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Letter Re: A Distaff Prepper's Comments on an Appleseed Shooting Weekend
Mr. Editor,
I just wanted to let you know I attended my first RWVA Appleseed shoot last weekend and it was a great experience. I found them from their link on SurvivalBlog.
I learned how to use a sling and fire from different positions, among other things, and over all improved my mastery of my rifle.
It was well worth my time for the weekend and I will be attending another one in a couple of months.
Another nice feature of the Appleseed program is 'women shoot free' ! So husbands can bring their wives (children shoot free too, up to a certain age but you will need to check out the site to get the specifics, as do military members).
Women can attend these events alone and yet still shoot free of charge!
The instructors were great and they not only taught shooting but also the history of the American Revolution.
Even if you are already a 'good shot' there is much to learn at an Appleseed weekend. - Paulette
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Letter Re: Keep Ammo in Original Boxes?
Mr. Editor,
I've purchased ammo for self protection and for future barter. Is it best
to keep the ammo in the original boxes (e.g. the nice green UMC boxes with
the
plastic
insert that holds the rounds in place) and put those boxes into ammo cans?
Or should I just dump all the ammo into an ammo can loose? I could fit many more
rounds in each can by dumping them in loose, but I'm concerned about impacting
the future barter value of the ammo. And also, if I end up selling
some of
the ammo before TSHTF,
I would imagine keeping the rounds in the box would make the seller happier.
Any thoughts?
Thanks for what you do. - Alex
JWR Replies: Unless space is at an absolute premium (such
as for someone on a live-aboard boat) I recommend that you leave ammo in the
original factory
boxes, as it will be worth far
more in
barter, or in an eventual cash sale. Just as importantly, you will also be
able to keep "like
lots" together.
(Usually lot numbers are printed on the inside of the box
flaps.) There are sometimes subtle differences between lots, and the point
of impact can vary
a bit. This particularly
important for long range rifle shooting. Also, although they are rare, ammunition
recalls are not unheard of. Without lot numbers you'll have no way of
correlating
ammo
lots to
recall notices. And, needless
to say, store those
in mil-spec
ammo
cans
with
soft
seals.
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: Which Form of Precious Metals? »
Adios to Naish Piazza, But Perhaps Not to Front Sight
This news article was published yesterday: Business
as Usual? Front Sight Assets Seized. Please take the time to read it. I
haven't yet been in touch with the new management at Front Sight to get any
additional details.
Last night, I dismissively posted a piece to SurvivalBlog, castigating the
plaintiffs in this case. But then I spent several hours later last night doing
web searches
about
the
various
Front Sight lawsuits, and it was an eye opener. Up until yesterday,
I had thought that only one of the lawsuits
had any merit, and that Naish Piazza was merely a convenient target for "deep
pocket" lawsuits. Please forgive
me for
not
taking
the time to do this research before! I can now see that Naish Piazza had indeed
been doing business unethically. I'll be removing the Front Sight
ads from my web site, and will discontinue using Front Sight course certificates
as writing contest prizes.
I won't promote Front Sight again unless or until
it can be established that A.) Naish Piazza has no influence whatsoever with
the
new
Front Sight
management
and
will not
profit
from the operation, and B.) The existing Front Sight course certificates
will be honored by the new court-appointed management.
Please accept my humble apologies for my lack of due diligence about one of
my advertisers.
I have no idea about what will happen with the course schedule
at Front Sight, and the status of the Front Sight course certificates that
are presently in circulation.
I will post details as soon as they become available. I must mention
that none of the preceding comments detract from the reputation of the outstanding
staff at Front
Sight,
and the quality of the training. It is still one of the premier firearms schools
in
the country,
and I still highly recommend them.
As for the current round of the SurvivalBlog writing
contest
that was to have had a pair of Front Sight course certificates as the "first
prize", I will be substituting other prizes.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Zero Your Rifle with Just Two Rounds, by Pete C.
What makes our rifles fun? Shooting them! However, we have all seen first-hand
the spike in ammunition prices since the 2008 Presidential election. American’s
in fear that they will soon not be able to get ammunition because a possible
government bans, smart bullets schemes, etc; citizens have been stockpiling
ammunition causing a stress on the market. This in turn causes shortages
and prices rise.
Here I will discuss a simple and inexpensive way for you to stop wasting
ammunition and money; and zero your battle rifle (or any that you might “come
across” during a TEOTWAWKI situation) with only two rounds. If you have
been in the military, you know that the current procedure for zeroing the M16
type of rifles wastes time and ammunition. The military will allow up to eighteen
rounds of ammunition (in three round shot groups) to be fired per soldier in
order to zero their weapons. This allows several variables such as breathing,
trigger squeeze, stock weld, etc. to affect the zero.
Borrowing techniques from expert hunters, everyone can easily streamline their
zeroing procedures and only use two rounds of ammunition to quickly zero their
weapon. This method works whether zeroing iron sights or scopes, and it will
work on many different kinds of rifles with reliable adjustable sights (AR-15s,
AR-10s, M1As, FN/FALs, etc). The purpose of this method is only to provide
the shooter with a
weapon
that
places rounds on target. It does this while saving time and ammunition.
Required Items:
- A safe shooting location (range) providing at least 25 meter shooting
distance.
- One solid bench rest (many ranges have these for use, or they can
be purchased from many gun shops or on-line, ranging in price from $50
- $150 or more,
but then it is yours.
- Your chosen weapon (for example, an AR-15 using
iron sights)
- 25-meter zero target (for example, an E-type silhouette)
- One extra E-type silhouette
(cut out from another zero target)
- Staple gun and tape
- Eye and hearing protection
Zeroing Method
Place the mechanically zeroed weapon (See FM3-22.9 at the link below on mechanical
zero) securely in the bench rest and use the adjustments on the rest to put
the rifle sights directly over the center of a 25-meter zero target, or the
desired aim point and fire one round at the target. To compensate for the weapon’s
recoil, you should (if needed) again use the bench rest adjustments to move
the rifle sights back over the desired point of impact. Make sure that your
weapon is on safe.
Now walk downrange with the extra cut out E-type silhouette and tape it directly
over the impact point of the round fired. Walk back to the weapon (still secured
in the bench rest) and carefully move the sight picture directly over the taped-on
target. To do this, simply raise or lower the front sight post for elevation
corrections and turn the rear-sight (windage) knob either left or right to
make corrections.
You should now have your sights aligned precisely over the actual point of
impact on the target. If you have been careful not to make the rifle slip within
the bench while making the adjustments, it should now be zeroed. To confirm
the zero, simply move your sights back over the original target (using the
adjustments on the bench rest) to the desired point of impact and fire a second
round. If the rifle is zeroed, this round should hit the desired point of impact.
Get up and move again downrange to confirm the hit. If the round is not at
the desired point of impact, simply repeat the procedure from the second round’s
point of impact on the zero target. This simple procedure allows you to zero
a rifle quickly by moving the point of aim to the point of impact.
The use of a bench rest eliminates the need to fire three rounds of ammunition
to obtain a shot group before making sight adjustments. If the first round
is not true, the second (confirmation) round will alert you to this fact, and
you could than repeat the process.
Yes, there are other items that you can purchase that will assist you with
getting a weapon zeroed. Laser bore sights for example are great and easily
obtained from gun shops or on-line sites and range in price from $40 - $150
or more. With these items, you can zero your rifle quickly without even firing
a single shot saving both time and ammunition. However, if you do not have
the correct caliber laser or insert sleeve to change to a different caliber;
or the mini-watch batteries run dead and you have no way to replace them, the
laser bore sight will do you no good. If you already have one though, don’t
get rid of it. Sometimes there may be a situation in which you are in an area
where discharging of a firearm to zero may not be possible.
In addition, there is a wonderful company called Shepherd Scopes that developed
a patented dual reticle system that gives you a point of reference inside the
scope allowing you to zero the scope/weapon with just one shot from a bench
rest position. These scopes however range in cost from $700 - $800 apiece.
I would rather spend funds on purchasing more ammunition, as we all know from
reading SurvivalBlog.com, that ammunition could one day be more useful than
silver for the purposes of barter.
In closing, zeroing your rifle makes it more effective. This expedient two-round
method will give you confidence that your sights and bore are aligned even
if you happen to “pick-up” or borrow a weapon from a friend; have
limited time or limited ammunition. Understand that different positions, body
armor, winter clothing, etc. will change your head position, but your bore
and sights will be properly aligned/zeroed. Having a zeroed weapon is a fundamental
you can build on. The rest is up to you. Good-luck and God Bless!
References:
- Ammo Price Hike Has Many Biting the Bullet
- WorldNetDaily, There
was ammo on these shelves …Nationwide shortage leaves gun owners scrambling,
paying extra, Zahn, Drew,
March 31, 2009.
- FM 3-22.9 Rifle Marksmanship M16A1, M16A2/3, M16A4 and M4 Carbine
- Shepherd Scopes
« Note from JWR: |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re Advice for College Students Living Abroad
Hi,
I'm a student from Singapore studying overseas in Australia and I'm also a
Christian. I have been following your blog for quite awhile, and there are
some things I would like to ask.
First, what advice can you give to students studying overseas? As a student,
I stay on my own in a rented place, and probably will have to move every six
months or so, so stockpiling food and goods are only feasible for about a month
or two worth of food, as I will have to shift everything I own on my own to
my new place whenever I move. That being said, I have roughly about a month's
supply of food stored up, but it is mostly in rice. If things go bad, I won't
be able to eat well, but will survive (I stocked up on some vitamins as well.
Not healthy I know, but better than nothing.). Additionally, what kind of food
should I buy and store? Currently, I am thinking about baking hardtack, as
they are easy to make and store well. I also have about 20 liters of water,
and am able to purify more than 100 liters of water using water purification
tablets and I also have a bottle of plain bleach.
As I am not in my home country, and if anything happens, I have no 'safe' place
to go. Other than going into the bush, which will not happen, as I have no
bush skills, the only choice I have is to hunker down and try, if possible,
to get a flight/ship back to Singapore. With such limited options, I am worried
about what to do WTSHTF,
which is ever more likely, given the current swine flu going around. While
I do know a family staying in a relatively rural area,
I do not know if I am able to get there as their acreage is quite a distance
away from my place and I have no transportation. Also, I am not sure if they
are prepared and stocked up for any crisis, so there is no guaranty that they
will be able to take me in. I would greatly appreciate some advice over this
issue, as it is the most important issue, and also advice on whatever you think
I am lacking in below.
Supplies: I have managed to gather some stuff over time, some medicine/first-aid(learned
some first-aid when younger, and still know the important stuff), lights (some
military stuff, since I have done my national service, a couple of wind up
torches as well for backup/indefinite use), fire starting equipment (lighters,
matches, fire starters, candles, no flint due to being unable to find someplace
that sells it), lightweight cooking equipment (billycan, metal bowls and tins,
utensils). Not much, but been trying to convince my parents to send over some
more supplies I have, which are mainly military stuff (nothing illegal, but
will raise some questions; excuse is they are for paintball, etc). Additionally,
for food I have about 10 kg of rice, plus enough canned food for a week (or
more, if I ration it), 6 liters of packet milk, about 20 packets soups, cooking
spices (very good for making whatever you have taste better), salt, etc. For
toiletries, I got plenty of toothpaste/toothbrushes, toilet rolls (about 2
months worth), soap/shampoo, etc.
