What I would carry at sea
Sebastian linked to this very interesting article about gun laws at sea.
Is it lawful to carry firearms?
This depends of several factors.
· Flag State your yacht is registered with.
· Area you are likely to operate in.
· Type of firearm.
If I were sailing around the world I would probably want to carry a pump action shotgun in 12 gauge and a bolt action rifle in a non military caliber such as 7mm-08 Rem., .260 Rem. or .270 Win.
Why?
Semi automatics are illegal or have various arbitrary restrictions in most of the world for civilians. At best it could be confiscated, at worst you could be fined or arrested.
Bolt actions are used all over the world and most countries will allow hunters or competition shooters to bring them into the country for sporting purposes. Military calibers are banned in some countries. Better to stick with something nobody is going to object to.
A removable magazine would be a plus and so would a stainless steel action and barrel. The Savage Weather Warrior Series Model 16FCSS in 7mm-08 would be my choice. It has a four round detachable magazine. I would be surprised if any countries has a problem with a four round magazine in a bolt action.
Some type of illuminated scope with quick detachable mounts and open sights would be a must.
Savage Model 16FCSS
Next up, a shotgun. A semi-automatic would be out for the same reason as the rifle. I am pretty sure pump actions are illegal in the UK, so if I were stopping by there then that would not be an option. The alternatives such as a double barrel, bolt action or lever action shotgun do not seem to me to be a credible threat to a ship full of pirates.
I would go with the Mossberg Mariner. At most I would install a magazine extension. Pimping it out withe pistol grips, fore grip and detachable magazines would not be a good idea.
Mossberg Mariner: A good idea.
Mossberg Mariner: A bad idea.
Lastly a replica RPG might not be a bad idea! Many years ago I was watching something on TV about super yachts and there was a brief clip of police somewhere in world showing off a cache of weapons they confiscated from super yachts including what looked like an M72 LAW. I am sure the LAW was not real.
Orange tipped replica.
My experience at sea is limited. I think the above would be good enough on small yacht. The aim really is to make it hard for pirates to come close while out maneuvering them.
I have traveled on very large cargo ships and defending them from pirates would be no different from defending a building.
What do you think about my ideas? Realistically what would you carry on the high seas?
Hi, welcome to my blog! This blog is dedicated to all things firearms related. I hope you enjoy it.
You can carry whatever you like as long as you are in international waters. Once you enter a state territorial waters you must abide by their laws.
I’ll take a machine gun. It’s very hard hit to hit anything that is moving in the sea with a single shot firearm. You’re are in an unstable platform (your ship) that is moving and the ship that is raiding you is moving. Chance are you’re going to miss very badly with a bolt action or shotgun (if it has the range).
In the Caribbean it is common to see boats packing a lot of heat.
Browning M2HB, with plenty of spare barrels and ammo.
It would really depend why I’m at sea, but if I had to choose anything it would be a browning model 11 for a shotgun, an m14 for a rifle, and m2 if i’m on a big boat
Beware - because of Hollywood, “scary” pump-action shotguns are outlawed in some parts of Europe (in France, it needs an exceptional state authorisation to possess a “riot-gun”). We all know you can tank-hunting with a Remington 870 because the shot exiting its barrel is circa 32 times more powerful than the semi-automatic’s one.
So, I’d go with a single-shot shotgun, like IZH18 from Baikal because it’s good enough for most situation, is good at balltrap-like shooting, can digest a lot of kind of ammunitions (like plastic shots for inside shooting without overpenetration of the walls of the boat or slug for deck shooting), is very secure and reliable, can be easily dismounted for safe storage and maintenance - and rifle and ammos cost nothing (so it can be tossed overboard without trouble). In a lot of country (like Morocco) any kind of gun is unlawful, but those two kinds are more connoted “hunting” than “guerilla”, and that can be a plus for law-enforcement gestion.
Totally agree with the Mossberg Mariner, and might add a Remington 7615P, a pump-action rifle that takes high-cap AR Mags. Maybe alternate the load between hollowpoints and M855 penetrators.
Laurent, I am very surprised. I thought it was just the UK that had the ridiculous ban on pump action shotguns.
In France, they were de facto banned in 1995 when they were transfered from the fifth category of firearms (hunting) to the fourth (self-defense). Fifth category guns are available to sporting shooters and hunters easily (the only obligation is the gun is registred on tyrant’s records), but fourth ones need an exceptional autorisation, which is delivered by the tyrant for three years to sporting shooters, and self-defense autorisations aren’t emited since at least fifteen years for normal citizens. And since the administration don’t admit that you can have a sport activity with a pump-action shotgun, they don’t deliver shooting sport autorisations. The only “riot-guns” available are castrated to get only one shot in the mechanism (people who bought pump action shotguns before 1995 can still get them, but they have a special life autorisation to detain them, but they can’t use it without risk of confiscation and severe personnal retorsion).