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

Theres a rationale that says a complete spare parts package for x is another complete x. That is to say, a complete spare parts kit for your Remington 870 is another identical 870. There is, of course, a good bit of truth to this but in another way its fatally short-sighted.

In the case of firearms, although this applies to other gear as we shall see, some parts are simply more prone to breakage than others. Lets use the cz-52 pistol for an example. They are, approximately, $100 these days out of Shotgun News. So, you buy two of them…one is for using and that other is your 'spare parts kit'. Now, as anyone familiar with these guns will tell you, they are built tough as a tank but have one flaw…the firing pin breaks if you dry fire them. Thus, the firing pin is the part most likely to need replacement. No sweat, you figure. You've got your handy dandy parts kit. So, after your firing pin splits in half you smugly pull the pin out of your other cz-52 and continue on your merry way…until that one breaks as well. Now youre screwed. You have spare barrels, slide, frame, spring, pins, cams, trigger, hammer, sear, etc, etc, but no firing pin. And, frankly, some parts are simply unlikely to break or wear out..such as the frame, slide, hammer, magazine release, etc, etc. I'm not saying that one day your slide wont crack and split in half because of some one-in-a-million chance a bad batch of metal making its way to the foundry one day fifty years ago…no, Im saying that its so unlikely that diverting resources to prepare for that possibility may be counterproductive in the long run. Let's put it another way: for the $100 that the extra cz-52 cost, you could buy ten replacement firing pins – the part most likely to break. In reality you probably won't buy ten replacement firing pins..but you could buy, say, three and have $70 left over for a couple of springs, a spare safety lever and a few more parts that you figure youre more liekly to need.

Think about your car. You replace your tires every few years, right? Would it make sense to buy an entire spare of your current car so that in two years when its time to get new tires you have a set handy? Of course not…for the sake of arguement, lets say you could get an identical vehicle for $10,000. Odds are, the parts youre most likely going to need to replace are the tires, and someday maybe the water pump, fuel pump, radiator, battery, some hoses and belts. Reallistically, its quite likely youre not going to be replacing an axle…or a trunk lid..or a hood…or a fuel tank. So instead you take your $10,000 buy $2,000 worth of parts and save yourself some money that you can use for other things.

Before the comments start, keep in mind I am not saying you shouldnt have spare/extra copies of your gear. I am saying you shouldnt have those spare/extra copies for use as parts. I have a pair of AR-15 rifles. One is not spare parts for the other. I have a 40mm ammo can full of spare parts (bolts, pins, detents, springs, stocks, handguards, bolt carriers, etc, etc.) and thats where my spares come from. The extra AR isnt for parts, its for replacing a completely lost rifle, loaning to an LMI, leaving at a secondary location, etc. It is NOT for cannibalization.

Another good example would be Coleman lanterns…you replace the mantles, globes, maybe a pump seal or assembly every so often. It makes more sense to spend the $20 in parts rather than spend even more for a complete extra lantern to take parts off of and still have parts you'll never use leftover. Again, this is not to say you shouldnt have extras… just that extras are for using not disassembling.

Some guns, for example, rarely break. Glocks, AK-47s, Ruger 10/22s, etc. A spare parts kit for an AK-47 would probably look like a sight adjustment tool, an extra gas piston and maybe a firing pin. Spare parts for a 10/22 would probably be a cleaning kit and maybe a recoil spring. $20 worth of parts versus $200+ for a new gun.

Again, Im not saying dont have extras…just have them for actual usage rather than as spare parts. It makes more sense, especially in terms of stretching your $. I'd rather spend $200 on spare parts for my FAL and have $800 left over for more gear and supplies than spend $1000 for another complete FAL just so I can have a spare bolt, magazine release and set of handguards.

Of course, doing this means you have to have a pretty good idea of what sort of parts are more/less likely to break/wear on your gear. However, since youre already into preparedness enough to be thinking about these things youve probably already familiarized yourself enough with your gear to know that your cz-52 will probably need a spare pin and not a spare frame, that your Dodge needs spare tires not spare wiper fluid reservoirs, that youre Alladin lamp needs spare mantles not spare fonts, and that your boots need spare laces and not spare eyelets.