Self defence: Nothing much, since there are strict airport rules, and can't
get a gun over here or in Singapore either. I keep a Swiss army knife on me
all the time, but that is mainly for use as a tool, as normally there won't
be any time to take it out. I learned tae kwon do when young (almost
got my black belt, but was unable due to circumstances), and am trying to learn
more
methods
and techniques of fighting. If it comes down to a fight, I am fairly confident
that I can hold my own against one or two people, but I have been trying to
improvise weapons that will allow me to escape. I have been trying to find
a place to learn Krav Maga, which is an Israeli martial art designed to teach
you to fight anywhere, any how, and
any time, against multiple opponents that may or may not be armed, with various
weapons. They focus on being ready to fight at all times using whatever it
takes to survive (aka all the dirty fighting techniques). I think that it is
a very useful martial art to learn, as it is the most realistic form of combat,
and teaches you how to improvise on the spot (They have two rules: 1. survive,
2. Try not to hurt your sparring partner.). In any case, I think the most important
thing to have is to be aware of your surroundings and people that are around
you. An armed man is hard to be beaten, unless taken by surprise, and an alert
man is hardly ever taken by surprise. As a side note, I recently bought a slingshot,
not that I expect it will be of any good for defence, but rather more for hunting
small animals if things really go south. Just need to get around to practicing
with
it.
Day to day carry: I carry with me a Swiss army knife, some medicine/first-aid,
water purification tablets (for 20 liters), a small LED light, a lighter and
some money in small notes in a small pouch close to me everywhere I go. Planning
to add on another pouch with more medical supplies, especially for this swine
flu outbreak. I also have a SOG multi-tool that I can add on, but chose not
to as people will really question what I am doing with 2 knives and all those
stuff. Also, wherever I go, I also bring along at least 1 liter of water, a
torch, a poncho, additional first-aid supplies, hand sanitizer, a bar of soap
and a couple of cereal bars. If I am on a long trip (more than a day or a few
hours by car), I would bring along additional stuff, like more fire starting
equipment, extra food, extra water, a spare torch, and a spare change.
Skills: I learned basic first aid when young, learned tae kwon do,
crude fire making (not too good), cooking, sewing (very basic, mainly for repairing/modifying
clothes) and cycling (although my area is very hilly, so I hardly cycle). I
am trying to learn more skills, like bushcraft, Krav Maga, hunting (doubt I
will be able to), and brush up on my fire starting skills, although in light
of the recent bushfires, it may be a bad idea. Also I am handy with simple
repairs (mainly a crude temporary fix), and like to innovate and make new stuff.
Swine Flu: I have been trying very hard to raise my stock of food and medicines
ever since I heard about the swine flu, but due to time (university) and financial
constraints, I can only stock up so much. I have been buying paracetamol tablets,
aspirin, face masks (box of 100, plus various other dust masks), anti-bacterial
hand gel, hydrogen peroxide, and am looking for surgical gloves, proper N95
equivalent face masks, Sambucol, more water purification tablets, antibiotics,
Betadine, bandages, etc.
Economic crisis: I have been looking around for a place to purchase silver
bullion with whatever spare cash I have, but have been unable to find a dealer.
I am hoping to get at least 150 ounces of silver in 1-ounce to 10-ounce bars
before the economy gives way, which I suspect won't be long. I pray it doesn't
happen,
as my home country will be hit really hard as it is focused heavily in the
financial sector, but being a realist, I think eventually my family will have
to move over to Australia, as at least it has farmland, natural resources and
a very social welfare-focused government as well.
Thanks for all your effort to educate people about the coming world situations
and how to prepare for it. What you are doing can mean life or death to many
people in the future when the world crashes and burns. - DieReady
JWR Replies: By all means, do team up with a rural family,
if you can. If you cache a large quantity of food with them, you will be assured
of being welcome there WTSHTF,
since you will be a benefactor for the family. In such circumstances, food
is a much better investment than silver! If you can pre-position your storage
food and
most of
your gear
there, you can
plan
to
bug out via
mo-ped.
There are two ways of looking at obstacles to preparedness: 1.) As reasons
to give up,
or 2.) as
challenges
and opportunities
for
growth. For example, your hilly terrain can be seen as an opportunity to build
strength
and endurance, rather than as an excuse for not bicycling. And just because
you can't find a local martial arts center that teaches Krav Maga, don't lapse
into inactivity.
Study whichever art is available locally. Just be sure to
find the best full
contact dojo in town. Furthermore, don't look at airport
security restrictions as a the lowest common denominator for
your
self defense preps. If you are going to be in Australia for an extended period
of time, then there is no reason why you shouldn't go ahead and purchase a
few key "dual use" self defense items, such as a half dozen 15 minute
road flares, a machete .,
and a six-C-cell
black MagLite ..You might also see if these is a local archery club--perhaps
affiliated with your local university. Practice at least twice a week with
your slingshot! They can
indeed be quite useful if
you
take
the
time
to
practice.
For your silver
purchases,
be
willing
to look
further
afield
for
dealers, or if
need
be, to
buy from a
reputable
mail
order dealer. Concentrate on the positive aspects of prepping, shepherd your
available funds, train consistently, and you'll make
progress!
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Reinforcing Your Retreat for Long Term Survival on the Cheap, by Q.T. »
Letter Re: How to Spot a Front Sight Graduate
Jim,
I get e-mails from Front Sight students all the time reporting to me how they
often draw a crowd at shooting ranges as people marvel at their marksmanship,
speed, and gun handling. The question they are always asked is,
"Where did you learn how to shoot like that?" Of course they respond
with "Front Sight!"
Well here is a twist on that experience from someone who recently e-mailed
me:
Dr. Piazza,
I just wanted to send you this e-mail and let you know
about an experience I had several months ago.
I work part time at a shooting range in Wheat Ridge, Colorado and my sister
hosts Ladies' Night there.
I was invited as a guest speaker teaching the ladies how to clear rooms in
a structure with a weapon and a light.
During a break, one of the ladies went into the range to shoot her handgun.
I was walking by and glanced in the window and noticed her well placed shots...
two to the thoracic cavity and one to the ocular cavity.
Immediately after her shots I saw her blonde pony tail swing from side to
side, demonstrating an obvious
trademark of fine training... She was doing an After Action Drill.
I put on some "ears and eyes" and went into the range to observe her flawless
techniques.
When she was done she turned and saw me watching her and smiled.
I said, "You've been to Front Sight, haven't you?"
She replied, "Yes. How did you know?"
I told her I could tell from the professional techniques she was using.
She started talking to me about how proud of herself she was and her increased
self confidence since attending your Four Day Defensive Handgun Class.
She told me about the Color Codes of Awareness that you teach and that she
is now always in Condition Yellow... relaxed, but alert.
She said that she didn't want to brag but she felt she had now reached a
level of Unconsciously Competent in her weapons handling-- meaning her skills
were now reflexive.
I told the other ladies to watch her and learn, or better yet, attend Front
Sight.
I just wanted to pass this along to you.
Keep up the good work.
Kelley "Badger" Sands
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Well there you go... If you want to spot a Front Sight graduate look for
the smiling, confident, relaxed yet alert person with the well placed shots
and flawless, professional technique!
And if you want to be that person, (or you
want your spouse to be that person) take advantage of my "Get
a Gun" training & gear offer before the price increase. - Dr. Ignatius
Piazza
« Two Letters Re: TEOTWAWKI Medical Skills: Thoughts on Becoming a "Woofer" (Wilderness First Responder) |Main| Notes from JWR: »
My Initial Experiences with Concealed Carry, by AceHigh
As I started my journey into preparedness, one of the areas I pursued was getting
my Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) license (sometimes called Concealed Handgun
License (CHL) or Concealed Carry License (CCL)). I thought it might be helpful
to Survival Blog readers to share my recent experiences related to obtaining
my CCW license and getting to a point where I felt comfortable carrying a
concealed weapon in public. I know there is some concern regarding obtaining
a license that puts you on record as a gun owner/carrier, but that is the
trade off of being able to legally defend yourself and is a decision each
of us must make.
In a full TEOTWAWKI situation, concealed carry is likely not much of an issue,
as most everyone will be carrying openly. However, it is possible, if not likely,
that a less than full TEOTWAWKI will occur where there is increasingly more
crime and yet some semblance of law enforcement is still in place. This limbo
between where we are today and complete lawlessness may last a long time. You
could be considered a criminal by illegally carrying a concealed weapon for
self protection.
First, a little background regarding CCW. Most states are either “shall
issue” or “may issue” in regard to CCW licenses (nice of
them to offer something already provided for by the Second Amendment). Both
Illinois and Wisconsin do not allow concealed carry at all and a few other “nanny” states
(California, New York, New Jersey, etc.) are “may issue” and only
provide licenses in very limited circumstances. There is a complicated set
of state reciprocity (which states will honor another states license), especially
considering that many states offer non-resident permits and a few states only
honor resident permits. The best source I have found to understand the laws
pertaining to individual states is the HandgunLaw.us
web site. Even though
there are sporadic attempts to nationalize concealed carry, I do not believe
this
will
happen which is probably a good thing (the federal government, especially the
current one, would likely make things much worse).
I applied for and subsequently received my CCW license about 18 months ago
in Idaho, my state of residence. My first several months of carrying a concealed
weapon was limited to having my gun in the car (in a somewhat hidden spot)
anytime
I left the house. My concern was that, even though I had some experience shooting
handguns and rifles, actually carrying a weapon in public carries a high level
of responsibility and I did not have enough confidence in my ability in handling
the weapon or in having the proper mindset as to how to respond to the variety
of situations that could present themselves.
I made one of the best decisions of my life when I attended the Four
Day Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight. Not only did those very intense four days enable
me to gain familiarity and confidence in handling my Glock 23 but started me
down the road to good marksmanship. The range work (about 75% of the class)
focused on gun handling safety, proper mechanics for drawing the gun and shooting,
and shooting accuracy. Just as important was the classroom work at Front Sight
where they discussed a wide range of topics related to self defense, including
the legal ramifications of even a justified shooting and the color codes of
awareness. The most important thing presented was that you should only present
your weapon if you are in fear for your life or grave bodily harm and, if you
do present your weapon, you should be prepared to shoot until the threat is
stopped. This may sound simple but there are many shades of gray here that
each individual must come to grips with.
One of these gray areas involves protecting others. Of course, there is no
question regarding protecting my family who would get a higher priority than
even myself. My personal decision is that I would also use deadly force to
protect my friends. Here is where it starts to get gray. Do you protect acquaintances
or strangers? While it would be very difficult to stand by and let someone
be harmed or killed when you could have done something to stop it, the real
issue is: Do you know enough of the circumstances about the event? How do you
know for sure who the bad guy is? Is the person holding the gun seeming to
threaten someone an off duty cop or even another CCW who is restraining a bad
guy? You certainly cannot count on presenting your weapon to get everyone to
stop until it can be sorted out. Chances are pretty good that the bad guy (or
the off duty cop) holding the gun will not surrender and you will either be
shot or have to shoot them.
Another gray area is: how far do you go to protect your stuff? You are only
legally able to shoot someone if you are in fear of your life or grave bodily
harm. In most states, you cannot legally shoot someone who is just taking your
stuff. For example, if someone pulls a gun (or knife) on you and demands your
wallet, you could shoot them if you were in fear for your life. However, if
you see someone stealing you car and you shoot them while they are driving
away; you are likely in deep trouble. An exception (in most states),
called the Castle Doctrine, is that you do not have to be in fear for your
life if
the bad guy is inside your house. Be sure to check your state
laws on use of force!
