Got an RV or a Travel Trailer? If so, you've got a Survival Vehicle. Pretty obvious why; if you can drive your rig to some remote location and have comfort on some level and ability to choose your site, you have many potentials.
Many though spend lots of bucks readying a 4x4 SUV or Truck with every upgrade and modification. As if once collapse occurs, they expect to be out driving around. Of course, America is/was an "on the go" society, but just as the zombies in Dawn Of The Dead came to the mall because "it's what they know from life", investing a lotta $$ in a survival vehicle that won't accommodate your living in it might be a Big Mistake.
Many would-be survivalists fantasize about the Bug-Out Run. They remain tied to a city lifestyle, job and home etc; but are readying gear and a place to head to when they decide to Bug-Out of Dodge. Yet, unless you have someone living at your BOL (bug-out location), you could find others already there... The handwriting is on the wall. Don't think that there aren't bad-guys scouring the countryside looking for gear to loot or unoccupied dwellings off the beaten path which they can squat at.
Sadly, most who plan a BOR (bug-out run) are likely to be too late in making their effort. Once it is obvious to everyone that they also need to get outta Dodge, there will be pandemonium or a travel lock-down. If residing at your BOL is key to your plans, you best be there NOW; or at least have your family and gear relocated. You might get as much as a one hour leadtime to put your BOP (bug-out plan) into motion. Is that realistic? Probably not.
Those who've invested mucho dinero in a tricked-out vehicle hopefully have tended to all their other needs before blowing lotsa money on a truck or SUV. Not gonna be a lot of driving for pleasure or for reconnoiter. The roads will be watched by all. Not too realistic to expect a roadtrip to be like a Sunday outing. Maybe you gotta make a trip to a doctor or hospital in life threatening situation, or to flee the advance of a hostile army or armored column, but unless you own a large ranch or farm, not gonna be much driving done.
Storing gasoline? Not a great idea unless you've got an underground tank. Diesel stores very safely, but not gasoline. If you want to keep some fuel restoration fluids, PRI-G, and PRI-D are worth considering. G for gasoline, D for diesel. Cost about $25 to treat 250gals. Highly regarded. For more recent gasoline that may have lost its octane, I have found Acetone works very well. I use a few drops for old fuel remaining in chainsaws or other small engines. 2.5oz per 10gal is supposed to optimize burn rates in autos both diesel and gasoline motors.
Plenty of cool 4x4 vehicles out there if you want to spend the money. Newer vehicles though have many computer controls and complexities that make them a questionable choice. I have owned turbo-charged Powerstroke Ford and Cummins Dodge and consider the 12v Dodge to be the most reliable and durable motor you can own.
Need traction to get into the outback but no money for a 4x4? As long as your wheelwells will allow enough clearance to use chains, not cables, you are in luck. Chains will get you almost anywhere as long as you don't stick your axle or swamp-out in deep water. 4x4 is not very useful in those circumstances either. If you have a front-wheel drive, the chains go up front.
As for bugging-out, most cities of any size these days have freeway or highway loops that surround them. If you live outside the Loop, you are more likely to have some odds of making your getaway. Freeway and highway loops are effectively barriers which can be held with a relatively small force and serve to contain the population within. When/if Martial Law is declared, likely the Loops will already be locked-down or will be in quick-time. The hour you think you have to set your move in motion might be way optimistic...
Not much reason to tie-up a lot of money in vehicle(s) unless you've tended to all your other needs first. If you need a truck, the Dodge Cummins from `95 to `98 offer the superb 12v motor and shift on-fly 4x4; plus minimal computer controls. Probably find one for about $5k in good shape. Probably worth rebuilding and these get 20+ mpg with a load. Not much reason to spend $50k for a new equivalent, especially if your not going to be driving much in the future anyway...
As far as the vehicles you do own, being ready means keeping it topped up with fuel, new coolant and oil, recent trans service and current on all lube service, plus a new or recent battery. Probably want to keep a set of belts, coolant hoses and have brake pads/discs looked at. Brake fluid does absorb water over time, and if trailering a load, your brakes must function 100%. Good idea to drain/bleed your brake lines and be sure all is optimal.
If figuring to make a BOR, know several alternate routes and drive your route every few weeks to be sure no surprises await you like sewer or waterline replacement that means major street construction and ditches that could be obstacles. Also want to have a CB Radio in your vehicle and give a listen routinely just to see what the truckers might be discussing. Family radios or SSB (single side-band) CB could be very useful while in transit. Might consider 10m ham transceivers or even marine band transceivers for on the road use on a limited basis. Obscure channels so you attract minimal attention. Might even have a mic-key code so you aren't transmitting voice in the open.
Very likely that once things begin to look dicey, anyone leaving the city with a load of gear could be a target for looters. Another good reason you want to be 10 days too early rather than 10 minutes too late...
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Last Minute Survival Primer
Last Minute Survival Primer...
Okay, you just awakened to the seriousness of the moment. The negative business news is not diminishing, What can you do to get ready??? If you can stay Dry, Warm, Hydrated, Fed, and Safe; then you have a chance to weather the storm
Got Food? That is probably the #1 concern; at least once you have some weaponry and ammunition to insure a means of self-defense and hunting.
Water is pretty easy. You store it from the tap, buy a decent filtering device, and stock some plain hypochlorite bleach, like chlorox, unscented etc. You can catch runoff water from rooflines if you position a garbage can or large container. A contractor type garbage bag as a liner will save time and assure no contamination from prior contents. Don't want to drink water from a composition or tar/gravel roof, but the water can be used for outdoor cleaning and flushing toilets etc. You want all the sources you can get. Maybe keep a few towels to prefilter dirty water or lake/pond water. The more you pre-filter the water you plan to drink the longer your filter unit will last. I like MSR Waterworks personal filters since they mate up to Nalgene bottles and MSR Dromedary bags (like camelback but more durable), and I like the Katadyn Expedition drip filter with internal candle/filters as it uses no power and holds 3gal of filtered water in its reservoir.
Water??? What can you store it in?Any empty plastic bottle that held food or beverages is good for drinking. Tap water from the city is likely chlorinated so should store for a long time w/o organisms growing. Keep out of the sun. If you have a pool or cistern, you are way ahead of the rest of us. Got plastic trash cans? Ice chest, rubbermaid totes??? Any thing that will hold water. Bath tub if your drain don't leak.
Gonna want as much water as you can get, unless you have a well or a lake on your premises.
Food is the biggie. Whole grains store best. Flour will last for maybe 6 mos to a year depending on climate, humidity, and temperture. Better to grind hard red Winter Wheat or Golden/White wheat for flour and get all the nutrients possible. Best sources are Organic grain farmers or distributors. Organics are better because they promote better health and preserve/build your immune system. Probably need about 250lbs for a family of 4 for one year if you eat a lot of bread; and who won't?
Basic grains: Wheat, Brown Rice, Oats, Corn, Barley, Millet, Quinoa. Also like Farina/Malt0meal, Grits, cracked wheat cereal and maybe Rye seed. Hand grinder will be very labor intensive, electric is better. I can grind a 5gal bucket of HRW (hard red winterwheat) in about 30 min with our kel-Tec electric grain mill. Takes a long time to do this with a Corona, but we have one anyway. Also want Beans and Legumes like lentils/black-eyed peas etc. These go great with Brown Rice and make a complete protein. Pinto, Kidney, Sm Red Beans, Black Beans, Adzuki, Anasazi and soy/black soy are a good assortment. These come packed in 25lb bulk bags. We always bought organics from healthfood dealers and got a 10-20% discount by buying in bulk.
Costco and grocers that sell institutional pack items are a good resource. 2lbs of bread yeast will cost about $3.50. Stores for a longtime. Buy in bulk everytime you can.
Canned goods are great for longterm storage. Peanut butter also, jelies, honey, sugars, fruits dried and in syrup. You want lots of vegetables. Frozen is next best to fresh, but canned will be great to have. Canned tomatoes and pasta can serve many uses. Canned meats, stews, chicken etc will give you many uses; and they are very portable and need no refrigeration. Don't want them to freeze though...
Powdered milk is a good thing. Try Milkman brand. Or if you have children or allergy issues, try RiceMilk. Sorta pricey, but stores pretty well, good right out of the carton and very nutritious. Cereals are also worth stocking up. We like natural and nonsweetened stuff like corn flake and chex cereals etc. Oatmeal and Farina you already have from your whole grains. Make your own granola, great snack, great breakfast.
