Article I wrote about times long ago. Before the age of YouTube and Social Media. Before the age of Bush. A dark age, an age of Clinton and Militias.
Enjoy
As someone who was a child in the 1980s and came of age in the 1990s. I lived through an odd era of the gun culture. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, a lot of folks who became survivalists and prepared for WWIII suddenly had nothing to look forward to until President Clinton was elected and the threat that Y2K posed became a thing.
Thinking back on such a time, I now laugh at a lot of the ideas and beliefs that ran rampant in certain segments of the population. But exist they did.
Survivalism in the late 1980s and 1990s was different than it is today. Everything was oriented on the belief that either the a reborn Soviet Union or Communist China was going to invade or the US Government in cooperation with UN goons riding in black helicopters, were going to turn the United States into a Red Dawn-like quasi-gulag with FEMA camps everywhere after Y2K destroyed our infrastructure.
Some people were selling everything off, moving out to the boonies to start compounds, and planning to live off the land. Others were buying 4x4s, guns, toilet paper, and MREs like they were going out of style. Those urban city-dwellers all planned to load up their 4x4s and drive off into the hills and hunt and farm on public lands to ride out the collapse.
It didn't help that President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno were moving ahead full bore on gun control. Y2K and the Assault Weapons Ban fueled the fire. The first real panic buy of my lifetime occurred in 1999. I recall folks going nuts stocking up on firearms and ammunition.
Prior to the end of the Clinton AWB, and really not until the 2006-2007 timeframe, ARs were not the major go to gun in America. During the AWB, their popularity and the general popularity of AWB restricted pattern of rifles (AKs, etc) rose. But there still wasn't the market domination that we see today with the AR.
The AR-15 was for the most part a rare bird. It wasn't popular for a myriad of reasons. The cartridge was considered weak, the stigma from its horrible introduction in Vietnam still lingered, and the options to really modify the rifle didn't exist it. The carry handle was even looked at as a negative because it limited the option for scope. ARs were called "poodle shooters" and "jam-o-matics" that would get you killed. The reliability that we take for granted today of the AR-15 platform was not as widely known.
Back then, I was on the AR-15 bandwagon and loved it like I do now. To me, the AR-15 was everything right. Light weight, low recoil, rugged, dependable, and easy to work on. At the local range, I was the odd duck. No one had an AR except for me nine out of ten times.
My personal Y2K Era guns today. Bushmaster A2 HBAR, Beretta 92FS, and Winchester 1300 Defender.
The Global War on Terror didn't happen yet. And when it first began there still was a stigma from Vietnam and everyone was all about piston driven AR conversions. Because of that, a lot of people derided AR owners. They claimed that 5.56 wouldn't do the job. That you needed a man's cartridge; .30 caliber, preferably 7.62x51mm but you can squeeze by with a 7.62x39mm or .30-06 Springfield. But the War on terror came after Y2K and the AR-15 isn't just the only thing that we're talking about but it does play a part.
When I got into the whole "Prepper/Self Defense" aspect of guns. The mindset was completely different than what we see today. Information was gathered from sources like Boston's Gun Bible, Shotgun News, Solider of Fortune, and the local gun shows and shops. Even militia recruiting tables at gun shows were sources of info prior to and the invention of the blogging and the massive explosion of the internet as a whole. What we have today evolved from the past. So let's discuss it.
The word was that unless you had a real deal Battle Rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO like a G3, CETME, FAL, or M1A. Death was at your door step. The 7.62x51mm NATO was the end all be all cartridge that would do the job. It was the cartridge to rule the world after the collapse of civilization due to Y2K and the impending UN takeover. The idea was that you can have a rifle and hold territory out to 1000 yards and engage the baddies. The M1A was the standard that all others looked to as the SHTF gun for long distance shooting and the HK G3 and CETME pattern guns were the tough as nails, eat everything, survive everything rifle. The FN FAL was gaining ground since parts kits were cheap and building them was fairly easy.
