 yards if something happens so it’s iron sights all round. If I really need reach, I have a Ruger .270 Win with a Leopold scope.

    We’re ready:)

  17. [Note: while I can’t see Katrina-Style house-to-house disarmament in Texas, no evac center’s going to allow firearms therein.]

    Concealed is concealed. I don’t tell my sister I’m packing when I visit and I sure won’t be telling some evac center flunky either.

  18. No matter how many hurricanes you’ve been thru, it is always unnerving when you get the news one is headed your way… at least for me it is, despite being prepared. But I’d rather deal with this than earthquakes or tornados.

    My carry choices during such times are a subcompact 9mm (currently a PX4) and an AR-15 (partially disassembled to carry in a backpack) with 3 to 4 mags for each.

    TTAG’ers in the path of Harvey, y’all be safe and behave. ;-D

  19. I’ve been through a half dozen hurricanes and more tropical storms than I can remember living in different areas of south Florida. I’ve never evacuated. If I did I’d just bring a semi-auto 9mm handgun. I always live in CBS houses with hip roofs and currently hurricane rated doors and windows. Before that I always had accordion shutters. Either stilted houses or houses built up with fill. I did have a truck get some salt water damage before. I didn’t have a ramp for it in my garage so it got some saltwater damage and had to replace all the brakes. That sucked.

    Having no AC and cleaning up Sea weed and garbage all day also sucks. Not have AC is the worst part of the aftermath of a hurricane. At least for my lucky ass.

    • “Not have AC is the worst part of the aftermath of a hurricane.”

      He isn’t kidding on that. The storm passes, the air is still, it’s the August heat, and the humidity is 1000 percent.

      You are *miserable* with no electricity, like I was, for 9 days total in 2004, after 3 hurricanes.

      It flat *sucks*. The only thing on the radio is an endless loop of ‘hurricane emergency instructions’, you had to wait until dark for the skywave to appear to hear *anything* different.

      About 3 AM, it kinda cools off enough to sleep a few hours, until the sun comes up, to steam you again…

      • “Not have AC is the worst part of the aftermath of a hurricane.”

        No, as everyone knows from LA and Katrina, the worst part is the smell of the staff-abandoned old-folks-home, five days in.

        Second, is having a mayor that utilizes U.S. Military, and National Guard assets and personnel to retrieve $400+K from his freezer.

  20. Depends on the scenario. If I’m riding out the storm at home, I’d probably just have my Kimber Pro Carry II two tone 1911 in 9mm on my hip with a spare mag in my left pocket. Or it could be my XDs-9 and a spare mag in a mag pouch. My XD Mod.2 9mm service is also close by and quickly accessible, as well as an AR-15 if things really get out of hand (unlikely).

    If I’m evacuating, I’d be taking the XD Mod.2 as my carry gun for the extra capacity over the Kimber 1911 or XDs. Probably 2 extra mags (1 in a mag pouch the other in my bug out bag) and a box of 9mm JHPs.

    I’d probably bring an AR-15 and 3 or 4 loaded 30 rd. mags in the car if evacuating but I’d be concerned about that getting stolen so I may not on 2nd thought (I guess I’d be concerned about it being stolen from a vacant house, too).

    My sister in San Antonio texted me this morning that her husband went to HEB last night to find water (they have about 3 or 4 gallons drinking water at the house), and multiple stores were sold out before he found a 24-pack of water bottles at a gas station. I’ve been telling her to prep, maybe this will be her wake-up call.

    • FlamencoD,

      Tell your sister in San Antonio to break out all of her plastic, glass, and metal containers in her kitchen (including pots) as well as all of her buckets and fill them with water. Cover as many as she can with whatever she can improvise as lids … even aluminum foil or static-cling plastic wrap if necessary. She should easily be able to have another 5 gallons on hand.

      Pro tip:
      During a prolonged water outage, turn off the natural gas/propane/electricity to your hot water heater and turn off your water main. Within 36 hours, your hot water should be close to room temperature and you now have a 40+ gallon tank of water available. Note that there should be a spigot at the bottom of the tank that you can use to get water out of it. (Also note that you might have to go to the highest level of your home and turn on a hot water faucet in order for the water to exit that spigot at the bottom of your hot water tank.) Ideally, it should taste fine for drinking. At the very least, you have that water available for washing, cooking, and even flushing toilets (assuming that your sewage can go somewhere).

      Once water is available again: close the spigot on the bottom of your water heater. Turn your water main back on. As your hot water tank refills, allow the air in the tank to exit through a hot water faucet on the highest level of your home. Once you have water flowing out of your hot water faucet on your highest level, you can turn the natural gas/propane/electricity back on to your hot water heater.

      • Extra ProTip-

        Fill ziplock freezer bags with water and pack your freezer full with them, the extra ice will buy some more storage hours.

        (A little late now for Texas, to keep in mind next time…)

      • Still claiming Amateur / Olympic eligible status Tip:

        There’s plenty of water on the way, work on your collection and storage methods on your roof.

