Pellet Rifles for Survival - .22 ammo is now 22 cents too

If the ammo shortage hasn't convinced you that hoarding ammo makes sense then you clearly aren't planning for eventualities.  Shortages are part of the landscape if you have lived through any of the supply disruptions that occur throughout history.  If it isn't a gas shortage, it's a crop failure, or in our current environment the non existence of .22 long rifle ammo at nearly any price.  Who would have thought we'd see .22 also stand for the price of the ammo.

When to Hoard

The problem with hoarding during a shortage is that you pay too much to do so even if you can somehow obtain what it is you are trying to find and accumulate you'll feel stupid later if the prices comes back down to earth.  The best time to stack deep with a particular necessity is when it is readily available at low cost.  When it comes to shooting right now the only thing that matches that description are pellets.  Right now you can still buy pellets a Wally World for $3 per 250 pellets in .177 caliber.  You can pay much more for higher end pellets but these will get you started and will do the job of taking down small game and pests.

Choosing a Rifle

The assortment is wide when it comes to brands and models for pellet rifles.  4 Reasons to own a pellet rifle.

The Best Air Rifle

 Crosman

 I've owned Crosman muli-pump rifles since I was a child and have found them to be reliable and flexible.  The standard 760 Pumpmaster has been around forever it seems and it still serves well for a target shooter with pellets and plinking as a BB gun.  Crosman also has a break barrel single shot pellet rifle called the Phantom that sells for around $85 that works well and sends pellets out at about 1000fps.

Benjamin Trail NP Air Rifle Combo - .22 cal
This is a great airgun for very low noise practice and hunting.  You can charge it with one break of the barrel and leave it charged for extended periods while hunting unlike springer models.  The weight is the only issue in regards to hunting but if you want to solve that just get a multi-pump air rifle.

  Consider Airsoft

I'm not an airsoft user because I can shoot BB guns where I live without worry and I do not currently have friends that want to try close combat training in this fashion.  I used to use paintball for that and found it an excellent way to train.

Whatever you do, try to make live ammo usage only a part of your overall self defense training program as it will save you lots of money and the other means of training add new dimensions to your skill set.

Paintball

When used as a component of close combat training paintball can be useful to develop certain skills.  One of the first skills you can improve is your willingness to drop the hammer on an opponent especially when they are trying to take you out.  Movement to concealment is something else this helps to develop but you have to remind yourself that a bush is not cover when it comes to lead even though it may be for paintball.  One thing paintball will do is teach you not to stand out in the open and engage the enemy since you will likely be hit.

Can Paintball make you a better soldier.  An alternate opinion from someone with no military background suggests that paintball adds little to skill and training for combat.
I disagree since there are skills for close combat that can only be learned by doing or simulation which is why the military used blanks and eventually laser annunciation devices to simulate getting hit.  Paintball or airsoft can add the physical realism at a lower cost than laser when it comes to very close range fighting.

Check out some bulletin board discussion on this.