Someone asked me a question in email, and I thought that I’d mention it and my response here since it seems somewhat related to things in this blog.

Fella has a half pound of powder and half a brick of primers for reloading. He bought them many years ago and was wondering if theyd be okay to use after all this time. They’d been stored in basement-style conditions and the packaging seemed okay. Good to use, yes or no?

I’d have had a much better response if I had seen them, but I said that since it would only cost $30 to replace the components in question it might be worth thirty bucks for the peace of mind. In all likelihood they’d be fine, but why take the chance for only $30?

So…you’re stocking up on ammo and components. Best way to store them for that future rainy decade? Store them in the orginal containers and then put those in an airtight, watertight, crushproof container. Military ammo cans work best for these tasks since, no surprise, that’s what they were designed for. No need for a $200 Pelican case, just head down to the local surplus store and grab some .50 cal. Cans and some 40mm cans if you can find them. They’ll be all you’ll ever need. If you’re the cautious type, store the primers and powder separately.

You can fit a reloading press, dies, brass, powder, bullets and scale in a 40mm can if you pack it carefully. That’s everything you need to keep your firearms fed all contained in a portable nuke-proof container.

Properly stored (meaning out of the wet, out of the damp, out of the heat)the stuff will last at least a couple decades. Don’t think so? We routinely shoot surplus ammo from the 1940-1960’s.
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Gun show this weekend. Saw some 10-rd mags for the Saiga-12 shotguns. I’ve been fascinated with those things for a while now and wouldn’t mind getting one to try. I like the notion of a detachable magazine 12 gauge.

My use for shotguns is very limited. My particular Area of Operations is a mountainous part of Montana. Eastern Montana, which is generally as flat as a cookie sheet, has plenty of bird hunting opportunities but my locale is more elk-deer-bear oriented. I do have one 870 with a long barrel and a Dial-A-Duck (polychoke) on the end. I don’t think Ive shot it in years.

No, my use for a shotgun is purely defensive. For that sort of thing I like the pump Remingtons and Mossbergs. The Mossbergs can usually be had cheaply and are very good guns. I prefer pumps most of the time because I have a variety of shotgun ammo…esp. ‘less than lethal’ ammo. Sometimes its nice to make your point without leaving a lot of problems in your wake. Imagine you’re in KatrinaLand and you’re packing up your vehicle. You head back inside for another load of gas cans and when you come out theres three guys peering in the window of your truck and trying the doors. Now, you could yell and wave the barrel of your shotgun around which may or may not chase them off – it may simply embolden them (the classic “Go ahead and shoot me!” scene), or you could start launching 00 buck at them and leave yourself open to a number of after-incident headaches. Alternatively, you start tromboning the action and launching rubber pellets downrange. I would bet that when the booming starts and the bad guys see an angry vehicle owner walking towards them firing a shotgun they’ll exercise the better part of valor in a hurry. And if not, well, that’s what sidearms are for.

Anyway, my point is that I like the flexibility of non-standard ammo and theres not a lot of autos out there that’ll eat anything without fail and lend themselves to the level of customization and modification of a Mossberg or Remington.

On the other hand, there may be times when a wall of lead is the best course of action and in that case an autoloader would be nice. Mossbergs ‘Jungle Gun’ sounds interesting but it is apparently no longer made. Custom makers like Wilson offer uber-scatterguns but Im just a poor working guy. A simple synthetic stock, some sights and a magazine extension are about all Im going to need on my autoloader.
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Other goodies at the show this trip include beta-mags (Ive heard mixed reviews on them, I think I’ll pass), parachute flares (got plenty, don’t need anymore thanks), AR accessories in large quantity (again, doing pretty good), AR mags (prices averaging around $15. But I still have plenty of the Cproducts ones from the last group buy), and a few other items. Most importantly, nothing that I really needed. Stuff I wanted, sure; but not needed.
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I still have a pretty broad selection of freezedrieds available (pouches and cans) as well as a pretty healthy amount of new AR mags. If anyone is interested, feel free to email.

