Another SHTF story

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • pinshooter45

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 1, 2009
    1,962
    48
    Indianapolis
    After several seconds of silence Mrs. Switz said "Hey turn the thing back on we need to see what else is going on in this town!" Does it really matter?" I asked. "My home was attacked last night, you’ve got a large gang of whoever attacking the cops just a couple of miles from here what else do we need to know right now?" "Well for one thing the government is sending aid from Ohio across I70" replied Mrs. Switz "and I’d like to know when it gets to Washington Square. That may be that safest place to go." "Yeah and I bet everyone else that’s got a TV going is thinking the same thing and they’ll be overwhelmed once they get here!" I stated "But, I’ll leave the genny running and someone can monitor the TV if you all like. Some of you probably need to get your water jugs back in my freezer. But we still need to secure our area; these bad guys aren’t that far away and we need to have a plan to protect ourselves until that aid convoy arrives." So I powered the TV back up and Bob Donaldson was still at the anchor desk but the scene had changed to the Stadium and the carnage of the disaster down town. I motioned for the men to follow me out side.

    "You guys have any ideas of what we can do? How about you Mr. Switz you were in the army for a long time." "Yes but I was a computer geek in supply and IT" he replied. "But you were in Korea you must have got a feel for security measures while you were there?" "Well you know Patton once said; Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man don’t you?" Stated Mr. Switz, "If we get hit like the police did we don’t stand a chance!" "I don’t think we have to worry about an attack like that" Gary interjected. "We are a little out of the way back here. We might get a couple of more opportunistic looters like we had early this morning. We should be able to defend against them. But I’m with Mr. Switz we won’t survive an all-out attack like the one at the police station." Mr. Switz was scanning around the area as Gary talked, then he said "During the day I think If we all stay armed and stay vigilant we’ll be OK, but at night we need to block off the street in some way." "Gary, does that old Chevy truck in your yard still run?" I asked. "Yes" he said. "Why don’t we park it across the street and block it right after the creek. That plus the guard rails create a nice natural choke point. And Mr. Switz we could do the same thing with that old van of yours on the opposite end of the street." I suggested. He nodded in agreement. I also think we should make a trip over to the Menards and see if we can scavenge some wood and maybe some fence material or barbed wire to build some temporary barriers that we can move around and control traffic during the day. I need to see if I can find stuff to repair the damage to my garage anyway. Jim can we use your truck and go see what we can find? Gary can come with us and the three of us can watch each other’s back." He was a little reluctant saying it felt a little too much like stealing but agreed after I told him we’d pay if anyone was still running the store he then agreed. "Let’s get armed and we’ll meet at Jim’s in five minutes" I said.

    We parted company and prepared. I went into the garage and found my roll of duct tape, and went back into the house. I went to where I kept my safe and opened it up. I grabbed all the artillery and took it to the bedroom. Then I returned and grabbed some ammo. I began to load the Mauser, followed by the Mosin, and then I grabbed several preloaded 30rnd AR IMI magazines. They were loaded with the green tipped steel penetrators. I shoved one into my full size Bushmaster, and I left one of them with it. The other six I began taping together to be able to flip them around during reloads like I’d seen done with Thompson magazines in so many John Wayne and other WWII movies. Then I grabbed my .45 and strapped it to my waist and re-loaded the extra mags for it, and shoved them into my pockets. Then I grabbed our M4 and jammed one of the taped double mags into the mag well, and slung it over my back. Just then my wife came in and looked at me and jokingly said "Now all you need is a bandana tied around your head and you’d look like and overweight Rambo!" I smiled at her and thought if it wasn’t for our current crisis I probably would look a little ridiculous. ‘Where’s that one canvas shoulder bag with the adjustable strap you got from one of you old nursing agencies? I need it for the extra AR mags. Like a good organized wife she pulled out a box from under the bed and retrieved the Item I wanted, and after placing the mags inside I slung it over my shoulder and re-adjusted the straps of it and the carbine so they would not interfere with each other. "I’ve loaded up the big guns and the AR, here are the rest of our mags and the ammo for the Bushy get them loaded while we’re gone. "OK" she said, "Please be careful." "Don’t worry" I said "we won’t take any unnecessary risks if we run into any major problems we’ll get out of there and try again another time and make do with what have." I could see the fear in her eyes, I had a close call early this morning, and I was going into another potentially dangerous situation if anything happened to me I wondered after 35 years of marriage how she’d get along without me in this current situation. I put those thoughts out of my mind so I could concentrate on the task before me, and with a big hug I kissed her goodbye, and reassured her I’d come back.
     

    actaeon277

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Nov 20, 2011
    95,233
    113
    Merrillville
    I don't know where you're going. But I think ambushing the Nat'l Guard is a little too easy of an idea. Don't forget, a lot of those guys now have insurgency first hand experience. Civilians being hurt, yup. People being followed home. Yup. An attack, yup.
    But attacking a Guard unit that's ready, a bit different than attacking Police.
     

    jb28

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 19, 2012
    108
    16
    Wow, excellent detail. We experienced a bit of a shake ourselves in Barth. County. Crazy stuff. I couldn't imagine what it is like being in a major earthquake. I would like to be more prepared and have a plan for disasters, afterall, I have a family to protect.
     

    sbsg2005

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 21, 2011
    257
    16
    I would like to be more prepared and have a plan for disasters, after all, I have a family to protect.

