Pre-TEOTWAWKI survivalism, a.k.a. ‘life’

If you polled a group of people about what ‘survivalists’ or ‘preppers’ do, I would wager that the majority of answers are something along the lines of ‘they prepare to survive and live through the end of the world (or some flavor of it).” Now, this is a reasonable, albeit uninformed, opinion to have. I mean, we have camouflage, guns, ammo, bunkers, night vision, freeze dried food, livestock, gold coins, etc, etc. These are things that, normally, are kinda regarded as ‘end of the world’ items. Apocalypse is nigh? Get thee some chickens and rabbits. That sort of thing.

But I disagree. You, right here right now, are engaged in survivalist activity. When everyone is driving their car down to ‘E’, you’re never letting it get below half-full (or half-empty, I suppose). When people blissfully walk out the door of their houses unarmed, you’re slipping some thundertoy in your pocket. They’re buying jet skis and big screens, you’re paying off debt and saving cash. In short, even before the bombs drop and the pathogens spread, you’re engaged in various acts of survivalism.

Survivalism is giving yourself as much advantage as possible for when something big and bad happens. If we were to sum up the nature of survivalism in one word, one idea, it would be resilience. For most anticipated unfortunate events we can’t be 100% proofed against them..a lot of that stuff is out of our control. But, while we can’t control what happens to us, we can control our response to it.

An example… I worry about being unemployed. I increase my resilience to that by trying to do a good job at work, but also by living within my means, keeping as much money as possible, and making sure I’m ready to go find new work if I have to. By not carrying debt, keeping plenty of cash, and keeping my skills up to date, I increase my resilience to losing a job. Contrast this with someone who lives off their credit cards, spends everything as fast as they get it, and never develop or grow professionally.

Another example…when I take road trips my biggest concern is getting stuck somewhere due to bad road conditions, fuel issues, vehicle problems, etc, etc. I increase my resilience to these threats by carrying water, extra fuel, backpacking gear, food, cash (notice that money is a multitool for pretty much every emergency), and that sort of thing. Contrast this with someone who just blithely hops in their truck for a four-hour drive and winds up running out of gas when the gas stations are closed, gets stuck on a closed highway due to snow, or winds up on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with a busted u-joint.

The message I’m trying to communicate here is that as a survivalist, you aren’t engaging in survivalist activities after the bombs drop, but that you’re actually engaged in them pretty much 24/7 in your pre-TEOTWAWKI life.

Or..at least…you should be.

Here’s a truth that you can absolutely bank on: before the big EOTWAWKI happens you will face many smaller, personal ones. You may be in one right now. What do they look like? Job loss, divorce, medical emergency, foreclosure, busted transmissions, leaky water heaters, tennis-ball-swallowing dogs, vulnerable loved ones, home invasions, unexpected expenses, 2am phone calls, and a thousand other crises that mean nothing to everyone else but are paramount to you because they are happening to you.

THIS is going to happen ALOT more often.....

THIS is going to happen ALOT more often…..

…than THIS.

But if you’re a bit prepared for those events…youve increased your resilience against them…then, guess what, they aren’t EOTWAWKI events. They’re learning experiences. Or pains in the ass. Or simply and only…inconveniences. And I will happily trade EOTWAWKI for an inconvenience all day long.

So, moral of the story here – being a survivalist is an every day affair.

 

 

Sighting in

While upgrading the sights on a firearms is always a worthy endeavour, the real pain in the tuchus comes from having to re-sight the bloody thing in. But it’s gotta be done.

As I mentioned, I had installed night sights on my favorite GP-100. It’s a very nice pistol..I got it from Caleb Giddings a number of years back and its got a nice smooth action to it. It really is my favorite .357 at the moment. And..wow, is it accurate. My preferred ammo is 8.0 gr. of Unique under a 158 gr. JHP. Not an earthshaking load, but not a powderpuff either. Cases eject cleanly from the cylinder, recoil is manageable, and, in my two GP-100s, it’s really really accurate. I shoot really well with this gun.