The large Excalibur dehydrator is a super tool to have in your kitchen. Make yogurt, granola, fruit leathers, jerky and anything else you can conceive of with a low heat, thermostat controlled 9 tray machine. Find a good deal on rump roasts you can make jerky way cheaper than buying it.
Another great tool is a 6qt or larger pressur cooker, maybe a pressur canner. Pressure cooking cooks faster and preserves nutrients. Also, Cast Iron Cookware infuses Iron into your meals; a good thing (unless foreign made in some 3rd world foundry where the casting might involve toxic matter). A Dutch Oven with integral cast tripod legs and a matching cast iron lid is a Great tool for outdoor living/cooking. Skillets and griddles etc also are durable and easy to care for.
Face it, you might have to be mobile. Not going to get much cooking done on backpacking aluminum stuff. Cast Iron is the way to go when you can. Seasonings. Stock up on what you use all the time. Pepper, Sea Salt, Basil, other stuff, baking powder and soda.
Food and water. A waterbed mattress makes a pretty good way to store several hundred gallons of water. Also, an above ground pool works really well and is pretty cheap. All you need is some sand to install one. Takes a few hours to put one up and then all night to fill it.
Need something to cook on don't you? The coleman and century type double burner propane camp stoves are very nice. You can adapt these to run from 5gal propane bottles like your outdoor grille might have. Charcoal grilling is not a bad idea. A good cast iron hibachi is also pretty versatile. Don't forget matches and lighters. A zippo lighter and a butane lighter are pretty useful items to have nearby in your kitchen.
Got a decent set of cutlery? Chef's knife, filet knife, carving knife and steel? Worth having for sure. An 8-10" Chef's knife is as versatile as an expensive Bowie in the field. Be sure your knives are full tang and are easy to sharpen. Serrated edges take special files or sharpening tools. A good arkansas stone or diamond hone will help keep your knives cutting with precision and enhance your safety when using them. Probably benefit from a couple of good spatulas and large spoons. If you have a Restaurant Supply house in your town, pay them a visit. Nice to have some large kettles and quality baking sheets etc. Try Volrath stuff, esp their stainless steel cookware. Your restaruant supply place will have quality cutlery and all sorts of storage containers you might not find anywhere else.
Got a propane cookstove at your house? If it is a fairly modern stove, you might not be able to get it to light in a power outage situation. Check on this and be sure. Maybe you need a 12v inverter and a battery to use your auto ignition cookstove???
Good durable clothing and outerwear are high on the list. Underwear and socks for comfort. Good shoes and boots. Probably some longunderwear. Sleeping bags, tarps, rope, tent(s), backpacks or other nylong luggage, duffel bages.
Probably benefit from having some clothespins and clothesline. A plumbers plunger in a 5gal paint bucket w/lid makes a crude washing machine. Maybe you have enough battery and inverter to run your washing machine? Super, but if not... For sure you want as many extra clothes to minimize need to do laundry.
The BIGGEST ASSET YOU MIGHT FIND IS THE THRIFT/RESALE SHOPS IN YOUR TOWN. Visit them all. Buy spare clothes there. Probably find some very good stuff and gear. You're likely supporting a charity if you spend at a resale. If you need tools, gear, equipment; try your local PawnShops. Best thing about pawnbrokers is people often pawn items they never used for quick cash. The dealer always needs cash to make new loans. Not that their 15% interest per mo isn't robbery, but if you offer 1/3 less than the ask-price on an item and tell the guy you'll pay in cash; you'll likely get your deal. If not, buy where you can get a deal.
Your Libray is also a resource. Cookbooks, how-tos for carpentry, auto repair, survival, first aid, plumbing etc etc. Look there first and if you can't find what you need, ask about Inter-Library Loan. Librarian probably can get you the book. You can find some good resources at the resale shop too. Who can beat paperbacks for .25/.50 ea? Probably gonna have lots of time for reading. Textbooks and professional references can be found cheap at resales. Machinst handbooks, PDR drug references, Engineering handbooks as well as fine art and other great non-fiction reads abound there. Might find a decent set of encyclopedias... If you like used book stores, another resource, resale/thrifts are way better on price...
Obviously, you've got a computer. Torrent downloads are out there for many survivalist books and resources. Also there are resources for downloading non-copyrighted public domain books and other open resource music, film, video etc. You-Tube also has many survival videos and site links. Be sure to back up your data on portable media like CD or DVD. I no longer am motivated to spend 2-3 hrs weekly to keep up with computing advances, so likely am behind the times. With compression and archiving software, you can store lots more than 4.5 gigs on a DVD. Buy quality media like TDK or Sony on sale and try not to spend all your time downloading.
One of the best survival books you will ever find is Cresson Kearny's NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL SKILLS. There are free downloads on the net, but try ki4u.com.
Regarding Guns/Weapons for self-defense and hunting...
My premise is that a rifle is your best all around weapon, and that you can hunt with a semi-auto like an AR-15 or AR-10, but you won't ever be able to fire 15-30rds from a bolt-action or lever action rifle should the need arise....
Same way with a handgun. You can hunt with a .45acp pistol, but nothing else is as developed for self-defense purposes. A .22lr pistol is also a great tool to have. If you can shoot at all, the handgun is more versatile than a .22 rifle; but maybe you can have both?
I am not much on shotguns. A .45acp is more concealable and versatile for self-defense; a rifle has more range and power beyond 25yds. The pistol is faster to bring into action, the rifle more accurate.
A .177cal pellet gun would be very useful around your home for taking small birds, rodents, and maybe squirrels and rabbits. You want to kill any wild dogs that you encounter. A dog pack could be a life/death encounter. A 20 or 30rd magazine in a rifle, and a .45acp with a couple spare magazines might give you a chance in surviving a dogpack encounter.
To minimize your need to defend yourself inside your home, you need to do all you can to secure your doors and windows from a surprise entry. You can brace your doors, making fast entry impossible and install wire mesh over your window frames, making a bust-in entry impossible. You for sure want to remove any landscaping from near your house to reduce fire threat and hiding places from one who would break-in. A small dog or large inside your home is a VERY Good Thing! Dog should bark and alert you to anyone outside your home.
If you live in a state where you cannot own what is termed an "assault weapon", the next best thing is a Marlin lever action model 1894 in .44magnum. The .44magnum is very hard hitting and easy to control in a rifle. The Marlin 1894 holds about 9 cartridges and is very fast to operate. You can put a scope sight on the 1894 and so equipped it can be accurate out to about 150yds.
Your vehicle may be a very key component in your survival. Make sure it is serviced and ready to meet any challenges you may need it to surmount. Got good tires? Is your spare okay and aired up?
Change your oil and spark plugs, all filters and fluids. Few people ever change their auto transmission fluid. Do it if you haven't had this done in the past 3yrs or so. How is your radiator fluid and battery? Carry some spare engine oil and brake fluid along with a drive/serpentine belt and wrench to tension the belt. Got windshield cleaner filled up? How about new wiper blades?
Know your vehicles gross carry weight, know the ply rating of your tires, also called load range. Are your shock absorbers okay??? Headlights? Maybe you want to be able to remove your tail lamps, or black them out with covering and duct tape?
You probably don't need four Wheel drive. A set of Winter Tire Chains for your drive wheels will take you anywhere as long as you don't get high centered or flooded out. Great for going through mud. Just take it slow and steady. If you have 4wd, do you know how to really use it? Got appropriate tires or highway tires with no real lug pattern?
Got a tow hitch but no trailer? I you have a Receiver Hitch, you can buy a 6'x28" carry shelf that slides into the receiver and gives you about 500lbs of extra carry capacity. Remember your load rating and to air up your tires to max pressure if carrying a max load. These are great tools to have. If you don't have a roof luggage rack, you can tie gear up there, or maybe buy a strap-on luggage rack that will carry bulky lightweight items. I have had these, and they do work.
If you have to get outa dodge, you should be sure of your vehicle and how you're gonna carry everything you plan to.
Got an indoor fireplace? Maybe even just one for "looks" that has only a natural gas fed burner? Well, you do have a place to cook if the gas svc stays on. Cast Iron cookware will work fine on/in your hearth. That is how cooking used to be done, put the pots in/over the fire heat source.