Prior to the class, I had begun to read the defensive handgun forums primarily
regarding hypothetical and actual defensive scenarios. I highly recommend these
forums. My favorites are: Defensive
Carry Forum, Concealed
Carry Forum,
and the Glock
Carry Forum. Even though there are many different
opinions expressed on these forums, hearing them helps to solidify your own
mindset
as to what you would do in a variety of situations. It is important to think
this through thoroughly prior to carrying a weapon because there will likely
not be time to do so when a situation arises.
The main point is that you need to go out of your way to avoid a gunfight.
This is illustrated by the fact that in a gunfight, you risk everything (including
your life) and don’t win anything. The ramifications to your life of
even a good shooting are such that it is something to be avoided if at all
possible. Those ramifications can include financial ruin, losing your job,
tarnishing your reputation (at least among the non-violent types), or even
incarceration. Now that I am armed, I am more able to resist the macho urge
to stand up to someone because I know that escalation could be deadly. It also
doesn’t hurt to have witnesses that say you tried to walk away or de-escalate
the situation in case the unavoidable does happen.
After attending the Front Sight class, I made the leap and started carrying
in public all of the time. This is where you start to figure out the type and
manufacturer of holster which is going to work best for you. Most people end
up with a drawer full of holsters since it is difficult to evaluate a holster
without wearing it with different clothing options and sometimes in different
positions for some period of time. Again, the defensive handgun forums can
provide a wealth of opinions regarding the variety of holsters available. Some
holsters are adjustable for height and/or cant, which make them more versatile
but also extend the time to figure out the most comfortable concealed position.
I could write many pages on all of the options and types of holsters available
since I did considerable research and tried many of them personally.
To simplify, the most common holsters are either OWB (outside the waistband)
or IWB (inside the waistband). They can be worn in various positions (usually
described but referencing the numbers on a clock with straight ahead being
12:00). Many people carry “behind the hip” at 4:00-5:00 (for right
handed people) or 7:00-8:00 (for left handed people) with some amount of forward
cant (grip of gun forward and barrel angled toward the rear). That cant (typically
10-20%) allows for a more natural grip on the gun for drawing from that position
as well as provides better concealment than a straight drop. I could never
get comfortable with this behind the hip position, maybe because I am not very
limber and I have bad shoulders making it difficult to reach behind my hip
both for getting the holster positioned initially and for access to the gun
when needed.
The 3:00 position allows for a straight draw and is the most comfortable, even
when sitting. Since it is on the apex of your hip/waist, it is a little more
difficult to conceal but is a good option in winter when jackets and coats
are common. You just need to make sure that you won’t be put into a position
where you will need to remove your cover garment. I have found that a fleece
vest works very well to conceal a handgun at 3:00 and you can still wear and
remove a heavier coat and keep your weapon concealed.
I have gravitated toward “appendix carry” at about 1:00-2:00 using
an IWB holster, especially in the summer. It allows for excellent concealability
and access and can be concealed with just a light shirt. This position also
allows you to be able to visually make sure you are not “printing” (outline
of the gun showing through your clothes). There are a large number of IWB holsters
available and some of them allow a shirt to be tucked in between the pants
and the top of the gun if you need to have your shirt tucked in. I did have
to go up one size in pants to accommodate the holster and gun being inside
the waistband.
Cross draw is another option and works well for people who spend a lot of time
driving. Other options that have drawbacks but may be useful for some people
include SOB (small
of back) holsters, shoulder holsters, and ankle holsters.[JWR Adds: As
previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog I consider SOB holsters too much of a
risk for back
injuries, particularly for anyone on horseback, or that is riding motorcycles
or ATVs.]
I use a fanny pack (worn in the front) sometimes, especially when hiking.
A
fanny
pack
in
public
tends
to scream “gun” to
most law enforcement and some bad guys. For women, carrying in a purse is an
obvious
choice. However,
you have to be very careful not to set it down anywhere where someone else
could get access to it. A purse can also be the target of someone trying to
snatch it, which not only deprives you of your means of self defense but gives
your weapon to your attacker. There are other options that each individual
should look into to meet their specific need.
To maintain and even improve the level of proficiency gained at Front
Sight, there are a few approaches. The obvious one is to do a lot of shooting.
With the cost of ammunition these days, this can be very expensive. A .22 conversion
kit for your carry gun will help to minimize the cost of putting a lot of rounds
down range. An alternative is to mix in dry practice. Personally, I like to
try to maintain 10%-20% of my practice time as live fire but sometimes that
is even difficult to achieve. Dry practice can help to maintain muscle memory
for drawing, sight acquisition, trigger pull, and even malfunction clearing.
An obvious important safety concern when dry practicing is to absolutely
insure that the gun is unloaded. I know that sounds pretty basic but a clear delineation
of
starting
and stopping
dry practice will help to eliminate a very bad experience of a
negligent discharge. Unload the gun and double check that it is unloaded. Then
remove all ammo from the dry practice area. Check again to make sure the gun
is unloaded. Even then, make sure you dry practice target has a good backstop
and make sure you never point the gun at anything you would not want to destroy.
At the end of the dry practice session, remove any dry practice targets, load
and holster the weapon, and go as far as to say out loud, “The weapon
is loaded and dry practice is over.”
I have applied for and am awaiting receipt of my Utah non-resident permit which
will make me legal in more states (33 states in total). I am also planning
to attend Front Sight again in a few weeks and take the Four Day Practical
Rifle class to gain more proficiency with my battle rifle. I even talked my
wife
into taking the Four
Day Defensive Handgun class at the same time. - AceHigh in Idaho
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Four Letters Re: A Well-Rounded Skillset Requires Both Range-Based and Force-on-Force Training
Jim:
SF in Hawaii seems to have written in haste. His assertion is based on merely seeing the introductory courses at Front Sight. Just read this
course description of Front Sight's Advanced Integrated Handgun course.
This course offers exactly what he's complains is lacking at shooting schools.
- Tantalum Tom
Mr. Rawles,
In response to SF in Hawaii's comment,. I returned this past week from
a four-day defensive handgun course with the one day 30-state CCW [permit
qualifying] class at the end. SF is incorrect in several
areas, but I will mention two specifically. First, while we may have been stationary
during the initial shoot, we were quickly moving after the actual shots were
taken - this movement was called "after action" movement. In fact,
at one point, I had an instructor standing next to me reminding me to "move,
move, move ....don't stand still."
During our one day CCW class, our instructor gave us an idea about what the "Tactical
Handgun" class consisted of - We were literally running along side several
targets and shooting from the running position with the instructor attached
to us ensuring that we did not stand still - reminding us the entire time that
we must continue to move. Secondly, we were taught how to shoot one handed
- and at close range without using the front sight.
We learned so much in five days that will be valuable should the skills ever
be needed in a real life scenario. I was so impressed with the level of skill
and professionalism of the Front Sight instructors. I was also amazed at the
number of military and law enforcement officers attending the class right beside
me, some for the second or even third time in an effort to earn their "graduate" or "distinguished
graduate" certificate. I also learned from our instructor that they have
trained some of our military special forces. If that is not an impressive endorsement,
I can't imagine what would be.
The four-day defensive handgun class may be Front Sight's entry level course,
but with that training, I am able to share information and skills with my husband
who has been in law enforcement for 30 years, defend myself and my family should
that need arise and will look forward to a second chance at earning my "graduate" certificate.
- TC in Washington
JWR:
[My advice to SF is that] if you want to practice moving while shooting try
IDPA or IPSC. They are both games and have varying amounts of "reality",
but both allow even require moving while shooting. In fact, IPSC is called
the "run and gun" sport and IDPA's standard classifier requires
moving while shooting and moving between positions between engaging targets.
The first time out you will be surprised at how hard it is to hit a target
while moving, but you will get better with practice. Both sports also require
reloads while on the clock, another skill that isn't practiced enough.
Mostly one can use their day to day carry rig. Pocket holsters are generally
out. Having said that one of my local clubs did have a "back up gun" side
match every month which allowed all sorts of holsters. My
local club let me use my Wilderness Tactical holster that I use while biking
and hiking, which was great. If you use your carry hardware you get to shake
out any problems you might have and learn exactly what you can and can not
do with your pistol. Most people will be surprised. But with a bit of practice,
great improvements will be made.
Learning pistol skills are why I started going, but the people were the reason
that I started to spend every weekend at one of these events. They are like
minded (at least on the firearm side of ideas), friendly, safe, and very helpful
with new shooters.- Tacmars
Jim,
All the high speed, low drag tactics in the world don’t mean a thing
unless you hit with your first shot. Until you know how to shoot consistently
and accurately under time pressure, and develop the discipline to stay on the
front sight in a fight, which the
range training engrains in you, force on force training is a complete waste
of time and a gimmick for those trainers who can’t put hundreds of students
into their courses week after week. Most gun owners are not
ready for force on force training because they can’t shoot accurately
enough under pressure to benefit from force on force training. Front Sight
offers force on force
training for those students who are ready for it in our advanced tactical scenarios
courses.
- Dr. Ignatius Piazza, Founder and Director of Front
Sight
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Letter Re: A Well-Rounded Skillset Requires Both Range-Based and Force-on-Force Training
Jim,
I agree with a recent post, Front
Sight offers excellent training,
and will get the beginning shooter to feel comfortable with their weapon and
build in quick and automatic malfunction clearances, but it has shortcomings
that
all range based training classes share. By default, range based
handgun training teaches us:
1) Stand still while you shoot
2) Use two hands when you shoot
3) Focus on the front sight
This type of shooting is a very specialized form of shooting. It is perfect
when you are:
1) Target/competition shooting
2) Shooting at the edge of your accuracy range from cover
It is terrible when you are:
1) Dealing with someone shooting back
2) Dealing with potential multiple aggressors
3) Dealing with close range shooters
Why is this? Force on force teaches us that we need to move when we shoot.
If you stand and take a traditional weaver stance, you will get a great shot
off... and so will your opponent. Of course, neither Front Sight nor any other
traditional range will allow you to shoot while you are running, but this is
exactly what
you need to be able to do.
Force on force teaches us that when we explosively move off the X, we will
typically have only one hand on the gun. Why? It's easier to run that way.
It's instinctual. In a class with Gabe Suarez, after a group Airsoft scenario,
he asked the students, "who took a traditional stance?" This was
a seasoned class and we all looked around sheepishly. None of us had
done it.
I had this assumption that since I had trigger control and sight picture and
training, I would be able to outshoot any gang member with his one-handed running
shooting. Yes, this is true for distances past 15 yards. Within that distance,
(the distance most gunfights take place in) the street style was better. At
distances of three yards, a sight picture will just slow you down. Even an
untrained gangster at 10 feet shooting as fast as he can pull the trigger
will likely
put hits on you at the distance despite his lack of professional training and
sight picture.
Finally, the traditional sight picture of looking hard at the front sight creates
tunnel vision. This is perfect for a sniper shot and stupid for a close range
gunfight. You have just traded your peripheral vision for tunnel vision. In
one scenario, I was able to put six rounds into my opponent: four body shots
and two head shots in under two seconds before he got a shot off at me. Unfortunately,
I didn't even see the second bad guy at my 3 o'clock only 5 feet away as he
shot me two times in the side of my torso. Tunnel vision does that.
Game over.
