better investment

[Gary07]

Hi all,

I've recentlly withdrawn some of my online poker money, ~ $600, because I have no time to play. What do you think is a better investment considering the current, and potential future, economic climate: silver or a gun?

I have been stocking up on food and water the last couple of months in case SHTF. But...what if things get REALLY bad over the next year or so? I might not be able to protect my supplies or myself. Silver, on the other hand, is probably a wise investment against the possibly severe price consequences resulting from recent inflation. How should I spend/invest this money? Any advice is appreciated.

[gls]

A firearm of some kind is essential IMO. Don't forget plenty of ammunition.

As far as silver, the best price I've seen lately is on the rounds listed here (http://www.apmex.com/Product/40027/999_Fine_1oz_Silver_Rounds___2008___Bull_Variety.a spx).

[tmosley]

In order of importance:

1. Month's supply of food/water
2. Pistol w/ ammo (a .22 is fine, since the ammo is so cheap, I would get some high velocity rounds and some hollow points) plus bail out bag (medical supplies, a few days worth of food/water/water purification, clothes, cold weather gear as appropriate, $250-$500. There are other threads about how to structure your BOB, you should read them)
3. Cash on hand in USD ($500-$1000 or 20% of excess funds, whichever is greater)
4. Gold 40% of excess funds (for bribes post dollar collapse)
5. Silver 40% of excess funds (for barter post dollar collapse)
6. Bailout or bail in location (ie cabin in rural or semi-rural area with arable land and water available)
7. Rifle with Ammo and a scope. I would suggest a .22 and a .223 (for reasons noted in item 14)
8. Sustainable food source (seed for planting, chickens for eggs and protein, goats for milk and meat, in that order, cows are nice if you can handle them for milk and meat rather than goats)
9. Sustainable transportation (plug in hybrid + solar cells, diesel automobile +biodiesel production capacity, a good bicycle, or horse all fit in this category)
10. Sustainable energy (solar cells are great for this if you can afford them, small wind turbines suck, but you can convert them for attachment to a bicycle; steam engine+generator, a diesel generator, or a large battery array (grid-charged) are all possibilities as well.
11. Back up communications: think shortwave radio. Take a class. Satellite internet is also an option, but will be less reliable.
12. Full year's worth of food. The likelihood of a totally persistent crash is fairly small. Your month's worth of food from the top priority should be enough to get you through until more food supplies become available for purchase with your dollars or your silver.
13. Some form of non-electronic entertainment. This will help to keep you sane. If you are going to be in a group, I would suggest a small chessboard.
14. Reloading equipment. You will want this in case of a long term collapse. You will eventually run out of ammo. There are instructions out there for turning a spent .22 cartridge into a .223 bullet. Have plenty of supplies, and keep them dry. They need to be stored somewhere of fairly constant temperature as well. Make sure none of your equipment requires electricity, as it may not be available. There is a thread on reloading in the "Bearing Arms" forum. I would suggest you read it.
15. Larger arms. High caliber weapons, grenades, etc. This probably shouldn't be a high priority for you, but they will be useful in the case of an insurrection. I plan to learn how to make Howitzers and load shells at some point in the future (I found a place that sells the equipment for them!), once all my other preparations are in place.