Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Lack of posting? Sure. Im getting married today in about three hours. I’ve been running around all week with family, friends and hirelings trying to make sure everything goes according to plan. Which has inspired me about doing a post about how living a life of preparedness and then having to prepare for a wedding have a few things in common and alot that arent. And alot about the value of Plan B, C and D.

Not too late to wish the couple all the best with a fine firearm.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Two more weeks until the wedding. It should prove to be an interesting experience. First off, we’re encouraging our guests to be armed. Because of this we’re also keeping it a booze-free wedding. A friend of mine with a nice 1/3 scale Revolutionary War cannon will be bringing it along for a salute. Theres a scheduled ‘range day’ the day after the wedding and that should be quite interesting as well. Finally, there’ll be the final round of gift-giving and the determination of whether the gifting was enough to cover the cost of the .50 BMG rifle we’ve got listed on our registry. I do believe this will be an event that will be unmatched in the gun community for a while and may very well become the stuff of legends on the various gun boards. Obviously, much photography will be taking place. There’ll be at least one well known photographing gunny in attendance – Oleg Volk. And Im sure there will be no shortage of people with digital cameras floating around.

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Remember a few weeks ago I had my first trip to the LDS cannery? I received an email from the fella I went with telling me that, for the first time, they are closing their doors for a short while due to a lack of food products. When I was there the shelves were, in some spots, pretty bare. Now they’re taking a break while they try to get their stockpiles back up. The natives, it seems, are restless. When the Mormons go to ground, take note.

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Received a new catalog from CDNN. Right on the cover they say Glock mag prices will be going up 40%. This will put Glock mags in the $22~ price range. Theres no such thing as too many magazines, guys. Mags are a consumable. They will get broken, they will get lost, they will get damaged, they will get stolen, they will get left behind, they will get confiscated, they will be restricted, they may become illegal. Your gun came with one mag in the gun and two spares in the box? You seriously think those will last you for the rest. Of. Your. Life?

Pull $100 out of your wallet, skip eating out this month, and buy some spares, will ya please?

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Speaking of CDNN, I called and they do indeed have PTR-91 rifles in stock. $900-1000~ depending on model. An outstanding gun that has cheap magazine availability. (See above paragraph.) Heres putting it in perspective…

$1500 will get you, as far as a 308 battle rifle goes:

• Armalite AR-10 and 4 extra mags
• SA M1A Standard and 8 extra mags
• DSA FAL and 20 extra mags
• JLD PTR-91 and 250 extra mags (or 50 mags, a tactical sling, cleaning kit, spare parts, claw mount and some ammo)

Excellent ‘bang for your buck’ right there folks. Personally, I prefer the ergonomics of the FAL but I realize that I need to spend what little money I have on something that will provide the greatest return. In this case, it’s the PTR-91…I get .308 performance, accuracy, HK reliability, dirt cheap spare parts, $2 magazines, and all of it at a realistic price.

Oh, sure, I could buy about 6 SKS rifles for the cost of the PTR-91. And I do have several SKS rifles. But they’re not my first or second choice for running out the door. They’re nice ‘last ditch’ guns, good for handing off to guests, and are ‘disposable’ in the sense that if they get stolen out of a vehicle or building I wont really care. But they are not my first choice for defending life and property.

Have your dealer call CDNN and score you a PTR-91. Then have your dealer call Lew Horton Distributing and order up some $2 mags. You’ll never regret it. Esp. after November.

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I am still looking for recommendations for bicycle repair/maintenance/modding books. Leave in comments or email to zero@commanderzero.com .

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Everyone has their own particular idea of what the justification for their preparedness looks like. For some its ‘Peak Oil’, for others it’s a civil war, some folks believe in ‘The Rapture’, and others are waiting for that big 9.0 earthquake…theres also hurricanes, race war, invasion, nuclear terrorism, rogue asteroids/comets, economic collapse, global pandemics, food shortages, global droughts, etc, etc. and, if youre a Scientologist, a return of Xenu. No matter the cause, you can be pretty sure theres someone somewhere stocking up against it. And theres nothing wrong with that. The guys stocking up for Hurrican Katrina II will do just fine when things come to a halt because of a freak ice storm. The guys digging in for Bird Flu will come through with flying colors when an earthquake rattles their area. Generally speaking, being very prepared for one type of disaster will put you in good shape for surviving most of the other kinds. So, really, theres no bad reason to prepare, although some reasons will raise more eyebrows than others.