Might want to google up "hobo stoves". Pretty easy to make a cooker from a coffee can or #10 can and use twigs or wood chips/charcoal to power it. Don't throw your big empty cans away; use em for something.
Funnels and buckets will be very useful items to have. Maybe you want a decent siphon hose to scavenge fuel? Buy some PRI D to restore old diesel fuel, and PRI-G to restore old/stale gasoline. This is the stuff that works when the Sta-Bil fuel has gone bad. I have also added a couple bottles of carburetor cleaner and Octane Booster to a premium fueled vehicle that hadn't been driven in many months and had that work fine to restore old gas. Might try Acetone also, add about 2.75oz per 10gals.
Haven't really touched on the staying warm/dry part yet. Rain and wind can kill you. Hypothermia and pneumonia are nothing to risk. In cold climates, you really need the best clothing you can find. Layering works, use polar fleece instead of cotton. A windbreaker or goretex parka really extends your comfort range when worn over at polarfleece or wool sweater. I like duofold cotton/wool long underwear but polypropylene synthetic will really keep you warm even when soaking wet in a frozen swamp. Having good Merino Wool socks also helps. Down clothing is superb in dry climates. Wool is beautiful stuff, but very expensive. I have found lots of great Woolrich and Pendleton shirts at resale shops for under $5. Gloves and mittens for sure.
Even if you are Down South, having outerwear you can layer gives you the edge if you must take to the woods. Rubber pac boots or those LL Bean Maine Guide boots w/o liners are great for Winter wear when the rain/dew has everything outside soaked fully. I have treated my hiking boots for 30yrs with Snow Seal, it works superbly and preserves leather with excellence. Gotta love ski masks and poly glove liners when it is really cold. Ever ride a motorcycle in Winter? You learn what works. Anything that keeps the cold from penetrating will work. You can layer-in dry newspaper or grasses and stay warm if caught with only a light jacket.
For outdoor living, a tent is really a great thing. You want one with a floor, if considering something for backpacking. Being out of the damp or wet aids you greatly. Carrying a small tarp that you can put down under your tent floor insulates you even better and preserves your tent floor from rips, tearing etc. If you pile dried grass etc under the tarp, even better.
A tarp on its own is wonderful. With some rope and a few cut limbs etc you can frame it into a tent or windbreak. The old Baker Tent which was a wedge design, open in front pitched to gather warmth from a fire with reflector logs etc, is really adaptable from a large tarp. Could probably sew one yourself from 2 or 3 tarps if so inclined. The TIPI is also a great portable home you can rig with 8-12 long sappling timbers, some rope and a few tarps of various sizes to wrap around the sappling tripod frame.
Got a Bug-Out Location, but no dwelling erected yet? Best value for the money are surplus USGI tents with liner for Winter use and tentstove/heater stovepipe vents. Erect your tent on a plywood platform that's insulated and you have a very viable and comfortable home that is quick to move and relatively easy to setup. Yurts are also great; just cost more money. Barrelstove for heating, shepherd's stove for cooking with water jacket, warming rack and all the extras would make for a very good shelter, even in Arctic conditions. Got an ATV w/trailer? Pretty easy to transport up to a 8x32 USGI tent deep into the wilderness as long as you can cut small timbers for tent poles. A USGI 10man Arctic tent could be transported by backpack. Need a freighter-frame pack for sure, but they weigh about 70lbs and are fairly compact. One guy carries the tent, another the liner and collapsing centerpole. Shepherd's stove weighs about 10lbs.
Plastic tarps are really a great item to have. The really huge ones can cover your roof if you get leakage, or almost any size vehicle or even a haystack. If you are without a sleeping bag, a blanket roll with a small 8x8ft tarp to wrap up in will work very well. Having a couple dozen diaper or bigger safety pins will enable your bedroll to remain intact around you. You can take a carpet or craft needle and some dental floss and sew your tarp into a homemade bivy sack. Carry your bedroll rolled width ways and bend it around your shoulders or backpack.
Backpacks and daypacks are very versatile for their organizing and load carrying capability. The older frame style CampTrails & Kelty backpacks are superb. ALICE mil-surp packrigs will work, but are heavy and not too comfortable. Look at the aluminum frame and belt/shoulder straps on your external frame backpack. You want good suspension gear. Maybe you find your stuff at the pawn or thriftshop, you can mix & match. Easy to remove the retention devices and swap components to make a great frame unit. Nothing wrong with having a few backpacks. The Medium ALICE pack without frame, but with added shoulder straps makes a great dayhiking/patrolling sack. As many decent condition packs as you can find, you will have use for. The large ALICE sack on a Camptrails or Kelty frame is also a way to go. The more recent MOLLE USGI backpacks are really excellent and worth paying more money for. Never know what you might find on Ebay, at the pawnshop, or thift. I got a new MOLLE pack for $15 at the resale a few years back. If you don't go, you can't find the deals...
Quality outdoor wear and gear is also useful around the house. Can't really say the same about city wear in the country or mountains. A down sleeping bag makes a pretty decent comforter when unzipped and spread out over your bed. Point is, having survival gear can benefit you in town until you need it vitally out of doors.
A great way to organize your stuff is to think in terms of kts. First Aid kit, fire making kit, sewing kit, hygeine kit, food processing kit, tool kits. Tackle or tool boxes, day packs, even gal or 2gal ziploc bags are great for organizing your kits. Kids' large pencil bags are great for small items, esp if they are nylon and not plastic. Rubbermaid or Tupperware bread boxes and containers of all sizes are great organizers. If you want to keep maps, lists, and other documents for a longtime, consider having them laminated. Maps store best when rolled rather than folded.
Maps are pretty wonderful to have, maybe critical. Topographical maps of your area show you many details to aid your planning and routemaking. Recent road maps are critical if you are navigating to your bugout location and might need to have several alternate routes. Maps also help you choose your bugout or campsite location. An orienteering compass helps your navigate in the wild by topo map. Be Expert With Map & Compass is a great book and now there is even a video/dvd which shows how.
Binoculars and spotting scope are excellent tools to save you time, keep your distance while you reconoiter new areas, and checkout anyone walking up your street or country lane. Compact ones can always be with you, or maybe you choose a monocular? No matter, many uses for these tools everyday.
I remember reading Peter Capstick Hathaway talking about having to burn the privy when a Black Mamba took up residence there. The biggest bummer was the loss of the toilet seat. Pretty ubiquitous, but try sitting on a piece of plywood with your bare ass... A 5gal paint bucket with the appropriate sized trash liner with some kitty litter will make a decent toilet. Supposedly Cabellas sells a toilet seat that fits a bucket. Chemical toilets are pretty decent. With end of RV season you might find chemicals on closeout. Thetford is the best.
Probably brown, green, or camo is the best choice for plastic tarps. The heavy duty ones will wear very long time. 6mil plastic or even 4mil is also super for building or patching with. The very thin plastic floor padding makes a great insulation material if sandwiched between two tarps and sewn so it won't shift around.
The only place to buy junk tents is at the resale shop. If you pay $5-$10 for them, you get your money's worth. I did get a Eureka Timberline in like new condition for $25 once. They are Very Nice. Wenzel is also a good tent you might find at Wally's. The NorthFace VE25 is about the best backpacking/mountaineering tent ever designed for 4 season use. You might also find a USGI 4pc sleep system. The GoreTex bivy, compression bag plus light & med wt synthetic sl bags that nest make for a very workable 4 season solution. Not like you can lay in a puddle and not get wet, but goretex is pretty decent stuff. About $100 used, $165 new for one of these. You might find the camo bivy sacs on Ebay for $25-$50.
Hardware is great to have. A good selection of decking screws in all lengths will enable you to fasten stuff securely and then retrieve your screws later on. Heavy duty galvanized lag screws will hold really heavy stuff in place. They go on quick with a ratcheting socket wrench and could enable fast shelter building in the woods. With an axe, saws and a couple of wedges you could be making timbers or even a log home. Chainsaw is even better. A 16-20" bar with 3/8" pitch chain is a real workhorse that will really earn its keep. Stihl or Husqvarna are the best makes. Poulan is supposedly Husky's cheaper brand.