    Its easy to get started, I got started on the basics like food and water and never realized it. After reading some of the threads on here I have gotten more in depth on my preps as I have seen what I missed and what other people are doing to solve some issues.
     

    pinshooter45

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 1, 2009
    1,962
    48
    Indianapolis
    Got tests this week so it may be till the end of the week till I'm able to post another one. Got one started but got stuck, and I gotta keep the quality up! Hope you guys can hang on.
     

    pinshooter45

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 1, 2009
    1,962
    48
    Indianapolis
    [FONT=&quot] I exited the house and joined Jim and Gary who were waiting for me by Jim’s truck. I noticed both men had placed their shotguns in the truck. “How are you guy’s fixed for ammo?” I asked. “Well if you’d asked me that question a couple of days ago I’d say plenty, but now I’d say not enough!” replied Gary. I looked at Jim and he said “Just 3 or 4 boxes for the 12ga. and 2 boxes of .410 self-defense ammo for the Judge and one box of .45 LC I bought just to try out.” “Well I can help you all out with the 12ga; I’ve got some reloading supplies for it and lots of empty hulls.” “You look like you’re ready for war” Jim said as he looked me over. “Well in a sense we are, a war of survival” I replied. They both agreed. “Shall we get going?” I asked. They nodded in agreement. Jim’s truck was an extended cab Ford and all three of us were pretty big guys and I suggested that I ride in the back of the bed, to act as a better lookout and for safety. I pointed out that if I sat in the cab with them it would be nearly impossible for me to wield the M4 in our defense should the situation arise. So I slipped the M4 off my shoulder, checked the safety and handed it to Gary and jumped in the bed of the truck. As Gary handed the gun back to me I realized I may have not charged the weapon. So I gripped the charging handle and pulled it back slightly to reveal that I had indeed failed to put a round in the chamber. I snapped it the rest of the way back and released it, readying the weapon for action. Gary looked at me with that OH CRAP look, reached in for his shotgun and racked the action and then placed another round in the magazine. He looked up at me and said “Six is a nice round number, thanks for reminding me!” I chuckled to myself as I heard Jim do the same thing. I settled in with the carbine resting in my lap as I sat on the driver’s side wheel well. Jim started the truck and backed it out of his driveway, and as we headed down the street I noticed every one busy making what repairs and reinforcements they could. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]
    We headed out of the neighborhood and stopped at 38th street. To my surprise there was not a car or truck in sight! I fully expected the street have people fleeing for their lives considering what just occurred a couple of mile way. But then how many had generators? I was pretty sure the entire city was without power. So maybe only the people in that immediate area knew of the attack. We pulled out onto 38th and headed for the Menards. As we proceeded down the street to the entrance the lack of traffic and no electricity gave the whole area an eerie feeling. The only time I’ve seen it like this was on Christmas morning when every business was closed, even the White Castle, but the mood now was 180 degrees the other way. Just as we turned in the parking lot I could hear the roar of several vehicles coming up behind us. I gripped the M4 tightly and hollered at Jim to spin the truck around to face the oncoming threat. We all waited tensely to see what was going to happen next. It did not take long for the caravan of vehicles to reach us! We had taken up a position in the parking lot that put us in a strategic position to see as much of all the streets in front of us. Seconds later we saw a full size Chevy pickup truck in front of two SUVs an old Cadillac, a Pontiac minivan and an older Dodge Ram. They were all laden all kinds of household items, and it appeared they were bugging out. Both the front and rear Pickups had several armed people stationed in positions that appeared to be protecting the convoy. I stood with the M4 across my chest but muzzle down in a ready stance. We all just watched each other as they passed. One of the armed men in the last truck just nodded at me and gave us a thumbs up salute as the screamed towards 465. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]
    “Looks like they’re getting the hell out of Dodge” Gary said. “Probably are” I replied. “Do you think we should be doing the same?” asked Jim. “I don’t know for sure, but if lots of people are thinking the same thing the roads could get clogged with lots of knuckleheads, and then we could get stuck out in the open and less able to defend ourselves effectively” I replied. “Well let’s see what the looters left here.” As we approached the store there was a 4X8 sheet of plywood with the message “LOOTERS GOT THE GOOD STUFF TAKE IF YOU CAN FIND ANYTHING ITS YOURS” written with orange spray paint. The store windows were all busted out and the gate to the lumber yard were broken down. There were a few bashed in and burned out cars scattered throughout the parking lot along with some randomly scattered bask carts around as well. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]
    I asked Jim and Gary to go look for lumber to build some barricades, I wanted to go inside and see what odds and ends I could find that no one else thought about taking. I saw a show on the Discovery Channel about surviving in a situation like this. And this guy found some very useful stuff that lots of others had left behind. It was only a TV show I thought, but perhaps some of his basic ideas had some validity. There were probably a few things I could make use of because most looters probably went for high end tools and other Items they thought they could sell or keep when things got better. I would be looking for things that would help all of us survive. [/FONT]
     

    pinshooter45

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 1, 2009
    1,962
    48
    Indianapolis
    It was a rough week in school but I managed to get one posted! Well try for another one by the end of the weekend. Got two long written project due Monday. But I'll need a break for some thing fun! I think I might be over my writers block for now! Enjoy!
     