You should seriously consider taking a force on force training, not just to
learn the skill set, but also to unlearn some range-based behavior that will
get you shot in an gunfight. If you can't get to a class, then buy some Airsoft
pistols, [wrap-around] eye protection and a
DVD from Suarez International on
the subject. - SF in Hawaii
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Letter Re: An Impromptu SurvivalBlog Meet-up at Front Sight
There was a bit of a ‘covert’ Survivalblog
gathering at Front Sight recently. Along with Tim R & Tantalum Tom I was
also in attendance earlier in March. I have two grown sons, both of which had
expressed a desire to have a handgun for home defense. As a law enforcement
officer
and
former
SWAT team member I am familiar with the operation of and responsibility with
owning a gun. I am confident in my training and ability to defend my home and
family through that training. My two sons, however, had barely even held a
gun, let alone fired it. This spurred me to obtain the proper training as any
responsible gun owner should do, and when I heard about the "get
a Gun " promotion for the four day Defensive Handgun course that Dr. Piazza was offering, I jumped on board for all three of us.
Both of my sons were shocked when I made the presentation to them last year.
Before doing so, they knew something was coming, but had no idea as to exactly
what it was. When I gave them the course, including transportation and lodging,
they were both flabbergasted and ecstatic. Imagine how amazed they were to
find they would also be using a brand new gun of their choosing which would
belong to them upon completion of the course, with Front Sight sending it back
to our local FFL dealer. I gave them this present last July, and thanks to
Front Sight’s generous scheduling policy, I had the luxury of planning
the trip at my convenience, choosing dates in mid March.
The trip to Vegas was go od, where we rented a car and drove out to Pahrump,
about 50 miles to the west. We even had enough time that first day to go back
to Vegas where we feasted on the sights and sounds of ‘The Strip’ and
one of the many great buffets, catching a show afterwards. On Friday we drove
up to the front gate at Front Sight where we were welcomed and directed to
the check in location. Often times any of us are nervous when doing something
for the first time, especially in unfamiliar territory far from home. But here
we were greeted with a smile by a well organized and helpful staff. Nerves
disappeared almost immediately, replaced by the excitement of what was to come.
The five days there were phenomenal, especially as I had the honor of sharing
that voyage of discovery with my two sons. You’ve undoubtedly read the
commentaries from other attendees, so I will spare you from repetition other
than to say the education I received was excellent. I put some 800 rounds through
my [Springfield Armory] .45 XD and by the end of my time there it felt so natural in my hand to be
almost a part of me.
I was most taken back by the staff who make it truly phenomenal. I will refer
to my range-master as the ‘Stair’-Master who took us, step by step,
through their procedures in such a natural way. He was informative, professional,
friendly, o pen and knew what he was teaching inside out and back to front.
But to be perfectly honest, you could say the same for all of them. There were
times when we had seven or eight instructors on the line with us. Talk about
individual coaching and instruction! Unheard of! This by far is the best firearm
instruction I have ever received, and would recommend it to anyone, both novice
and expert alike.
In addition to receiving great instruction on the range, we were also afforded
some informative and well thought out lectures introducing the concept of owning,
using, choosing and carrying a gun. The presenters make it interesting and
use their experience and real life situations to better relate to the student
body. I even found myself enacting one scenario out with them in a realistic,
unscripted way that I have to say, would be very realistic given the situation
they presented.
I would also recommend the lunches available through pre-order from ‘Beach
Café’, linked through the Front Sight web site. They deliver lunches
daily and I found them more than sufficient to get me through the day. As others
have said, make sure you hydrate, dress appropriately (layers) and expect to
spend long days there which whiz by with all that you do. The coffee is plentiful
and the friends you will make from those around you will make it even more
special. Come the last day I ‘slowly, carefully, reluctantly’ placed
my gun back in its holster and shook the hands of the new friends I had made,
determined to return and further my education on a later date. Cruise eBay
for some first
time student gray course certificates and you too can attend some of their
courses at a great rate where you will then discover the awesome deals available
to
return students. Folks, you will not be disappointed, and you will feel so
much better prepared in your ability to protect yourself, your home, and most
importantly, your loved ones. - DeFuz
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Tantalum Tom's Front Sight Extravaganza
About 250 people were there the recent week that I took the four
day Defensive Handgun course at Front Sight. I was the only bozo
who slept in their car outside their gates the whole four days. I couldn't
afford
a hotel.
That
budget item was
a "make
or break" issue for my trip. I learned that a zero degree rated sleeping
bag might be an overly optimistic rating. But, there is basically unlimited
unimproved
camping
space there on BLM land.
Bring your RV,
or a much better sleeping bag for winter camping there. There is even a dirt
airstrip on the charts a couple of miles
away if you're a pilot.
I'm not a professional pedagogist, but I can recognize extremely high quality
teaching methods. This place has it. Technical vocabulary
was not used unless defined and explained earlier. One step built on the preceding.
Two steps forward,
half step back to review, continue, unrelenting and informative. I believe
I was mostly in the category of unintentionally incompetent. I knew a thing
or two, but came to realize, there is more to learn than I realistically can
foresee myself learning. I'll try though. I believe they left out many basic
firearms details for sake of time. (e.g., “This is a cartridge, primer,
gun, etc...)
Two guns used by classmates broke while I was there. Both were M1911 style.
For one, they gracefully loaned him a gun to continue, as he had no backup.
One
other
gun
(Glock .45)
was malfunctioning
often. I blame that squarely on the user though, as he was the only one who
had mistakes during dry practice. Bang when there should be click.
The lectures were eye-opening, lively and fun! The lecturers have definitely “been
there done that.” Imminently knowledgeable in all matters of handheld
weaponry. Cops, Sheriff's Deputies, EMTs,
Paramedics, etc. One rangemaster there had 30 years in Army special forces
training. Not a single Mall
Ninja.
I have never had a gun on my person for any extended length of time. I learned
a great lesson, It feels great to be armed.
There were more women there than I'd ever seen at any weapons venue! (I haven't
been to many though.) My guess (not an estimate) about 30-to-40.
I met R. from Utah. I
recognized the story they shared in a lecture to one that I'd read here at
SurvivalBlog! Their story will now be incorporated into
the Front Sight lectures!
While there, malfunction drills are taught. Live rounds are discarded on the
firing line during this procedure. Our range master said it was undesirable
to re-use those rounds, but he wasn't going to stop us from retrieving them.
He called them “range carp” Good to fish for, but not to eat. [After
the range closed, with permission] I was able to secure several hundred 9mm
rounds, about one hundred .45s and about thirty.40 S&Ws,
and I could have left with many many more had I been even a
bit more aggressive in their collection and also scrounged at the other firing
ranges. Great barter item, Great price.
Their claim to teach people how to shoot better than 95% of the people who
carry guns may be outdated. The FBI special
agent in my class mentioned that the things they were teaching at Front Sight
are
now taught in many police academies. He could
be wrong, I don't know. [JWR Adds: Imitation has always been
a high form of flattery. In fact, many of the techniques taught at Front Sight
are derivations of what was taught by the late Col. Jeff Cooper, back in the
days of Orange
Gunsite. Front Sight has refined and updated them, and has had the opportunity
to teach them to a much larger audience, ]
Everyone in my class improved. The “ragged hole drill” with
five rounds live fire, five clicks dry then five rounds live fire again really
worked, for everyone. Dry
practice
is the way to go!
Count one through five, prrress!
As they said, paraphrased and modified, “90% of shooting is getting
the gun out and pointing in”
I graduated! After not visiting a shooting range in more than 1-1/2 years,
I think that's a decent achievement.
I have just purchased a Glock 22 in .40 S&W. This is due to the fact that
I rented their gun, a Glock 17. These guns are almost identical, except their
chambering. I now have muscle memory for that frame, and I don't want to re-train!
Also,
because I just shot 600 rounds though a Glock with no malfunctions
whatsoever. The Glock 22 .40 comes standard with a bigger boom than
the Glock 17 9mm. Sadly, however, I still live in California, so I am limited
to and 10 round magazines. [JWR Adds: I recommend that California
residents go a step further and buy a Glock or XD pistol chambered in .45 ACP.
As long as you are limited to 10 rounds, then you might as well have a more potent
caliber. There is something just wrong about having a gun originally
designed
to hold 15 to 19 cartridges neutered into a 10-rounder, by legislative edict!]
I plan on prepping my resume to see if I'm up to the greater challenge to
take their instructor development course. - Tantalum Tom
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Letter Re: A SurvivalBlog Reader at Front Sight
Dear Mr. Rawles:
As I write this, I am returning from the four
day Defensive Handgun course at Front Sight. I would like to share my thoughts on the whole thing with
you
and
your readers,
plus maybe share some advice that others may find of value.
First off, if any of your readers are on the fence about signing up for the
class, I strongly urge them to do so. When Front Sight says
they will get you to a point where you can deliver two shots to the thoracic
cavity from a concealed
holster in 1.4 seconds, they aren't kidding. You will see a marked improvement
in your shooting skills in a remarkably short amount of time. Bad habits you
may have developed over the years will start to fall away, and you'll find
yourself adapting to the "Front Sight way of shooting" relatively
quickly. While I didn't graduate with distinction (May I never see another
Type III malfunction ever again!), I did finish the shooting portion of the
exam just 11 down, and finished up second in the class shooting tournament.
And no, I still can't believe I shot the hostage in the finals.
If you do decide to sign up for the class, here's some good advice for you
to follow.
1. It's okay to be overwhelmed at the end of the first day. They are going
to throw a ton of new information at you on that first day. Everything from
your
stance to the way you do a chamber check will be under intense scrutiny, not
to mention the fact that you're fighting years of muscle memory that fly into
the contrary of how they are trying to teach you. Don't worry about it though,
it will get easier. Just do your dry fire practice, do it correctly, and you
will be good to go on the second day.
2. The Nevada desert is a harsh, inhospitable climate, even in March. It doesn't
matter if it is hot or cold, the desert will dehydrate
you if you're not careful. Believe me, I learned this the hard way and almost
ended up in a hospital emergency room because
of it. I didn't take care of myself as I should have, and it ended up being
a pretty painful four days as a result. Even now I wouldn't say I am still
not at 100%. Learn from my mistake and make sure you drink lots of water and
Gatorade.
3. Do not expect to do much of anything but go the academy, shoot, clean your
weapon, and sleep. You are going to be at the academy for anywhere from ten
to twelve hours a day, a good chunk of it on the firing line. You will learn
a lot, but it will be a very intense experience. I suggest you have all your
logistics in place before the training starts so you don't have to worry about
it. Get your food, laundry, water, and everything else you may need taken care
of before the training starts so you won't be wasting valuable rest and relaxation
time later. Also, if you can help it at all, buy your ammo, holsters, and anything
else you may need before getting there. The pro shop is well stocked, but it
is not cheap. Save yourself a lot of money and come fully prepared.
Remember, none of this is meant to scare anyone off. Believe me, even after
my battles with dehydration and the like, I would take this course again in
a heartbeat. It's probably the best instruction you'll ever get in
the art of pistol shooting. I can't recommend it enough! Sincerely,
- Tim R.
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Cold and Dark--An Account of an Ice Storm, by Steve S.
Preparations
In January, 2008, the outlook for people in the United States appeared bleak.
I told my wife that we needed to stock-up on food because I felt that the supply
lines were thin and vulnerable. I began my preparations by Internet search.
I found JWR's SurvivalBlog and I bought a copy of his novel. In the meantime,
I started buying cases of canned goods. I bought food that we generally ate.
I looked at the expiration dates of every purchase. I tried to buy what would
last through 2011. Not much would, so I bought with the idea of buying more
later, looking for one year at a time.
The pantry was full. I had read Jim's book, and had found many links
on the SurvivalBlog that helped me know how much of what to buy to be balanced.
I bought a freezer at Sam’s Club and filled that also. I noticed that
food prices were increasing at an alarming rate in August. They were up 18%
on same item purchases, on average. Later that figure would reach 35%. I only
talked about this to a trusted few. My wife was starting to wonder about me.