You might consider fastener systems also. A hammer-tacker stapler is a super tool for rigging plastic sheeting. Adhesives in various formulas come in caulking gun tubes and make application very clean and easy. The big caulking guns really enable big jobs to go fast. You might think about keeping some cheap-0 Wally World sillicone sealant. Then there is gasket maker material. Where does it end? Well, you have to realize if you can't fix stuff you have to adapt it. A tube of sillicone will go a long way if you don't have RTV.
Okay, you just awakened to the seriousness of the moment. The negative business news is not diminishing, What can you do to get ready??? If you can stay Dry, Warm, Hydrated, Fed, and Safe; then you have a chance to weather the storm
Got Food? That is probably the #1 concern; at least once you have some weaponry and ammunition to insure a means of self-defense and hunting.
Water is pretty easy. You store it from the tap, buy a decent filtering device, and stock some plain hypochlorite bleach, like chlorox, unscented etc. You can catch runoff water from rooflines if you position a garbage can or large container. A contractor type garbage bag as a liner will save time and assure no contamination from prior contents. Don't want to drink water from a composition or tar/gravel roof, but the water can be used for outdoor cleaning and flushing toilets etc. You want all the sources you can get. Maybe keep a few towels to prefilter dirty water or lake/pond water. The more you pre-filter the water you plan to drink the longer your filter unit will last. I like MSR Waterworks personal filters since they mate up to Nalgene bottles and MSR Dromedary bags (like camelback but more durable), and I like the Katadyn Expedition drip filter with internal candle/filters as it uses no power and holds 3gal of filtered water in its reservoir.
Water??? What can you store it in?Any empty plastic bottle that held food or beverages is good for drinking. Tap water from the city is likely chlorinated so should store for a long time w/o organisms growing. Keep out of the sun. If you have a pool or cistern, you are way ahead of the rest of us. Got plastic trash cans? Ice chest, rubbermaid totes??? Any thing that will hold water. Bath tub if your drain don't leak.
Gonna want as much water as you can get, unless you have a well or a lake on your premises.
Food is the biggie. Whole grains store best. Flour will last for maybe 6 mos to a year depending on climate, humidity, and temperture. Better to grind hard red Winter Wheat or Golden/White wheat for flour and get all the nutrients possible. Best sources are Organic grain farmers or distributors. Organics are better because they promote better health and preserve/build your immune system. Probably need about 250lbs for a family of 4 for one year if you eat a lot of bread; and who won't?
Basic grains: Wheat, Brown Rice, Oats, Corn, Barley, Millet, Quinoa. Also like Farina/Malt0meal, Grits, cracked wheat cereal and maybe Rye seed. Hand grinder will be very labor intensive, electric is better. I can grind a 5gal bucket of HRW (hard red winterwheat) in about 30 min with our kel-Tec electric grain mill. Takes a long time to do this with a Corona, but we have one anyway. Also want Beans and Legumes like lentils/black-eyed peas etc. These go great with Brown Rice and make a complete protein. Pinto, Kidney, Sm Red Beans, Black Beans, Adzuki, Anasazi and soy/black soy are a good assortment. These come packed in 25lb bulk bags. We always bought organics from healthfood dealers and got a 10-20% discount by buying in bulk.
Costco and grocers that sell institutional pack items are a good resource. 2lbs of bread yeast will cost about $3.50. Stores for a longtime. Buy in bulk everytime you can.
Canned goods are great for longterm storage. Peanut butter also, jelies, honey, sugars, fruits dried and in syrup. You want lots of vegetables. Frozen is next best to fresh, but canned will be great to have. Canned tomatoes and pasta can serve many uses. Canned meats, stews, chicken etc will give you many uses; and they are very portable and need no refrigeration. Don't want them to freeze though...
Powdered milk is a good thing. Try Milkman brand. Or if you have children or allergy issues, try RiceMilk. Sorta pricey, but stores pretty well, good right out of the carton and very nutritious. Cereals are also worth stocking up. We like natural and nonsweetened stuff like corn flake and chex cereals etc. Oatmeal and Farina you already have from your whole grains. Make your own granola, great snack, great breakfast.
The large Excalibur dehydrator is a super tool to have in your kitchen. Make yogurt, granola, fruit leathers, jerky and anything else you can conceive of with a low heat, thermostat controlled 9 tray machine. Find a good deal on rump roasts you can make jerky way cheaper than buying it.
Another great tool is a 6qt or larger pressur cooker, maybe a pressur canner. Pressure cooking cooks faster and preserves nutrients. Also, Cast Iron Cookware infuses Iron into your meals; a good thing (unless foreign made in some 3rd world foundry where the casting might involve toxic matter). A Dutch Oven with integral cast tripod legs and a matching cast iron lid is a Great tool for outdoor living/cooking. Skillets and griddles etc also are durable and easy to care for.
Face it, you might have to be mobile. Not going to get much cooking done on backpacking aluminum stuff. Cast Iron is the way to go when you can. Seasonings. Stock up on what you use all the time. Pepper, Sea Salt, Basil, other stuff, baking powder and soda.
Food and water. A waterbed mattress makes a pretty good way to store several hundred gallons of water. Also, an above ground pool works really well and is pretty cheap. All you need is some sand to install one. Takes a few hours to put one up and then all night to fill it.
Need something to cook on don't you? The coleman and century type double burner propane camp stoves are very nice. You can adapt these to run from 5gal propane bottles like your outdoor grille might have. Charcoal grilling is not a bad idea. A good cast iron hibachi is also pretty versatile. Don't forget matches and lighters. A zippo lighter and a butane lighter are pretty useful items to have nearby in your kitchen.
Got a decent set of cutlery? Chef's knife, filet knife, carving knife and steel? Worth having for sure. An 8-10" Chef's knife is as versatile as an expensive Bowie in the field. Be sure your knives are full tang and are easy to sharpen. Serrated edges take special files or sharpening tools. A good arkansas stone or diamond hone will help keep your knives cutting with precision and enhance your safety when using them. Probably benefit from a couple of good spatulas and large spoons. If you have a Restaurant Supply house in your town, pay them a visit. Nice to have some large kettles and quality baking sheets etc. Try Volrath stuff, esp their stainless steel cookware. Your restaruant supply place will have quality cutlery and all sorts of storage containers you might not find anywhere else.
Got a propane cookstove at your house? If it is a fairly modern stove, you might not be able to get it to light in a power outage situation. Check on this and be sure. Maybe you need a 12v inverter and a battery to use your auto ignition cookstove???
Good durable clothing and outerwear are high on the list. Underwear and socks for comfort. Good shoes and boots. Probably some longunderwear. Sleeping bags, tarps, rope, tent(s), backpacks or other nylong luggage, duffel bages.
Probably benefit from having some clothespins and clothesline. A plumbers plunger in a 5gal paint bucket w/lid makes a crude washing machine. Maybe you have enough battery and inverter to run your washing machine? Super, but if not... For sure you want as many extra clothes to minimize need to do laundry.
The BIGGEST ASSET YOU MIGHT FIND IS THE THRIFT/RESALE SHOPS IN YOUR TOWN. Visit them all. Buy spare clothes there. Probably find some very good stuff and gear. You're likely supporting a charity if you spend at a resale. If you need tools, gear, equipment; try your local PawnShops. Best thing about pawnbrokers is people often pawn items they never used for quick cash. The dealer always needs cash to make new loans. Not that their 15% interest per mo isn't robbery, but if you offer 1/3 less than the ask-price on an item and tell the guy you'll pay in cash; you'll likely get your deal. If not, buy where you can get a deal.
Your Libray is also a resource. Cookbooks, how-tos for carpentry, auto repair, survival, first aid, plumbing etc etc. Look there first and if you can't find what you need, ask about Inter-Library Loan. Librarian probably can get you the book. You can find some good resources at the resale shop too. Who can beat paperbacks for .25/.50 ea? Probably gonna have lots of time for reading. Textbooks and professional references can be found cheap at resales. Machinst handbooks, PDR drug references, Engineering handbooks as well as fine art and other great non-fiction reads abound there. Might find a decent set of encyclopedias... If you like used book stores, another resource, resale/thrifts are way better on price...
