As a serious prepper, the whole thing can be daunting when you get started first. You hear about preppers packed with years about food and water.
Some built bunkers underground. Some have guns and ammunitions arsenals. There are so many things to learn, so much to do and so much to buy. One thing I want to make up front is that your best weapon is information, and it’s free. Getting to learn about survival and prepping will always come before you buy equipment.
Some information will also help you buy less and spend less on achieving your goals.
It’s a widely debated subject, but most serious preppers feel that a good firearms range is necessary to survive a SHTF scenario. These weapons serve both food hunting and self-defense purposes. I’ve got a pretty good range but I just feel like I’ve got more weapons.
In addition, I have a common dilemma with my weapons. Every year, I complete many challenges for survival. Often I take a shield with me on those challenges. But I’m trying to pack light, so I’m never taking more than one weapon. That restricts what I can do with the weapon I want to carry with me.
A 12 gauge shotgun, for example, is perfect for self-defense. I might use small game birdshot or slugs for bigger animals. Shotguns, however, are very loud which attracts attention. They are weighty and have a long barrel. They have a limited range, as well. I could bring my 30-30 rifle with a scope instead.
Related: Top 6 Popular Types of Guns Not Suitable for SHTF
This can be effective for self-defense and larger game but would blow apart most small game. I could bring my .22 survival rifles which breaks down small and is light. It does great for small game but is not ideal for large game or self-defense. A chamber adapter can help with the issue of deciding what firearm to buy or bring.
What Is a Chamber Adapter?
It can be difficult to check for information about this specific device, as it has many titles. Often known as cartridge adapters, chamber reducers, chamber inserts, sub-gauge inserts, reducer sleeves, barrel insert bushings, and caliber conversion sleeves.
These are all about the same thing. A chamber adapter is a metal tube inserted into the barrel. It helps you to use a larger-caliber weapon to fire smaller projectiles.
Chamber adapters were initially designed to fire smaller shells into large shotguns. These were first designed for clay shooters to turn their 12-gauge shotguns into 20 gauge or .410 shotshells.
Such smaller shells have less lead shots within, so they are much more effective in making accuracy. The conversion simply made it harder to shoot clay so marksmen could test themselves. Even these smaller shells make the gun jump less when fired, and often they help young shooters get used to shooting the gun without damaging their shoulders.
There are limitations on which firearms can use an adapter to the chamber. Shotguns need to be break action, so your pumps and semi-automatics are out of the questions. Rifles must be bolt action, so lever action and semi-automatic rifles are out. When you want to fire .22LR rounds out of a handgun, you can purchase chamber adapter kits for large caliber revolvers.
Related: 15 Best Guns for Preppers
The New Market for Chamber Adapters
In the last few years, in addition to clay shooters, chamber adapters have attracted a whole new community of fans. That would be the prepper or the survivalist.
Besides rising the range of weapons that you need to purchase and store, having chamber adapters allows you to scavenge for ammunition. For example, if you use a 12-gauge shotgun mainly and you come across an ammunition case loaded with 20-gauge shells, you may be able to use them with a chamber adapter.
I wouldn’t be a responsible writer if I didn’t mention that when looking for supplies, especially weapons, you should take extreme caution. There are plenty of possibilities which could cause our civilization to crumble. There will be other abandoned homes and businesses with weapons present in several of these instances.
The hard thing is discovering completely discarded bombs. You certainly don’t walk away with any new supplies if the owner is present.
Related: Awesome Places to Hide Your Guns Around The House
How to Select a Chamber Adapter
The chamber adapters can be ordered in a number of lengths. You can also get them in smoothbore or rifled version. The longer rifled models are usually more expensive but still cost much less than buying another weapon.
You have to understand that all chamber adapters are going to be less accurate than using a weapon equipped for that round.
For instance, firing a 20 gauge round out of a 12-gauge shotgun would be less effective than firing it out of a 20-gauge shotgun. Adapters will certainly get the job done at closer ranges though.
My advice is to always get a chamber adapter that is rifled to choose the longest you can find. The longer the connector to the tube, the more accurate it would be. That’s a related idea to why the length of the barrel affects precision.
For instance, shooting a .22 round out of a gun is not as accurate as shooting a long rifle .22. The longer the barrel, the more trajectory guidance you have. That makes longer barrels more accurate, and also makes more accurate chamber adapters.
A reasonable analogy is to use a chamber adapter 30-30 in a 12 gauge shotgun. Using my 30-30, I can get a kill shot at a deer from about 200 yardsPutting a 30-30 chamber adapter into my 12-gauge shotgun, however, gives me accuracy to around 50-100 yards.
It is clearly not quite as effective as using my 30-30 rifle, but the bulk of the shots I take on deer are less than 100 yards away. I can’t be a chamber adapter sniper but if I need to, I can always bag a deer.
Related: Top 6 Popular Types of Guns Not Suitable for SHTF
Other Options
You have the option to buy weapons that can change the barrel and magazine for different calibers.
The CZ 455 is a line of rifles that allow you to round fire .22LR, .17HMR, and .22WMR by swapping the parts on the same rifle. Usually, the cost of the primary rifle is fair, and the sets of barrels cost almost as much as a quality chamber adapter.
Since the barrels and magazines are designed specifically for each caliber, the shots should be much more accurate than using a chamber adapter. Rossi also produces interchangeable barrel options.
The feedback has been clear, from talking to shooters who used a number of different types of chamber adapters. They’re shockingly effective if you have a longer, high-quality chamber adapter used in shotguns for shotshelling. When you convert a shotgun to a round of .45 or .22, it’s just good for close range. But, it was suggested that you get in plenty of practice even at near range.
I believe chamber adapters may be a solid choice for the cost. I recommend you buy one though, and try to see if you like it. When you are satisfied at your usual shooting distance with the precision, then go out and get more of them. The bottom line is, you get what you’re paying for.
Don’t go out buying the cheapest adapter you could find. Do your homework and make sure you choose a better adapter instead. That will give you a much more detailed idea of how they’re going to shoot.