Anway, with the new night sights there was a need to re-sight the gun in and….it was great. Took about three cylinders to get things where I wanted and confirm where they were hitting and it was some tight groups. I’m pleased. I wouldn’t want to run the apocalypse with a revolver if I had a choice, but if I had to carry one through Ragnarok…. this little package would be hard to beat.

Sighting in the new 8-shot Redhawk, however, was a different story. I just could not get it to group nearly as well as the GP-100. I think part of the problem is the grips on the gun. Smooth hardwood that doesn’t really fill the hand well. I normally like Pachmayr Grippers on my revolvers, but the GP-100 has a Hogue Monogrip on it an I shoot that gun quite well. The smooth grips on the Redhawk make it hard to keep the same grip, recoil whips the gun around in my grip, etc, etc. Why do gun companies go through the expense of making these types of grips that are just going to call for replacements anyway? Frustrating.

But..I got to spend time at the range, had a very satisfying time with my GP-100, and crosses some stuff off my To-Do list. Calling it a win.

Night sights

As pretty much everyone has noticed, it’s dark at least 50% of the time.

One of the nice things about the Ruger GP-100 series of pistols is an easiliy swappable front sight. In fact Ruger sells different colored inserts inserts of color so you can find pretty much whatever you want. Unfortuantely, a self-luminating (self-luminous?) front sight was not one of them. Not to fear, the free market abhors a vacuum. I went with the Meprolights since, to be honest, there’s not a huge amount of choices when it comes to revolver night sights, unlike, say, Glocks where everyone makes them.

The rear sight was an easy install, the front sight took a little time with a stone to remove a bit of excess material from the sight.

The finished product, of course, needs to go the range and be sighted in with my usual load of  Unique under a 158 gr. JHP.

I have met people who have said that night sights are pointless…if you can’t see your sights, then its dark enough you can see your target. I want to call this a rather stupid argument but I’m a bit more diplomatic than that so I’ll just call it ‘shortsighted’.

These arguments discount the possibility of scenarios where, for example, you may be standing in a darkened area but your target is in a lit area. Or the light is dim/fading and theres enough light to see a target but not quite enough light to rapidly acquire your sights.

But here’s the most important reason for me: because I believe they have a utility to me.

Crom forfend, but if I am ever in a situation where gunplay means the difference in terms of my immediate and long-term safety, I’m going to want every advantage possible. Night sights are an advantage.

I put night sights on all my Glocks, and whenever possible I add a tactical light as well.  I am surprised that night sights on revolvers are such a seemingly rare commodity these days. I understand that it’s kind of a pain in the butt to make a Model 60 with an interchangeable front sight blade and a dovetail for what would normally be a fixed frame, but, cmon, a gun designed for self-defense should recognize that often those moments take place in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Ruger, at least, recognizes this and offers a version of their excellent SP101 snubby with front and rear dovetail sights.

I’m pretty sure someone in comments is going to say something about how night sights give your position away to anyone with NOD/NVD’s and therefore you’re not being tactical by having them on your gun, etc, etc. For that, I refer you to the paragraph three above this one.

 

ZT

I mentioned back in December that I commissioned Zombie Tools to do a couple knives for me. As with anything that is custom, there’s a bit of a wait. It was rewarded today. One of the things that added to the wait time was that I wanted (and paid for) different grips and finish than what they usually offer.

Years ago, when I was a teen, I used to stay up late and watch the rather bad “War Of The Worlds” television series. A mostly forgettable show but something that stood out for me was one of the characters (played by future ‘Predator’ trophy Richard Chaves) had a very distinctive knife that I thought was very cool.

Once Al Gore invented the internet,  I was able to research it and see it was a Crain-designed knife that was called the “Battle Baton”. Licensed copies were made and they’re out there for sale.

Battle Baton by Crain for “War Of The Worlds”

Not sure what I liked about it. Probably its Roman legionnaire vibe it gave off. I never thought about really getting one, bit I liked the look of it. And then Zombie Tools, a local business, came out with their Centurion dagger:

Zombie Tools Centurion dagger

You can see the similarities, yes? Because I am an evil yuppie survivalist (Translation: someone who has a real job and doesn’t live in a van down by the river desert), I could ask for, and pay for, a few personal touches. Not a fan of the acid washed look, so satin finish please. Not caring for the aluminum-n-leather grip, so some green laminate please. And, while we’re spending money, perhaps a little personal touch of engraving. Mkay, thx.