Obviously, you've got a computer. Torrent downloads are out there for many survivalist books and resources. Also there are resources for downloading non-copyrighted public domain books and other open resource music, film, video etc. You-Tube also has many survival videos and site links. Be sure to back up your data on portable media like CD or DVD. I no longer am motivated to spend 2-3 hrs weekly to keep up with computing advances, so likely am behind the times. With compression and archiving software, you can store lots more than 4.5 gigs on a DVD. Buy quality media like TDK or Sony on sale and try not to spend all your time downloading.
One of the best survival books you will ever find is Cresson Kearny's NUCLEAR WAR SURVIVAL SKILLS. There are free downloads on the net, but try ki4u.com.
Regarding Guns/Weapons for self-defense and hunting...
My premise is that a rifle is your best all around weapon, and that you can hunt with a semi-auto like an AR-15 or AR-10, but you won't ever be able to fire 15-30rds from a bolt-action or lever action rifle should the need arise....
Same way with a handgun. You can hunt with a .45acp pistol, but nothing else is as developed for self-defense purposes. A .22lr pistol is also a great tool to have. If you can shoot at all, the handgun is more versatile than a .22 rifle; but maybe you can have both?
I am not much on shotguns. A .45acp is more concealable and versatile for self-defense; a rifle has more range and power beyond 25yds. The pistol is faster to bring into action, the rifle more accurate.
A .177cal pellet gun would be very useful around your home for taking small birds, rodents, and maybe squirrels and rabbits. You want to kill any wild dogs that you encounter. A dog pack could be a life/death encounter. A 20 or 30rd magazine in a rifle, and a .45acp with a couple spare magazines might give you a chance in surviving a dogpack encounter.
To minimize your need to defend yourself inside your home, you need to do all you can to secure your doors and windows from a surprise entry. You can brace your doors, making fast entry impossible and install wire mesh over your window frames, making a bust-in entry impossible. You for sure want to remove any landscaping from near your house to reduce fire threat and hiding places from one who would break-in. A small dog or large inside your home is a VERY Good Thing! Dog should bark and alert you to anyone outside your home.
If you live in a state where you cannot own what is termed an "assault weapon", the next best thing is a Marlin lever action model 1894 in .44magnum. The .44magnum is very hard hitting and easy to control in a rifle. The Marlin 1894 holds about 9 cartridges and is very fast to operate. You can put a scope sight on the 1894 and so equipped it can be accurate out to about 150yds.
Your vehicle may be a very key component in your survival. Make sure it is serviced and ready to meet any challenges you may need it to surmount. Got good tires? Is your spare okay and aired up?
Change your oil and spark plugs, all filters and fluids. Few people ever change their auto transmission fluid. Do it if you haven't had this done in the past 3yrs or so. How is your radiator fluid and battery? Carry some spare engine oil and brake fluid along with a drive/serpentine belt and wrench to tension the belt. Got windshield cleaner filled up? How about new wiper blades?
Know your vehicles gross carry weight, know the ply rating of your tires, also called load range. Are your shock absorbers okay??? Headlights? Maybe you want to be able to remove your tail lamps, or black them out with covering and duct tape?
You probably don't need four Wheel drive. A set of Winter Tire Chains for your drive wheels will take you anywhere as long as you don't get high centered or flooded out. Great for going through mud. Just take it slow and steady. If you have 4wd, do you know how to really use it? Got appropriate tires or highway tires with no real lug pattern?
Got a tow hitch but no trailer? I you have a Receiver Hitch, you can buy a 6'x28" carry shelf that slides into the receiver and gives you about 500lbs of extra carry capacity. Remember your load rating and to air up your tires to max pressure if carrying a max load. These are great tools to have. If you don't have a roof luggage rack, you can tie gear up there, or maybe buy a strap-on luggage rack that will carry bulky lightweight items. I have had these, and they do work.
If you have to get outa dodge, you should be sure of your vehicle and how you're gonna carry everything you plan to.
Got an indoor fireplace? Maybe even just one for "looks" that has only a natural gas fed burner? Well, you do have a place to cook if the gas svc stays on. Cast Iron cookware will work fine on/in your hearth. That is how cooking used to be done, put the pots in/over the fire heat source.
Might want to google up "hobo stoves". Pretty easy to make a cooker from a coffee can or #10 can and use twigs or wood chips/charcoal to power it. Don't throw your big empty cans away; use em for something.
Funnels and buckets will be very useful items to have. Maybe you want a decent siphon hose to scavenge fuel? Buy some PRI D to restore old diesel fuel, and PRI-G to restore old/stale gasoline. This is the stuff that works when the Sta-Bil fuel has gone bad. I have also added a couple bottles of carburetor cleaner and Octane Booster to a premium fueled vehicle that hadn't been driven in many months and had that work fine to restore old gas. Might try Acetone also, add about 2.75oz per 10gals.
Haven't really touched on the staying warm/dry part yet. Rain and wind can kill you. Hypothermia and pneumonia are nothing to risk. In cold climates, you really need the best clothing you can find. Layering works, use polar fleece instead of cotton. A windbreaker or goretex parka really extends your comfort range when worn over at polarfleece or wool sweater. I like duofold cotton/wool long underwear but polypropylene synthetic will really keep you warm even when soaking wet in a frozen swamp. Having good Merino Wool socks also helps. Down clothing is superb in dry climates. Wool is beautiful stuff, but very expensive. I have found lots of great Woolrich and Pendleton shirts at resale shops for under $5. Gloves and mittens for sure.
Even if you are Down South, having outerwear you can layer gives you the edge if you must take to the woods. Rubber pac boots or those LL Bean Maine Guide boots w/o liners are great for Winter wear when the rain/dew has everything outside soaked fully. I have treated my hiking boots for 30yrs with Snow Seal, it works superbly and preserves leather with excellence. Gotta love ski masks and poly glove liners when it is really cold. Ever ride a motorcycle in Winter? You learn what works. Anything that keeps the cold from penetrating will work. You can layer-in dry newspaper or grasses and stay warm if caught with only a light jacket.
For outdoor living, a tent is really a great thing. You want one with a floor, if considering something for backpacking. Being out of the damp or wet aids you greatly. Carrying a small tarp that you can put down under your tent floor insulates you even better and preserves your tent floor from rips, tearing etc. If you pile dried grass etc under the tarp, even better.
A tarp on its own is wonderful. With some rope and a few cut limbs etc you can frame it into a tent or windbreak. The old Baker Tent which was a wedge design, open in front pitched to gather warmth from a fire with reflector logs etc, is really adaptable from a large tarp. Could probably sew one yourself from 2 or 3 tarps if so inclined. The TIPI is also a great portable home you can rig with 8-12 long sappling timbers, some rope and a few tarps of various sizes to wrap around the sappling tripod frame.
Got a Bug-Out Location, but no dwelling erected yet? Best value for the money are surplus USGI tents with liner for Winter use and tentstove/heater stovepipe vents. Erect your tent on a plywood platform that's insulated and you have a very viable and comfortable home that is quick to move and relatively easy to setup. Yurts are also great; just cost more money. Barrelstove for heating, shepherd's stove for cooking with water jacket, warming rack and all the extras would make for a very good shelter, even in Arctic conditions. Got an ATV w/trailer? Pretty easy to transport up to a 8x32 USGI tent deep into the wilderness as long as you can cut small timbers for tent poles. A USGI 10man Arctic tent could be transported by backpack. Need a freighter-frame pack for sure, but they weigh about 70lbs and are fairly compact. One guy carries the tent, another the liner and collapsing centerpole. Shepherd's stove weighs about 10lbs.
Plastic tarps are really a great item to have. The really huge ones can cover your roof if you get leakage, or almost any size vehicle or even a haystack. If you are without a sleeping bag, a blanket roll with a small 8x8ft tarp to wrap up in will work very well. Having a couple dozen diaper or bigger safety pins will enable your bedroll to remain intact around you. You can take a carpet or craft needle and some dental floss and sew your tarp into a homemade bivy sack. Carry your bedroll rolled width ways and bend it around your shoulders or backpack.