Soon thereafter, a Harbor Freight store opened in Jonesboro, Arkansas, my home
base. There, I purchased several more items I saw as essential. I got a two
burner propane stove with a center grill feature. I bought some LED flashlights,
ropes, staple guns, and other miscellaneous items. Being a hunter and former
U.S. Army officer, I had a lot of camping (survival equipment) on hand. Sleeping
bags were there, polypropylene long johns, butane lighters, three 20 gallon
and one 100 gallon propane tanks were filled. I use them for my barbeque grill.
I told my wife that we should buy a generator. She said that if I thought we
should buy it, that I should. I didn’t.
I found some water barrels at a local food processing plant. I now have eight
55 gallon drums. I found 4 red 35 gallon chemical barrels that were set aside
for gasoline. I had about six 5 gallon gas cans to operate my 4 wheeler, fishing
boat, and sundry other small engines like lawn equipment and field water pumps.
Day to day, I am an NRA certified training counselor/instructor. Starting in
November 2008, my business started to boom. I had a 300% increase in Arkansas
concealed carry classes. That hasn’t stopped to this day. I have a 35
acre facility that is a former bean field, surrounded by thousands of farmland
acres and two liquor stores. I have a 1,200 square foot building for classroom
and office space, a 52 foot trailer for storage. My plan for survival guns
was simple. All guns were to be military calibers. Handguns would be .45 and
.38 calibers. Rifles would be .22 rimfire, 7.62x39, .308 and .30-06 calibers.
Shotguns would be 12 gauge. Stocks of ammunition were increased starting early
in 2008.
Shelter, food, security. What is left? Communications. I bought a set of 25
mile range pair of Motorola hand held communicators with recharger on sale
for $38. Stores of batteries were laid in. Cell phones. Transportation was
what we already had. 2001 Dodge Durango 4x4 and a 2005 Chevrolet 4x4 extended
cab pick-up.
The Storm
January 28, 2009. KAIT –TV weather in Jonesboro, Arkansas is forecasting
a wet winter storm cold front with frigid weather following out of the Northwest.
When it began, the outside temperature was about 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezing
rain collected on everything in near biblical quantity.
I was awakened in the early morning of January 29th and you could hear branches
starting to snap with a sound like gunshots. Outside, you could see flashes of
light as one by one, the transformers on the light poles blew out. The power
was off. It was time to go to work. First, open the flue and light the gas logs
in the fireplace. Inside the house, the temperature had quickly fallen to about
40 degrees. I thought to crack a window for ventilation draft to reduce the chances
of carbon monoxide poisoning. Then I set up a propane heater and went about blocking
off all rooms except the den and kitchen, which were adjoining. I used 4 mil
plastic to cover two entrances to the den. The temperature quickly found about
62 degrees. We placed a carbon monoxide detector in the room to keep us from
being statistics. The propane stove was set up over the electric range for cooking
and a 20 pound bottle of propane was connected to it. I started thinking about
how I should have bought a generator.
By morning, we felt isolated in our home. Very few vehicles were moving. The
world outside looked like a war zone with ice-laden limbs and the things they
crushed. With no electricity, the phones didn’t work. We ate breakfast
normally. The whole world became our refrigerator. No cable TV so we cranked
up the radio and began to listen to the results. Reports of some break-ins started
coming in as people abandoned all electric homes for the designated shelters
in town. Outlying areas quickly ran out of gasoline and propane. Stores emptied
out their goods and shelves became bare. Generators and flashlights were nonexistent.
Batteries and power supplies followed suit. Many businesses were unable to sell
anything as their computers were down and lights and heat were out. Sadly, no
one has a backup plan for how to sell anything without electricity. Gas cans
were a faint memory. I checked on our neighbors to make sure they were coping,
and to exchange cell phone numbers. The telephone system actually works without
outside electricity if the type of phone you use doesn’t need 110 volts
from the grid. We had one emergency phone for that reason, and it was operational.
I wondered how many people knew about that?
The day passed relatively uneventfully. We had everything we needed to exist
in a minor disaster. Some people didn’t. A few died for their lack of
preparedness.
After the passing of the first day of “survival,” tree limb removal
became the priority, while everyone fought what southerners call severe cold.
It was the 30th of January. The temperature was unrelenting with nighttime lows
of 9 degrees and daytime highs of 20. I was able to venture out for things that
would be nice to have, like a generator. You see, with a generator, our gas furnace
would work. All you need it for is the electric blower. It was the only hole
in the preparations. I went in to the local Lowe’s, after checking a couple
of other stores. In the back of the store there was a line of about 13 people.
I asked why they were there. There was a truck inbound with 75 generators. I
got in line. Twenty minutes later I was in the electric department buying the
necessary wire nuts and power cords needed to hook my [newly-purchased] generator
to
the
power
panel in my house.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to disconnect the house from the grid
by turning off the main breaker, outside the house. You must do this before attempting
to connect a generator to your power panel. Failure to do so could kill workmen
repairing downed power lines and connecting transformers. To get things operational
quickly, I used the cord provided with the generator, which used four grounded
plug outlets. To operate the [selected] areas to connect, I bought 10
gauge wire. We turned off all appliances and I pulled out the circuit breaker
for the
selected
rooms. I disconnected the wire from the circuit breaker and wired it directly
to each wire with a male plug on the other end to mate with the wire from the
generator. I did this for the heater circuit, the den wall circuit, the kitchen
wall circuit, and the master bedroom wall circuit. The heater kicked on.
I offer one final note about using a generator. The operation book has a chart
in it showing the watts used by each type of appliance. You must calculate the
[load] amount used by your appliances. It has to add up to less than your generators
running wattage rating.
We were on a main highway in town, and we had our electricity hooked to the grid
after spending only a few nights without. Many in town were without electricity
for three weeks. In outlying areas, some are still not connected. The line crews
working to restore power were fantastic. Limbs still line the highways and yards
a month after the event began.
Lessons Learned
It was nice to be confident in the preparations that we had made. It was also
easy to see the holes in the plan. I now have the generator that I knew I would
need when the grid goes down. After the fact, I also bought the connections necessary
to hook up the generator just by turning off the main breaker, plugging the generator
to an installed wall socket, and cranking it up. Cell phones go down after only
a few days without a charge. I bought a portable power battery for that purpose.
If we had been out of power long term, the generator would have had to have been
used on a part time basis, at night. That means that daytime operations would
have been using only one or two rooms, again. When power goes down, the best
fallback is natural gas, if you have it. I am in the process of planning where
to install additional natural gas stubs for appliances that can be added. The
natural gas hot water heater was a blessing. It was on from the start. The warmest
place in the house was the utility room where the water heater is located. Remember
to have books and games for those evening hours when you would have been watching
television. Make sure all of your gasoline cans stay filled and stabilized. Make
sure
all of your propane bottles stay charged. Make sure you have plenty of batteries
for radios and flashlights. Make sure you have enough essential medicines. Roger’s
Rangers rules #1 rule is "Don’t fergit nuthin!"
I may have missed a few issues, but I want to talk about future plans. I am going
to install photovoltaic panels to run an emergency LED lighting system. This
would
be
a small solar panel, probably 45-60 watts [and a deep cycle battery], as a precursor
to getting
a more comprehensive system. LED lights use very little electricity and they
are
very
long lasting.
More technology will be added as it becomes available. Reducing reliance on the
grid is the ultimate goal.
Final Words
You can war game and "what if" emergency situations as much as you
like. It is good to exercise your plan. The problem is that real situations
have a
way of
waking you up to the holes in your plans. Do not wait to begin planning for the
next disaster. People in tornado and earthquake zones know about being ready
for these things, but Mother Nature will have a surprise for you no matter
where
you are.
Prepare for the worst and pray to God that it doesn’t happen.
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: Some Observations at a Recent Gun Show »
Letter Re: Best Shotgun Pellet Size for Home Defense?
Hello.
This morning I read the
recent SurvivalBlog letter asking about buckshot, bird shot, and slugs for
shotguns.
Since this was a question of home-defense and you had mentioned The Box O'
Truth web site, I wanted
to direct you to this
article.
Apart from my feeling that a rifle is a better tool for home-defense, what
I really wanted to point out was the collection of links from The Box O' Truth,
especially their articles #20 and #42.
If you are going to use a shotgun, it's not enough to say "Okay, I've
got such-and-such Buck in there, I'm good." Make sure that you know your
weapon. Take it to the range and use your preferred load (and take the time
to research various loads from various manufacturers to find the one that works
best for you and your shotgun [and your home and/or retreat defense situation]).
Make sure you know how that shotgun and load patterns at 3 yards, 5 yards,
7 yards, 10, 15, 25, or whatever the longest distance is in your home (if not
sure, then measure!). Make sure you know how it will behave so you
can know what shots you can safely take and what shots you cannot safely take
[given the available backstops. I don't believe the original poster's Mossberg
Mariner has a changeable choke, but if other readers do then they
should bring their choke tubes to the range and try them out as well to see
if a different choke will work better for their needs. Yes, this costs time
and money, but if you're intent is to defend your life, then I'd like to think
the time and money is well-invested.
#4 buck? 00 buck? Either way it's going to be a bad day for
the recipient of the pellets, but do mind how that number of pellets ends up
patterning, and be sure you can account for every pellet. The last thing I'd
want is for most of the pellets to end up in the bad guy and some of the pellets
to keep flying [through interior sheet rock house partitions] and hit an innocent.
Again, it's not necessarily one pellet size or
the other, but knowing how that load will behave and how you have to work with
it.
Finally, if you do choose to work with a shotgun, check out Box O' Truth #83
for some good tips on fighting with one. This
article has some tips and links
as well. The bottom line: Know your tools, get training, and
practice practice practice. Thank you. - J.C.D.
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Letter Re: Some Preparedness Lessons Learned
James,
The need for usable skills in tough times, goes without need for embellishment.
The grand question is: which skills are the most valuable? In any situation
the basic needs are obvious – food, shelter, and clothing. Choosing what
I would concentrate on learning, became predicated on what I could do, and
what the community could provide in stressful times.
I moved some time ago from the gulf coast to Tennessee to retire and begin
preparing for the coming events. I moved into a community which is pretty much
self sufficient, mostly by religious choice. Livestock husbandry ranges from
cattle (mostly for milk), goats to chickens, hogs and horses.
I began to raise goats several years ago, starting with Boer cross. After several
discussions I have crossed them with a strain of milk goat to reduce the size
(and therefore the quantity of meat to be preserved) and gain the benefit of
milk products. I researched the process of cheese making and using products initially
supplied from New England Cheese Makers, learned the processes. It was very interesting
to discover that the rennin (for assisting in cheese making) actually comes from
the stomach of ruminators, another by product of the goats.
Preserving meats became my next concern. When talking to many folks, they believe
that they will just run out and kill fresh meat when needed. Not only will the
game be decimated in no time, but without a method of preservation it is wasteful.
Preferred methods around here are smoking, honey and salt boxes for curing and
preserving. The use of honey as a preservative turns out to be one of the very
best. Honey has a natural bacteria inhibitor, and curing smoked meats in honey
just makes life better. This in turn has determined the need for bees – My
neighbor already has a couple of hives which produces enough for now. The use
of honey reduces the dependence on obtaining sources of salt. In addition they
are many maple trees in the area which folks tap during the winter and early
spring. Many families have ponds a raise fish, which are canned by cold packing
or salting and drying.
