Author Archives: Commander Zero

Swing and a miss

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I had mentioned that I was going to look at a property last weekend. Unfortunately, a couple days before my anticipated expedition, the owners decided they were just gonna pull it off the market and leave it to their kids. So…that one is outta the running.

As a side note, I went and visited, for the third time, my not-quite-everything-I-want candidate on Saturday. It has potential, but, merciful Crom, its a bit of a brutal drive to get there once you leave the pavement. It’s approx. 16 miles off the paved interstate and the quality of the road is such that 20 mph is about the best you can do. And in the winter, well, you’re gonna need a seriously dedicated machine to get in there. But, thats not necessarily a bad thing…it’ll keep the crowds out. I’m fine with that. My plans involve buying a 4-wheeler and a snowmobile anyway.

I’m really torn between making an offer on it and committing, and waiting to see what else turns up. I have an irrational fear of dropping the hammer on this thing and then three weeks later something ‘more perfect’ becomes available. But, this problem exists with everything…houses, wives, cars, property, dinner specials.

At the moment, I’m wargaming ways to utilize/develop the creek that runs through the property. Im thinking the way to go is to pump water to a storage tank at the top of the hill, and then let gravity do the work to provide pressure down at the potential building site. I need to do some math and and other calculations, as well as plot logistics for size of tank and how to transport the bloody thing. But, even if I dont get this particular piece of dirt it’s still a good experiment to run in my head since, eventually, its gonna have to happen somewhere.

Pumping for information

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Okay, so here’s a question – what determines the size/power of pump you need to move water? Is it the weight of the water in the pipe that you are moving? Is it the volume? Is it a combination of the two?

The reason I ask is because I was contemplating moving water on a piece of property I am looking at. I would need to move it 330 linear yards….call it 1000 feet. Of that distance, about a 2/3 would be uphill. Assuming a schedule 40 pipe of inside diameter of approx 1.049″, the formula to calculate volume in a pipe is 3.141 x (radius^2) x length in., or 3.141 x (.27510025) x 12000, or 10371.06 cu. inches of water in a 1000′ length of 1″ pipe. That water weighs approx. 374#. So, am I correct in thinking that to move water through a 1″ pipe for 1000 feet would require a pump capable of moving approx. 374# of water? How are pump sizes/classifications/ratings determined? Whenever I look at pumps, it seems they are rated by their output of gallons per minute. But I’m not really concerned about flow rate, rather I’m concerned about ability to move a particular volume of water.

Or am I looking at this incorrectly? I used a 1″ pipe in my calculations because I was thinking the smaller the volume of water that needs to be moved, the smaller and less powerful a pump would be required. Or would the type of pump be determined by something else? Ideas?

ETA: There seems to be a misunderstanding here. This question is not directed at pumping a well. Im talking about pumping surface water from a collection point (pond, for example) across 1000′ of uphill ground. So, not a well pump.

Still looking

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How is the property hunting coming along, you ask? Nothing terribly remarkable. Im going to look at a property this weekend that is in a region known for local cops and fire retiring to. On the one hand, most of the cops I knew here in Missoula are mostly of like-mind, or at least not opposite of it. And having those kinds of people nearby could be a handy thing if you hit the point where collaboration and cooperating with neighbors becomes critical.

The piece I am going to look at has a spring on it, I am given to understand. I have also been warned that it might be a bit swampy in that area. I am wondering if perhaps developing the spring and giving that water a place to go might remediate that. Dunno. Won’t know until I actually go an walk it, which will be this weekend, I think.

Still haven’t ruled out the other property yet. But I’d like to have a few more options to choose from.  In the meantime, my bookmarks folder is slowly filling with links to well pumps, septic layouts, concrete form construction, PV systems, maps, etc, etc.

What are the biggest challenges? Finding a piece of property with some type of water, isn’t bisected (or worse) with public-accessible roads, has some flat building spots, isnt butted up against another piece of property that had someone build their house right on the edge of the property line, isn’t several hours away, is at least 20 acres, and isn’t more than about $225k. Tough find.

50th anniversary model Mini-14

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I’m a bit of a Ruger fan boy but it’s not really about brand loyalty, its mostly because Ruger, in my opinion and experience, makes guns that are brutally rugged and durable. And thats kind of a quality thats important to me. I love me some Smith and Wesson, but I think that, over a lifetime of medium- and heavy-handloads, the Ruger product will hold up better. Is it as nicely finished as the Smith? No. Is it bulkier than the Smith? Usually. But when handguns have been illegal for twenty years and getting spare parts is not part of the equation any more, I suspect Ruger will the the boomtoy that’s still chugging along.