Backpacks and daypacks are very versatile for their organizing and load carrying capability. The older frame style CampTrails & Kelty backpacks are superb. ALICE mil-surp packrigs will work, but are heavy and not too comfortable. Look at the aluminum frame and belt/shoulder straps on your external frame backpack. You want good suspension gear. Maybe you find your stuff at the pawn or thriftshop, you can mix & match. Easy to remove the retention devices and swap components to make a great frame unit. Nothing wrong with having a few backpacks. The Medium ALICE pack without frame, but with added shoulder straps makes a great dayhiking/patrolling sack. As many decent condition packs as you can find, you will have use for. The large ALICE sack on a Camptrails or Kelty frame is also a way to go. The more recent MOLLE USGI backpacks are really excellent and worth paying more money for. Never know what you might find on Ebay, at the pawnshop, or thift. I got a new MOLLE pack for $15 at the resale a few years back. If you don't go, you can't find the deals...
Quality outdoor wear and gear is also useful around the house. Can't really say the same about city wear in the country or mountains. A down sleeping bag makes a pretty decent comforter when unzipped and spread out over your bed. Point is, having survival gear can benefit you in town until you need it vitally out of doors.
A great way to organize your stuff is to think in terms of kts. First Aid kit, fire making kit, sewing kit, hygeine kit, food processing kit, tool kits. Tackle or tool boxes, day packs, even gal or 2gal ziploc bags are great for organizing your kits. Kids' large pencil bags are great for small items, esp if they are nylon and not plastic. Rubbermaid or Tupperware bread boxes and containers of all sizes are great organizers. If you want to keep maps, lists, and other documents for a longtime, consider having them laminated. Maps store best when rolled rather than folded.
Maps are pretty wonderful to have, maybe critical. Topographical maps of your area show you many details to aid your planning and routemaking. Recent road maps are critical if you are navigating to your bugout location and might need to have several alternate routes. Maps also help you choose your bugout or campsite location. An orienteering compass helps your navigate in the wild by topo map. Be Expert With Map & Compass is a great book and now there is even a video/dvd which shows how.
Binoculars and spotting scope are excellent tools to save you time, keep your distance while you reconoiter new areas, and checkout anyone walking up your street or country lane. Compact ones can always be with you, or maybe you choose a monocular? No matter, many uses for these tools everyday.
I remember reading Peter Capstick Hathaway talking about having to burn the privy when a Black Mamba took up residence there. The biggest bummer was the loss of the toilet seat. Pretty ubiquitous, but try sitting on a piece of plywood with your bare ass... A 5gal paint bucket with the appropriate sized trash liner with some kitty litter will make a decent toilet. Supposedly Cabellas sells a toilet seat that fits a bucket. Chemical toilets are pretty decent. With end of RV season you might find chemicals on closeout. Thetford is the best.
Probably brown, green, or camo is the best choice for plastic tarps. The heavy duty ones will wear very long time. 6mil plastic or even 4mil is also super for building or patching with. The very thin plastic floor padding makes a great insulation material if sandwiched between two tarps and sewn so it won't shift around.
The only place to buy junk tents is at the resale shop. If you pay $5-$10 for them, you get your money's worth. I did get a Eureka Timberline in like new condition for $25 once. They are Very Nice. Wenzel is also a good tent you might find at Wally's. The NorthFace VE25 is about the best backpacking/mountaineering tent ever designed for 4 season use. You might also find a USGI 4pc sleep system. The GoreTex bivy, compression bag plus light & med wt synthetic sl bags that nest make for a very workable 4 season solution. Not like you can lay in a puddle and not get wet, but goretex is pretty decent stuff. About $100 used, $165 new for one of these. You might find the camo bivy sacs on Ebay for $25-$50.
Hardware is great to have. A good selection of decking screws in all lengths will enable you to fasten stuff securely and then retrieve your screws later on. Heavy duty galvanized lag screws will hold really heavy stuff in place. They go on quick with a ratcheting socket wrench and could enable fast shelter building in the woods. With an axe, saws and a couple of wedges you could be making timbers or even a log home. Chainsaw is even better. A 16-20" bar with 3/8" pitch chain is a real workhorse that will really earn its keep. Stihl or Husqvarna are the best makes. Poulan is supposedly Husky's cheaper brand.
You might consider fastener systems also. A hammer-tacker stapler is a super tool for rigging plastic sheeting. Adhesives in various formulas come in caulking gun tubes and make application very clean and easy. The big caulking guns really enable big jobs to go fast. You might think about keeping some cheap-0 Wally World sillicone sealant. Then there is gasket maker material. Where does it end? Well, you have to realize if you can't fix stuff you have to adapt it. A tube of sillicone will go a long way if you don't have RTV.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Firearms For Defense
The "Why You Need Them" ought be fairly plain to the reader by now. In case you missed it, over the Summer, Peter Fonda was in the news because he was actively instructing his grandchildren in LongRange Riflery. Google the article if you want to read the whys and wherefores, but suffice it to say PF was motivated by the political climate in the USA these days...
LongRange Shooting is a particular interest of mine. We'll talk about that later, but right now the pressing need we all have is to own and be able to effectively use Defensive Firearms. In SURVIVAL GUNS, Mel Tappan differentiated between defensive and working firearms. The Defensive gun is one designed expressly for sustained fire and rapid reloading so as to function continually until a fight is over and then to work reliably again on the next occasion. Revolvers and sporting rifles/shotguns are not typically built to deliver this kind of sustained firepower and deliver rifle-fire on a sustatined basis without significant wear.
The 10mm Auto and .45acp are the most viable pistol cartridges for self-defense. To reliably stop an attacker with one hit to center chest-mass requires a bullet of .40 caliber or larger with bullet weight of 180 grains minimum. Most reliable is the .45acp with 230gr bullet. Flatpoint design is favored over the roundnosed-ball design, but plain old generic ball ammo will stop a fight Very Effectively. The 10mm Auto delivers more velocity than the .45acp (automatic Colt pistol) and delivers more recoil and muzzle blast. If you anticipate a need for a pistol that is flatter shooting than the .45acp, then this is your ticket.
The Colt pattern 1911 auto-pistol is the premier fighting handgun. Some favor Glock and Springfield XD. The 1911 pistol is tremendously popular, parts are available from Brownells, MidwayUSA, and likely at your local gunshop. More options and aftermarket upgrades are available for these pistols than any other ever made. To be most effective, you need sights which are higher profile than the standard Colt's Government Model small blade and rear notch. High sitting fixed sights or adjustable rear are required. I recommend Colt, Smith & Wesson, Kimber, and Springfield Armory for best-built weapons. The short concealment guns are very superior to any hideout revolver, although they do weigh more. The Combat Commander 4" barrel models share the same frame with the full-size slide versions. A .22LR Conversion Unit might be worth owning. Jonathan Ciener & Co offer a fine unit at about $225. Mine is very accurate, even with junk .22lr bulk ammo.
You need a decent trigger pull to enable accuracy with a pistol. I have found the Cylinder & Slide aftermarket sear spring to enable about a 1lb reduction in pull weight and is a drop-in, no tweaking reliable upgrade. Cost is under $10 from MidwayUSA.
When you buy your pistol, you need to also buy your ammunition, and several spare magazines. Generic .45acp ball from Winchester/USA would be my recommendation, but Remington or Federal is also fine; just buy the cheapest ball ammo for practice. Holsters make or break the carrying comfort of a handgun. Going into Winter, you likely won't need an under T-shirt slimline holster. A shoulder holster enables carrying weapon out of the elements, a belt holster with flap like the US GI ambidextrous flap holster is also excellent for open carry in the field. Uncle Mike's nylon holsters are very good as are the Bianchi. Not really a lot of reason to buy an expensive leather shoulder rig unless you intend to carry concealed in your day to day and aren't comfortable with Small Of Back or Inside Waist Band concealment holsters. Hard to beat Milt Sparks, but Bianchi, Galco, DeSantis, and Safariland are also excellent.
When carrying an auto-pistol, its a great idea to carry spare magazines in a fitted magazine carrier. These are firm fitting and release mags quickly which is definitely a plus, compared to rooting around in a pocket for a loose mag that is picking up dirt, debris and other crap that can spoil your day if it gets in the way of your pistol mechanism. Probably not going to be too long before you are open carrying your pistol, at least around your home. A matched belt, holster and mag carrier will be a tool you get many benefits from.