Thus, we get this:

Glock 17 for scaleI am pleased. I don’t mind paying a lot of money if I get exactly what I want. This pretty much is exactly what I wanted. Practicality? Well, when the stores stop selling 9mm, or the zombies finally arrive, then this thing might prove its worth. But, for now, it’s like my BBQ gun…its something I have for no other reason except that I wanted it.

And..uhm…I may have put in an order while I was there for it’s big brother.

I have to hand it to the ZT guys… I know that custom stuff can be a pain to do. That’s why I expect to pay more. But they did a lovely job and I like my rather two-of-a-kind purchase. (The other one is a gift to someone I know.)

I expect the next order to be ready around May. We shall see. (And I really want them to make me a mek’leth.)

 

 

Augason Vegetable Stew Mix

WinCo has restocked on the Augason Farms products.

I’m pretty well set on these products, but since it’s available and I’m always up for experimentation….lets crack one open and see what we get.

What you see in the picture above is two heaping tablespoons of this dehydrated vegetable mix. Its a bit heavy on the potatoes, but there’s a pretty fair representation of everything else in there as well. So, how to rehydrate? Well, let’s just go with the basic of using warm water and time.


I put in enough warm water to cover, and left to go to work.

After a little while, t hings start plumping up.

And when I returned to the house at the end of the day, this is what I saw.

Drained the remaining liquid and this is what remains. The thing that surprised me was just how small these things were cut. When Ii think stew, I think of reasonably hearty chunks of vegetables. Not here. No piece is larger than a thumbnail. This isn’t necessarily bad, it just means you should be aware of it.

I’m going to try mixing this up with a can of beef stock, some Keystone beef, and a few other dry ingredients and see what kind of beef soup or beef stew can be created out of entirely long-term foods. I’ll let you know how it works out.

Death by dialup

You guys saw that earlier this week AT&T had a little kerfuffle with their service? The claim is that it was a software issue. I’m sure it was, but I’m also sure that if it was something more sinister they would try like hell to cover it up and blame something more benign…like a software issue.

Then, today, you get a headline like this: Pharmacies nationwide face delays as health-care tech company reports cyberattack.

It’s a strange new world when the more likely threats to your way of life and your security come from the internet and not a Tu-95.

This is he stuff Hollywood has made movies about. There’s no shortage of flicks about people gaining control of some critical infrastructure computer and messing things up on a grand scale. The war strategists have told us that our water treatment, fuel delivery, air traffic, and electrical distribution systems are high priority targets for our friends the Chinese/Russians.

In true Machiavellian fashion, I wonder if some bad actor will conduct an operation and make it look like someone else did it in order to foment conflict. Couldn’t you see the Chinese launching a cyberattack that makes it look like the work of the Russians so that the US and Russia lock horns, leaving China to take advantage of the chaos and do what they want?

The lesson here, I suppose, is that while we prepare for the loss or diminution of infrastructure, it appears that it’s becoming even more vulnerable. Sure, we expected electricity and municipal water to be a problem….but drug prescriptions?

Article -Finland to open 300 shooting ranges to boost interest in national defence

Wonder if they’ll take it to the level that the Estonians have.

Finland has announced it will open 300 shooting ranges in a bid to encourage citizens to take a greater interest in national defence.

A member of Finland’s defence committee said the move would help Finns improve their shooting skills in the face of increased threats from Russia.

Under the Finnish constitution, every male aged between 18 and 60 must complete national army service but the government hopes that civilians will keep their weapons skills after the period of conscription with the new range proposals.

Finland and Russia/Soviet Union have a bit of a past, shall we say. The Winter War and The Continuation War make for interesting reading and seem to have some contemporary parallels today.