Having fresh water is a paramount concern. Even with a spring the water quality
can change with the amount of rain causing algae blooms. These can range for
digestive distress to just foul taste. The stream water cannot be used without
treatment, as we have otters, beavers, coyote, foxes, and a whole range of other
critters, so amoeba type problems are probable. Boiling water is the surest,
but is often not the most practical. Any numbers of excellent water filters are
available, but the Big Berky is the most popular here. In any case the water
has to be pre-filtered to remove organic matter. This can be done by straining
through
a clean cloth, then passing through/over a disinfecting agent such as a silver
compound, or the addition of non-detergent bleach. The next best is a cistern
collecting rain fall, but even this can have issues as it tends to clean smoke
dust and pollen from the air on its way down.
As for the vegetable gardens the goats do help with the fertilizer which is composted
and added to the garden. The area I live in is pretty much a “rock farm” so
there is a constant need to remove the rocks from the garden areas and add in
soil from the hills behind us. This soil is usually pretty acidic with all of
the hardwood trees. Most folks use lime from the feed stores – haven’t
found a good substitute yet.
Clothing is one of the details that I have struggled with. The ability to produce
cloth is beyond most of us. Wool makes for great outer wear, but lousy underwear.
Goat hair can be made into quite durable garments, somewhat at the expense of
comfort. We have chose to use GI surplus wool socks, sweaters, BDUs
(because they are very durable) and purchase and store long and regular underwear.
We
do have a real cobbler in the community that does make very nice shoes/boots,
but I still have a back up pair. Many women here weave or quilt (using discarded
clothing as well as new cloth). I do keep some “unisex” clothing
on hand for whomever – mostly in the form of overalls. They are fairly
cheap and commonly worn in the area, and during the cold weather are an additional
layer. We have had most days at or below freezing and night down to zero. I have
looked into tanning leather – it is a noxious process and can be done.
I am choosing to have the hides tanned while I still can and store them against
the future need as clothing.
Our cabin is solid cedar timbers, and smells great! The downside is that there
is a constant need to stay on top of the chinking and calking, to reduce drafts – I’ve
used 22 tubes already this winter. We thought that pellet stove would be a great
idea – wrong. First it requires electricity. With the
power out you have to fire up the generator which is noisy and uses expensive
fuel. Second the stove
can burn corn or compressed hardwood pellets. Corn is food or the animals and
us, and tough enough to grow enough as is. Besides using the corn leaves the
odor of burned popcorn as exhaust. Compressed wood pellets are used on an average
of 80# per day at a cost of ~$9.00 / day. Pulling the stove this spring and going
to a straight quality wood burning stove that can be used to cook on. To back
up a wood burning stove an axe, buck saw, splitting wedges or a maul, and or
chain saw are required based on how much free time you can devote to it. Setting
aside wood requires a year round effort to keep from killing yourself. Although
we have electricity I do have a pitcher pump ready to install in the event it
is needed. And have simple kerosene lanterns for light. I prefer the straight
wick models, as the mantels have become very had to come by recently.
Health concerns in rural living also means, that you have to have a working knowledge
of first aid and basic medicine. The Red Cross has good courses on first aid
and the older Boy Scout manuals give an acceptable knowledge as well. Around
here there is a good deal of herbal medicine practiced. This is good for preventive
and minor issues. I have chosen to invest in some older college texts on anatomy,
physiology, and pharmacology, and a physician’s desk reference. These books
help in diagnosing, but will be of minimal help if/when the main line drugs are
not available. They are great for showing how to stitch and bandage wounds more
severe than the first aid books cover. We keep a well stocked medicine chest
with off the shelf medicines, and rotate them as needed. As we find local remedies
that are effective, we also include them (i.e. willow bark tea as a substitute
for aspirin).
I have learned rudimentary blacksmith skills, and collected some of the tools
as well as books on the subject. I can fashion horseshoes, wheel rims, forge
weld, make cut nails and a few other tasks as required. There are many better
skilled in this community and it will be more time efficient to trade/buy their
services.
I have a full time gunsmithing business which has been sorely needed in this
area – seems like everyone has one that they need fixed. So much for a
retirement business….
The acquisition of books, and how to reading material can spell the difference
between existence and some degree of comfort. In addition it is my considered
opinion the education of young people is severely unbalanced. The possession
of text books, classics, and recreational reading allows one to educate children
when contact is limited. The community has a long history of home schooling.
These kids routinely pass the high school exit exams (same tests as the state
requires for graduation) with higher scores, and at an earlier age. Most parents
seek out folks whom are well versed to teach the children. Oh yea, one by product
is that the kids are very respectful, and thoughtful.
In conclusion I thought that preparation for tougher times meant more beans,
bullets, and bullion. As it turns out, the retraining of my mind and attitudes
has presented the larger challenge. Understanding how you store food, is nearly
as important as what you store. What you can make is as important as what you
can do without (toilet paper?) Knowing that one person cannot do all that is
required, only means that you learn the skills to assist your community which
will supplement everyone’s survival/ quality of life. I thought that being
retired would allow me to kick back and enjoy some good libations. It has turned
out to be the greatest learning curve of my life – and I love it. Jim’s
preparedness course is a great place to start. But the real preparedness is in
the doing! - Dennis S.
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Depression Proof Jobs for a 20 Year Depression - Part 2: Developing a Home-Based Business
Yesterday, in Part1, I discussed the "safe" and counter-cyclical occupations
for the unfolding economic depression. Today, I'd like to talk about one specific
approach:
self-employment
with a home-based business.
I posted most the following back in late 2005, but there are some important
points that are worth repeating:
The majority of SurvivalBlog readers that I talk with tell
me that they live in cities or suburbs, but they would like to live full
time at a retreat in a rural area. Their complaint is almost always the same: "...but
I'm not self-employed. I can't afford to live in the country because I can't
find work there, and the nature of my work doesn't allow telecommuting." They
feel stuck.
Over the years I've seen lots of people "pull the plug" and
move to the boonies with the hope that they'll find local work once
they get there. That usually doesn't work. Folks soon find that the most
rural jobs typically pay little more than minimum wage and they are often
informally
reserved for folks that were born and raised in the area. (Newcomers from
the big city certainly don't have hiring priority!)
My suggestion is to start a second income stream, with a
home-based business. Once you have that business started, then
start another one. There are numerous advantages to this
approach, namely:
You can get out of debt
You can generally build the businesses up gradually, so
that you don't need to quit your current occupation immediately
By working at home you will have the time to home school your children and
they will learn about how to operate a business.
You can live at your retreat full time. This will contribute to your self-sufficiency,
since you will be there to tend to your garden, fruit/nut trees, and livestock.
If one of your home-based businesses fails, then you can fall back on the
other.
Ideally, for someone that is preparedness-minded, a home-based business should
be something that is virtually recession proof, or possibly even depression
proof. Ask yourself: What are you good at? What knowledge or skills
do you have that you can utilize. Next, consider which businesses will flourish
during bad times. Some good examples might include:
Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctioning of preparedness-related products.
Locksmithing
Gunsmithing
Medical Transcription
Accounting
Repair/refurbishment businesses
Freelance writing
Blogging (with paid advertising) If you have knowledge about a niche industry
and there is currently no authoritative blog on the subject, then start your
own!
Mail order/Internet sales of entertainment items. (When times get bad, people
still set aside a sizable percentage of their income for "escape" from
their troubles. For example, video rental shops have done remarkably well
during recessions.)
Burglar Alarm Installation
Other home-based businesses that seem to do well only in
good economic times include:
Recruiting/Temporary Placement
Fine arts, crafts, and jewelry. Creating and marketing your own designs--not "assembly" for
some scammer. (See below.)
Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctions of luxury items, collectibles, or
other "discretionary spending" items
Personalized stationary and greeting cards (Freelance artwork)
Calligraphy
Web Design
Beware the scammers! The fine folks at www.scambusters.org have
compiled a "Top 10" list of common work-at-home and home based business scams
to beware of:
10. Craft Assembly
This scam encourages you to assemble toys, dolls, or other craft projects
at home with the promise of high per-piece rates. All you have to do is
pay
a fee up-front for the starter kit... which includes instructions and parts.
Sounds good? Well, once you finish assembling your first batch of crafts,
you'll be told by the company that they "don't meet our specifications."
In fact, even if you were a robot and did it perfectly, it would be impossible
for you to meet their specifications. The scammer company is making money selling
the starter kits -- not selling the assembled product. So, you're left with
a set of assembled crafts... and no one to sell them to.
9. Medical Billing
In this scam, you pay $300-$900 for everything (supposedly) you need to start
your own medical billing service at home. You're promised state-of-the-art
medical billing software, as well as a list of potential clients in your
area.
What you're not told is that most medical clinics process their own bills,
or outsource the processing to firms, not individuals. Your software may
not meet their specifications, and often the lists of "potential clients" are
outdated or just plain wrong.
As usual, trying to get a refund from the medical billing company is like trying
to get blood from a stone.
8. Email Processing
This is a twist on the classic "envelope stuffing scam" (see #1 below).
For a low price ($50?) you can become a "highly-paid" email processor
working "from the comfort of your own home."
Now... what do you suppose an email processor does? If you have visions of
forwarding or editing emails, forget it. What you get for your money are instructions
on spamming the same ad you responded to in newsgroups and Web forums!
Think about it -- they offer to pay you $25 per e-mail processed -- would any
legitimate company pay that?
7. "A List of Companies Looking for Homeworkers!"
In this one, you pay a small fee for a list of companies looking for homeworkers
just like you.
The only problem is that the list is usually a generic list of companies, companies
that don't take homeworkers, or companies that may have accepted homeworkers
long, long ago. Don't expect to get your money back with this one.
6. "Just Call This 1-900 Number For More Information..."
No need to spend too much time (or money) on this one. 1-900 numbers cost money
to call, and that's how the scammers make their profit. Save your money --
don't call a 1-900 number for more information about a supposed work-at-home
job.
5. Typing At Home
If you use the Internet a lot, then odds are that you're probably a good
typist. How better to capitalize on it than making money by typing at home?
Here's
how it works: After sending the fee to the scammer for "more information," you
receive a disk and printed information that tells you to place home typist
ads and sell copies of the disk to the suckers who reply to you. Like #8,
this scam tries to turn you into a scammer!
4. "Turn Your Computer Into a Money-Making Machine!"
Well, this one's at least half-true. To be completely true, it should read: "Turn
your computer into a money-making machine... for spammers!"
This is much the same spam as #5, above. Once you pay your money, you'll
be sent instructions on how to place ads and pull in suckers to "turn
their computers into money-making machines."
3. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
If you've heard of network marketing (like Amway), then you know that there
are legitimate MLM businesses based on agents selling products or services.
One big problem with MLMs, though, is when the pyramid and the ladder-climbing
become more important than selling the actual product or service. If the
MLM business opportunity is all about finding new recruits rather than selling
products or services, beware: The Federal Trade Commission may consider it
to be a pyramid scheme... and not only can you lose all your money, but you
can be charged with fraud, too!
We saw an interesting MLM scam recently: one MLM company advertised the
product they were selling as FREE. The fine print, however, states that
it is "free
in the sense that you could be earning commissions and bonuses in excess of
the cost of your monthly purchase of" the product. Does that sound like
free to you?
2. Chain Letters/Emails ("Make Money Fast")
If you've been on the Internet for any length of time, you've probably received
or at least seen these chain emails. They promise that all you have to
do is send the email along plus some money by mail to the top names on
the list,
then add your name to the bottom... and one day you'll be a millionaire.
Actually, the only thing you might be one day is prosecuted for fraud.
