For reasons that Ive never understood, I have always been fascinated by the story of the ‘Four Corners “surivivalists”‘ who got into a shootout with the cops and then disappeared ten years ago into the desert. One by one their remains turned up in the desert over the years. Someone stumbles across a pile of bones and a mound of rusted gear and the nex tthing you know the FBI is crossing a name off the list. The final guy, JasonWayne McVean, apparently fared no better than his comrades…cowboys found his gear and remains a few months back. Note the rusted topfolder AK in the picture of his gear.

The manhunt for these guys was remarkable for the way they simply disappeared as well as for the surprising amount of stuff the search parties encountered…including a hidden bunker belonging to an uninvolved citizen. Its a fascinating story and worth reading.

Picked up another rack of food-service-type shelving the other day. I was greatly pleased with the first one I got that I was chomping at the bit for another. Theya rent cheap but they work wonderfully and have freed up a large amounto f space.

One rack is strictly for the long-term food in the bunker. The other rack is for stockpiling and roating the day to day stuff. For example, the girlfriend loves Mount Olive pickles which were formerly unavailable here. When our local Albertsons started carrying them we figured we’d stock up in case their carrying of the product was a temporary thing. Thus, we have about 50 jars of pickles. Now, keeping all those jars in the kitchen cuts down on space for other things like pots, pans, Cuisinarts, etc….so 45 of them will go downstairs on the new shelving and five willr emain in the kitchen for use. As stuff gets used up in the kitchen, more will be brought up from downstairs where a clipboard and spreadsheet printout keep track of whats there. The end result will be a kitchen with more usable space, a larger supply of food onhand, and a serener me.

Rearranging things onto the new shelves also gives me a chance to go through my gear and supplies and see what’s what.The trick isnt so much to get more space for storing things as it is to make efficient use of the space that I have.
=-=-=-=
Been running the Dillon pretty much nonstop during the day these last few days and have a good bit of ammo to sock away. I need to reinventory the stuff and come up with a solid count. My goal is at least 5k of everything. On things like 9mm thats easy and relatively cheap. On things like .357 Magnum…well, thats another story. Still, its cheaper than factory ammo.

Speaking of .357’s……buddy of mine wants to sell me his Marlin .357 carbine. I’ve wanted one for years but never got around to picking one up. Given an environ that frowned on black guns and Glocks, the Marlin and a Smith .357 would make a very decent doesnt-look-threatening package. This particular Marlin does, saldy, have the crossblolt safety but on the bright side it has a nice receiver sight mounted on it. I just need to scratch up $300 for it.

=-=-=-=

You know I loves me that Nalgene stuff. Heres a cool product that I didnt know they made:
http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=86
http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=71

Its a flexible bladder but has the rigid wide-mouth opening and lid of a normal Nalgene bottle. This means that it’ll work with all he usual filters and accessories that are sized for a Nalgene bottle but this thing can be comapcted or even have the excess air evacuated to keep it from sloshing. Very cool!!! Not sure about durability but im willing to find out. Seems like a very cool product!

Picked up some new shelving the other day. My kitchen, like many peoples kitchens, has two levels of cabinets. You have the usual eye-height cabinets and then another row of inconveniently high cabinets above that. These higher, difficult-to-access cabinets are usually home to things like fondue sets, waffle irons, old china and other stuff that you don’t use often enough to warrant moving them to the lower more useful real estate. Unfortunately, that location is ideal for longer term foods such as canned goods and the like. Problem is, heat rises and when its 105 degerees outside and I’m cooking in the kitchen all that heat rises and the result is that anything stored near the ceiling isn’t going to be getting its full shelf life like it would at a moderate, consistent 65-70 degree clime. So…enter the new shelving.

I don’t have a pantry in my house so storing food away is a bit more work. There is space, its just not conveniently located space. I’d love to have a big door in my kitchen that would lead to an enormous walk-in-closet sized pantry. Aint gonna happen. What I do have is a large basement that is cool even on the hottest days and stays above freezing (usually) in the winter. So, I’ll trade convenience for usability and set up the shelving in the basement.

Anything more complex than just setting up shelving and stacking food on it? Of course there is. First of all, everything has to be in seriously hardcore containers. Everything is either in a can, glass or a sealed bucket. Why? This is Montana..there is no shortage of organisms that would like to sneak into a basement and set up residence in a 50# bag of rice. I have no desire to become the five-star dining establishment for Montana’s rodent population. Additionally, heaven forefend, if a pipe breaks and the basement floods I’d like everything to be fairly waterproof. So – only durable packaging. What sorta stuff is going down there? Well, 80% of my canned goods for starters..the soups, canned tomatoes, canned corn, canned pasta, jars of spaghetti sauce, etc, etc. The rice is already packaged in 5-gallon buckets with liners so I’ll just keep a big jar of the stuff in the kitchen for immediate use. This should free up at least three cabinets worth of space, giving me room to get my cookware put away.