My own personal scenario, and I guess some would call it my ‘personal fear’, is a period of economic instability and decline. Massive unemployment, high prices, limited product availability, decreased .gov spending (in the sense of reduced social programs that, naturally, lead to civil disorder when folks suddenly stop getting ‘their’ checks), slumps in manufacturing and production, etc, etc. Or, to put it in more simple layman’s terms: my fear is being unable to afford or acquire food and fuel, pay the mortgage, have a reliable connection to utilities, and be able to afford to live a life similar to the one I’m living now.

Already, for whatever reasons, we’re starting to see some of that. Fuel prices are affecting the price of other goods. Food is up, fuel is up, people are getting laid off from jobs, credit is tightening up, the dollar is losing value, etc, etc. Its enough to make me want to stockpile food, fuel and money…which, unsurprisingly, is pretty much what Im trying to do. On the bright said, preparing for such a situation also puts me in a position of being prepared for pretty much anything else life wants to throw at us.

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Apparently, I have an impulse control problem. I was helping a buddy move and in the process of cleaning out his ‘man room’ I wound up with a Barnett crossbow and a handful of bolts gratis…sort of a thank you for hauling a dozen heavy milk crates of bullets up the stairs from his old locale to his new one and down the stairs there. (Sweaty, annoying, tedious work…) Not sure what Im going to do with a crossbow but a powerful silent weapon that’ll puncture most soft body armour could be handy sometime. Certainly it’ll be just the ticket for annoying stray dogs or cats. Where it would really shine is for a little urban poaching. Theres no shortage of deer wandering around town here, Impulsively, I also picked up a S&W 422 that my buddy was wanting to sell. (He’s moving to Hawaii and is getting rid of anything not suitable for pig hunting or saltwater environs.)

The little flat S&W semiauto .22’s were only made for about ten years but I was always kinda impressed with them. They were lightweight, compact, flat, reliable and decent shooters. And the price was right. Unfortunately they fit almost nowhere inside my preconceived logistical parameters. For my needs, and the sake of my planning, there is but one .22 auto pistol – the Ruger MkII. Ubiquitous, plenty of aftermarket support, solid gun…whereas the S&W , while a fine pistol, is going to require me to stock more magazines, different holsters, etc, etc. So why’d I get it? Well, the price was good for one thing. Also, when given the chance to buy a quality, inexpensive, paperless handgun I think it’s a smart idea to jump on it. I’ll probably just pick up a couple spare mags, pack this thing up and tuck it away as a tertiary backup or possibly make it a dedicated kit gun for my hunting bag. We shall see. Maybe use it as trading stock against any MkII I come across. I took it too the range this weekend and it expressed a definite preference for Federal over Remington. Fortunately, Federal is the brand that most of our bulk .22 is in.

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I was thinking about China and its move towards ‘food security’. Im sure that anyone who has ever talked about TEOTWAWKI with their buddies has joked that when the apocalypse comes, we’re all gonna meet at CostCo and take it over as our own personal stockpile.

Well, if you think about it, that’s exactly where this is going to go. The Chinese are going to build their own food production/distribution empire and then when things get ugly their going to go secure that facility and its inventory… never mind that it may be on foreign territory.

China certainly isn’t going to be the only nation doing such things… they’re simply the biggest and most visible at the moment. But I’ll bet you there’s huge ranches and ag operations in those warm, temperate southern climates that are being contracted/leased/bought by various state-owned (or fronts for state owned) companies. The natural question to ask is “Hey, Zero, that’s great and everything but how does that affect me and my plans for preparedness?” Directly, it probably doesn’t and wont. Indirectly, it might. Ten years from now Chinese influence could be as pervasive as Communist influence was back in the 70’s. The Chinese could walk into the various countries they have holdings in and ‘ask’ for ‘favored’ status in trade. Maybe exclusive contracts for oil sales, freezing out other purchasers like the US. Same for strategic minerals. In short, someone who doesn’t like us may be in a position to make tings difficult for us in terms of foreign resources. Something to think about.