Mandatory conscription providing a base of trained civilians to form the backbone of a reserve, home guard, militia, or other irregular force is something that is fairly common in the world but often administered haphazardly. Some nations take it very seriously (ROK, Israel, Switzerland, etc.) and some…not so much. I’ve always thought the Swiss did it best, what with letting their guys take their military guns home with them and encouraging competition with them. Plus, the whole bunkers and redoubts thing also gives them some cred.

Russia’s recent foray into Lebensraum has seemingly forced some European countries to admit that, perhaps, the grand European tradition of disarming your citizenry in the name of security, safety, and civility withers in the cold harsh light of threats to sovereignty. Who knew? Behind every blade of grass and all that jazz.

Do you know who some of the strongest, most vocal, most virulent, most dedicated anti-Communists are? Former residents of communist countries. I have met plenty of people from former Soviet bloc countries and to a man they all support the notion of an armed citizenry. People who fled Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Cuba…they take to the AR15 like fat kids to donuts. I’m surprised more former Soviet states that were steamrollered by the USSR haven’t put an AK in every household.

I really hope the trend of encouraging national participation in firearms activities in the name of national defense continues. I’m sure at some point the various European governments will do their usual act of calling all loyal sons to bear arms during the crisis and then demand they turn those same arms in when the crisis is past. Looking at you, UK.

And, of course, I hope the Finns don’t make the mistake of thinking that opening shooting ranges is the start and finish (Finnish?) of creating a citizen-soldier. Small unit tactics, communications, medical, logistics (so much logistics) all need to be part of the curriculum. It’s the mistake that we often joke about in the survivalist world…you’ve got a million rounds of ammo and three days worth of food. Knowing how to shoot is only a small part of good training.

And, of course, no post about Finnish anything is complete without the comments constantly bring up Simo.

 

Notes

Sadly, even in what should be a tightly knit community like ours, there are still divisions. There’s one side that thinks that there is nothing wrong with spending big bucks on purpose-built or purpose-designed items versus those who believe that the cheapest alternative is ‘just as good’ and the other side is a buncha ‘yuppie survivalists’. A good example would be water containers. One person will say that anyone who uses anything other than recycled 2-liter pop bottles is not a ‘working man’ and is a fool who is throwing their money away, whereas the the other side will say that anyone who compromises on quality/engineering in order to save a few bucks is cutting their own throat with false economies. Both sides can get pretty vocal and, honestly, both sides kind of annoy me. It’s like two people standing on the deck of the Titanic arguing about rearranging deck chairs while the ship lists.

There won’t be any award given out for people who made it through the apocalypse using the cheapest gear or spending the least resources. If you can afford an advantage, take it. If you can’t, do what you can.

Which brings us to todays soon-to-be-beaten-to-a-lingering-death topic……….

Two things I keep in my gear: writing paper and writing utensils. Why? Because when things go bad, either on a personal small-level SHTF moment or the big epic one, you’re going to need to make notes…of gate combinations, mile markers, GPS coordinates, radio freqs, coded notes for meetup points, phone numbers, addresses, rendezvous times, and a zillion other things that are too important to commit to your already overburdened memory.

My line of reasoning is that in a crisis, if something is worth writing down its worth staying legible and intact until it is no longer needed. Now, I could just grab a ninety-nine cent pocket notebook, a plastic bag, and a ballpoint pen, and throw them in my bag. Or, I could spend the money and buy the paper that lets you write on it even when wet, the pen that lets you write upside down and with ink that won’t smear, and package it all in a handy cordura case that holds the paper and writing instruments together until such time as they’re needed. When that dark and stormy night comes and you need to leave a note tacked to your door telling your separated loved ones where to find you, the last thing you want it for that note to have become a spongy, pulpy mess with unreadable, streaked, and smeared ink.

Look, you do you. But I don’t mind spending money on the purpose-built, purpose-designed materials (or materiels) that fit my needs. Which leads me to these:

What youre looking at is a bunch of ‘Rite In The Rain’ products. These are the guys who are most noted (get it?) for their paper that…well…lets you write in the rain. But paper is only half the equation, the other half is something that will let you write in those circumstances. Remember thos Fisher ‘Space Pens’? Really, all they are are pens that use a pressurized ink cartridge. The RITR guys sell those too. Since I’m a suspenders-and-a-belt kinda guy I include a pen, pencil, Sharpie, and maybe an extra pen or two. Here’s what I’ve found that works for me.