A pistol is a fast response weapon that should always be on your person or in your hand once you are alerted to or expect trouble. FBI statistics reveal that most gunfights occur at about 7 to 10 feet. You had better hope you have more distance than that between you if your opponent has drawn a knife. A skilled blademan can kill you before you can react and draw a weapon if he is inside your safety zone. Jeff Cooper wrote a short pamphlet I recommend entitled, PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL DEFENSE. This is a great read that will enhance your awareness and give you a system of readiness to be conscious of at all times. Also recommend Massad Ayoob's IN THE GRAVEST EXTREME. There are newer videos and books, but these remain very good.
The rifle is your primary weapon. You can hunt with a Defensive Weapon, and modern self-loading (semi-auto) military specification rifles offer built-in mounts for telescopic, backup iron sights, or Trijicon and other high visibility dot/triangle sights. The modern fighting rifle will deliver very accurate aimed fire and provide a 20-30 round magazine facilitating reloading with great swiftness and firing without breaking eye contact with target.
The primary rifles for defensive use are the Armalite AR-10 and AR-15 pattern rifles. Others will work fine, and many favor the Garand type M1, M14/M1a and Mini-14/30 designs. These have much less desirable facility for scope mounting, (mini 14 ranch rifle is an exception with built-in base and rings.) The Heckler-Koch 91 & 93 designs are also well-regarded but again lack the integral scope mount of the AR. The FN-Fal is another venerable battlerifle.
The AR-10 rifle is chambered for the .308 family of cartridges. Lots of power compared to the .223rem for which the AR-15 is chambered. The .308win weighs about twice what the .223rem weighs. While the .308 with 168/175gr bullets is a better longrange performer, the .223rem when loaded with 75/77gr bullets will shoot right with the .308 out to 500 or 600yds, maybe to 700 depending on conditions.
The AR-15 with heavy bullets is a very viable defense rifle. The 75gr bullet will also take game up to deer size or larger. The bullets are very tough. I've recovered them from rocky soil bent like pretzels, but they don't fragment. At 500yds the 75/77gr bullet has same energy as a 125gr bullet fired at 1400fps from a .357mag at 25yds. The .357magnum is touted as a hellacious defensive weapon, but a 75gr .223 at muzzle is about 3x as powerful...
The AR-15 in 20" rifle configuration with a 1:7 or 1:8 twist barrel is what is needed to shoot the heavier bullets with precision. Colt and Armalite offer the finest in production rifles with premium quality chrome-lined barrels, in both flat-top and carryhandle styles. The flat-top A4 is what you want for scoped usage. A chrome-lined barrel is the better choice for situations that might require continuous shooting that would soon ruin a stainless or chrome-moly barrel. In the AR-10 category, only Armalite offers a chrome-lined barrel as standard in their basic rifle lineup.
My perspective is that the AR-15 is so easy to shoot with precision, recoils so minimally, weighs signifcantly less and since ammunition weighs half what .308win ammo weighs; it is the rifle I prefer and recommend.
One Caveat: The AR-15 requires the 75 or 77 grain match boat tail hollow point bullets to deliver the power you must have and the accuracy at distance which makes it worthy of choice as primary self-defense rifle.....
The AR-15 rifle is significantly less expensive than the AR-10. Ammunition and magazines and other accessories also cost much less. The days of cheap military surplus ammunition seem to be behind us here in America. Decent .308win generic ammo costs about $1 per round. .223 generic is about 75 cents. Match ammo which either rifle will need to shoot with precision at distance, is about $1.75 per round....
The solution is to handload your own ammunition... A progressive loading press can load about 250rds per hour, maybe more. Lee Engineering sells a progressive press for about $150, RCBS, Hornady, and Dillon also sell progressive loaders, with Dillon offering several machines in varying levels of automatic and fast cartridge assembly.
The Dillon 550b setup and ancillary loading eqpt will cost about $600. A Lee setup likely about $250. These are the extremes. No reason you shouldn't load your own highpower rifle ammunition and handgun ammunition while you're at it. NRA match shooting competitors favor US Military once-fired brass for their handloads. The brass is heavier than commercial Win/Rem etc and lasts longer and can take heavier pressures. Military brass has primers crimped in place. This crimp must be removed or swaged to enable new primer to be inserted.
One of the best deals I know of for bullets and brass come from tjconevera.com in IL. Coneveras sells 600 pcs of military brass, primer pockets already to load, plus 600 hornady 75gr bthp match bullets for $140. Pretty sure this includes shipping. See their Bullet & Brass Combo page. They'll also deliver 500 .308win brass and 168gr bthp match for $210...
Gunpowder and primers are all else you need. A pound of smokeless powder weighs 7,000 grains. The .223 and .308 in semi-auto rifles will both use the same burn-rate powders. Reloader 15 and Varget are the 2 primary powders. The .223 gets about 280 loads per pound, the .308 about 185 loads. As to primers, the AR and Garand type rifles pre-indent the primer when loading. Too soft a primer can cause a pre-ignition or slamfire; both can blow-up the gun and maybe injure or kill you!!! So, I use Remington 7-1/2 small rifle match primers for .223 in my AR-15s and Winchester Lg Rifle in the .308s. There are mil-spec primers from CCI also.
Bottomline is it costs about 40 cents to load match .223 ammo using conevera brass/bullet deal. Once you have fired brass, all you need is bllets, primers, and powder so costs are even lower. MidwayUSA sells .223 Lake City brass that is unfired and w/o crimp. $75/500pcs. They also sell the fantastic Nosler BTHP match bullets in 2000qty boxes at a great price. Yet, there are many other dealers that sell even cheaper, just have to shop agressively...
Midsouthshooters.com sell hornady and nosler bulk pack bullets also at excellent prices with same day shipping. You'll likely wait a week or two on shipment if you buy from the low ball websites that have no telephone order facilities.
My recommendation is to load your own match ammo and go with a quality AR-15 rifle by Colt or Armalite. The webs finest info and selling resource is ar15.com; visit that site and learn everything from how to shoot the rifles to how to build one. Guys sell tons of new and used gear there and dealers there pretty much have to be very competitive.
The most critical firearms you will ever own are those you choose for self-defense. Remember that Politicians Prefer Unarmed Peasants and will ban semi-auto pistols and rifles before other guns. I advise taking action and buying your pistol, ammunition and spare magazines as soon as possible, followed soon by your rifle purchase. Handloading gear is much in demand and bullets, ctg case, powder and primers go up in price as the raw materials like lead, copper, and brass increase on world markets. Not likely to see lower prices on these in-demand items ever again in our lifetimes....
Lots more to come about guns, shooting, accessories and how to load precision crafted ammunition. These are critical skills which you need as a priority.
LongRange Shooting is a particular interest of mine. We'll talk about that later, but right now the pressing need we all have is to own and be able to effectively use Defensive Firearms. In SURVIVAL GUNS, Mel Tappan differentiated between defensive and working firearms. The Defensive gun is one designed expressly for sustained fire and rapid reloading so as to function continually until a fight is over and then to work reliably again on the next occasion. Revolvers and sporting rifles/shotguns are not typically built to deliver this kind of sustained firepower and deliver rifle-fire on a sustatined basis without significant wear.
The 10mm Auto and .45acp are the most viable pistol cartridges for self-defense. To reliably stop an attacker with one hit to center chest-mass requires a bullet of .40 caliber or larger with bullet weight of 180 grains minimum. Most reliable is the .45acp with 230gr bullet. Flatpoint design is favored over the roundnosed-ball design, but plain old generic ball ammo will stop a fight Very Effectively. The 10mm Auto delivers more velocity than the .45acp (automatic Colt pistol) and delivers more recoil and muzzle blast. If you anticipate a need for a pistol that is flatter shooting than the .45acp, then this is your ticket.
The Colt pattern 1911 auto-pistol is the premier fighting handgun. Some favor Glock and Springfield XD. The 1911 pistol is tremendously popular, parts are available from Brownells, MidwayUSA, and likely at your local gunshop. More options and aftermarket upgrades are available for these pistols than any other ever made. To be most effective, you need sights which are higher profile than the standard Colt's Government Model small blade and rear notch. High sitting fixed sights or adjustable rear are required. I recommend Colt, Smith & Wesson, Kimber, and Springfield Armory for best-built weapons. The short concealment guns are very superior to any hideout revolver, although they do weigh more. The Combat Commander 4" barrel models share the same frame with the full-size slide versions. A .22LR Conversion Unit might be worth owning. Jonathan Ciener & Co offer a fine unit at about $225. Mine is very accurate, even with junk .22lr bulk ammo.