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The weather is warming up, gas is still $3.50 a gallon. (By the by, I find it amazing that people who bitch about gas being $3.50 a gallon have no problem buying coffee drinks that work out to $25 a gallon.) Im riding my bike more, and I recommend you do the same if for no other reason than to stay in shape and to develop a feel for the neighborhood you live in, and need to pick up some info on bicycle maintenance, repair and modification. Can anyone recommend a good book on the subject? I want something that’ll show me how to repair/replace every part, how those parts work, why they’re important, and how to make modifications. A good, solid mountain bike is a very nice thing to have, folks. When the freeways are jammed, the gas pumps are shut down and you need to be mobile they are unmatched for their utility. (Although, to be fair, an enduro-style motorbike would be my first choice if I had the fuel.)

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Whats the Chinese word for Lebensraum, anyway? Here’s a new buzzword I think we’re going to be seeing more of  –  ‘food security’. Here’s an article saying how the Chinese are going to lease/rent land in foreign countries (notably Africa) to set up agricultural enterprises to ensure a supply of food for their country. So…the Chinese set up a huge agricultural presence in some African region…now, who do you think theyre going to put there to run things? More Chinese. And, of course, they’ll need to protect their interests so there’ll be need for a small garrison or twelve. Maybe a nice gift of arms to the host government. Is there anyone who can see how this is not a good thing? (Im not saying its unreasonable, though…the US has alot of military equipment mysteriously being unloaded and taken who-knows-where near the Canal Zone. Protecting their own interests…reasonable, but still…)
And lets talk about ‘food security’. This is going to be like ‘the war on terrorism’…a catch-all phrase to justify whatever otherwise questionable action is being undertaken. After all, who would possibly be against ‘food security’? I mean, you like to eat, right? I like to eat. Don’t you like to eat? So how can we not support whats being done in the name of ‘food security’?
China is already spreading out across Africa in the name of other securities….oil security, metals security, etc. I dont want to use the term ‘imperialism’, but if the jackboots fit……….. China is re-making itself and finally stepping up from its Third World backwardness and that takes metal, oil, fuel, food, labor and other resources. Heck, why do you think your bullets have gone up so much lately? Copper is up because the Chinese are snapping it all up for the most massive rural electrification project the world has ever seen. And if they can’t buy those resources..well, theres other ways to get them. And Africa is a continent ripe for puppet governments.
This’ll be interesting to see how it plays out…will other countries become concerned over an increase in Chinese influence in the previously ignored continent? A new ‘game’ afoot with various countries trying to exert their own influences while diminishing others? Thats how cold wars start.

Whats this got to do with being prepared? Keep an eye on the new concept of ‘food security’ or ‘resource security’ and how it relates to actions being undertaken by the .gov. Just as some of our everyday liberties are whittled at in the name of ‘global war on terror’, expect the odd infringement under the new ‘food security’ banner. Like what? I have no idea but I have faith in .gov’s ability to inject itself where it isnt wanted or needed in the name of the public good.
And, of course, keep an eye on China. China may have been Bill Clinton’s friend, but it definitely isnt America’s friend.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Natural disaster strikes, thousands dead, many times that left homeless. And, the natural results follow:

On Wednesday, Yangon’s 6.5 million residents faced prices for rice, charcoal and bottled water that were double the usual rate.

Vendors were selling bottled water 500 kyat — 50 cents — a liter, more than double the normal price. A standard 70-pound bag of rice, a staple of the Burmese diet, had doubled in price to $40 — an astronomical price in a country where many scrape by on $2 a day.

Cooking oil, another basic necessity, was priced at $7 per kilogram, up from $4.

Some residents waited in lines for nine hours or more to buy gasoline to fuel generators and their cars. At one gas station in the Yangon suburb of Sanchaung, fistfights broke out, with weary residents hitting each other with sticks after someone tried to cut in line.