This is a classic pyramid scheme, and most times the names in the chain
emails
are manipulated to make sure only the people at the top of the list (the
true scammers) make any money. This scam should be called "Lose Money
Fast" -- and it's illegal.
1. Envelope Stuffing
This is the classic work-at-home scam. It's been around since the U.S. Depression
of the 1920s and 1930s, and it's moved onto the Internet like a cockroach
you just can't eliminate. There are several variations, but here's a sample:
Much like #5 and #4 above, you are promised to be paid $1-2 for every envelope
you stuff. All you have to do is send money and you're guaranteed "up
to 1,000 envelopes a week that you can stuff... with postage and address
already affixed!" When you send your money, you get a short manual
with flyer templates you're supposed to put up around town, advertising
yet another
harebrained work-from-home scheme. And the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelopes?
Well, when people see those flyers, all they have to do is send you $2.00
in a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope. Then you stuff that envelope with
another flyer and send it to them. Ingenious perhaps... but certainly illegal
and unethical.
From all that I've heard, most franchises and multi-level marketing schemes
are not profitable unless you pick a great product or service, and you
already have a strong background in sales. Beware of any franchise where you
wouldn't have a protected territory. My general advice is this: You will probably
be better off starting your own business,
making, retailing, or consulting about something where you can leverage
your existing knowledge and/or experience.
---
In closing, I'd like to reemphasize that home security and locksmithing are
likely to provide steady and profitable employment for the next few years,
since hard
economic times are likely to trigger a substantial crime wave. After
all, someone has
to keep watch on the tens of thousands of foreclosed, vacant houses. (If not
watched, then crack cocaine addicts, Chicago syndicate politicians, or other
undesirables might move in!)
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: The Risk to Reward Ratio in Getting Concealed Carry Permits »
The Winning Edge: Safe Dry Practice, by John Parker, Jr.
I’ve often been asked for advice on how a shooter can improve his or her
proficiency at arms, and it seems that the questioner is almost always expecting
some magical tidbit of “gouge” that will bring out their “A” game.
Apart from analyzing form and talking about mechanics, one thing that I universally
recommend, and almost always find lacking in the normal routine of many shooters,
is dry practice.
The term “dry practice” includes many things, but to put it simply
and encompass all applications, it is firearms training conducted without live
ammunition. Far from a replacement for live fire training, dry practice is, however,
an essential and exceptionally useful tool in improving everything from presentations
to reloads to trigger control and beyond. Its application to a program of training
can help with any firearm related endeavor, and if you aren’t doing it
now, you should consider adding it to supplement your live fire training.
So, how does one go about this dry practice? First, one needs a safe place to
conduct it. We are training without live ammunition, but human fallibility still
applies, so a safe backstop is requirement number one. In the event that a live
round finds its way into the mix despite all our precautions, which we will discuss
shortly, a safe backstop will limit the event to an embarrassment instead of
a possible tragedy. I often use a 40mm ammo can filled with sand to affix my
target to, and place this in front of a stout exterior wall. Basement walls are
ideal for this. Ballistic panels, such as those made by Second Chance and Point
Blank, also work well to affix targets to, and you are really limited only by
your imagination, as long as your backstop will reliably stop the caliber of
arm you intend to conduct training with, even if you were to not strike your
intended aim point. Targets can be anything from the actual targets used in a
competitive discipline to scaled silhouettes replicating distance in the confines
of the practice area to squares of tape or target pasters. Col. Jeff Cooper even
recommended
the “televisor” as a dry practice aid, as he stated he could get
along quite nicely without it. (Placed against a safe backstop, of course!) Your
mileage may vary on this one, for many reasons. I would recommend saving yourself
a potential television replacement trip to Best Buy and using more mundane targetry.
Other considerations for the training area include floor composition—when
conducting pistol or carbine reload drills you don’t really want to be
dropping magazines onto a concrete floor hundreds of times (cardboard and carpet
are your friends!)—and also separation. You want your practice area well-defined
so that all sources of live ammunition can be kept out, and your mental focus
can be devoted to the task at hand. One final note: no mirrors. While one may
think that a mirror will help to observe and debrief practice sessions, their
effect is always negative. Your attention will be focused away from where it
should be, and the result will be negative training. No mirrors on the backstop,
no mirrors anywhere in the area. If you want to be able to debrief performance,
use a video camera.
Additional equipment includes dummy cartridges and “snap caps”. Snap
caps, for the purposes of this treatise, are generically defined as inert cartridge
simulations which include a semi-rigid or spring loaded surface in the primer
area to cushion firing pin or striker fall. Some arms designs are better suited
than others to omitting such aids, but I’ve always thought it wise to use
them in all my dry practice to avoid striker/firing pin abuse. Snap caps can
be found in nearly any caliber or gauge from Brownell’s, Midway, and other
sources, and are made by A-Zoom, Armsport, Precision Gun Specialties, and other
manufacturers. When practicing reloads and manipulations, dummy cartridges can
be used to add appropriate “heft” to magazines. One does not reload
with empty magazines, so it should not be so in practice. Dummy cartridges can
be obtained from the same sources as snap caps, or can be manufactured if one
is a reloader. I use cartridges reloaded with appropriate real projectiles sans
primer and powder. My manufactured dummy rounds for this purpose are all marked “DUMMY” on
the side of the case with a blue Sharpie pen, and projectiles are likewise colored
blue. For dual purpose training aids on the cheap, dummy cartridges can be assembled
with short length of nylon rod of the appropriate diameter (available at any
hardware store) inserted into the primer pocket. The nylon rod will cushion the
firing pin fall and last for a good long while.
Apart from these items, the appropriate firearm, magazines, holsters, and magazine
pouches, are of course requisites, as is a container for live ammo downloading
at the entrance to the practice area for use when practicing with a carry weapon
that is normally kept loaded and on the person.
Dry Practice Safety Rules
This brings us to safety and prep. First and foremost, eliminate all sources
of live ammunition. When entering the practice area, download your carry firearm,
if appropriate, and place all rounds and loaded magazines into the live ammo
container at the entrance to your practice area or range. A sealed container
is best. Pat yourself down and check weapon condition before proceeding. Enter
your practice area. I keep dedicated practice magazines and snap caps/dummy
rounds in a box that gets placed on a stool in my practice area. Ensure that
this box
is visibly different from the live ammo container. Now, inspect all magazines
and training cartridges to be sure they are what they are supposed to be. Inspect
the primer
area of all dummy cartridges, and check weapon condition again. Do
this every time you begin practice. If, for any reason, you are interrupted
during your training, stop everything, and do not begin again until you have
come back
and completed the inspections again. Now conduct your training. Dry practice
sessions
should be no more than 15-30 minutes depending upon the discipline and intensity.
After this, we get into the realm of diminishing returns and incorrect repetition.
At the completion of training, Stop. Flip a mental switch
out of practice mode. No more trigger squeezes, no more manipulations. Check
weapon condition. Police
up training aids and store them. Exit the training area and place the weapon
in the desired condition at the live ammo area. Done.
So what do we actually “practice” in dry practice? As stated before,
these sessions can be put to a myriad of uses. I tend to begin and end each
and every session with pure fundamentals. Stance, grip, sight alignment, sight
picture,
slow steady trigger “roll”, drop the hammer/striker on a snap cap,
follow-through, recover, repeat. For pistol, I include dominant hand and less-dominant
hand only work as well. In the meat of my sessions, I pick out several items
to work on ahead of time and concentrate on these areas. This is a great opportunity
to work on presentations, especially in the case of pistol if you are unfortunate
enough to be limited to live fire at a facility that frowns on holster work.
End each presentation with sight alignment, sight picture, and I mix it up
between stopping there and continuing through to trigger actuation. This prevents
creating
a conditioned response of always pulling the trigger after presenting your
weapon. Work slowly and concentrate on form at first, gradually pick up to
full speed,
then push it past your limits a bit. Don’t get too carried away here,
and if form deteriorates, it’s time to pull it back. After pushing it
past the redline, I always come back to slow and deliberate again, and finish
with
normal full speed. This formula works for just about any area in which you
wish to increase speed. Rifle bolt manipulations for hunting arms, tactical
and speed reloads,
malfunction drills, assuming firing positions, and many other drills can be
incorporated. Drills do not always have to include trigger actuation. One of
my staples is
multiple target drills where I simply practice taking a sight picture on each
of several Aimpoints, working on decreasing my target to target splits. Your
imagination is the limit here, and further guidance on dry practice drills
can be obtained from numerous books by the best and brightest in the shooting
world.
On frequency of practice, this is up to the shooter. When deployed in harm’s
way, I have dry practiced nearly every day in one form or another with primary
and/or
secondary weapons systems. When stateside, my frequency drops off a bit depending
on the minutiae of everyday life, but at a minimum, I can find at least one
or
two times a week to devote to dry practice, no matter how hectic things get,
and usually more. It’s not hard to find 30 extra minutes a week if you
make it a priority. This small investment in time will quickly show its many
rewards in your live fire training. Remember to use a safe backstop, separate
yourself from all live ammo, check and recheck weapon condition in all phases
of practice, and remember, above all, that you are handling a live firearm—do
not treat it as anything else, and remember to observe all basic safety rules.
« Letter Re: Gaining Situational Awareness and Old-Time Knowledge |Main| Note from JWR: »
Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals, by Eli
I sat down to see what I could offer to share with other SurvivalBlog readers.
Many topics have already been covered, so I will attempt to go somewhere new.
I am a law enforcement officer by trade, and hope to provide a unique perspective
as such. I have seen shootings, stabbing, burglaries, robberies, etc. I have
served both search and arrest warrants. I work in the southwest US, and have
worked in very affluent areas as well as very poor areas. What follows are
some observations of my time on the job, relating to a few different areas
and crimes that occur. Hopefully some people will get something out of this.
None of this is to be construed as legal advice, strictly observations. All
are very applicable to everyday life, and will be highly applicable at TEOTWAWKI .A good teacher once said “I am not showing you the way, only
A way.” I
apologize in advance if I jump around between topics:
1- SHOOTINGS-
Of all the shootings I have seen, whether officer involved or not, shot placement
has been the key to success (success being the death or incapacitation of attacker).
Regardless of bullet or weapon type, a solid hit will end a fight. I have seen
Black Talon .45 ACP ammo through the stomach fail to incapacitate someone, as
well as .223s with poor shot placement fail to stop an attacker. Both subjects
lost a lot of blood, but were able to continue to fight. A few recent shootings
involved 9mm FMJ ammo. All were fatal, and all were solid hits to the heart/lung
area. The take home lesson is that shot placement is key to survival, regardless
of caliber. Obviously, proper ammo choice with proper shot placement is best.
(I know it has been discussed before, but bird shot is not an effective defense
load)
So how can we improve our shot placement? Shoot more. Dry fire. Practice. Then
practice some more. If you do not shoot, learn. Whether you are a beginner or
advanced shooter, do not forget to work on the basics- sight alignment and trigger
control. There is no substitute for trigger time and fundamentals. 22 conversion
kits are widely available for many guns for practice at reduced cost. AR-style
sights are also available for 10/22s if you prefer that route over a conversion
kit. Shorter, more frequent practice sessions are more beneficial than infrequent
longer sessions, whether live or dry fire.
After improving static shooting skills, focus on stress shooting. Attend a training
course. Practice what you learn in the course. A 2-4 day course will expose you
to a lot of new ideas. It is up to you to reinforce them [with practice] when
you
return home. Only through repetition will these movements become second nature.
Join
a local
IDPA league.