I use the 3×5 notepads. I find them to be the best combination of utility and compactness. Additionally, 3×5 seems to be the most common size for accessories like covers and cases for the pad. RITR sells them, sometimes as a package, but other companies make similar products. I like one-stop-shopping whenever possible, so I just get it all from RITR. I used the grid paper rather than the usual lined paper because…well..its seems more useful if I have to draw a map or other graphic representation of something.

For actual writing instruments, it’s pretty much a no-brainer – go with a pen (or two) that use a pressurized cartridge containing a good waterproof ink. Again, I just get the RITR ones but there are some ‘tactical pens’ out there that also used pressurized cartridges. Might wanna get a spare cartridge or two as well.

In my line of work, we use a lot of mechanical pencils and I’ve come to eschew regular yellow No.2 pencils for any serious use. You can go down a major rabbit hole when it comes to mechanical pencils, leads, etc. For instance, I prefer a .5 lead, and I have a lovely .2 Japanese-made model, but in a tough world I want something less delicate. RITR has a 1.3mm that is really nice. It gives a thick easy to read line with a lead that is thick enough to not break easily. And the pencils themselves are pretty slick too. For scrawling a note to leave on a windshield, on the side of a box of ammo, or on the doorjamb of a house..I really like these. (And the three-pack comes in Black, OD, and FDE…nice.)

An interesting take on the pressurized space pen are these little things from Pokka. Their claim to fame is that they are two-piece compact pocket pens. One half acts as a sheath for the other half, take it apart and click them together to get a full size writing instrument. Handy for keeping a pen in your pants pocket without stabbing yourself in the thigh or painting your clothes with ink. Drawback is that the ink cartridge is necessarily half the capacity. But when you want a compact package to save space but still need the performance, its a good compromise. Other drawback is that it appears they are disposable, without replacement cartridges available. Assess for your needs accordingly.

And, of course, a Sharpie is never a bad idea to keep on hand.

As you think about it, there’s probably a couple additional things to keep handy in that same vein. The one that springs to mind first, for me, is a big chunk of sidewalk chalk and an equally as big crayon. I haven’t seen anything a crayon won’t write on.

Tucked away into a cordura pouch to keep everything collected and protected, it takes up about as much space as a cellphone. Nine times out of ten, I just use them for taking notes at gun shows. However, I also use this stuff for leaving notes on my truck when I go hunting in case something goes wrong, jotting down GPS coords in the field, and that sort of thing.

Can you achieve the same results with a ziploc baggie, a dollar notepad, and a cheap Bic? Yeah, probably. But I could also probably get the same results in New Orleans after Katrina using a Mosin Nagant and a HiPoint…but I’d probably rather have every advantage, real or imagined, on my side that is afforded by the stuff mentioned here.

As I said, it’s a subjective thing…what we determine is or is not worth dropping our hard-earned coin on. For me, since I don’t drink, smoke, or have expensive non-survivalist-related hobbies, I can spend a little money on stuff that someone else might think is an extravagant or unnecessary purchase. To each their own.

Article – A California man was found with 1 million rounds of ammo and 248 illegally owned guns in his house, state authorities say

No one I know.

A man in Richmond, California, was arrested last month with a cache of 248 illegally owned guns and 1 million rounds of ammo in his home, the state attorney general said on Thursday.

The man, who was not named, is “alleged to be legally barred from owning weapons,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

Bureau of Firearms agents searching the man’s home on January 31 found 11 military-style machine guns, 133 handguns, 37 rifles, 60 assault rifles, 7 shotguns, and 3,000 large-capacity magazines, Bonta said.

I know absolutely nothing about this event but I’m going to hazard a guess that this guy may have some amigos in Mexico, if you know what I’m suggesting.

My normal response to an article about someone getting caught with x number of guns and y rounds of ammo is to make a smart-ass comment about how “Those are rookie numbers”. Not this time, thats actually a fairly impressive pile.