The true long-term stuff (MRE’s, freeze drieds, etc) already live in the bunker where there are safe from temperature extremes and late-night snacking.

=-=-=-=

Quick inventory today shows I still have a decent amount of the Mountain House #10 cans if anyone is interested. Additionally, I’ve still got about three dozen of the AR mags for sale.

=-=-=-=

The more I read the various newswires the more convinced I am that these are ‘interesting times’ as the Chinese call them.

The election? In the back of my mind I can see it becoming an Obama/Hillary Giulliani/Romney ticket. (although I get the impression Hillary would never take second fiddle so it may be a Hillary/Obama ticket.) From a realistic standpoint I don’t think it’ll happen but who knows…I am, however, reasonably certain that the Republicans will lose the White House and I am certain enough that I will spend money and resources based on that belief. Less jet ski’s, more semi-autos.

=-=-=-=

I remember bitching when 7.62×39 jumped from $85/1000 to $100/1000 but I bought some more anyway…and now I pat myself on the back for doing so. My point being that no matter how expensive it is today, I think a year from now you wont regret having bought. But, if you’re an optimist and think prices will be dropping next year do yourself a favor and only buy half as much. That way if prices go down you don’t feel like you wasted as much money and when prices go up you wont feel foolish for not having bought at all.

=-=-=-=

Had a customer drop off 5200 pieces of once fired .40 S&W brass, 6000 9mm brass, 3500 .38/.357 brass and 2500 pieces of once fired .45 ACP brass. Thus, the Dillon RL 1050 is getting a bit of a workout. What does it cost to reload 1000 rounds of ammo these days? Using 9mm as an example, assuming I have saved 1000 pcs. Of brass from previous range outings I’d be looking at $81.20~ per thousand or $4.06~ per box.

=-=-=-=

Thanks to those who dropped a few bucks at the wedding registry. Every bit helps ’cause them .50’s ain’t cheap!

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

Picked up some new shelving the other day. My kitchen, like many peoples kitchens, has two levels of cabinets. You have the usual eye-height cabinets and then another row of inconveniently high cabinets above that. These higher, difficult-to-access cabinets are usually home to things like fondue sets, waffle irons, old china and other stuff that you don’t use often enough to warrant moving them to the lower more useful real estate. Unfortunately, that location is ideal for longer term foods such as canned goods and the like. Problem is, heat rises and when its 105 degerees outside and I’m cooking in the kitchen all that heat rises and the result is that anything stored near the ceiling isn’t going to be getting its full shelf life like it would at a moderate, consistent 65-70 degree clime. So…enter the new shelving.

I don’t have a pantry in my house so storing food away is a bit more work. There is space, its just not conveniently located space. I’d love to have a big door in my kitchen that would lead to an enormous walk-in-closet sized pantry. Aint gonna happen. What I do have is a large basement that is cool even on the hottest days and stays above freezing (usually) in the winter. So, I’ll trade convenience for usability and set up the shelving in the basement.

Anything more complex than just setting up shelving and stacking food on it? Of course there is. First of all, everything has to be in seriously hardcore containers. Everything is either in a can, glass or a sealed bucket. Why? This is Montana..there is no shortage of organisms that would like to sneak into a basement and set up residence in a 50# bag of rice. I have no desire to become the five-star dining establishment for Montana’s rodent population. Additionally, heaven forefend, if a pipe breaks and the basement floods I’d like everything to be fairly waterproof. So – only durable packaging. What sorta stuff is going down there? Well, 80% of my canned goods for starters..the soups, canned tomatoes, canned corn, canned pasta, jars of spaghetti sauce, etc, etc. The rice is already packaged in 5-gallon buckets with liners so I’ll just keep a big jar of the stuff in the kitchen for immediate use. This should free up at least three cabinets worth of space, giving me room to get my cookware put away.

The true long-term stuff (MRE’s, freeze drieds, etc) already live in the bunker where there are safe from temperature extremes and late-night snacking.

=-=-=-=

Quick inventory today shows I still have a decent amount of the Mountain House #10 cans if anyone is interested. Additionally, I’ve still got about three dozen of the AR mags for sale.

=-=-=-=

The more I read the various newswires the more convinced I am that these are ‘interesting times’ as the Chinese call them.

The election? In the back of my mind I can see it becoming an Obama/Hillary Giulliani/Romney ticket. (although I get the impression Hillary would never take second fiddle so it may be a Hillary/Obama ticket.) From a realistic standpoint I don’t think it’ll happen but who knows…I am, however, reasonably certain that the Republicans will lose the White House and I am certain enough that I will spend money and resources based on that belief. Less jet ski’s, more semi-autos.