If you couldn't get that then a AK would save your life because you can bury it in mud for twenty years and it would still work. AKs were indestructible and ARs were fragile. The AK, especially the Norinco made ones were the crown jewel. It was affordable. Like you can buy the gun and enough ammo to last the Soviet Invasion affordable for under $500. Also 7.62x39mm was superior since it was a true .30 caliber projectile and not some weak wet noddle like the .223 Remington.
If you were poor, then a M1 Garand or SKS Carbine for a semi-auto or mil-surp bolt action would suffice. You could use your Mauser or Enfield to engage your baddie out at 500 yards then pick up his gun and ammo. The M1 Garand was the best bet because a mix master was affordable, it used Nazi killing .30-06 Springfield by God and was better than a commie SKS. But if money was tight, the SKS was the best choice since they were under $100 at the time and 7.62x39mm ammo was $80 for a case.
The Mauser and Enfield were the go to for bolt actions and surplus ammo was still easy to be had. .303 British and 7.92x57mm were considered "equals" to the 7.62x51mm. Mosin-Nagants were still looked down upon. Other guns like Hakims and FN-49s were viewed as good guns for the impending Y2K breakdown.
If you were going to do 5.56x45mm then the Ruger Mini-14 was the choice. It could be had with a folding stock, 20rd magazines, and ran off the same design as the fabled M1A. It had everything "right" that the AR-15 had "wrong". Price was it's biggest factor. It was cheaper than a AR and it could have a folding stock. A FOLDING STOCK folks, during the AWB!.
My personal Ruger Mini-14 GB and S&W Model 4566.
Pistols was 1911 or bust. You needed a .45 ACP or if you were a man, .460 Rowland. Because you needed that punch since the Ban restricted you. Sure, if you had a 9mm, it better had been Sig Sauer. Beretta were regarded as death traps and Glock were time bombs waiting to happen in your hands. The Navy Seals were using Sig and that is all that mattered. Since 9mm wouldn't have done anything anyways, you needed a gun that wouldn't go bad out on you since you had to dump a mag into the guy anyways. So the Sig P226 was "THE GUN" in 9mm. But if you had .45 ACP, one round would kill the baddie and his friend and the 1911 was king.
The other option was the Wheel Gun. The S&W K or L Frame and the Colt I Frame pattern guns were considered an acceptable replacement for a Semi-Auto. The 125gr .357 Magnum was the "MAN STOPPER" and could end the fight. The S&W Model 66 and Model 686 were considered the best since they were stainless steel and that is what Dick Marcinko used when he was running Red Cell. The Colt I Frames like the Python were also favorably looked upon. .38 Special was lower than 9mm and remember, 9mm was lower than .22LR.
But as mentioned, the Beretta 92 and Glock were not looked well by many. The Beretta was still considered a death trap because of the constant rumor that the slide will either be taken off the gun by the bad guy or the slide will fly back and kill the shooter. The Glock was viewed as a polymer toy that would explode in your hand.
For those few that had ARs; the Heavy Barrel (HBAR) was king. If you had a lightweight pencil barrel like a SP1, you were gonna die. The barrel was going to melt after one mag. You needed a HBAR to keep that from happening. Also If you didn't have A2 sights. Death was coming. God forbid you couldn't adjust elevation for that 700 yard shot since the entire mindset was long distance engagements with the Y2K horde, Klinton commanded ATF, and the UN. But then again, the 5.56x45mm was considered a wet noddle and your AR wouldn't get you through an engagement past 100 yards anyways. Also you better have downloaded your pre-ban AR magazines. 18rds for the 20rd mags are 26rds for the 30rd mags. Mags were GI Aluminum or bust. Those pre-ban American made Thermolds were looked down upon.
