Huntsman wrote:This is a subject that constantly plagues my mind, I live within a day or twos walk from Bristol trying to be as anonymous as possible
and about 4-5 miles from a town of about 8000 I live in a community mostly full of old people there's about 40 of us and about 16 houses and one road through our little hamlet. Now I struggle to imagine this community being able to realisticly stand up to a mob of marauders etc. maybe mine and a few of the younger families about 10 of us could make a stand? I mean from what I know there's my small collection of guns 3-5 trying not to be specific mostly rifles but a shotgun is in there. And I know my 2 of my neighbours shoot, no idea what though and Im sure the local farmer who lives at the other side of the village possessed a firearm. But still however close knit a community we would effectively be sitting ducks. We could resist but we could be over run if the marauaders were savage and brave enough. It troubles me because there's only so much I can do...
Honestly, it sounds like you're off the beaten track and unlikely to be the target of mass raiding in the first place, particularly once the petrol runs dry post-SHTF. The great majority are not only well shy of walking any distance, they don't know how to read a map, or North from their arsehole.
With only one road through your hamlet, you and your friends should be able to barricade it relatively easily, if it's TEOTWAWKI (Got a chainsaw? Are there trees lining the road? Does the farmer have a hay baler? A tractor with an front scoop shovel?) Re: your concern about being few in number and getting on in years, do you have younger friends / relatives nearby ish for whom you could be BOL? "The economy looks very bad at the moment, if there's riots in the city grandson, you and your gf come out to us until things calm down"
Also, if you have your own firearms you are better off than 97% of the UK population. I know it's hard to "stock" up on rifle ammo, due to FAC restrictions, but there's no limits on holding shotgun cartridges (as long as they are safely /securely stored - as I understand it). BB or larger shot will more than do for large-ish animals such as geese, foxes, and probably feral dogs - and probably others... *cough*
Try to make friends with your fellow shooter neighbours. Pick up some walkie-talkies (Clas Ohlen do PMR ones at £20 the pair, you can chose one of 8 radio-bands) to hand out in the event of news / anticipation of anything that might cause problems for you & your neighbours - even extreme weather is a good excuse, "just in case" the cell-phone network goes down / jammed up when SHTF. Ditto with binoculars (although if your neighbours shoot they probably have field glasses anyway).
Now let's say post-SHTF you have three or four of you, most with shotguns and one with a rifle, communicating with walkie-talkies, in territory that you know like the back of your hand. It's odds one that any wondering gang will be less well armed, less knowledgeable and less well coordinated.
Remember what firearms there are in cities are likely to be held by criminals and tailored for those purposes - e.g. handguns (less powerful than shotguns and rifles, not v. accurate or effective outside 25 to 30yards?) machine-pistols (as handguns but faster rate of fire + less accurate "spray & pray") and sawn-off shotguns (powerful, but very short effective range, probably 10? maybe 15 yards?). Ammo costs a bomb for crims, is in short supply and they will have few opportunities to practice, so they are often crap shots. They are less likely to be used to the "kick-up" effect of recoil (so duck! especially if they are firing rapidly, they should soon run out of ammo).
In contrast a full length shotgun will be effective out to 40 or 50 yards, and even 22lr from a rifle will reach out to 100yards, with .223 easily effective at 300yards +++
So, your team could comfortably see an approaching feral pack and neutralise them at range*, before they would be in a position to harm you. (*Assuming they are obviously dangerous.)
Don't forget to watch out for your friendlies if you have arranged for them to bug-out to you!!
It is for these reason that I think the UK is the opposite to USA, in terms of rural areas being less safe to flee into post-SHTF if you don't have friends / BOL out there already - in the UK it's country folk who are better armed (2million licenced shotguns!). Certainly if I had to bug out to countryside and was passing near villages / farm houses, I would try to stay hidden or failing that attempt to appear unthreatening, and I'd keep moving, out of range! Unless I was desperate for essentials / shelter and then I'd attempt to parley / trade somehow.
As I mentioned in my post above, the average scrote will probably shit themselves and run at the first shot that passes close to them.
Your only real worries would be rogue armed forces, who have both rifles and bottle, or rogue coppers who have carbines and shotguns, or maybe Hell's Angels - although, the latter have an odd system of honour **of their own and will probably stay in their own neighbourhoods post-SHTF and might even end up organising their communities. (**Burglars who break into houses near a Hell Angel's chapter-house are indulging in high risk behaviour).
some good thinking in there, Thankyou!
