battle rifle book 6.5

BATTLE RIFLE BOOK 6 continued

WHICH ROUND? Chapter Continued

The simple fact of the matter is that it is hard enough to hit your target.  This is one of the reasons semi-auto is so popular ( even though, counter-intuitively, the design and function make it far less accurate ).  In theory you have the opportunity to keep trying to hit him a lot quicker.  I have nothing against this theory, as I’ll be one of the schmucks in the line of fire out there.  The problem for the Apocalypse is that the more you try to hit the enemy the faster you run out of ammunition.

*

Which is a very big reason that I don’t wish to discount the carbine round.  You get twice as many for the same price.  This has nothing to do with how many rounds you can battle carry.  It has to do with the size of your stockpile.  The more ammunition you have, the better ( although don’t take that too far.  Steel cased ammo that hits nothing is a waste of money unless you are under fifty yards consistently ).  All that you have is all that you will ever have.  Post-apocalyptic trade fairs and reloading are mostly fantasy.  Almost all the ammo will be used up very quickly, and that leaves none for trade if anybody has half a brain.  Reloading is so rare that what damn fool would want to trade away that limited non-replenish resource?

*

Again, I don’t dislike the full size thirty caliber round.  I don’t use it for distance because I simply am NOT a marksman.  I don’t plan on much past 100 yards with 200 being about max.  I use them because that is what the Lee-Enfield used and as a bonus I don’t have to worry about the very windy conditions locally ( you don’t even notice the wind here, but only when it ISN’T windy ).  But I don’t use the criteria of it being a beefy heavy hard hitting round.  That is just a bonus.  I worry more about the weapon I use being super reliable and about the cost of my ammunition stockpile.

*

That is really a discussion for another time, but in short if I had discovered the carbine round workaround earlier most of my stockpile would be for 7.62x39 rather than the full powered 303 British.  I simple don’t place as much importance in the power of the round compared to if I have enough rounds at all.  And if I could keep firing the rifle.  The 7.62x39 round alleviates a lot of the issue of deflection, compared to the 223, and under 250 yards the round is a pitbull.  Small and ugly but ferocious.  It should be noted that the Soviets devoted more time and attention to the round than the rifle.  The Enfield itself is no tack driver, but far more reliable than any other bolt action rifle of the era ( but I’ll get into that in another chapter-my point here is that I picked it for its action, not the round it fired ).

*

By focusing on weapons rather than ammunition, primarily, you are concentrating on the far more important aspect of logistics anyway.  Ammunition quantity is by far a much more important component than the weapon firing it or its quality.  Most guns are 125 year old technology ( only advanced as far as tweaking the metal and furniture incrementally ), but non corrosive modern ammunition is only about half as old.  It is far more advanced and hence far more easily disrupted as our system degrades.  By ignoring the 9vs 45 or the 223 verses 308 argument, you can focus on how deep your larder is.  THAT is the primary importance. 

*

Stop worrying about battlefield incapacity and instead change your tactics to reduce the importance of instant lethality.  You are going to have to adapt this mindset anyway, sooner or later, as all your primary weapons become useless from lack of ammunition and you are forced to relying on your Forever Gun.

*

Your number one consideration is if your weapon is capable of firing.  This includes your need to worry about having the ammunition for it.  Of course, yes, I said in the introduction that if you are poor and already armed you must be content with just focusing on ammunition.  If your firearm is a piece of crap you just need to deal with that and carry on as best you can.  I am assuming throughout this book, however, that you are making a choice in order to purchase.  That you have the means financially of choosing.  I just assume that almost everyone has a limited budget and since that is the case you are going to choose the cheaper carbine rounds to get enough fodder to keep your weapon running as long as possible.

*

Again, I love the CONCEPT of the full round thirty caliber rifle.  I own one and consider myself fortunate.  But when considering a limited budget they might be out of reach for you.  Both the amount of rounds and the price of the gun itself.  Even without considering the One Is None aspect, one rifle and one thousand rounds and just ten magazines have a huge cost differential.  The AVERAGE costs are illustrative.  The bigger bore system costs you $2400 and the carbine arsenal only $1200.  Half the cost.  This is no small consideration.  Especially since you need more than one gun and more than a mere one thousand rounds ( and that few mags is problematic also ).

*

So that covers logistics.  Now how about performance?  All machismo posturing aside, a lower recoil system improves your chances of hitting something.  Again, some folks are so darn good this isn’t a factor.  But the average shooter is not all that good.  And hence low recoil increases the odds of a hit.  Which itself conserves ammunition.  Note that I do NOT speak here of modern gunfights or modern battlefields. I speak of post-apocalypse conditions.  In a current modern gunfight, you might be forced to remain close enough to strangers that round incapacitation is paramount.  On the modern battlefield resupply is a given.  These are not considerations that occur after the collapse, at least not to the same degree.

*

Even with a semi-auto, it is far more important to hit your target more often with fewer rounds, post-apocalypse.  Less recoil helps the AVERAGE shooter do this.  If you are super stud survivalist, it matters less. If you are average, it matters far more.  I’m simply going to hit more with my rimfire than my Enfield, at the same ranges.  The rimfire has no recoil and I’m just better with it.  That doesn’t mean I want to use it instead of the full powered rifle, it is just to illustrate a point.  The thing with carbine rounds is that they are the Goldilocks Just Right compromise between reducing the recoil yet not as much the stopping power/range.  The 30 full bore will work so much better at stopping power, but you don’t hit as much with it.  If you are AVERAGE.  The carbine rounds were designed for the AVERAGE soldier.

*

The thing to remember is that the full thirty was designed to stop horses.  I’ll cover that later, and just note here that the infantry has always had a fear of cavalry, and designed weapons for that problem as much for if not more so other infantrymen.  That issue colored WWI weapons design as well as influenced the battle rifles that followed.  The assault rifle was really the first weapon that escaped that design flaw.  It won’t stop a horse.  But it doesn’t have to.  And most soldiers will run out of carbine ammo long before the horse returns to the battlefield.  It is a better round for penetration, for distance and for stopping power.  But if you can’t afford those designs, a carbine will do, round wise.

( .Y. )

( today's related link https://amzn.to/2KFCMui )
*
note: free books.  Zombies https://amzn.to/2MEfaIu & road trip https://amzn.to/2MjJkUd & hey why not yet more zombies https://amzn.to/2B5o28C 
*

Please support Bison by buying through the Amazon ad graphics at the top of the page ( or from www.bisonbulk.blogspot.com ). Or PayPal www.paypal.me/jimd303 

*** Unless you are in extreme poverty, spend a buck a month here, by the above donation methods or mail me some cash/check/money order or buy a book. If you don't do Kindle books, send me the money and I'll e-mail it to you in a PDF file.  If you donated, you may request books no charge.  
*** My e-mail is: jimd303@reagan.com  My address is: James M Dakin, 181 W Bullion Rd #12, Elko NV 89801-4184 ***E-Mail me if you want your name added to the weekly e-newsletter subscriber list.

*** Pay your author-no one works for free.  I’m nice enough to publish for barely above Mere Book Money, so do your part.*** junk land under a grand *  Lord Bison* my bio & biblio*   my web site is www.bisonprepper.com *** Wal-Mart wheat***Amazon Author Page
* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there