….Electricity was restored in a small portion of Yangon Wednesday but most city residents, who rely on electric wells, had no water.

The streets of Yangon were filled Tuesday with residents carrying buckets to bring water from monasteries or buy it from households with generators that could pump it from wells. The main plant of Dagon Ice Factory, a drinking water brand, turned people away, posting signs saying “no more.”
……

“The big concern is waterborne diseases. So that’s why it’s crucial to get safe water in. Then mosquito nets, cooking kits and clothing in the next few days,” he said. “Food is not an emergency priority. Water and shelter are.”

You dont have to be psychic to know that after a disaster the prices on whatever critical goods are still available will skyrocket. Keep in mind Myanmar is already what you’d call ‘Third World’…. infrastructure, economy and political landscapes were already messed up to begin with. These are people who are used to being hungry, getting screwed over by the .gov, and generally living like disaster victims. Nonetheless, its a classic example of typical post-disaster situations – food lines, water lines, chaos and disorder.

And this is why, hopefully, we prepare. So that we dont wind up standing in line for hours at a pop to fill buckets from someones garden hose or to clamor for food boxes tossed from the back of deuce-and-halfs.

Food, water, fuel….thats what theyre willing to beat each other for over there. We have the advantage of being able to take precautions against these sorts of things…unfortunately, too many of us dont take those precautions.

As an aside, Im sure the Canadians will send their mighty DART rescue team as soon as..well..you know…they can hitch a ride with someone.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Montana isn’t exactly California in terms of earthquake incidents, but they do happen from time to time. The last really big one (by our non-Californian standards) was about 50 years ago that resulted in the relocation of a river, the formation of a new lake, and the deaths of a couple people who had the misfortune of a boulder landing on their tent.

I’ve felt two earthquakes in the twenty years I’ve been here. (There have been more, I’m told, but I only was aware of the two) Both were just enough to make me say “Was that an earthquake?” They were the rumblings and vibrations that usually accompany a heavy truck passing the house. The bed sways a bit, the windows rattle, and that’s about it.

However, even if the incidence of earthquakes in your region is low, you should absolutely know how to isolate your house from the various utilities if the need arises.

Biggest thing to know is how to turn of the water, the gas and the electric.

Shutting of the gas usually requires a special wrench but improvisations will work. However, for the ten bucks you’d need for the wrench, its probably worth it. Lanyard the wrench to the gas meter (where the shutoff usually is) so it’ll always be there. In earthquake prone regions there are valves that will automatically shut themselves off when the earth starts dancing but they aren’t required in places like Montana. However, if you’re building your own place it might be a worthwhile addition.

Same for your water. Find where the main shutoff valve for your house is and keep it free from clutter and accessible. If its three in the morning and you suddenly hear rushing water from a broken hose in your dishwasher you want to be able to turn that thing off fast and not have to move crates of old Christmas decorations out from the corner of the basement in order to get to the valve. I speak from experience on this one, folks. I broke a pipe in my basement while doing some repairs and knowing where the valve was and being able to access it quickly meant the difference between a little bit of damp basement and an indoor wading pool.

Its also handy to know because there may come a time when you want to isolate the water that’s already in your pipes from the rest of the municipal supply. If you need to drain your plumbing to salvage potable water turn off the main, head to the highest point in the house and open a faucet (upstairs bathroom, for example) then open a faucet at the lowest point in the house (basement sink, for example) and all the water in the house will drain out. If needed you can also salvage a lot of water from your water heaters but be prepared to filter out any sediment.

Odds are if theres a situation that you need to disconnect power to your house the power is probably out anyway. But, maybe when the power comes back on there’ll be some unpleasantness (like from the exposed wiring where the tree fell through your bedroom wall) so know where the master switch(es) is/are located. If you’re smart enough to have a tie-in for a generator, then you already know what Im talking about. Its been said a million times but I’ll say it here for the newbies: if you’re powering the house with a generator during a power failure you must, must, must isolate your house from the power lines or your going to have a hellacious lesson in electrical theory when the power comes back on. Also youre going to wind up powering your local powerlines and possibly kill a lineman working on what he thinks is a ‘dead’ powerline.

