Status Update For My 2nd Amendment

I apologize for my blog inactivity, but I'll have to trot out my work excuse. I'm now the Assistant Swim coach and the Swim coach at my school, so I've been pretty busy. What that entails is to leave for practice at 4:45 each morning and come home about 7:30 each evening, ..... plus, into the second grading period of the school year!

On the other hand, my plan to create a small arsenal is going quite well. OK, not the stockpile that this guy has amassed, but I've done pretty well..... being up to 7 guns in a bit under a year since I first got started in just short of a year. I'm especially proud that they all fit into a plan and not just random pieces and that I've been able to do it without debt.

So, what exactly is this plan? In a word; it's purpose, in that every gun I own has a purpose and not just a random piece. ??? It starts with my belief that because we've been given the right, then it's our responsibility to defend ourselves. You know: the 2nd Amendment and stuff.....

It all starts here; with the handgun. I chose this as my first purchase because, the pistol is the most flexible. It doesn't do one thing all that well, but it can do virtually any thing. Home protection, personal concealed carry, you name it. I actually started out with an HK VP9, but after some trading around which included a Walther P99, I ended up with the PPQ that I wanted all along. It's a fantastic weapon that fits my hand well and shoots great. It also gets the majority of my handloads which to date have been exclusively 9mm. The other handgun that I own is my latest acquisition which is the Walther PPS, and it is in fact an "M1" version as well so that both have the European style "paddle" mag release. I bought this not too long after taking the Texas LTC (Licence to Carry) class. And as soon as the bureaucratic wheels of government slowly get turning, I'll start to conceal this firearm.

 

A major part of my system is this. It came to live with us this summer. In my system, each gun has a job to do and this one holds down the job of "intruder stopper". Is it sexy? ..... no Is it cool? .....a little bit with the Magpul SGA furniture and yes, mine wears the heat shield too (not because I need it, but because it was cheap and kinda cool in a WWI, trench gun way). But it has an essential job. If something goes "bump in the night", I'm reaching beside my nightstand for this Mossberg 500 "Persuader" and jacking a round of #4 Buckshot into the chamber..... the 3rd shell in we move on to "00"... It doesn't get taken out for random range days, and nobody is going to oooh and ahhhh over it when they come over, but it has a very important job. Equipped with an 18" barrel, and a white-beamed weapon light, it'll be just fine. 

And while we're on the subject of shotguns, there's this that fulfills the role of "survival" all-in-one gun "just in case". It was cheap ($65 shipped). It folds up, as you can see, and with adapters (of which I own a 9mm one), can handle darned near any cartridge. There are supposed to be other barrels coming for it as well, so that should be cool in case it ever comes to fruition, but $65!!!

Then, last month, the big one happened; the "battle rifle" got finished!  It's basically like the one in the image above, built on an Aero Precision upper, lower, M-Lok free-floating handguard/rail, with a 16" stainless barrel chambered in .223 Wylde. I'm not going to get into a ton of detail here, but this essentially gives me a do everything long-gun. It's not legal to hunt deer with here in Texas, but if push came to shove, it could do that. People can and do hunt hog with them and the .223/5.56 is an outstanding varmint cartridge. However, at the end of the day, it's a battle rifle and all that that implies! One of the strengths of the AR "platform" is the flexibility. Eventually, I'll most likely build an actual hunting "upper" based on the 6.5 Creedmoore chambering as well as a .300 AAC (Blackout) on a shorter barrel as well. Both could be done on the same "lower" that I already own, and the 300BLK wouldn't even need a new bolt or magazine! The gun was pretty much all finished down to offset iron sights about a 2 months ago.....

..... then this happened! I had picked up a cheap 1-4x optic and was going to go with that until some time in the future when I came across a local ad for a Primary Arms 1-6x with the aclamed ACSS reticle. It's used of course, be in good shape for $180 complete with a quick-detach mount DONE!!!

NOT SO FAST! Yes, it was done in so much as it was ready to shoot regular .223/5.56 ammo, but you can't shoot that at a lot of indoor ranges, plus it's expensive. On top of all that, it's been the wettest fall in decades here in North Texas. But, I found this conversion for 22 long rifle. Yes; yet another reason to get an AR. I know that the 22lr is actually .223 vs. .224, but it's close enough to work just fine on most guns. I was able to try it out on mine last week and it shoots just fine. Now I have an option for when it won't stop raining and I can't go to the outdoor range. And at close to 5 cents per, I'll happily shoot 22lr for training purposes all day. Oh yeah, I picked it up used from the same firearms classified for $125. And I'm not done yet!