And before anyone chimes in, yeah Bill Ruger stabbed gun owners in the back. But..he’s been dead for almost 25 years and every restrictive policy he had has been quietly relegated to the dustbin of corporate history. If you really want to boycott Ruger from something from 25 years ago, be my guest…but be consistent. Smith collaborated with the feds on restrictive firearms policies too. And Colt knocked the bayonet lugs off their AR’s long before the 1994 Assault Weapons ban. So..be consistent.

Anyway, I’ve always had a fascination with the Mini-14. Back in the day, if you wanted a .223 (or 5.56) carbine to face down the invading Red hordes with, you were either gonna have a Colt AR or a Mini-14. (Yes, there were other .223’s out there…Valmet, HK, etc….but they were rare and expensive exceptions). The Mini-14, back in those days, was the cheaper alternative to the AR. Nowadays it is wildly reversed with a regular Mini-14 dealering out at around 1/3 to 1/2 again as expensive as a mid-tier AR.

But…I’ve always kinda like the Mini-14 for its old-world style. As such, I couldn’t resist but pick up Rugers 50th anniversary model of the Mini.

The walnut stock is a nice touch. Unfortunately, with the demise of Tapco, the number of readily avaialble, and reliable, aftermarket mags has dropped to zero. Fortunately I stocked up on the Tapco’s when I had the chance. And, with a carefully thought out buying plan, I can probably swing a factory mag or two every month for the next year or so.

Does this thing do anything better than an AR? Well, it flies under the radar a little better, but thats about it. But, not every gun has to be for serious situations. Still, while it would never be my first choice for running out the door, there are far worse choices. Nah, this thing is just for fun and a bit of nostalgia…although, I suppose if worst comes to worst, it could be pressed into yeoman service and do the job.

By the by, I guarantee you that the comments will include something about how someone bought a Mini-14 in 1989 and couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn if they were standing in it. The oderl Mini’s definitely had a reputation for….shall we say….’questionable accuracy’. However, the new barrel design and assembly has alleviated that problem. To my old eyes, its about as accurate as an open sighted AR.

This’ll  be the last Mini-14 I buy unless I come across a used one at a very good price. These things are simply too expensive for what they are to buy new. But…I really liked the looks of this one with its walnut stock, M1 sling setup, flash hider, and bayo lug.

 

Article – Everytown wants stricter laws on guns. Now, they’ll also teach you to use one

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Malcolm X famously said “Only a fool would let his enemy teach his children.” That came to mind the other day when I saw this article:

Some activists devoted to ending gun violence had to look twice at the source of the ads for firearms training that flashed on their computer screens. Everytown for Gun Safety, which has made its name advocating for stricter gun laws and preventing violence, is now offering courses for gun owners.

This seems to be rather upsetting to some people who formerly supported organizations like Everytown. And, one of those supporters, said the quiet part out loud:

“Our mission is to reduce gun violence and keep people from having guns in their homes and here you are giving a gun safety class that encourages gun ownership.”

Did you catch that? Gun safety..reasonable, ‘commonsense’ gun laws….but what they really want is to “keep people from having guns in their homes”.

If I had a friend who wanted to learn how to shoot, do I send them to the program run by the organization that is trying to tamp down my civil rights? Or do I send them the othe program run by the organization that claims to support my rights as it collects and spends money like a multi-level marketing scheme? Correct answer: neither. I take them to the range as often they like and show them what they need to know. Would I trust some outfit like Everytown to teach someone how to shoot without them slipping in some of the ‘common sense’ and ‘reasonable’ ideas about ‘gun control safety’? Heck no, but I also wouldn’t trust an NRA-sponsored course to be politically neutral either.

The best I can hope for is that whoever is taking the class, from organizations on either side of the issue, is intelligent enough to see the different perspectives and do their own research and make up their own mind. But, thats asking alot from the humans we seem to have these days.

Article – Meet the People Who Eat 100-Year-Old Military Rations

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Nathan Abernathy reviews all kinds of foods, but the meal he was about to dig into was special. It had been prepared in 1965. 

The Missouri resident had secured a U.S. military ration from the Vietnam War. On the menu? Canned pork slices, tinned peaches, crackers, a pastry and instant coffee. 

Abernathy carefully inspected the items. The coffee creamer had congealed and was “hard as steel,” he said in a video posted on YouTube. The pastry smelled like “something orange, with rancid nuts in it.” And when he tried to pry open the can of peaches, it exploded—spraying decades-old fruit shrapnel onto the ceiling.

Ultimately, Abernathy, now 47, drank the coffee and nibbled on the crackers. “They don’t taste too bad,” he said, though he added, “my ‘not too bad’ is probably pretty bad for your average joe.” He stayed away from the pork slices.

YouTube has several channels where people munch on things that you’d never imagine wanting to eat. The military rations are, often, quite interesting. I remember seeing Russian rations and, boy, I’m not making an excuse for committing war crimes but I’d be pretty cranky if I had to eat the crap that Ivan was having to choke down.