=-=-=-=

I remember bitching when 7.62×39 jumped from $85/1000 to $100/1000 but I bought some more anyway…and now I pat myself on the back for doing so. My point being that no matter how expensive it is today, I think a year from now you wont regret having bought. But, if you’re an optimist and think prices will be dropping next year do yourself a favor and only buy half as much. That way if prices go down you don’t feel like you wasted as much money and when prices go up you wont feel foolish for not having bought at all.

=-=-=-=

Had a customer drop off 5200 pieces of once fired .40 S&W brass, 6000 9mm brass, 3500 .38/.357 brass and 2500 pieces of once fired .45 ACP brass. Thus, the Dillon RL 1050 is getting a bit of a workout. What does it cost to reload 1000 rounds of ammo these days? Using 9mm as an example, assuming I have saved 1000 pcs. Of brass from previous range outings I’d be looking at $81.20~ per thousand or $4.06~ per box.

=-=-=-=

Thanks to those who dropped a few bucks at the wedding registry. Every bit helps ’cause them .50’s ain’t cheap!

Here you go:
.50 cal. registry

Ignore the registry info for Amazon. Ignore the registry info for a honeymoon. Ignore the registry info for everythign except the One True Gift.

Also, feel free to flog this around the internet…esp since pretty much every gunny on the interweb is familiar with kitiara from various ‘post pics of girls with guns’ threads and her work with/by the acclaimed olegvolk

What? You never saw her stuff? Geez…..

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

Here you go:
.50 cal. registry

Ignore the registry info for Amazon. Ignore the registry info for a honeymoon. Ignore the registry info for everythign except the One True Gift.

Also, feel free to flog this around the internet…esp since pretty much every gunny on the interweb is familiar with from various ‘post pics of girls with guns’ threads and her work with/by the acclaimed

What? You never saw her stuff? Geez…..

http://splodetv.com/how-make-ultimate-smoke-bomb

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

http://splodetv.com/how-make-ultimate-smoke-bomb

I received a gift certificate to Amazon.com so…lets get some books and review them. That’s right, Im spending money so you don’t have to:

The Storm Gourmet – A Guide To Creating Extraordinary Meals Without Electricity. Nikolopoulos, Pineapple Press, 1-56164-334-3
Of the two books in this genre listed here, I prefer this one. Many of the recipes, if you wanna call them that, require no cooking or in some cases very minimal cooking (usually just some boiling water to make pasta). One of the more interesting recipes:

“Curried Chicken
14 oz. (two packages) premium chicken breast, drained
½ cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained
2/3 canned pineapple tidbits, drained
2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp table cream
pepper

Place chicken, pineapple, water chestnuts, raisins and almonds in a medium sized bowl and toss together. Season with pepper. In a screw-top jar combine cream, lemon juice, soy sauce and curry powder, and shake vigorously. Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.”

So, yes, definitely more than your usual ‘taco seasonings, instant rice and canned corned beef’. That’s not a bad thing but you have to admit, after a long day of shooting looters and clearing stalled vehicles your probably gonna be in the mood for something a little more … ‘working class’…than Provencale Chicken Pasta, Hearts of Palm Salad, or Honey-Mustard Chicken with Pecans. Still, not a bad addition to the library.

Next up:
Apocalypse Chow – How To Eat Well When The Power Goes Out. Robertson, Simon & Schuster, 1-4169-0824-2
A cook book with a good bit of personal anecdote (hurricane experiences, mostly. They seem very proud of how they were sipping wine and eating crackers with olive tapenade. A little pretentious.) and a bunch of the usual basic preparedness info. Figure ½ cookbook, ½ simplistic preparedness guide. Since we’re all fairly astute and know all those little things like filling the bathtubs, etc., figure that youre paying for half a book.

Unlike the first book, there are more than a few recipes that call for using a food cooker of some kind. Again, its mostly for boiling water for instant rice or pasta. Again, most of the recipes are for food that I would consider a bit more elegant than the situation calls for but then again theres no real way to make a meatloaf over an esbit stove. Not a bad book but the other one has some nice color photos so you can at least have an idea of what things might look like.

I do give mad props for the clever book title though. Given a choice between the two, get the other book. If you can get through the first chapter or two of this book without thinking the authors are a bunch of pretentious elitists who would rather die than eat a Pop-Tart then youre a far more tolerant fella than I. For crying out loud, theres instructions on how to fold napkins into attractive shapes!)

Final book:
Ball Complete book Of Home Preserving – 400 Delicious And Creative Recipes For Today. Robert Rose Press, 0-7788-0131-4
Found this book in a Waldenbooks while I was killing time waiting for my number to come up on a ‘now seating’ restaurant list. Came back the next day and bought it.

