Dealing with looters in a SHTF scenario?

reply to post by VforVendettea

And what will you be feeding said attack dogs? They need to eat too and not a small amount if they are working.

Like I said in that post, dogs are a good option...but....

the only problem being that keeping them fed would cut into your rations.

can I get into trouble for saying home made CL_ _M_R_ M_ _Es
as a defensive perimeter option

reply to post by Aliensun

A very sensible outlook for possibilities, but a tad too short. For a moral dilemma take your senario just one step further.

What will YOU do when your supplies eventually run out and your family is hungry and you still have bullets?

You and yours will either starve, commit family suicide or take from others what you deem necessary in anyway that you feel justified. Survival will not be done by today's standards. Only the best and the worst will continue to exist.

(If you haven't seen the movie The Road, do it. It gives some insight into the less than glorious life of survivors.)

Sadly, you are right. I guess a SHTF scenario will indeed bring the worst out of everybody.
I will sincerely try and grow my own food, be it vegetables or poultry....and will use force only to defend what I have.

Mr Ak and I are going to have fun mowing them down, in all seriousness I will be long gone in the woods.

people over here have different mindset than westerners do..

plus any looters likely wouldnt live long enough to get where Im at ..

1. the jungle would kill them.
2. 40+ year old unexploded u.s ordinance would get them.
3. one of the local warlords would get them.
4. one of the local villagers would get them.

outsiders arent welcomed with open arms out here .. the governments of both china and vietnam wont even set foot in these parts unless they have absolutely no choice both lost alot of troops in past when they tried.. as did the french , the americans and other foriegn invaders over the centuries.. life here will go on as it always has ..

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


Very simple- Breath normaly and Squeeze dont pull the trigger.

Originally posted by rebellender
can I get into trouble for saying home made CL_ _M_R_ M_ _Es
as a defensive perimeter option

Made with 12 GA buckshot shells lodged inside a drilled out block of wood fanning out the spread. Spring cocked "firing pins" precision epoxied on a plate of steel only need to travel 1/16". Can be reloaded. Seen it. There will be no survivors on the receiving side. Wish I had a few. That was decades ago.

reply to post by tkwasny


now thats thinking....ouch!!!

I think the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure" rings true when we think of going survival mode.
Keeping a low profile and attracting zero attention is the superior option. Dogs bark and not all guns are silenced.
Those are the types of sounds which would attract looters like flies.
So you manage to shoot the first looter over your walls, how will you stop the twenty marauders who sent the first guy as scout? They're likely to be all armed too.
Is your house fire-proof, because if the looters can't take your stuff, they won't just shrug and walk away.
Be realistic here, we can all chest-beat and tell each other how bad-*ss we are, but in all reality when the S hits the F best option is avoid almost everybody.

reply to post by Silverkiss

So you manage to shoot the first looter over your walls, how will you stop the twenty marauders who sent the first guy as scout? They're likely to be all armed too.

Be realistic here, we can all chest-beat and tell each other how bad-*ss we are, but in all reality when the S hits the F best option is avoid almost everybody.

I agree. While weapons are invaluable in a survival scenario, they have their limitations.
Its probably better to out think looters, rather than over-rely on force. And yes, theres no telling how well armed the looters are.

I'd like to think organizing people into little "villages" might help, as there is always security in larger numbers.

I dont know, really. Real life may not be like what we see in the movies. :-(

I just want to post a link to After Armageddon it touchs the subject if looters, food, and general survival it gives great advise on many subjects some is great advise some isnt but the overall presentation is very well done.
After Armadeddon - www.youtube.com...

reply to post by 1947flxible


Looks like an interesting video. Watching it now.

Originally posted by Silverkiss
I think the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure" rings true when we think of going survival mode.
Keeping a low profile and attracting zero attention is the superior option. Dogs bark and not all guns are silenced.
Those are the types of sounds which would attract looters like flies.
So you manage to shoot the first looter over your walls, how will you stop the twenty marauders who sent the first guy as scout? They're likely to be all armed too.
Is your house fire-proof, because if the looters can't take your stuff, they won't just shrug and walk away.
Be realistic here, we can all chest-beat and tell each other how bad-*ss we are, but in all reality when the S hits the F best option is avoid almost everybody.

What sort of looters are you on about? They'd have to be batsht crazy too want to take on a fortress?!
Like most of the underclass they'll skulk off for easier pickings than risk injury.
Some of you seriously over-estimate opposition during SITX.
We are the folks who are ahead of the game. They'll be running around like wild dogs without preps or kit.
Look at the LA riots, guess where they didn't go? The armed homeowners on top of their property's waiting for trouble. It never came!
Same concept with looters during a TEOTWAKI.

Originally posted by oghamxx
A few 12 gauge dissected bodies laying around the yard should prove to be a deterrent to further looters.

Well, think again. First, there is the problem of the bodies, the smell and the associated diseases so close to where you spend 24 hours of the day. You can't bury them, a shovel in one hand and a .12 gauge in the other hand are difficult to wield. You won't have that much backup from the house to protect you either.

The next, smarter, wave of attackers are going to use rifles versus your .12 gauge. Sorta same deal if you have shooters in the house to supposedly protect your butt while dragging away the dead. They will stand off and pepper your house until they get you one way or another.

You simply cannot defend a house unless it is in the middel of a 40 acre field and or you wall it with half-inch steel plate or better. And still, the outside force will come in numbers and you will be limited to available firing positions. This first night of attack, they will fire bomb you, salvage what they can from the remains and move on to the next target.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


i Have absolutely no problem killing another human being to keep my self and my two children safe after TSHTF, or to keep them from harm. I did it during war time in 69 different circumstances of course but I have no doubt at all that I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on someone if I even thought my kids or myself was in jeopardy during that time in our lives. let's face it, our supplies will mean the difference between life and death, so I would kill a looter rather than take the risk of having to try and replace what I worked so hard to store in the first place. Also, a looter is nothing but a parasite at that point in time and anyone that kills one will be doing countless other people a service.

While everybody else seems to be thinking of heading for the hills and staying high and dry in a SHTF scenario, I'm considering "getting my feet wet". (At least if it drags out long enough.) Boats, even big ones, can be pretty dang small compared to certain bodies of water. Once away from shore, not being found if I don't want to be may not be a problem. Anchored some miles away from shore with sails stowed and mast lowered, a sailboat big enough to live on isn't likely to get much in the way of anybody swimming or paddling out to it. Even on a rather nice day, the possibility of drowning or getting lost seems like enough of a deterrent.

In which case I'd be more worried about pirates than looters. The upside is that piracy (the real kind, not the IP kind) involves a lot of work to obtain reward such that pirates usually stick to trade routes where finding loot or ransom seems likely. Knowing about and staying clear of those areas seems simple enough.

I'm just surprised there aren't any interesting survival threads here along those lines. Maybe people get seasick too easily or just don't like the idea of living off of fish and other seafood that much.

This is how I deal with looters....Glock, AK, & Mossberg.

Originally posted by ArrowsNV
I'll deal with the looter problem simply; with a 12 gauge.

Be sure to use a well sighted in scope and sabot slugs. Nothing like the entire head of someone next to you being exploded off their shoulders 100 yards from the only dwelling to slow the approach.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


You're right Jibby. I watch that show and it isn't that far- fetched...just like the cancelled CBS show Jericho. Not far-fetched at all.

reply to post by Silverkiss


Well said. When preparing for TSHTF scenario, try to dot all of your i's and cross all of your t's.