FYI you want the 1901 not the 87, might as well have nitro-steel
Best Black Powder SHTF gun?
- Thread starter john@
- Start date
FYI you want the 1901 not the 87, might as well have nitro-steel
tactical870
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Buckhorn, Ontario
The OP said it was 1895 in his fantasy scenario. The 10 guage lever came out in 1901. The 12 came out in 1887. 
You have a STEAM-POWERED time machine????? Mine is clockwork! Absolute b*tch to wind up, too!
For SHTF in 1895, I already have pretty much what I would need: Snider Carbine, Snider Mark III long rifle (steel barrels vs brown iron on the early Marks), hammer double 10-bore with 28-inch tubes (original). Have a SAA but don't like them; the mechanism is awfully prone to damage. Same reason, forget 1873 Winchesters: weak actions. The '86 is nice but heavy; have a couple in .45-70, another in .40-82 (better cartridge for range). Martini-Henry is likely the best rifle for range AND it is five-eighths of bombproof.
If you have a hot-spring around you have sulphur. If you have a manure-heap, you have saltpeter. If you have wood you have charcoal. Just know how to separate them, refine them and mix them without blowing yourself up. Get a St. Barbara medal.
For a handgun, I have a New Service .455 and an 1892 Colt in .41LC.
BTW, this is 1895; year the first Mauser C95 came out, modded the year following to a 10-round mag from the original half-dozen. Or you could get a shiny new Borchardt; they have been on the market for 2 years already.
LOTsa funs!
.
For SHTF in 1895, I already have pretty much what I would need: Snider Carbine, Snider Mark III long rifle (steel barrels vs brown iron on the early Marks), hammer double 10-bore with 28-inch tubes (original). Have a SAA but don't like them; the mechanism is awfully prone to damage. Same reason, forget 1873 Winchesters: weak actions. The '86 is nice but heavy; have a couple in .45-70, another in .40-82 (better cartridge for range). Martini-Henry is likely the best rifle for range AND it is five-eighths of bombproof.
If you have a hot-spring around you have sulphur. If you have a manure-heap, you have saltpeter. If you have wood you have charcoal. Just know how to separate them, refine them and mix them without blowing yourself up. Get a St. Barbara medal.
For a handgun, I have a New Service .455 and an 1892 Colt in .41LC.
BTW, this is 1895; year the first Mauser C95 came out, modded the year following to a 10-round mag from the original half-dozen. Or you could get a shiny new Borchardt; they have been on the market for 2 years already.
LOTsa funs!
.
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
Nessy, is that the Ron Scott? The Scott is a beauty and a great investment. The nice thing about high end muzzleloaders they get better with age
Nice family photo, there are some good folks in there.
Nice family photo, there are some good folks in there.
No shortage of firepower here, personally, for my precision shooting, I have a 50 cal flint/percussion rifle with an Ed Rayl barrel, I've put a 3 shots inside 2 3/4" at 180 yds.
My other go to gun is my 62 cal/20 ga smoothbore, can be used as a shotgun or 62 cal roundball.
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
My Bess would be "my go to gun". There is nothing like the look on someones face when they look down at the .72 cal hole at the end of the muzzle, as Njord would say it is all about the diameter
kickassnikov47
Regular
id take my .50 cva bushwacker hawken, it was a percussion gun but i changed it out with a siler flintlock(can still go back to percussion due to keeping all the original parts)
i have an old cva double smoothe bore in 62 caliber, its percussion, but i do have flintlocks for it, that would take me about 2 hours to fit them!
and i have 2 traditions trapper pistols in .50 that are both flintlocks!
i would also have my tomohawk, and my long hunters kinfe, possibles bag, .50, and .62 round ball molds, powder horns, a small stone mortar and pestal, with a little scale i picked up from the last rondezvous, by bed roll, my canteen, and the 12X12 canvas that i dyed using a walnut bath solution, and my various wild animal snares! yes i can realy live like a mt. man lol!!!!
i have an old cva double smoothe bore in 62 caliber, its percussion, but i do have flintlocks for it, that would take me about 2 hours to fit them!
and i have 2 traditions trapper pistols in .50 that are both flintlocks!
i would also have my tomohawk, and my long hunters kinfe, possibles bag, .50, and .62 round ball molds, powder horns, a small stone mortar and pestal, with a little scale i picked up from the last rondezvous, by bed roll, my canteen, and the 12X12 canvas that i dyed using a walnut bath solution, and my various wild animal snares! yes i can realy live like a mt. man lol!!!!
If you can make your own BP, then I guess the ultimate survivalist's gun would be an accurate flintlock rifle. For me, that would be my Lyman Deerstalker in .50 cal.
As for pistol... I guess I'd go for a something like a Remington 1875 in cap'n'ball, with at least a few boxes full of caps to spare. As for extra close quarters encounters... who can beat a nice large survival blade or two!
As for pistol... I guess I'd go for a something like a Remington 1875 in cap'n'ball, with at least a few boxes full of caps to spare. As for extra close quarters encounters... who can beat a nice large survival blade or two!
For a pistol, my lefaucheux 12mm pinfire.
For a rifle, a trapdoor Springfield. Although this being a SHTF thread, I'd first have to cut it down to 12", then invent the weaver rail and mount one to the stock, then attach an underbarrel oil lantern for positive threat ID at night.
For a rifle, a trapdoor Springfield. Although this being a SHTF thread, I'd first have to cut it down to 12", then invent the weaver rail and mount one to the stock, then attach an underbarrel oil lantern for positive threat ID at night.
dead cats, barbeques, and sulphur stolen from cn rail cars- you could STILL modify a cap to a fuse and match configuration- you can also get salt petre from ANY BRANCH of the roman catholic chuch that teaches school, and the local pharmacy
I think the SHTF gun option will be only a stop gap. Once the brass/lead/powder starts running short (ie you have ransacked your neighbours and applic government armouries etc), it will be time to go old school and I doubt that a flintlock will provide that much more flexibility....Any self-respecting Victorian gentleman should be prepared to switch to a nice tomahawk to dispatch the undead legions with style!
It would provide alot more flexibility as there is no limit to the amount of propellant you can pack in there. Have a very weak batch of homemade powder and you might not get enough in a brass cartridge case to make it effective. The whole not needing brass cases and primers is obviously much more built in flexibilty as is the option to shoot rocks, marbels, ball bearing, arrows etc, etc. Heck you don't even need a spring or a flint. Any ember will make it go boom. I'll pit my matchlock shooting river pebbles against anyone's tomahawk LOL. Plus an unloaded flintlock has alot more range then a short axe..... As stated above a 75 cal smooth bore with a 3 foot bayonet is alot of badness!
Folks that shoot flint locks can grin knowingly about the amount of 'hardship' an interuption in supply would cause them.