Of course, you need to think about the consequences of these actions and be prepared to deal with them. For example, if you shut off the electricity then youre going to need to have a flashlight handy to go find the water shutoff. If you turn off the gas, you better have some alternate heating on tap to keep the pipes from freezing. If you turn off the water….well, you get the idea.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Middle of the night, you wake up to the sound of police sirens, the occasional gun shot and the sound of flesh being gnawed upon. You get out bed, buck naked, and peer out the window. A quick look out the window shows that, indeed, the zombie apocalypse has begun. No problem, you think to yourself. You’ve read all the books, you’ve beaten the topic to death on all the forums, you’ve read all the blogs…you’re as prepared as they come. Your Glock is sitting on the nightstand, your AK is in the safe, theres mountains of food in the pantry, you’ve got the latest and greatest web gear…this’ll be a breeze. Speaking of breeze, better get dressed…you reach into you’re dresser and…

Well, dammit, what is the best underwear for TEOTWAWKI?

Men’s underwear comes in three different flavors: briefs, boxers, and the hybrid boxer brief.

Briefs are the y-front underwear that you usually start wearing when youre four years old and if no one ever sets you straight you continue to wear that same style into adulthood. Its functional and hysterically dumb looking on an adult. It looks like a diaper.

Boxers are loose fitting shorts. They’re comfortable, can double as outerwear in some situations and chicks dig them. They tend to bunch up and sometimes pull/twist at unfortunate angles.

Boxer briefs are a hybrid. They look like biker shorts. They don’t bunch up, they keep your junk from swinging around, and they can be pretty flattering.

Which one should you wear when the zombie hordes are on the move?

This is all personal pref, but Im leaning towards boxer briefs. Heres why… First, they are usually comfortable, they don’t bunch up when you pull your pants up like boxers do, they’re tight enough to keep things in place, and they offer a bit more leg protection. They’re a bit more streamlined than boxers, making getting dressed a bit easier.

Boxers are a close second…their big draw is that they’re comfortable and can double as outerwear if you have to.

For wet environs, the boxerbriefs have an advantage, IMHO. They don’t bind up like the loose materials of boxers, thus allowing a bit of room for your stuff to breathe. Naturally, some folks will chime in that in the wet environs you’re better off with no underwear. Perhaps, but I think the boxer briefs are a good choice nonetheless.

There’s also a fringe element that says to eliminate the underwear issue altogether and wear a kilt. Now, Im first to admit that there are times a kilt has some advantages…plenty of room in the crotch, keeps things cool in the summer, etc. The drawback is absolutely zero protection for the family jewels. Ticks, black flies, mosquitoes, bees, whatever get fast access to sensitive parts of the anatomy. On a day hike or somesuch, maybe the kilt is a good choice. Outrunning hordes of mutant cannibals? Comfortable pants with lotsa crotch room and a good pair of underwear please.

It goes without saying, cotton is the number one choice of material. It breathes, its absorbent, you can hand wash it and its comfy. I usually go with neutral or dark colors. No point waving around a white flag everytime you open your pants to take a whiz. Also, cotton has the advantage of being microwavable (assuming you have electricity) to kill germs and bacteria. Synthetic fabrics simply melt. Good to know if you wind up getting caught in a fire…melted synthetics on Mr Happy will definitely ruin your day. Hanging your cotton underwear on a line in the sunlight will also kill nasties through ultraviolet action.

Im not even going to begin to pretend to have some sort of informed opinion on what underwear chicks should wear when the revolution starts. In my perfect world, it would all be tiny g-strings with enormously tall high heels and barely-there tank tops. In reality, theyd probably be better off with boxerbrief type undergarments as well. Unfortunately.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

A ways back I posted about the “Four Corners Survivalists” and their ill-fated three-man revolution that they started. The story fascinated me because of how the guys disappeared into the desert and stymied the authorities attempts to find them. When it all shook loose, it turned out they all died in the desert and all that was found were their bones.

