Ok, Crom as my witness I am done buying Ruger P95DC’s. I unexpectedly won not one but two auctions last week. That’s a pretty hard punch to the wallet to roll with. So….no more. Done. Finito. Inventory says I’ve got.. well…a bunch. Since my policy is usually to never sell a gun except to purchase another one, I suppose I should remove some of the P89 and P95 non-decocker variants to make room for the two on the way.
In my defense, though, the last one I purchased for $200 plus shipping was virtually untouched, with box and docs:
For a pistol platform that is a tertiary level of backup, I really might have gone overboard. But…a quality, reliable, inexpensive, and somewhat semi-disposable handgun is really not a bad thing to have squirreled away for that Rainy Decade. And, quite honestly, for $200 I cannot fathom a better handgun choice….certainly it is leaps and bounds a better choice than any -arov handgun, and it certainly beats, IMHO, a HiPoint. Remember, guys – after the end of the world there will be no award handed out for the person who managed to make it through the apocalypse with the cheapest gear. Yeah, you could go through Katrina with a Mosin-Nagant and a Makarov…. but why would you? Anyone whose aspirations exceed working as a WalMart greeter can come up with better materiels than that.
If someone I cared about showed up on my doorstep with not much more than the clothes on their back, I like to think I’d be able to gear them up in a manner that would not embarrass or shame me.Guns such as this one allow me to do just that. On the other hand, I have, literally, no people I am close to who do not already have enough guns in their own stashes to do this sort of thing. But Fate is a fickle and unpredictable thing…so you never know.
Is this a likelihood? Probably not. But I feel better when I have extra guns in the safe, and (normally) I can afford to pick them up every once in a while. And, like the stash of freeze drieds, a couple of these will get packaged for the Deep Sleep and wind up at the Beta Site. Since these stupid things are, relatively, so cheap it isn’t like there’s a tremendous opportunity cost.
Overkill? Meh…maybe. But I think differently about these sorts of things than most humans. I tend to overthink things. For example, if I have a friend or relative that I visit out of state, I can afford to stash one of these there for my use while I’m there and not have to deal with the hassle of flying with a pistol.
My reckoning says I’ve about 25 years left on my meter, and if I were unable to buy any more guns after tomorrow I think I’d be pretty okay…not happy…but okay.
The good news for you? You guys will no longer be bidding against me on GunBroker for these things.
Meh. A 9mm made by Ruger…for $200?!
How could you not buy them?
Redundant redundancy, and/or the ability to equip your own not-so-little band, are not a bad thing.
Warlord Zero of Montana Territory?
There are worse things I could think of.
Esp. given that you’ve got most everything covered.
If you had just guns, it’d be folly.
But you’re not That Guy.
So at a certain point, thinking in terms of “Us” rather than just “Me” has a proper place in preparedness.
Me, I’m shooting for a squad. Then a platoon. And so on.
That perimeter isn’t going to watch itself, and at some point, you’ve got to sleep. It’s helpful to have eyes-on around the clock.
Like rust, zombies – and hungry hordes, which amount to the same thing – never sleep.
Two is one, and one is none.
But twelve to twenty is a bona fide supply depot.
ROWYBS.
And kudos on the auction coups.
Personally, I figured to someday just cut to the chase, and learn to start making blank receivers from 80%ers, and go from there. But that’s because everything worth shooting hereabouts runs around $500 or better.
I actually did the same thing as you..my goal was to be able to equip five people identically with rifle, shotgun, pistol, related gear, packs, radios, etc, etc. At middling squad level now.
How are you getting on with the rifles and shotguns.
We seem to get along just fine.
They aren’t helping much in your big safe full of guns. Take those disposable guns and spread them across the land. One at the shop, one in your locker at the gym, one with your old deer rifle up at your buddies cabin, one at your storage locker, caches, etc all.