Online fiction, somewhat reminiscent of ‘Day By Day Armageddon’….

http://ed-day.blogspot.com/

Remember when I said that everyone has their own ideas about what they need to prepare against? Well, to the list of usual suspects add Xenu.
Tom Cruise building bunker against alien attack?
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Roosevelt (the cowboy Rough Rider one, not the New Deal-ing socialist one) said “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have”. Today we call ’em ‘MacGyverisms’. If you’re gonna be prepared, a ceratin amount of thinking on your feet and improvising is required. However, it also helps to have a few goodies stuffed in your pockets. Alton Brown, TV cooking geek extraordinaire, calls devices with multiple uses ‘multitaskers’. One of the coolest multitaskers around is the Ziploc freezer bag. Some of the uses Ive read about, others I actually practice…heres an incomplete list:

Camp pillow – half fill with air and stuff inside a shirt or jacket to create a pillow
Leak prevention – I use this one religiously. If you have a container of liquid that would cause problems if accidentally opened, put the container in a Ziploc baggie, evacuate the air, and seal. If the container leaks or breaks the bag will afford protection for the rest of the stuff in your gear. (This is especially true if you’re packing shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream and that sorta thing in your checked luggage.)
Document case – Maps or notes can be tucked into them and read through the plastic while keeping the paper dry and clean. Not a substitute for a real mapsafe but a good deal better than nothing.
Revolver protection – Some bigcity policewomen used to carry their revolvers in their purses. The guns were susceptible to getting all sorts of crud in them and not be reliable when needed. So, they would carry the pistols in plastic bags. When needed, fingers could easily be poked through the plastic and the guns could be fired through the bags.
‘Freezer bag cooking’ – theres a whole website on this and its worth looking at.
Protecting spare clothing – No secret, when you’re out in the boonies a pair of dry socks or a dry shirt can be a Very Big Deal. Stuffing your extra clothing into one of these things keeps it dry, in one place, and dirt free.
Organization – biggest plus is when its time to organize your gear. This is especially true for larger first aid kits. The bags lend themselves nicely to sorting things out…just grab the bag with the [whatever you need] and leave the rest. For example, keep your toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc in there.
Wet stuff – these things are the perfect solution to carrying wet bating suits, washcloths, etc. Just don’t forget about them in your gear or you’re in for a fungal surprise in a few days.
Ice Packs – Fill with ice. Duh.
IPod case – I use a tiny Ziploc to protect my iPod nano. Keeps my filthy hands from getting the thing dirty and the controls work fine through the plastic.
Bulk grain storage – Break down your fifty pound bag of wheat into a few dozen of the large gallon Ziplocs. Each bag can be frozen individually in the freezer for a few days to ensure that theres no live pests in it and if some pests survive they’ll only contaminate that one bag and not the entire supply of grain.
Theres no shortage of uses, Im just kinda hitting the highlights here….

A newer product is Ziploc bags designed for storing gear. These bags come in sizes large enough to hold sleeping bags and larger items. I keep one of the largest ones folded up as compactly as possible and enveloped in cardboard to protect it from damage. I carry it as a gear cover for really foul weather. For example, if Im at the range and it starts to rain I can slide the whole range bag into the bag to keep it dry and still have access to my shooting stuff. Those larger bags aren’t cheap but they are extremely handy. They are great for protecting things form casual wetness…I wouldn’t trust them for waterproof but Id trust ‘em for water resistant (such as keeping gear safe in rain and snow). They really shine for keeping gear protected in storage from dust, mildew, dirt and the like. Definitely good for blankets and sleeping bags.

Its getting to be downright cold in the mornings these days. I have to run the heat in the mornings, and the air conditioner in the afternoon. Montana has a very warped sense of humour when it comes to weather.

So, the Cold Weather Module goes back in my bag. Pulled the parkas out of storage and put them back in the closet. Next up is getting the kerosene heaters out of storage and making sure they’re ready for another season. The part of Montana I am in tends to be the warmest part, but it can still get cold sometimes. I think it was a year or two ago we had about two weeks of solid below zero weather. That can get to be just as annoying as weeks of 100+ degree weather.

