My gun bag

At the first of the year I made myself this "grab and go" bag for my handgun. Same concept as a bug out bag but only for a gun and related items. The idea behind it was that if I had to leave the house at a moments notice and only had the time to grab one gun this would be the one that I took. Before I go any further let me also state that I consider taking off to be a very last option in an emergency situation. If something bad does happen I intend to stay put where I am if at all possible. Intentionally becoming a refugee is never a smart idea. But I do accept that there are times, no matter how well you plan, that you won't have a choice in the matter.

I set this kit up only using items that I already owned. Not one additional dime was spent to make this. Everything that I included here was collecting dust on a shelf or sitting in my safe or in a box somewhere. The bag is an old nylon range bag that I have had for years and is still in great shape and very tough. On the inside it has 1 large pocket that will hold any full sized handgun. On the opposite side it has 5 smaller pockets designed for magazines but also perfect for many small items. On the outside of the bag there is 1 extra large zippered compartment that will hold a lot. The contents of the bag include: 1 loaded Colt Government Model .45 pistol, 3 additional loaded 8 round magazines, 200 rounds of 230 gr hardball ammo, 40 rounds of hollow point ammo, 1 folding "tactical" type knife, 1 regular pocket knife, and (not shown) 1 suede Bianchi inside the waistband holster, 1 belt magazine holder, and a small assortment of cleaning supplies (oil, grease, bore brush etc.) wrapped into a small bundle with a cotton rag. I thought this was a very good start especially considering that I didn't put any money into it. It is good but it needs refining, I'm currently looking at getting some type multi-tool for the bag (among other things) to improve it.

I picked the 1911 pattern .45 automatic because it is a full size pistol and yet is still (relatively) easy to conceal, has more than sufficient firepower, and parts and ammunition are widely available. In most of the situations that I considered a powerful, concealable handgun would be what one needed most. And since the thought behind this little kit was about if you could take only "one" with you I felt the 1911 was the best compromise. Of course if I knew in advance that I was going (and had the time) I would take every gun that I own and every single round of ammo to...