[The Reaper]

IRT some of the posts thus far.

I love my .45, but I have come to the conclusion that you can get 90% of the performance and twice the round count for half the weight from the 9x19. Blasphemy, sorry!

Stealth would be key in this trip, and you have to sleep sometime. I would try laying up during the day and moving near roads (but not urban areas) at night. 100 miles in most cases will take you through at least one significant elevation change or water crossing. Get a map, compass and protractor, and think / plan ahead.

Night vision would be crucial, especially moving at night. Don’t forget the spare batteries.

Same for suppressors, especially for subsonic rounds, like .22 LR standard velocity or match loads. Not a big fan of the claimed .22 subsonic, they tend to be dirty and inaccurate. You can hunt small game quietly (or suppress noisemakers) without a suppressor by using a .22 rifle and some CB Longs. In 9x19, the 147 gr. subsonic JHP is probably the way to go if you want to run it through a suppressor. The 5.56 is going to be loud, no matter what you hang on it to reduce it's bark. The suppressor will cut the sound considerably, enable you to hear where and what other weapons are being fired, eliminate its muzzle flash, and make it much more difficult to tell what direction the rounds are coming from.

Having said that, anyone who shot my dog would be on a fast track to perdition and I would expend considerable resources to find and repay them.

Not a fan of the .22 Magnums due to ammo cost and blast, and the performance is not what most people think it will do, especially from a pistol.

There is little point in carrying boxed 5.56, as the issued aluminum mags are light enough that they barely weigh more than the boxes, and means you can swap mags and get back to shooting in seconds. No reason to carry a lot of pistol mags, if they are higher capacity, one for the weapon and two spares would seem to be enough to cover lost mags and allow you to stay in the fight. AK mags are heavy, empty or loaded and would be an exception to carrying loaded and not in strippers.

The only real issues I have with magnifying optics is the need to be able to get down to 1x for close-up engagements, and the very poor battery life with the illumination switched on, so limited utility at night. I do like the value of the Primary Arms 1-6x and 1-8x Gen 3s.

We have discussed BoB loads before, here I think you are going to have to count on mostly water and water purification, lightweight food, weather dependent shelter and clothing, first aid, and spare socks. Might be a good idea to empty the BoB seasonally (couple of times per year to check expirations and weather appropriate loadout).

A set of small binos would be a worthy addition, though you can use your magnifying optic for generally the same things.

Not a big fan of adding a shotgun, too much weight, limited utility and range, very heavy ammo. Ten rounds equals a pound, so 50 rounds equals five pounds of pain, pushing your gun and ammo load with two long guns to around 32 pounds. Not much room for anything else.

I concur with the possibility of running this with just a .22 LR pistol or rifle, but you do open yourself up to some gaps.

The AK in 7.62x39 was a temptation to me as well, but for a short duration mission and limited weight, I did not think it would make the cut. I considered the .300 Blackout for its ability to provide near .30-30 and 7.62x39 ballistics for less weight and better accuracy, AR ergonomics, and the ability to switch back and forth with super- and subsonic rounds by changing mags. For a long term foot movement, particularly in an area with big game, close engagement ranges, or large numbers of hostiles.

You do not have to select from my weapons choices, feel free to choose your own.

Just my .02, YMMV.

Let’s keep this going.

TR