Someone emailed me a link to this story about the Ballarat Bandit. A guy who broke into remote wilderness cabins to supply himself as he hid out in the wilderness. He escaped from the authorities on several occasions including running five miles non-stop and in one case hiking 60 miles over snowy terrain. Eventually feds , SWAT teams, and a buncha various law enforcement was brought in to find him…a curious amount of overkill for what was essentially a burglar. I suspect the authorities felt their manhood had been challenged by a guy who could out hike, out run and out hide them in their own backyard. And, when all else fails, imply links to terrorism to justify the huge call out for whats amounted to a property crime.
After cat and mouse games they finally corner the guy who shoots himself in the head. Then the mystery starts. no ID, no nothing.

The story interests me because Ive always been oddly interested in those one-man-against-the-odds stories. So was this guy a super soldier? A Rambo? A survivalist expert? A major wanted criminal? Nope. As it turns out, he was something far less exciting.  A Canadian pot farmer.

I find these stories fascinating and would love to read more about them than what I find in the news articles. For some reason they captivate me. From a practical standpoint, theres always a bit of useful knowledge to be gleaned from these things. Seems like the failure point for this guy was his lousy luck with vehicles.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I believe I picked up a cold at the gun show last week. I try to be careful at these things…I never touch my hands to my mouth or eyes until after I’ve had a chance to wipe ‘em down with some hand sanitizer, etc, etc. But somehow I managed to pick up a bug nonetheless. Since my sense of smell and taste are pretty much shot, Im going to have to put the Canadian MRE taste test on the back burner for about a week until I can start tasting things again. Fear not, I wont forget about them.

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So the ‘rice rationing’ has, sorta, kinda, begun. CostCo and Sams Club are limiting purchases. Naturally what does this make people want to do? It makes them want to go out and stock up..which leads to..shortages, of course. Self-fulfilling prophecy. This bothers me not in the least. For one reason, because I’ve got a couple hundred pounds of the stuff squirrelled away..enough to take care of me and the girlfriends needs for a good long while. Secondly, rice just isnt that big a deal in this country. In Third World countries governments will be toppled over high rice prices, in this country no one really cares. I think your average American reads the news and figures food shortages and rationing are things that happen in other countries, surely they dont happen here. And, to a degree, theyre right. The US does extremely well in food production, however we are seeing that while food production doesnt change that much, food prices do. Theres food to be had, no doubt. Its just that the prices are going to keep climbing.

A quick search on Yahoo turns up article after article using the keywords ‘food prices’. It shuld be interesting to see what happens when people on fixed incomes, and especially welfare recipients, find that ‘their’ food dollar is going to be bringin in less food than it was before.  Hungry people are dangerous people.

I expect any day now the media will ‘discover’ this previously unknown facet of the current ‘crisis’…that those on public assistance cant feed their kids as well as they used to. Naturally, politicians will jump in and start going on about how the benefits these people receive must be increased to allow them to feed their families. At this point, the whole arguement will devolve into the usual class warfare battles with politicians talking about ‘fair share’ and ‘economic justice’ and all the other buzzwords that raise your taxes.

Theres no denying that food prices are going up. If youre smart, you’ll start buying in bulk, buying on sale, clipping coupons, and making space in your house to store large quantities of food. Learning to cook would also go a long way towards helping on the food budget.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I received a package in todays mail. (And, hey, if you ever wanna send me goodies, gold, spare mags or ammo: PO Box 1893 Missoula MT 59806) In todays package were a couple Canadian MRE’s. Normally, I dislike Canadians but after checking out their MRE’s I gotta say Im impressed. Of course, it makes sense the Canadian military could spend money on cool MRE’s since theyre military budget only has to cover a few diesel submarines and some cats and dogs.

I’ll have pictures in a day or two but two things jump out me:

1) the entrees are from our good friends Wornick in TX who make the US MRE’s

2) Theres a good bit of ‘off the shelf’ stuff in there. Stuff you could go to WallyWorld or a restaurant supply store and get to put your own MRE together. (More on that at a later post.)

Anyhoo, I’d like to thank the person generous to send me these fine example of Canadian combat cuisine. I’ll have pictures and a review as well as my usual snark in a day or two.

Speaking of snark, everything on the MRE’s is in English and French. Why do the Canadians put up with this Quebec crap?