I try to work backwards to figure out gun and gear needs in an intentional way. Otherwise your just pulling numbers out of your rear end. Granted a major goal of preparedness is to feel like you are equipped to handle x and in that sense if 5-10 Glock/ AR/ AKs makes you feel comfortable then do that. I try to be more intentional though.
What I found when I shifted to looking at systems instead of individual guns/ items was that I was surprisingly short on the various ancillary stuff. Holsters, mag pouches, belts, cleaning kits, IFAKs, etc all.
Oh, I quite agree. I don’t have x to just have them in the safe. They’re slowly(!) migrating around.
Hello! My name’s Zero and I have a problem.
Oh, there’s a problem alright……
😀 Yeah, the same problem we all have. Not enough guns.
Damn it, just when I was about to email you about my LaRue OBR 7.62 18″ Heavy that I need to part with…
Congrats! Nothing like throwing out those low-ball bids with zero expectation of anyth……WINNING!!11!
When I fly out to visit my sister & her family, guess what the loaner gun is for my hotel room?……P89, baby….
Wow I love your conscious streaming in that post. Believe me your not crazy! When the final story is told you will be satisfied with the way you did things even if it never plays out like you think it would have…
You could also start taking non-shooter friends out to the range. Imagine the face of someone who’s been shooting a P89 when you tell her that she can keep it, and hand her a few boxes of ammo to get her started.
Llfe is too short, and the ugly future too certain, to waste my time with people who do not shoot.
As long as the ravening hordes aren’t actually coming over the horizon, it’s not too late to bring new acolytes into the gun culture fold. Due to circumstances, some get a later start on the pursuit of freedom than they optimally should. Reality of life.
This is a stupid question but what kind of holsters are you putting away for those Rugers? That makes perfect sense about getting those Rugers for just a few dollars more than a Hi Point many in the preparedness/patriot movement put down as a cache or handout handgun. Several years ago, came across a couple older PT92AF’s for $250 each that have been put away as handouts since I’m not planning on arming the neighborhood or even a few friends that may show up post Hamner-Brown. 15 years and you still have nuggets of logic to drop upon us. Thank you.
I find the Bianchi UM84 to be a somewhat universal holster.
Many years ago, I used to check the boxes of unsold or used holsters at gunshows and gun stores. I’ve found some good bargains this way. I don’t mean cheap junk, but major name brands.
How many lap dances are you gonna charge those poor post apocalypse co-eds for one of your P89s?
One…but she had to bring four of her friends along.
So you will not be bidding on the stainless one that’s up for Minimum Bid $180.00 + postage. Or the blue one with Minimum Bid $205.23 + £20 postage.
Im not really sure why youre so concerned.
I assume that when you stash one with an out of state friend or relative that you do so through an FFL? Because otherwise you have taken part in an illegal transfer…and that’s a felony.
Not meaning to be a jerk, just wanting to make sure anyone who reads this doesn’t think you can just legally give someone a gun across state lines.
I’m not giving anyone a gun across state lines.
I’m leaving my gun in a footlocker with my other junk at a friends house.
No transfer is taking place unless you think that leaving a gun in someones basement is somehow a transfer of ownership.
It’s a transfer of possession, and that’s what the law cares about. Who owns it is immaterial. Possession is what matters to the feds.
Unless the footlocker is locked and your friend doesn’t have a key it’s an illegal transfer of possession across a state line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL42eDvEoF4
I agree with p95 choice. I managed a very, very, busy gun rental range in las vegas and noted the p95 can be left in service for a long time (all year!) and no breakage. They were nasty from use but cleaned up well with no extra parts needed for refurbishing and were sold off quickly at bargain rates to those that knew the brand’s reputation and value. Ruger ran a range instructor gun sales program years ago for us NRA instructors to take advantage of (like $243 blued/$283 k=stainless!) I, of course scarfed up four (4) for my personal training /reserve gun inventory. Best deal/decision I ever made. We are like a cult of followers.
I caught that Makarov dis.