You need a decent trigger pull to enable accuracy with a pistol. I have found the Cylinder & Slide aftermarket sear spring to enable about a 1lb reduction in pull weight and is a drop-in, no tweaking reliable upgrade. Cost is under $10 from MidwayUSA.
When you buy your pistol, you need to also buy your ammunition, and several spare magazines. Generic .45acp ball from Winchester/USA would be my recommendation, but Remington or Federal is also fine; just buy the cheapest ball ammo for practice. Holsters make or break the carrying comfort of a handgun. Going into Winter, you likely won't need an under T-shirt slimline holster. A shoulder holster enables carrying weapon out of the elements, a belt holster with flap like the US GI ambidextrous flap holster is also excellent for open carry in the field. Uncle Mike's nylon holsters are very good as are the Bianchi. Not really a lot of reason to buy an expensive leather shoulder rig unless you intend to carry concealed in your day to day and aren't comfortable with Small Of Back or Inside Waist Band concealment holsters. Hard to beat Milt Sparks, but Bianchi, Galco, DeSantis, and Safariland are also excellent.
When carrying an auto-pistol, its a great idea to carry spare magazines in a fitted magazine carrier. These are firm fitting and release mags quickly which is definitely a plus, compared to rooting around in a pocket for a loose mag that is picking up dirt, debris and other crap that can spoil your day if it gets in the way of your pistol mechanism. Probably not going to be too long before you are open carrying your pistol, at least around your home. A matched belt, holster and mag carrier will be a tool you get many benefits from.
A pistol is a fast response weapon that should always be on your person or in your hand once you are alerted to or expect trouble. FBI statistics reveal that most gunfights occur at about 7 to 10 feet. You had better hope you have more distance than that between you if your opponent has drawn a knife. A skilled blademan can kill you before you can react and draw a weapon if he is inside your safety zone. Jeff Cooper wrote a short pamphlet I recommend entitled, PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL DEFENSE. This is a great read that will enhance your awareness and give you a system of readiness to be conscious of at all times. Also recommend Massad Ayoob's IN THE GRAVEST EXTREME. There are newer videos and books, but these remain very good.
The rifle is your primary weapon. You can hunt with a Defensive Weapon, and modern self-loading (semi-auto) military specification rifles offer built-in mounts for telescopic, backup iron sights, or Trijicon and other high visibility dot/triangle sights. The modern fighting rifle will deliver very accurate aimed fire and provide a 20-30 round magazine facilitating reloading with great swiftness and firing without breaking eye contact with target.
The primary rifles for defensive use are the Armalite AR-10 and AR-15 pattern rifles. Others will work fine, and many favor the Garand type M1, M14/M1a and Mini-14/30 designs. These have much less desirable facility for scope mounting, (mini 14 ranch rifle is an exception with built-in base and rings.) The Heckler-Koch 91 & 93 designs are also well-regarded but again lack the integral scope mount of the AR. The FN-Fal is another venerable battlerifle.
The AR-10 rifle is chambered for the .308 family of cartridges. Lots of power compared to the .223rem for which the AR-15 is chambered. The .308win weighs about twice what the .223rem weighs. While the .308 with 168/175gr bullets is a better longrange performer, the .223rem when loaded with 75/77gr bullets will shoot right with the .308 out to 500 or 600yds, maybe to 700 depending on conditions.
The AR-15 with heavy bullets is a very viable defense rifle. The 75gr bullet will also take game up to deer size or larger. The bullets are very tough. I've recovered them from rocky soil bent like pretzels, but they don't fragment. At 500yds the 75/77gr bullet has same energy as a 125gr bullet fired at 1400fps from a .357mag at 25yds. The .357magnum is touted as a hellacious defensive weapon, but a 75gr .223 at muzzle is about 3x as powerful...
The AR-15 in 20" rifle configuration with a 1:7 or 1:8 twist barrel is what is needed to shoot the heavier bullets with precision. Colt and Armalite offer the finest in production rifles with premium quality chrome-lined barrels, in both flat-top and carryhandle styles. The flat-top A4 is what you want for scoped usage. A chrome-lined barrel is the better choice for situations that might require continuous shooting that would soon ruin a stainless or chrome-moly barrel. In the AR-10 category, only Armalite offers a chrome-lined barrel as standard in their basic rifle lineup.
My perspective is that the AR-15 is so easy to shoot with precision, recoils so minimally, weighs signifcantly less and since ammunition weighs half what .308win ammo weighs; it is the rifle I prefer and recommend.
One Caveat: The AR-15 requires the 75 or 77 grain match boat tail hollow point bullets to deliver the power you must have and the accuracy at distance which makes it worthy of choice as primary self-defense rifle.....
The AR-15 rifle is significantly less expensive than the AR-10. Ammunition and magazines and other accessories also cost much less. The days of cheap military surplus ammunition seem to be behind us here in America. Decent .308win generic ammo costs about $1 per round. .223 generic is about 75 cents. Match ammo which either rifle will need to shoot with precision at distance, is about $1.75 per round....
The solution is to handload your own ammunition... A progressive loading press can load about 250rds per hour, maybe more. Lee Engineering sells a progressive press for about $150, RCBS, Hornady, and Dillon also sell progressive loaders, with Dillon offering several machines in varying levels of automatic and fast cartridge assembly.
The Dillon 550b setup and ancillary loading eqpt will cost about $600. A Lee setup likely about $250. These are the extremes. No reason you shouldn't load your own highpower rifle ammunition and handgun ammunition while you're at it. NRA match shooting competitors favor US Military once-fired brass for their handloads. The brass is heavier than commercial Win/Rem etc and lasts longer and can take heavier pressures. Military brass has primers crimped in place. This crimp must be removed or swaged to enable new primer to be inserted.
One of the best deals I know of for bullets and brass come from tjconevera.com in IL. Coneveras sells 600 pcs of military brass, primer pockets already to load, plus 600 hornady 75gr bthp match bullets for $140. Pretty sure this includes shipping. See their Bullet & Brass Combo page. They'll also deliver 500 .308win brass and 168gr bthp match for $210...
Gunpowder and primers are all else you need. A pound of smokeless powder weighs 7,000 grains. The .223 and .308 in semi-auto rifles will both use the same burn-rate powders. Reloader 15 and Varget are the 2 primary powders. The .223 gets about 280 loads per pound, the .308 about 185 loads. As to primers, the AR and Garand type rifles pre-indent the primer when loading. Too soft a primer can cause a pre-ignition or slamfire; both can blow-up the gun and maybe injure or kill you!!! So, I use Remington 7-1/2 small rifle match primers for .223 in my AR-15s and Winchester Lg Rifle in the .308s. There are mil-spec primers from CCI also.
Bottomline is it costs about 40 cents to load match .223 ammo using conevera brass/bullet deal. Once you have fired brass, all you need is bllets, primers, and powder so costs are even lower. MidwayUSA sells .223 Lake City brass that is unfired and w/o crimp. $75/500pcs. They also sell the fantastic Nosler BTHP match bullets in 2000qty boxes at a great price. Yet, there are many other dealers that sell even cheaper, just have to shop agressively...
Midsouthshooters.com sell hornady and nosler bulk pack bullets also at excellent prices with same day shipping. You'll likely wait a week or two on shipment if you buy from the low ball websites that have no telephone order facilities.
My recommendation is to load your own match ammo and go with a quality AR-15 rifle by Colt or Armalite. The webs finest info and selling resource is ar15.com; visit that site and learn everything from how to shoot the rifles to how to build one. Guys sell tons of new and used gear there and dealers there pretty much have to be very competitive.
The most critical firearms you will ever own are those you choose for self-defense. Remember that Politicians Prefer Unarmed Peasants and will ban semi-auto pistols and rifles before other guns. I advise taking action and buying your pistol, ammunition and spare magazines as soon as possible, followed soon by your rifle purchase. Handloading gear is much in demand and bullets, ctg case, powder and primers go up in price as the raw materials like lead, copper, and brass increase on world markets. Not likely to see lower prices on these in-demand items ever again in our lifetimes....
Lots more to come about guns, shooting, accessories and how to load precision crafted ammunition. These are critical skills which you need as a priority.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)