While we're on the subject of spares…most consumer products that you can buy spare parts for usually have an exploded diagram showing you those parts and their relation to other parts. Get a copy or two of this diagram and keep it with the spares. I keep a laminated copy of an exploded diagram with my AR-15 spare parts…very useful. Also, knowing the manufacturers part numbers makes ordering alot easier and also helps when youre hunting down spare parts on eBay (a very good source for spare parts for radios, lamps and other gear.) If possible, spares should all be stored together in a durable, protective container. For example, all my Alladin lamp spare parts are stored in an ammo can. Also, when you get spare parts, if you can, check to make sure they are the correct parts and try them out for fit in the product theyre designed for. It would be bad news to reach for a spare set of rings for your rifle to find that although the box says 1″ the rings inside are actually 30mm. Could ruin your whole apocalypse. Examine. All. Spares.

Finally, and this is kind of obvious, if the item that your stocking up for seems to be prone to needing a particular spare part (the cz-52 firing pin) or somesuch, it might be a good idea to think about a more durable/reliable alternative.

x-posted

Theres a rationale that says a complete spare parts package for x is another complete x. That is to say, a complete spare parts kit for your Remington 870 is another identical 870. There is, of course, a good bit of truth to this but in another way its fatally short-sighted.

In the case of firearms, although this applies to other gear as we shall see, some parts are simply more prone to breakage than others. Lets use the cz-52 pistol for an example. They are, approximately, $100 these days out of Shotgun News. So, you buy two of them…one is for using and that other is your ‘spare parts kit’. Now, as anyone familiar with these guns will tell you, they are built tough as a tank but have one flaw…the firing pin breaks if you dry fire them. Thus, the firing pin is the part most likely to need replacement. No sweat, you figure. You’ve got your handy dandy parts kit. So, after your firing pin splits in half you smugly pull the pin out of your other cz-52 and continue on your merry way…until that one breaks as well. Now youre screwed. You have spare barrels, slide, frame, spring, pins, cams, trigger, hammer, sear, etc, etc, but no firing pin. And, frankly, some parts are simply unlikely to break or wear out..such as the frame, slide, hammer, magazine release, etc, etc. I’m not saying that one day your slide wont crack and split in half because of some one-in-a-million chance a bad batch of metal making its way to the foundry one day fifty years ago…no, Im saying that its so unlikely that diverting resources to prepare for that possibility may be counterproductive in the long run. Let’s put it another way: for the $100 that the extra cz-52 cost, you could buy ten replacement firing pins – the part most likely to break. In reality you probably won’t buy ten replacement firing pins..but you could buy, say, three and have $70 left over for a couple of springs, a spare safety lever and a few more parts that you figure youre more liekly to need.

Think about your car. You replace your tires every few years, right? Would it make sense to buy an entire spare of your current car so that in two years when its time to get new tires you have a set handy? Of course not…for the sake of arguement, lets say you could get an identical vehicle for $10,000. Odds are, the parts youre most likely going to need to replace are the tires, and someday maybe the water pump, fuel pump, radiator, battery, some hoses and belts. Reallistically, its quite likely youre not going to be replacing an axle…or a trunk lid..or a hood…or a fuel tank. So instead you take your $10,000 buy $2,000 worth of parts and save yourself some money that you can use for other things.

Before the comments start, keep in mind I am not saying you shouldnt have spare/extra copies of your gear. I am saying you shouldnt have those spare/extra copies for use as parts. I have a pair of AR-15 rifles. One is not spare parts for the other. I have a 40mm ammo can full of spare parts (bolts, pins, detents, springs, stocks, handguards, bolt carriers, etc, etc.) and thats where my spares come from. The extra AR isnt for parts, its for replacing a completely lost rifle, loaning to an LMI, leaving at a secondary location, etc. It is NOT for cannibalization.

