CaptBart, each person can and will do what they want. For me and mine and all that are in my group. We will pull the trigger first in these types of situations. Because taking the even brief micro second to try an go through all that you want each person to think and feel will cost Lives. Its real nice in a kissy kissy nice nice world but not in life and death real world. I understand that life and survival is more than just a physical, emotional, spiritual and economic. Just remember to have Life you must be Alive. Your only a worms meal if your dead.

Looks like a good light. BUT it costs to much and it uses batteries that in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation might not be found as easily as say AA or AAA batteries. The cost will not allow you to have several on hand in different bags to complement each other in case of loss. Myself I just use the newer AA mag lights either double or triple battery versions.

As the photo has been changed, i can say that IMHO it does not alter the point of the picture. I would say this though. The person laying at the feet of the soldier may just be keeping down as the soldier attempts to cover him. Its the cry babies that jump to conclusions. In fact on most news channels you can see more graphic photos of victims or accidents. But hey one more cry baby breaks wind and the rest of the world has to jump and cover.
CaptBart makes many valid points. Just remember if you pull the trigger, your world as you know it has changed. Dont worry about courts and laws. Dont worry about reprisals from other groups that your aggressor may be attached to. If its TEOTWAWKI or TSHTF or your defending yourself and family. Pull the trigger to stay alive. Deal with all the other crap once your secure.

Just to remind everybody. The lighter you go, the less you have. Remember the What Ifs. Like What if it turns out to be TEOTWAWKI in stead of just TSHTF? Your out there with a light pack, maybe designed to last 3 to 5 days and its really going to be for the rest of your life time.I pack for the worst at all times, it makes my pack heavy. But know matter what I will be able to live through almost any weather conditions and problems as long as i keep my head, use my skills and do my part getting to my BOL.

Ke4sky, I have been using the system you talk about for most of my adult life as my primary Outlands weapons platform. I have taken deer/bear/cougars and many other types of animals. On the most deadly 2 legged animals if they are not wearing armor its deadly. For the 20 or more bad guys out numbered is out numbered. E & E and fight another day. The only problem I have using the .357 is the cost of ammo now.

Now this is why its great to have people post opposing thoughts. It gives others that have never used or handled these systems a chance to hear from professionals that have used and continue to use these systems in real life and for extended times and conditions. How a weapon system preforms in or at a range does not compare to use in the real world. Fore warned is fore armed when your at the gun store and the sales guy starts his pitch.

All the extras that you can add to a weapons platform/system just help to weight you down causing you to have a weapons system that is harder to use, care for and maintain. Also when you become to dependent on all of those nice little goodies and they start to break or become useless you'll be back to iron sights. Remember windage and elevation, windage and elevation.
So i would suggest before you buy and mount all of the neat heavy items to make you a more proficient shooter. Learn to shoot with your iron sights, you might just be amazed what you can hit with practice.

Bushman, I also like the lever action. My primary rifle when out in the Outlands is my Marlin 1894c .357 my Smith or Ruger .357 hand guns pair up nicely with it. I have never felt under gunned and trust them completely.
I do have what I call my assault rifle system. But its not an M-16/AR-15,M-4 type platform or 5.56 round. This system is and will only be used during TSHTF or TEOTWAWKI and I'll still carry my Marlin broke down in my pack.

I have never liked the AR system. It has failed me in my life time. I have had to carry it when it was forced upon me. I requested to carry the M-60 instead. but due to my rank and position I had to carry the AR. I have heard form Vietnam Vets and Desert storm Vets and current active duty Marines, Army and Air Force troops and Vets that state they would gladly carry the extra weight then have to fight to keep their weapon in the fight and lose lives due to the AR systems flaws.
You can Google all day long about the problems of the AR system. There are some articles attempting to prove that it is an OK system. There are leaders in the highest places trying to keep spending Our money on this Failed outdated system. Some of these leaders wont even go for the fix of a piston driven system. It might mean they have to state out loud that They were wrong and in some way open up a can of worms or legal challenges.
Politics has no place on the battle field when Our troops lives depend on the BEST weapons systems we can give to them. They need to Kill the Enemy. They need to have total confidence in their weapons.
Of course this is just my Opinion. We all have Opinions. But myself I have a .308 system that can clear a house. Handle trench fighting. Still reach out 400 yards and drop my chosen target with one shot. Handle all climates and conditions thrown at it. Of course all weapons systems require cleaning and maintenance but you should not need to clean it in the middle of a fight. (10 second stoppages may sound ok in the office world but NOT in real life. Your enemy can cover a whole lot of distance in that 10 seconds. You might just have cost your fellow troops their lives or your own, while your weapon was down and out of action).

IMO, all the light weight bullets you can carry and a weapon system that has more problems then its worth, has been getting Our troops killed. They have now gone to a heavier bullet to try to increase the range of the failed system. They have come out with fixes after fixes, some used some they have put their noses up at.
Forge, states that the AR system is an assault rifle system and that weapons like the Socom 16 are battle rifles. I'm sorry but Our military has been using the AR type rifles as their battle rifles. It has to do any job required of Our troops. So if that is the case, once again the Powers that be have sent our troops into battle with the wrong rifle.
It all comes down to your trusting the weapon you pick. Myself I want a rifle that can and does fill all my needs when I grab it. If I have to carry a rifle for each specific type of situation and stock bullets for them all I'm in trouble.

Forge, Up close and down range the .308 completes it job more efficiently then the 5.56mm. First off in a survival role it is able to drop large game at distances that the 5.56mm would only cause wounds unless you hit it several times. Transfer that to armored soldiers or terrorists or really high bad guys intent on killing you and your family, the more you can take out at a distance the better. Remember (1) shot (1) kill. Troops are now taught to double or triple tap their targets to make the 5.56 put down their target. So lets consider that. If a basic load is 180 rounds thats 6 mags of 30 rounds. That would be 9 mags of 20 for the .308. But consider if it takes 2 to 3 rounds to drop each of your enemy. The troop with the 5.56mm will come up short or empty quicker than the troop with the 308. Of course the powers that be could come up with a 30 round mag for the socom which would cut down on some of the extra mag weight. Besides those guys carrying the AK 47 have 30 round mags and their is only a little difference in weight between the .308 and the 7.62 X 39mm. On hardened targets up close or at a distance hands down the .308 wins the battle compared to the 5.56mm. Ok I'll give you that the 5.56mm kicks less but when you take into account the double or triple tap your losing some of that edge. Also if you have to fire double or triple taps your chances of being targeted back increase compared to 1 shot. I will give you that there is a need for the 5.56mm round but for minimal usage on easy targets. The current AR platform in the pictures above used by Our military was and still is worthless from its very beginning. 40 years of advances/changes/bullet weight mods have equaled the loss of American lives. There are other makes of 5.56 weapons platforms that dont suffer half of Our AR platforms problems.
Ok on the issue of cheap ammo and weapons systems. Remember were talking civiians with their own personal funds. Not the US government which with all of its funds still cant put an AR platform out there that can be trusted completely. So with that in mind what happens to all of those very picky weapons once TSHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens. All of those good rounds are used up and those cheep crappy rounds are left. There wont be a lot of master gun smiths and armorers out there to work on and fix those AR either the very expensive ones or the cheep ones. But those socom 16s, FN's, HK's and others like them will still be going strong.
Besides IMO one weapon that can do double duty is better then one that cant be trusted to do the job it was made for.