Shotguns were the end all be all of close quarters combat. The 12 Gauge Pump Action was superior to everything else for close in fighting. 00 Buck stripped meat off bone and rifles were useless for anything closer than 300 yards. You needed slugs to stop ATF at your Militia Roadblocks and slugs would punch through an engine block and kill the driver too.
M1 Carbines were something you gave to women and children. It was a slight step up from the Ruger 10/22 since .30 Carbine couldn't penetrate a ChiCom quilted jacket in Korea. But it was viewed as something better than dull stick, but a sharp stick was considered its equal.
Equipment was 72 hour loadout. Everything was 72 hours. Better have had that ruck packed with MREs and Iodine tablets to keep you alive from the Y2K nuke strike. MOLLE was unheard of. Everything was ALICE or Combloc surplus. Wearing armor was for girls since you had 7.62x51mm and were gonna reach out to those government goons with your 4moa CETME at 600 yards before their 100 yard ARs were near you. If you did wear armor is was soft armor and you wore it ALL DAY EVERY DAY to stay alive because the Feds were going to get you with their puny 9mm Berettas. Plates and carriers didn't exist. The ideal piece of kit was a ALICE belt with 'Nam era H-suspenders, an upside-down Kabar taped to the left shoulder strap, and a butt pack.
Everything you wore better have been matching. Woodland was king and if your stuff wasn't woodland. You'd die for not blending into your neighbor's hedge. Camel Packs were the king. Canteens were useless. Why carry water on your hip in a easy to refill hard sided container versus a squishy bladder that leaked and ruptured and was a pain to refill.
MREs or bust. Stocking canned goods did you no good since your were gonna be hoofing it on foot with a ruck sack for 72 Hours and you'd need to reach your bug out location. You had to have a 1,000rds minimum at hand at all times to fire fight the UN.
Optics? Either you had some high end glass on your FAL, G3, or M1A. Powered optics? LOL..... batteries were going kill you. You needed bomb proof iron sights because that Aimpoint 1000 or Tasco was your death. Besides, real men used irons.
Your vehicle better have been 4 wheel drive and made before electronic fuel injection. Carburetor or death. The Russians/ChiComs/UN were going to strike the US with a EMP and you needed to be able to get your butt to your bug out location. You had a BOL right? Because if not... yup, you were gonna die. You needed to go somewhere where no one else would go and hunt for food and fish like a mountain man with a cabin in the mountains. Even if you lived in Miami and the tallest point was the trash heap at the county dump. The whole idea was that you had a "secure" location in the boonies that you could flee to and it was always stocked up and you could just drop some seed into the ground and walk out every morning and shoot a deer.
Oh, before we end this. You had to have been part of a organized militia. Seriously, one with rank and uniform. Because it was the militia that was going to rise up and battle the Klinton/UN World Government. Since FEMA, the UN, and Chinese had secret training bases in the National Forests, the very same where your bug out location was. You had to be part of the militia. Of course, there was a captain or twenty and at least six bird colonels. You had to have matching Woodland BDUs with "MILITIA" name tapes sewn on so the Geneva conventions would apply and you could be treated as a POW if captured.
Also it was the militia that was going to restore law and order after Y2K. Remember, the computers were going down so that meant that every police department, county sheriff, and local boy scout troops was going to be incapacitated and unable to respond to the massive looters that were going to ravage the community looking for Zima, Toilet Paper, and Pop-Tarts.
All in all, it was an odd and fun time. A lot of lessons were learned and a lot of ideas were finally pushed by the wayside. We now live in an era of $450 ARs, $12 30rd magazines, and where mix/matching tacticool clothing is the thing to do. The days of the musty smelling Army-Navy store for your survival needs in a thing of the past. We now have online ordering and YouTube Video reviews on what is the best out there. Armor is life and life is good. Enjoy now folks.... because soon enough. This will be but a fun memory too.
Please comment over on TTAG and thanks.
and he commit treason and corrupted every gooberment agency and his deep state cronies remain in place.
