Determining bug out ammo requirements

[Matt In Oklahoma]

My legs are getting tired reading this thread! LOL
Until we sell our current home, if something happens while I'm at work, like an EMP attack, and I'm in the field I might have to travel as much as 13 miles to get to the BOB I keep in my Mountaineer then 22 miles home. Depending where I'm working I might be better off going from my work location directly home which is why I'm in the process of making my workpack a smaller version of my BOB. I think I lean more stealth than carrying a large amount of ammo for a brief trek. I've got a weeks worth of food in my pack so I can last a while if sneaking around causes me to take more time getting home. Among other things, for about a year I've been doing daily squats with weights to build up my leg strength. I'm not getting any younger and I need all the help I can get! Any thoughts on what the weight of the pack should be for the average Joe like me to carry long distance?

What is called a Get Me Home Bag GMHB is in order here. It usually runs no more than 30lbs or so but can be much lighter than that such as the small bag my wife has. I will send you some stuff. It should contain just enough to make it back home + a little more for delays. The best workout is just to put it on and walk. In my case it's a hunting packback which is nothing unusual around here. When folks do ask me about being on the treadmill or running with it i just tell them i have a big hunt coming up and it's too expensive not to be in shape and enjoy it.
On the rifle, make do with what you can. There are those that will jump on you for having a 22 MBR but we are not all created equal and I've never met a volunteer that will alow me to shoot them once with it to prove that it's not effective. Also remember the goal is NOT to get into a firefight at all but be ready if it happens with enough. Everyones ideas are different and none may be wrong because we dont know what we will face if anything. Each senario is different, buggin out of a storm ravaged area wont be the same as a end of world hoarde of face eatin zombies or navigating thru teenage thieves while tryin to get home after an emp

[Grand58742]

Am I better off with a .22 rifle and chunk of ammo or an AR15? Seems like I read an average AR 15 weighs 8 lbs. then there's the ammo. I assume a .22 rifle might weigh a bit less than that, but then there's the problem of accuracy, etc...

Like Matt says, you do what you can with what you have. If all you have is a .22 for self defense, it's better than nothing. Here's the hierarchy of self defense weapons in my opinion:

Hand to hand combat and martial arts are better than screaming like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert and trying to dial 911.

A stick is better than hand to hand.

A knife is better than a stick.

A rimfire pistol is better than a knife.

Center fire pistols .32 caliber and over are better than rimfires.

Shotguns are better than pistols.

Center fire rifles are better than shotguns. Caliber isn't as important as shot placement.

And again, this is an opinion. YMMV and all that.

[Spock]

To each their own. Maybe 150 rounds isn't "enough" for a particular situation. Or maybe it's too much. AK rounds tend to be a bit heavier so carrying 7 to 10 mags might be a bit of a haul for some. I bought a chest rig from Hawkeye, originally thinking 3 mags might not be enough. With other stuff attached (IFAK and doodad pouch) it is just about right weight wise. So 120 rounds carried, another mag or two in the bag.

Maybe not for all, but hitting what you aim at is a far better idea than extra rounds.

my opinion is this. if you are in a walking bug out situation and you need the fire power of more than 3 spare rifle mags you are probably in a situation that not only needs more ammo but it needs more riflemen too. basically you're screwed.

[SeldomSeenSlim]

For those planning on walking long distances, have you considered caching gear along a planned route? When I've done long distance pack trips I've driven ahead and cached things along the route and I have a few caches hither and yon in the wilderness area I hunt. Nothing elaborate. Just an ammo can or dry bag with useful stuff tied up in a tree or buried under some rocks.

[Grand58742]

One of the biggest problems with doing a cache is being able to return to that exact spot when on the move. Murphy stalks us all the time and not everything will go according to plan. You may have to adjust your route in greater distances than planned or the area you planned on might not be a friendly environment.

Caches are a great idea in principle and I'm certainly not advocating against them. But there is a good chance you might not ever be able to take advantage of them depending on circumstances.

[JUSTIFIED]

What is called a Get Me Home Bag GMHB is in order here. It usually runs no more than 30lbs or so but can be much lighter than that such as the small bag my wife has. I will send you some stuff. It should contain just enough to make it back home + a little more for delays. The best workout is just to put it on and walk. In my case it's a hunting packback which is nothing unusual around here. When folks do ask me about being on the treadmill or running with it i just tell them i have a big hunt coming up and it's too expensive not to be in shape and enjoy it.
On the rifle, make do with what you can. There are those that will jump on you for having a 22 MBR but we are not all created equal and I've never met a volunteer that will alow me to shoot them once with it to prove that it's not effective. Also remember the goal is NOT to get into a firefight at all but be ready if it happens with enough. Everyones ideas are different and none may be wrong because we dont know what we will face if anything. Each senario is different, buggin out of a storm ravaged area wont be the same as a end of world hoarde of face eatin zombies or navigating thru teenage thieves while tryin to get home after an emp

Thanks Matt. Checking out what you sent.

[JUSTIFIED]

Like Matt says, you do what you can with what you have. If all you have is a .22 for self defense, it's better than nothing. Here's the hierarchy of self defense weapons in my opinion:

Hand to hand combat and martial arts are better than screaming like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert and trying to dial 911.

A stick is better than hand to hand.

A knife is better than a stick.

A rimfire pistol is better than a knife.

Center fire pistols .32 caliber and over are better than rimfires.

Shotguns are better than pistols.

Center fire rifles are better than shotguns. Caliber isn't as important as shot placement.

And again, this is an opinion. YMMV and all that.

Grand, I'm thinkin' hand grenades! LOL
Right now I'm carrying an S&W .38, extending billyclub and a couple of knives. I'm debating whether to add a long gun to that because of just that much more weight. I think I prefer doing as much "sneaking" home as possible. Everything in my pack is camo, except the toilet paper, so I'm ready to blend!

[Bama]

The entire premice of bugging out is a retreat. If you are retreating, one should evade known enemys or hostiles in route to a secure location. Then set up a defence. Well said , great blog.

[WILL]

If it's a short distance bug-out/ trip home, a shotgun or battle rifle is a great choice. I've found that for long distance trips, a .22 makes allot more sense.

[WILL]

Well said. I've been at the range several times and seen folks just blasting away at the target and barely hitting the edges. I take enough time to shoot a good tight pattern. Pounds of lead downrange doesn't count unless you can hit what you're aiming at. IF you have to fight, the idea is engage quickly with extreme prejudice then break off and get outta dodge ASAP. My goal is to remain unseen and, if attacked, cover my family's retreat and get outta there.

My experience is that combat is fast moving, quick breaking and doesn't afford much opportunity for well aimed shots. Not to mention the adrenalin dump going on, the pain from being shot, ect. The most realistic practice I can recommend is trap/skeet type shooting. Quickly bring the gun up and look thought the barrel at the target. Both eyes open, keep pulling the trigger until the target goes down. Practice like that until it becomes natural to make hits out to about 30 yards. If the threat is over 30 yards away, than you start using the sights. On a pistol, you should never see them. If you're at the range carefully aiming each shot, you're just wasting ammo.