Ball is pretty much the first name in home canning these days. This book reflects their years of experience in this field. Most of the recipes are for condiments, spreads, sauces and sides like Corn Relish, Chutney, Chili Sauce, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, etc. There is a chapter or two on canning meats and foods with meat in them (such as chili). Lots of detail, good pictures, and plenty of how-to explanations for folks that may not be too familiar with how their waterbath canner or pressure canner works. $20 and worth it. Satisfaction from cracking open a jar of your own homemade salsa – priceless.

=-=-=-=-=-=

Oh yeah, before I forget…Im getting married. Next spring, actually. Amongst the usual useless crap that people register for (bed sheets, kitchen knives, dorky glassware, etc) theres also a registry for a .50 BMG. Something with a little more impressive presence than a blender or toaster oven. For those interested, I’ll have a post to the website in the next day or so. Feel free to contribute towards getting the happy couple a nice long-range precision firearm. Nothing says ‘good luck on your new life together’ like a Steyr HS50. (Or McMillan. Or Barrett. Depending on the generosity of well wishers.)

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

I received a gift certificate to Amazon.com so…lets get some books and review them. That’s right, Im spending money so you don’t have to:

The Storm Gourmet – A Guide To Creating Extraordinary Meals Without Electricity. Nikolopoulos, Pineapple Press, 1-56164-334-3
Of the two books in this genre listed here, I prefer this one. Many of the recipes, if you wanna call them that, require no cooking or in some cases very minimal cooking (usually just some boiling water to make pasta). One of the more interesting recipes:

“Curried Chicken
14 oz. (two packages) premium chicken breast, drained
½ cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained
2/3 canned pineapple tidbits, drained
2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp table cream
pepper

Place chicken, pineapple, water chestnuts, raisins and almonds in a medium sized bowl and toss together. Season with pepper. In a screw-top jar combine cream, lemon juice, soy sauce and curry powder, and shake vigorously. Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.”

So, yes, definitely more than your usual ‘taco seasonings, instant rice and canned corned beef’. That’s not a bad thing but you have to admit, after a long day of shooting looters and clearing stalled vehicles your probably gonna be in the mood for something a little more … ‘working class’…than Provencale Chicken Pasta, Hearts of Palm Salad, or Honey-Mustard Chicken with Pecans. Still, not a bad addition to the library.

Next up:
Apocalypse Chow – How To Eat Well When The Power Goes Out. Robertson, Simon & Schuster, 1-4169-0824-2
A cook book with a good bit of personal anecdote (hurricane experiences, mostly. They seem very proud of how they were sipping wine and eating crackers with olive tapenade. A little pretentious.) and a bunch of the usual basic preparedness info. Figure ½ cookbook, ½ simplistic preparedness guide. Since we’re all fairly astute and know all those little things like filling the bathtubs, etc., figure that youre paying for half a book.

Unlike the first book, there are more than a few recipes that call for using a food cooker of some kind. Again, its mostly for boiling water for instant rice or pasta. Again, most of the recipes are for food that I would consider a bit more elegant than the situation calls for but then again theres no real way to make a meatloaf over an esbit stove. Not a bad book but the other one has some nice color photos so you can at least have an idea of what things might look like.

I do give mad props for the clever book title though. Given a choice between the two, get the other book. If you can get through the first chapter or two of this book without thinking the authors are a bunch of pretentious elitists who would rather die than eat a Pop-Tart then youre a far more tolerant fella than I. For crying out loud, theres instructions on how to fold napkins into attractive shapes!)

Final book:
Ball Complete book Of Home Preserving – 400 Delicious And Creative Recipes For Today. Robert Rose Press, 0-7788-0131-4
Found this book in a Waldenbooks while I was killing time waiting for my number to come up on a ‘now seating’ restaurant list. Came back the next day and bought it.

Ball is pretty much the first name in home canning these days. This book reflects their years of experience in this field. Most of the recipes are for condiments, spreads, sauces and sides like Corn Relish, Chutney, Chili Sauce, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, etc. There is a chapter or two on canning meats and foods with meat in them (such as chili). Lots of detail, good pictures, and plenty of how-to explanations for folks that may not be too familiar with how their waterbath canner or pressure canner works. $20 and worth it. Satisfaction from cracking open a jar of your own homemade salsa – priceless.

=-=-=-=-=-=

Oh yeah, before I forget…Im getting married. Next spring, actually. Amongst the usual useless crap that people register for (bed sheets, kitchen knives, dorky glassware, etc) theres also a registry for a .50 BMG. Something with a little more impressive presence than a blender or toaster oven. For those interested, I’ll have a post to the website in the next day or so. Feel free to contribute towards getting the happy couple a nice long-range precision firearm. Nothing says ‘good luck on your new life together’ like a Steyr HS50. (Or McMillan. Or Barrett. Depending on the generosity of well wishers.)