Someday Im going to have a very thermally efficient house. Something with a foot of insulation and enough mass to hold temperature for days.
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I’ve been playing with the new fuel cans I picked up and I am, so far, fairly pleased. All of them have spots of rust here and there but that’s mostly cosmetic. For giggles, Im going to try stripping one down, wire brushing it, degreasing it and then repainting it with some heavy duty Rustoleum or other such protective paint. My goal is to have about six of these things loaded up with long-term storage fuel. Unless, of course, I wind up getting a generator in which case I’ll need to keep a bit more onhand.
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Saw Resident Evil: Extinction last week. First off, Milla Jovovich had a lot to make up for after the godawful ‘Ultraviolet’ that came out ayear or so ago. Zombie movies are fairly predictable and this one was no exception. I was more entertained by life-after-doomsday adaptations and behaviors by the survivors. An entertaining flick and I never get tired of watching Russian-born Milla running around sweaty and sexy.
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The news seems to be nothing but dire commentary and predictions on the economy. Makes me glad that Im not carrying crushing amounts of debt, that I don’t have an adjustable rate mortgage, and that Im not in danger of losing my employment. (Although, to be fair, when you’re self employed you can become virtually unemployed if your sales drop to zero which is always a possibility.)

I remember reading somewhere that there are very few businesses that are recession-proof. I believe the list was food, medical, weapons, sex and fuel. As long as you were in one of those businesses you were pretty much guaranteed a customer base no matter what the situation. Im not sure I agree with it but certainly if you think of some of the most horrible hellholes on the planet right now, anyone in those businesses would still have customers.
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I’ve been gradually adding to the stockpiles of food on the new shelving that was acquired a few weeks ago. When I’m grabbing a few groceries I’ll check the in-store sales flyers and see if theres anything on the list that fits into my (well, really ‘our’) needs. Bring it home, put it away on the selves, update the clipboard on the shelf and the spreadsheet on the computer, and then sleep well.

Discounting the ‘normal’ foods and sticking to just the MRE’s and freezedrieds, we’re looking at approx. 264 days of food on a 2-meal-/2000kal-a-day plan. Factor in things like stored rice, pasta and the normally rotated ‘everyday’ foodstuffs and we’re probably at the one year mark. Factor in inventory of unsold freezedrieds and its probably another three months. That’s a bit comforting.

It is, I think, worth pointing out that in addition to laying away foodstuffs theres also a large quantity of other items that get put away as well…toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning agents, soap, toothpaste, detergent, etc. These things aren’t necessarily put away against a time when they are unavailable, but rather because often a) it convenient to not have to worry about buying TP for a year at a time and b) when you buy in enormous bulk quantity you realize a pretty healthy savings. That savings, of course, helps offset the expense of other preparedness goodies. And when it comes to buying in bulk CostCo becomes a real nice place to spend your time.

If you bop around the various preparedness forums everyone goes on about pistol skills, knife fighting skills, etc. I think probably the most usefull skill anyone with an interest in being prepared could have would be ‘resource management’ or, for lack of a better term, ‘homemaking’. If you can draw up a buying list, draft a budget, stick to it, organize your purchases, rotate them as needed and show the discipline to bide your time for sales and closeouts then I think you’ll find that skillset seeing a lot more usage than your ability to shoot your Glock weakhanded. Not saying that gun thing isn’t necessary, just saying its probably going to be a lesser used skillset.

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

Alabama City Reopening Fallout Shelters

Ever notice its the smaller places that seem to get the idea while the major metropolises just shrug their shoulders……

I am highly amused at the various flavors of Zombie Squad Postal Matches. I esp. love the postal match using your bugout gun.

How to make a pull-ring smoke grenade

Goes great with the previously posted video about how to make a smoke bomb.

Im gonna avoid hotlinking the image but if someone else wants to host it, more power to you:

Here’s everything you need to know about Guliani and the 2nd Amendment.
Note the jackale in the background. Which one, you ask? Why, good ‘ol “Never Met A Camera He Didnt Like” Chcuky Schumer.
Remember the whole ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ thing? Yeah, well the friend of my enemy….

Buy, Buy, Buy…..