The US doesn’t have the best rations, but its far from the worst. The Canadians, amusingly, appear to be mostly single-serving stuff you can find in a WalMart and thrown together in a heat-sealed baggie.

I have a few cases of military rations laying about, but theyre for a very particular type of emergency. For most emergencies, whatever is in the cupboards will work just fine, and then there’s the freeze drieds and bulk stuff for when things get really weird. The MRE’s are mostly for that “We are going portable NOW” moment.

Fascinating reading viewing though. And some of these countries, like Japan for example, put some pretty awesome tech into their dining experiences.

The price paid for vigilance and awareness

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Sorry for the quiet the last few days, guys. Just busy at work and ‘real life’ (such as it is).

Not that there isn’t a lot to chew over.Seems like the Mauser rifle is seeing a bit of a re-emergence these days.

I’ve been, as of late, running over the current events and trying to think how they do/don’t/might affect me. Just off the top of my head, there’s cyberattacks that disrupted air travel, a large seizure of a cell pphone system that, supposedly, could have been used to disrupt communications, the Russians are taunting Poland and NATO, political violence has become in vogue, precious metals are soaring as faith in the greenback slides, and I’m sure I’m overlooking even more.

So what’s my concern? Supply chain disruption, at the moment. I’m not really worried about food, electricity, and that sort of thing. But I am thinking that I need to evaluate what critical items might encounter problems if shipping and commerce is disrupted by cyberattacks, tariff wars, localized disturbances, banking issues, etc. For me, I suppose the possible vulnerabilities are spare parts for my truck, generator, foreign-made firearms, and a few other things.

While there is always a degree of uncertainty in every day’s fortune, the stakes are sometimes higher, and sometimes lower, than at other times. Nowadays, the stakes seem pretty high. As of late I’ve been making sure that there’s plenty of cash on hand (in case of bank ‘holidays’..government induced or cyberattack-induced), a healthy amount of precious metals, and that the ammo levels are topped off. Can’t say why…just makes me feel safer.

Maybe the feeling of pensiveness is the result of watching and absorbing too much news (“doomscrolling”). But what choice is there? There is obviously a clear need to be informed on matters that are decidedly unpleasant. I need to know war news, terrorism news, economic news, social disturbance news, etc, etc. If I want to keep myself and those I care about in as safe a position as possible, then I need to be aware and informed. Such is the price of vigilance, I suppose.

A person could make an argument that ‘quality of life’ is diminished by this sort of thing. Perhaps. But, for me, being ‘on top of things’ and in a position to be ‘ready for anything’ is what enhances my quality of life. Still, it seems a little difficult these days to not feel like theres a shoe waiting to drop somewhere out there.

 

 

Paratus AAR

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How was my Paratus? Well, I got some very nice and thoughtful gifts from a few people this year and I am very grateful, and very touched at the generosity. I got stamps, bullets, magazines, borescopes, cards, greenmail, and a few other goodies as well. (And if I didnt mention your generous gift there, its just me being too lazy to sit down and comprise a list…your gift is appreciated, thank you!)

I also got more than a few emails from various people saying that theyve been following the property purchase saga and how they bought their property 5, 10, 15, 20 years ago and here’s the lessons they learned and want to pass on. I’ve gotten several of those emails and I really do appreciate, and take to heart, every one of them. A broad section of advice from folks who have BTDT is a powerful tool, and I thank you for sharing your experiences.

This year’s Paratus, like every year, always seems to have something hanging ominously in the air…pandemic, war, economy, assassinations,etc. But thats one of the things Paratus is for…to remind us that we do the things we do in order to be prepared against the unknown. We all know it’s going to happen, we just don’t know when…so, we prepare. Paratus is a day to recognize our efforts and maybe pat ourselves and our friends on the back and say ‘good job…you’re on the right track.’ And its a good time to re-focus, re-group, and re-engage on those things that maybe we haven’t been paying as much attention to as we should have.

So…that was Paratus 2025. On to 2026!

 

Paratus 2025

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Happy Paratus, guys!

Today is the holiday for, by, and of survivalists.  Bask in your uniqueness! Spend time with your fellow bunker-dwellers! Exchange gifts, go shooting, and have a good time!

Like any other holiday, its what you make it…so make it memorable!

Paratus 2025

Cover

Inside

Back

Paratus mailings

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Its been a bit of a hectic week and while most peoples Paratus cards went out Monday, there are still three or four packages sitting here that I’m not going to be able to get out until tomorrow. So, better late than never, I suppose.

One other item of interest was brought to my attention by a couple of people this week. A couple folks emailed me to let me know that they were getting warnings about malware or security certificate issues from this website. Unfortunately, I know nothing about that sort of thing so I suspect I’ll be having to spend a lot of time with Google and WordPress to try and see what the issue is without accidentally burning this place to the ground. Wish me luck.