This weekend, I've arranged to pick up a Walther PPQ/22LR from a guy locally. Again, it's purpose is to allow me to practice inexpensively while maintaining the feel of the full-sized weapon in my hands. I really excited to find it. I also have some other projects going as well, so stay tuned. 

The Modern Miniteman

As I approach my "gun goal", it's time to evaluate my situation. The intention of being a gun owner was and is not for it to be a hobby or a collection. That's a separate concept, and I'll get to that later. My purpose is the old 2nd Amendment goal of exercising my right to be armed and defend myself and my family if the need arises. I've extended that to include what might be necessary in the event of a temporary breakdown of societal norms (aka SHTF, WROL, etc). To that end, I've decided that I'd like to have the following weapons:

• Service Pistol: A pistol designed to handle defensive situations over possibly an extended period of time and therefore uses a "standard" caliber round and of sufficient power to stop an adult human. I have a Walther P99 with 9 magazines.
• Pistol Caliber Carbine: A carbine length weapon designed to use the same caliber ammunition as my primary pistol which would be easy to use by someone not as familiar with firearm use. I have a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 (Gen 2) chambered in 9mm and takes the Beretta magazines (7 mags). Beretta and Walther magazines can be interchanged with minimal modifications. 
•  Survival Gun: A general use, adaptable weapon that can be used in a variety of situations. I have a Fedarm SS-12, 12 Gauge single-shot with a chamber adapter for 9mm. I'll also be getting chamber adapters for 22LR and some other calibers as well. This gun has a synthetic stock, a paracord sling and folds down to roughly 18 inches.
• Battle Rifle: A full-sized main "battle weapon" designed to either offensively attack an enemy or fight off one or more concerted attacker(s) chambered in a standard caliber. I have an AR-15 clone in .223/5.56 NATO along with 14 magazines. 

It's in my plan to also get the following as time and finances allow:

• Home Defense Shotgun: In all probability, this will be a Mossberg 500, or Remington 870 pump shotgun in 12 Gauge. 
• Concealed Carry Handgun: 9mm "single-stack" handgun for ammunition commonality and adequate knockdown power. In all probability, this will be the M1 version of the Walther PPS.
• Small Caliber Small-game and Practice Handgun: 22LR, Walther P22. Similar handling characteristics to the P99.

That puts the count at 7, and that my seem like a lot of guns, but it's really not. Each has it's own specific job and none of them overlap. There's not really even a "back up" to each other. 

As you can see, the majority of the guns I own or aspire to own are "Minuteman" type guns. What does that mean? I own guns because I believe in being responsible for protecting myself, my family and being a sheep dog to my neighbors. And if it came down to it, I'd do what I'd be called on by my country if things went seriously out of whack. 

Note that all of my guns, whether owned or projected to purchase are chambered for "standard" calibers; that being 22LR, 9mm Para, 223/5.56 NATO, and 12 Gauge. These are rounds that are easy to get, cheap (relatively) to buy, and more easy to scavenge in case of a breakdown. These are serious considerations since, guns become fancy paperweights without ammunition! 

In addition, it's my intention that I have the capability to reload virtually all the calibers listed above...... with obvious exception of the 22LR of course since it's "Rimfire". Right now, I'm set up to do 9mm and 5.56, so I'm most of the way there. I just need 12 gauge. So, is there anything else that I need/want for completion?

•  An Smith & Wesson SW99. A backup/ Truck Gun with in everything but name (and price) is a Walther P99, in 9mm of course. These can often be bought for less than $250.
  
  
•  A 300 "Blackout" AR. There's a number of ways I could go on this. The main idea of a 300Blk being something with better knockdown power inside of 200 yards than the 5.56. I could go with a pistol length weapon or carbine length. Mostly, it would be a "hog gun". Technically, I already own it since I bought another Aero Precision lower receiver.
  
    

•  A Breakdown/Take-down 22LR for obvious reasons. The Henry AR-7 shown at the top would be over $100 cheaper than the Ruger AND espeically if the Ruger 10/22 is equipped with the Magpul X-22 stock.I guess, we'll see on that. 

 So, I guess, that's it. I'm halfway to an overall goal of 10 guns total, with three which that could be considered optional. They would give me that ability to do just about anything I needed to do. I seriously doubt that I would get into collecting. Not that I'm uninterested, it's just that they are simply too expensive! 

Sure, we own a Winchester 1873 in 38-40, but it's a family heirloom and will probably never be shot. Otherwise, these things just get into too much money and something a teacher-father of two just can't afford to get into. So, I'd have to say that I'm pretty satisfied in the progress to my goals as a Modern Minuteman.