Another good example would be Coleman lanterns…you replace the mantles, globes, maybe a pump seal or assembly every so often. It makes more sense to spend the $20 in parts rather than spend even more for a complete extra lantern to take parts off of and still have parts you’ll never use leftover. Again, this is not to say you shouldnt have extras… just that extras are for using not disassembling.

Some guns, for example, rarely break. Glocks, AK-47s, Ruger 10/22s, etc. A spare parts kit for an AK-47 would probably look like a sight adjustment tool, an extra gas piston and maybe a firing pin. Spare parts for a 10/22 would probably be a cleaning kit and maybe a recoil spring. $20 worth of parts versus $200+ for a new gun.

Again, Im not saying dont have extras…just have them for actual usage rather than as spare parts. It makes more sense, especially in terms of stretching your $. I’d rather spend $200 on spare parts for my FAL and have $800 left over for more gear and supplies than spend $1000 for another complete FAL just so I can have a spare bolt, magazine release and set of handguards.

Of course, doing this means you have to have a pretty good idea of what sort of parts are more/less likely to break/wear on your gear. However, since youre already into preparedness enough to be thinking about these things youve probably already familiarized yourself enough with your gear to know that your cz-52 will probably need a spare pin and not a spare frame, that your Dodge needs spare tires not spare wiper fluid reservoirs, that youre Alladin lamp needs spare mantles not spare fonts, and that your boots need spare laces and not spare eyelets.

While we’re on the subject of spares…most consumer products that you can buy spare parts for usually have an exploded diagram showing you those parts and their relation to other parts. Get a copy or two of this diagram and keep it with the spares. I keep a laminated copy of an exploded diagram with my AR-15 spare parts…very useful. Also, knowing the manufacturers part numbers makes ordering alot easier and also helps when youre hunting down spare parts on eBay (a very good source for spare parts for radios, lamps and other gear.) If possible, spares should all be stored together in a durable, protective container. For example, all my Alladin lamp spare parts are stored in an ammo can. Also, when you get spare parts, if you can, check to make sure they are the correct parts and try them out for fit in the product theyre designed for. It would be bad news to reach for a spare set of rings for your rifle to find that although the box says 1″ the rings inside are actually 30mm. Could ruin your whole apocalypse. Examine. All. Spares.

Finally, and this is kind of obvious, if the item that your stocking up for seems to be prone to needing a particular spare part (the cz-52 firing pin) or somesuch, it might be a good idea to think about a more durable/reliable alternative.

x-posted survivalist

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

Had a wierd dream last night. I was in some sort of Katrina-esque aftermath and my nextdoor neighbor at work had two .38 pistols but only 13 rounds of ammo. Since , in the dream, he ran a bar I figured I'd trade ammo for food. As Im rummaging through the shop for .38 FMJ ammo I'm debating whether to go with the AR or the FAL for my own defensive use. I decide on the FAL, mostly for its visual impact. So far so good, right? The really wierd part is that while Im doing this me and the guy nextdoor are wearing bunny rabbit costumes.

Yeah, makes no sense to me either. Well, the rabbit suit part, I mean…the rest makes perfect sense.
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One of the LMI is bidding on eBay for the military four-piece 'sleep system'. Thats the inner bag, outer bag, Goretex bivvy cover and compression sack. I've been meaning to get one and see what its like but I just havent had the money. When his arrives I'll be very interested in checking it out. Theyre on eBay now for $150~ which is a pretty good deal IF they are any good. I've got some good commercial bags for me and the but this is Montana and it can get beyond cold if all the conditions are right. If Im going to be stuck snowbound in a ditch waiting for a wrecker I'd like to not freeze to death.
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I've been a fan of the Alladin kerosene lamps for a while. They produce far more light than a decorative cheapo kerosene lantern, they look good, burn pretty cleanly and give off some warmth as well as illumination. Threw together a search on eBay and bookmarked it since I need to get a couple more mantles, wicks and a spare chimney or two. Nice thing is, they run on kerosene…just like my room heater. And camp stoves. Handy, that. And kerosene keeps far, far better than gasoline and without the addociated risks in storage and transferring.
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Well, these look nice…..