        • Joe R.,

          I have thought about keeping a CLEAN tarp available for rainwater collection. All you would need are four sturdy posts to elevate all four corners of the tarp about four feet high and then a CLEAN string and weight to create a low spot (half way between two posts) on the edge of the tarp which points/pours into a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket.

          I can picture that keeping a low spot on the edge of the tarp might be difficult. If that is the case, then a one-inch diameter hole in the middle of the tarp and a CLEAN rock to make it the low spot should work like a charm.

          I keep emphasizing the word “CLEAN” because you want to be able to drink this water straight without any treatment. That is only possible if everything is clean — as in sanitized.

          Oh, and position your tarp in the open so that the rainwater landing on your tarp hasn’t fallen through trees. (Rainwater falling through trees will have a lot of nasty stuff — like bird and insect feces — mixed in.)

        • The tarp-as-a-tank isn’t a bad idea, but I’d only trust water in it for things like bathing and toilet flushing…

  21. Being a milsurps lover, I’d have to defend my home with a vintage .308 Garand or some other long rifle for longer ranges, a fabulous SPAS 12 with 8 rounds magazine loaded with buckshot for close quarter and my beloved Bernardelli P One in 9 mm (16 rounds mags) for really close range.
    All in all, not a bad outlook, considering around here most people are not armed and for sure would not expect that kind of resistance in a shtf case.

  22. Mossberg 930 shotgun: Not only to deal with two legged predators, but the swarm of dogs and other pests who’ll be scavenging in the wake of a disaster. In the event of this kind of disaster, you’d probably be more likely to encounter packs of feral dogs than you are feral humans…and most looters will be scared off with the mere presentation of a firearm. It’s more likely that you’d need to shoot dogs instead of humans.

    Glock 19: Yeah yeah, boring. But those 33 round mags though….

    FN Ps90 OR Scorpion Evo 3: Light, portable, high capacity. If the disaster is particularly bad, you may want to carry a little more than a handgun around. Carry one on a sling or across your body and you can bring it to bear rapidly if need be.

    • I was thinking PS90 as well:

      – reasonably compact (toss in back pack or wear on sling)
      – decent rage (“out to” 200 yd)
      – 50 rd mags (have 3-4 extra mags loaded)

      And having shot one, those little 5.7x28mm have quite a sting. . . somewhere between a 9mm and .223.

      Oh, and some kind of side arm, not sure on the exact pistol but, duh.

  23. I got a shotgun, a rifle and a four-wheel drive, and a country boy can survive.

    Wife and I have at least two holstered handguns each, in addition to the Mossberg 930 12 gauge for home defense, and the AR-15 to use on those who would mess with my generator.

    I’m thankful to live on the top of a hill. Flooding will not be an issue. If an evacuation is ordered, I’m staying put. About the only thing that could make me leave would be a tornado that damaged the house beyond liveability.

  24. My Kentucky windage runs out at 42 mph (unless I’m in a moving vehicle).

    How many mil-dots do you hold, left or right, for 110 mph?

    Hurricane gun? 40MM, them’s tough to clean, but they’s good eatin’.

    Seriously, If I had to evacuate (I would try not to, and GOD help the people that do) I’d bring all of them. I’d have a shoulder holster in case I had to swim a little.

  25. I just saw where Harvey is now a Cat 4 storm with 130 mph sustained winds. As a native Floridian who usually sneezes at anything at 100 mph or below, this is bad. Shit will get real and quick. Prayers are incoming for you all in the line of fire, along with a promise to send as much help as we can during the aftermath.
    Stay safe & God bless.

  26. “What guns for a Hurricane?” That question was settled by the brits at the start of ww2. Colt Brownings in .303 caliber, 8 of them, until the newer 20mm could be brought on line.

    Duh.

  27. Halfway up a mountain in the Catskills puts me out of range for any coastal disaster! Flooding is not an issue here. And in New Dork, the issue of what handgun is irrelevant without a CCP. Cops here don’t give a damn if it was your life or his. No permit, expect longer jail time than the thug. That leaves my shotguns, 12 ga. with 00 buck and slugs.

  28. OK, here’s the deal. Learn to make SOME kind of food. Keep SOMETHING food-wise in your living quarters. Prepare said food SOMETIMES and rotate in new stock. And you won’t be caught with nothing when the hurricane/storm/earthquake/blizzard/motherinlawvisit hits home. And do you have SOME kind of firearm? Yes? Good.

  29. Depending upon the depth of water, any Glock with ‘marine’ striker-spring cups would be just fine. After all, when shooting underwater, one wouldn’t want the striker to be slowed down by water being trapped within the striker assembly and striker tunnel on discharge, now, would one?
    Of course, one must be certain that the entire gun is underwater before firing. . .

  30. A “Hurricane” you say? Something “belt-fed” should suffice, actually nothing “smaller” or less powerful when compared to what “authorities” are carrying..

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