    pinshooter45

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Sep 1, 2009
    1,962
    48
    Indianapolis
    As I walked into the store the carnage was worse than I could have imagined. There was broken glass all around. The checkout lines were literally destroyed; cash registers were opened and smashed on the floor. The majority of shelving units that used to stand upright holding consumer products were now overturned and remnants of once useful products now lay broken and disarray on the floor. As I surveyed the mess that used to be a home improvement store, I began to formulate a plan of action. Even though I knew that power tools and things like that would be already looted I decided to start there anyway.

    I found a bask-cart and began the process of picking through the mess. As I made my way to the tool area I passed the lawn and garden area and noticed what appeared to be a few intact packages of something in a pile of what otherwise looked like trash. I found several unopened packages of chainsaw chains, a few bottles of 2 cycle oil, and a 20in and 16in chainsaw bars. Even though my chainsaw was a 20” one of the others may have a 16” and it might be of use. There was also a couple of sharpening files that could useful. I also found one axe and a hatchet.

    I then went into the tools section and as I expected no power tools. But since there was no power anywhere they were useless, even with my generator I had only limited use for them. But when I began searching through what was left in that section. I was still able to find a few hand saws, an assortment of circular saw blades, hacksaw blades and a few large files. I also found a few pairs of saw horse brackets, that might help build some barricades I thought. As I continued through the area I found the hardware section. I began looking for nails. Most of the boxes had already been knocked off the shelves that were still standing but after rummaging through the mess I was still able to find some intact boxes of large nails we could use to build barricades and obstacles. On the back side of that area I began picking through what was left I found nothing but a jumble of nut and bolts that might be useful but it would take too much time to pick through and match up. So I continued on. The west side of the building contained cabinets, doors and carpet nothing I thought would be useful.

    I started towards the exit when I noticed something of interest in the area where they had once kept outdoor grilles. My cart was getting full but I wanted to check this out. So after parking my cart at the exit. I went back to check out the grill section to look at what I had seen. It was a tall black cylindrical smoker. The wheels inside my brain started turning, I think I could make use of this for something other than a smoker. So I moved it to the exit along with a metal fire pit that was beat up but still useful for building a fire to boil and sterilize water. I then grabbed another bask-cart and headed towards the plumbing section hoping I could find what I wanted. Along the way I found several 5 gallon buckets. I stacked them and placed them in the cart I could use them as well. When I got to the plumbing section my eyes got big, no one had touched that area very much. Things were still messed up a bit but what I was looking for was still there, copper pipe! I grabbed as much of it as I could find in ½”. I then dumped all the connectors and elbows I could find plus some other odds and ends I would need for my project. As I was doing this my mind went back to my high school days to a friend of mine’s science project that I was going to attempt to duplicate.

    I then looked around and found as much solder and paste as I could find. Thankfully I also found a couple of tanks of torch fuel. And on the way out I went through the electrical section where I found bulk electrical wire, I had a use for that as well so I grabbed about 200 feet of the heaviest gauge that had not been taken. Not a bad haul for a looted store I thought. I made my way back to the front of the store and began to move all the things to the curb while I waited for Jim and Gary to pick me up. Just as I completed that task I saw them exit the lumber yard loaded down with all types of lumber. I wondered if we’d get it all in the back of the truck. He had an extended cab so some stuff could go in the back of the cab. When they pulled up they surveyed the pile of things I had collected and said “What the heck are you going to do with all that piping and stuff?” “You’ll see” I said “I just hope my Idea will work.” They shrugged their shoulders and we finished loading everything in the truck.

    With everything piled in the bed I began to wonder where I would be able to sit for the trip back to the neighborhood. But just as I climbed in to the bed and found a place I could sit, I looked up and saw and older two tone brown Marion County Sheriffs car coming our way with a single individual inside. It was unmarked with no bubblegum machines on top. I jumped back out of the bed. Not knowing what would happen next we all nervously fidgeted with our weapons and brought them to ready position. I held the M4 with one hand on the pistol grip trigger finger alongside the trigger; I flipped off the safety and gripped the forearm with my other hand. The bed of the truck I was standing behind hid my actions. Sweat began to drip down my forehead as my mind began to race with thoughts. Was this a LEO, an imposter, or was this someone that had commandeered the vehicle by killing the LEO that it used to belong to? The three of us waited tensely as the vehicle pulled up just a few feet away.
     

    sbsg2005

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 21, 2011
    257
    16
    Good post but I hope you don't leave it that way for very long. Them cliffhangers make it hard to concentrate on the little things.
     
    Top Bottom