Had a wierd dream last night. I was in some sort of Katrina-esque aftermath and my nextdoor neighbor at work had two .38 pistols but only 13 rounds of ammo. Since , in the dream, he ran a bar I figured I’d trade ammo for food. As Im rummaging through the shop for .38 FMJ ammo I’m debating whether to go with the AR or the FAL for my own defensive use. I decide on the FAL, mostly for its visual impact. So far so good, right? The really wierd part is that while Im doing this me and the guy nextdoor are wearing bunny rabbit costumes.

Yeah, makes no sense to me either. Well, the rabbit suit part, I mean…the rest makes perfect sense.
=====
One of the LMI is bidding on eBay for the military four-piece ‘sleep system’. Thats the inner bag, outer bag, Goretex bivvy cover and compression sack. I’ve been meaning to get one and see what its like but I just havent had the money. When his arrives I’ll be very interested in checking it out. Theyre on eBay now for $150~ which is a pretty good deal IF they are any good. I’ve got some good commercial bags for me and the bunkerbabe but this is Montana and it can get beyond cold if all the conditions are right. If Im going to be stuck snowbound in a ditch waiting for a wrecker I’d like to not freeze to death.
=====
I’ve been a fan of the Alladin kerosene lamps for a while. They produce far more light than a decorative cheapo kerosene lantern, they look good, burn pretty cleanly and give off some warmth as well as illumination. Threw together a search on eBay and bookmarked it since I need to get a couple more mantles, wicks and a spare chimney or two. Nice thing is, they run on kerosene…just like my room heater. And camp stoves. Handy, that. And kerosene keeps far, far better than gasoline and without the addociated risks in storage and transferring.
=====
Well, these look nice…..

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

Oh! Oh!Oh!

Originally developed for military combat vehicles to seal bullet wounds

Sign. Me. Up.

Stop sticks? Ha! I will laugh at stop sticks!

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

A link I've been meaning to post. In fact, maybe I did already post it but even so its still worth the repost:
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/index.php

Lots of very useful stuff. Some not so useful stuff. But mostly useful.

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

In 9/99 (according to the sticker on the battery casing) I bought a 35 Ah marine battery to keep handy for powering some small devices. I kinda forgot it was down there in the bunker until the other day when I was dragging out the radio gear. It had enough of a charge to run some small lights but not enough to power the radio. Figured its been sitting for six years so perhaps its gone to battery heaven. Nope, threw it on the charger and it seems to run just fine. Need to get off my butt and get the several AGM batteries, charger and other goodies Ive been wanting and put together the bloody backup power supply….esp. since it looks more and more likely the girlfriend and I will be getting more radio gear.
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I had a source for Sellier & Bellot rubber buckshot and slugs but it seems to have dried up.  Watching Katrina footage reminded me that sometimes its easier to just start tromboning rounds into the legs of an unruly mob than it is to say “Get away from my house”. Anyway, I've only got a handfull of rounds sitting here and the more I think about it, Id like to have at least 50 rounds or so.
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Speaking of pre-Y2K preperations, I'm still working off my stockpile of rice from '99 and can say that it appears to be just fine. Cooks up and tastes like it should. Stored in 'blue barrels' set on wooden blocks to keep them off the floor. Moral: rice doesnt require very complicated preservation. Keep it dry and big-free and it'll last quite a while.
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Beaucoup mad props to for riding out the last hurricane in grand style. Generator, steel shutters, fuel, water, guns & ammo and she not only came out just fine she's probably made some new friends with her neighbors and her secret recipe for Fried Water. (She's using a turkey fryer to heat large quantities of water.) Feels good to be amongst the prepared when your neighbors are huddled around candles like French  peasants.