The stress of competition will help. Become physically fit. Studies with police
and simmunition/judgmental shooting scenarios showed that the more
physically fit an individual, regardless of all other factors, the more likely
they were to succeed on the simmunition portion and the less mistakes they made
on the judgmental portion. (Think about how sports teams make more mental errors
late in a game when fatigue sets in) All subjects showed an immediate increase
in heart rate and blood pressure. The more fit individuals showed a more rapid
return to normal levels, often before the end of the scenario. Combine physical
exertion with shooting. Try doing sprints/pushups/jumping jacks, then shooting.
Use your imagination.
Learn to clear a malfunction on your weapon. All guns will jam at some point.
Ejected shells have bounced off walls and landed back in an open recoiling action.
Strange things happen. Know your chosen weapon’s action of arms. Learn
to do so with economy of movement. You can purchase dummy rounds or assemble
them from spent cases. Throw a few into your magazine next time you shoot, and
clear the malfunctions as they happen. It will also show any flinching problems.
Teach someone else to shoot. You will be amazed at how much you will learn teaching
someone else.
2-BURGLARIES
A-Points of entry-
Residential burglaries are an all too common occurrence. The most common points
of entry I have seen are door and open windows. For some reason, crooks have
an aversion to breaking windows on houses, though it will happen. (Perhaps
the Broken Window Theory is true…) “Smash and Grab” activity
does happen, but tends to be more vehicle related. (Practice good OPSEC in
your vehicle.
Do not leave valuables in plain view. Do not place gun stickers on your vehicle,
etc)
A few bad guys that have been willing to talk have mentioned that you
can shut a door after kicking it in, but a broken window is harder to hide
from neighbors.
Go and look at your front door. Find your lock plate. When a door is forced,
this is the part to give, with the plate coming loose and breaking the trim.
Get a screw driver, and remove one of the screws. Realize that this is what
is securing your front door. Now go buy longer screws, and replace them immediately.
A security door is also a huge plus, as it opens out and requires different
techniques
to remove. They are not fool proof, but do more to make someone choose another
house which is the ultimate goal.
Open windows are the other really common method of entry. Any time any work
is done on your house, check all of your windows. It is disturbingly common
for
workers or anyone in your home to leave a window open in a unused room, or
unlock a seldom used door and then return later. Follow workers when they are
in your
house (Side note on this… I recently had a water heater replaced. I would
have done it myself, but it was still under warranty and was free. While chit-chatting
with the worker, he asked if I was a cop. I told him no, then asked why. He
replied that the only people who watch him work tend to be cops. Just like
you are observing
others, do not forget that you are being watched as well.) Sterilize your house
prior to allowing workers in. Do not leave out firearm accessories, bank statements,
etc. Bars on windows are also effective in limiting possible points of entry.
They may be against fire code (check your jurisdiction), and reduce points
of exit as well. Roll shutters are another really good option here. Many newer
homes
have a window to the side of the front door. Consider a metal grate or something
similar inside to prevent breaking the window, then undoing the locks. These
windows, even when frosted, also provide a visible indicator about how many
people/when someone is coming to the door, eliminating surprise.
B- What is taken
Cash, firearms, jewelry, electronics, tools, credit cards, personal info, bank
statements. Anything that they can pawn or trade for drugs. If you go on vacation,
take your spare vehicle keys with you. A recent trend has been to load up the
second car parked in the cover of the garage, then drive it away with all of
your stuff. Buy a gun safe, preferably a heavy one. Don't forget to lock your
safe (No, I am not kidding about this.) Bolt your safe down. I have seen studs
cut
from
the
wall
to remove a safe. I personally have not seen one pried from the floor yet,
although I am sure it has happened. Bolt it to both floor and walls
and be safe. Write your serial numbers
down also, especially for firearms. (Be very careful with this list,
for obvious reasons, especially with private party gun sales. Keep a copy somewhere
other than your safe also) It is very hard to prove ownership or log an item
as stolen without the serial number.
3-ROBBERIES
Robberies occur all the time, everywhere. Situational awareness is the most
beneficial for preventing these. You are most vulnerable at times of preoccupation.
Fumbling
with keys, exiting/entering a car or residence, running with your headphones
on, etc Carry bags in a manner to leave your gun hand free, assuming you are
carrying concealed. Pay attention. Pause before entering exiting anywhere.
Stop, look, and listen. Take a few seconds to do this anytime you enter or
exit anything.
Make it a habit. You see all the time on surveillance footage of people walking
into a liquor store as it is being robbed. Try to stop, look and listen before
you enter the store. After you enter, step to one side and do it again. Park
in well lit areas. When in your vehicle, keep your doors locked. Do not pull
up directly behind the car in front of you and box yourself in. Know where
exits are in restaurants and businesses. Listen to your hunches. Home invasion
robberies
are increasingly common as well. Security doors pay huge dividends here. Even
a highly trained SWAT team
either has to pry or yank these with a vehicle, before dealing with the interior
door. This buys you time. Time equates to
distance
and options, which equate to safety. Have a dog, and lock all of your gates.
See above about window bars. A fenced yard helps. Most states have laws that
recognize fenced yards as having a higher expectation of privacy than a non-fenced
yard, and a corresponding reduced standard for lethal force action inside said
fence. (i.e. the "reasonable person" test, an intruder climbing over a locked
gate into a yard with a dog would be expected to be a greater threat than an
intruder
that
was at the front window of an unfenced yard.)
It is not unreasonable if the “police” come
to your door to ask to see a badge, preferably a commission card, as these
have an officer’s photo. Look though a different window and see if a
car is outside. Call the agency they say they are from and verify they are
who they
say they are. If in doubt, wait and verify. Keep your doors locked when you
are home, not just when you leave or before bed.
Police are not trained to look for "bad guys." They are trained to
analyze behavior and patterns. When something looks out of place, it is cause
for concern.
4-BUILDING CLEARANCE/HOME DEFENSE
A-Offensive
I work nights, so most of this section will be related to this. I have approached
many houses. Let me walk you through what is typical for my squad. Hopefully
it will grant some insight into the mind and method of potential attackers.It
starts outside of the residence, down the street. Turn off your vehicle lights
before you turn onto the street. Park your vehicle so it is not in plain view.
Take advantage of other parked cars, as well as the shadows in between street
lights to conceal your car. Exit the vehicle quietly. Do not slam your doors.
Turn of/disable your vehicle dome light prior to opening your door. Secure any
loose or rattling equipment. Stop, look, and listen while still at your car.
Let your eyes adjust. Identify the target residence. Depending on the threat
level of the suspect or call type we number anywhere from two to six. Approach
the house, again taking advantage of lighting and concealment. At the house,
stop, look and listen. Are there motion lights? Video cameras? Is there a fence?
Is the entire yard fenced? Is the gate locked? Are there cars in the driveway?
Are the hoods warm? Most residences have an exposed front and a fenced back yard,
so we will assume that is the case. Is there an alley? If so, send one or two
people to cover points of exit/look through rear windows. What do you hear? Television?
Fighting? Screaming? A shower? A racking shotgun? Whispering? Is there a barking
dog? (Pepper spray is effective and commonly used to silence barking dogs. Many
SWAT teams now carry suppressed weapons strictly for this purpose. Many cops
also carry dog treats.) Look at windows. Can you see through the blinds/curtains?
Do an experiment at your residence. Turn on an interior light in a room, and
go outside to the window. How much can you see in? Can you see through the corners?
What about where the curtains are supposed to come together at the bottom? Do
this for all the windows. What do you see inside? How many people? Men, women,
children? Are they calm? Are they armed? At the front door, we unscrew light
bulbs, adjust cameras, cover them with rubber gloves if they do not move. Spray
paint would be effective also at taking care of cameras that do not move. Consider
installing a light fixture with a completely surrounded bulb, one that takes
a screwdriver to change, or mounting it higher up.. When you knock on the door,
move away to a position of cover. Again, stop look and listen. Does the television go
off? Who yells to who to get the door? Corners of buildings provide more “cover” than
the middle of a wall, as most construction backs multiple 2x4 or 2x6’s
up at this location. Have someone watching through a window. Usually by shadow
or change in light you can tell when someone is coming to the door, and often
how many.
When entering a house
The most common mistakes when clearing a residence are noise discipline and speed.
Slow down. Do not move faster than you can take in important details. Be as
quiet as possible. The idea is to catch them before they catch you. They are
waiting
for
you. Do
not give them any advantage.
There is much debate about building clearance, and many schools of thought. Here
are some
universal points to all methods:
You need at least three people to be safe. Never search by yourself. More people
are better. Cover reflexive angles of one another. Smooth is the goal. Do not
stand near the walls. You do not want to risk giving away a position by running
your equipment against a wall. This also gives you more options should you engage
and have to move. Move slowly (one minute per hundred square
feet is not unreasonable).
When “pieing” [or "pie slicing"] a room, examine each new
degree
of
the
pie from top to bottom , and back again. Hunters will understand this better,
but
you
are
not looking for a whole person. You are looking for parts. A toe, an ear, an
elbow. Likewise, when clearing, have your upper body move before your lower body
(i.e., lean and clear, then move your feet underneath you….repeat….practice
with a friend/spouse or a mirror [with and absolutely cleared and double-checked
firearm])
and keep your elbow tucked under your weapon, so the first thing the bad guy
will
see
is half
the
barrel
of your
gun
and half
of that eye. (Notice I said “that” eye. Learn to shoot with
your off hand, and practice. It is impossible to safely clear a house with the
gun
in
one hand the entire time.) Practice house clearing. Get a friend, family member.
Go through your home. Go through theirs. Take turns being the good guy/bad guy.
Do it during the day. Do it at night. Repeat. People hide in all sorts of places.
Cupboards, washing machines, inside couches, between mattresses, etc. Do not
move past anything you have not cleared. You do not want to be worried about
something behind you while clearing. If a door is locked and you have to bypass
it, get creative. Lean something up against the door so you will know if it is
opened behind you. Tie it shut. Do not make more noise than you need to. Do not
be afraid to kneel or squat when pieing. People are expecting certain things.
Think outside the box.
As far as lights go, there are two schools of thought. The first, turn on lights
as you enter the room. You can see, but the enemy can also. The second, use a
weapon mounted or handheld light. You can illuminate an area, kill the light,
then move. Try both and see what you prefer.
B-Defensive Measures
Consider all of the proceeding section of what attackers do. Apply this to
your
home. Imagine you are at home, watching television. The neighbor’s dog
starts
barking, or your's does. The dog suddenly stops. You still get up to investigate,
wisely.
You go to turn on your outside light, and the bulb does not work. At this point
in time the hair on the back of your neck should be standing up. Pay attention
to all of the small things. You check your security camera, and suddenly it’s
looking at a view of the wall. If a security camera is not working, blocked,
etc, lights not working, dog stopped barking (or still barking like mad) these
are
clues
to put on your vest and load your weapon. (You do always put on your vest and
grab your weapon when you go to investigate bumps in the night, right? )
Look at your home. Put up a fence around your entire yard. Build a full size
fence, not a half one. Clear an area for 8-to-10 feet on either side of the fence,
the
entire way around. Do not take the time to put up a fence and then provide an
easy means over it. Lock the gate. Get two or three large dogs and let them have
free
roam of the yard. They make “shake” alarms for fences that will go
off when the fence is disturbed. They can be made to ring your cell phone (As
in your phone rings, you answer, a computer voice states "You have a fence
activation on the north side of your property."). Look at your outside lights
also. Where are the dark spots? Where are blind spots that you cannot see from
your windows? Consider discrete mirrors in strategic locations to check blind
spots. Mount your lights high so they cannot be unscrewed, and get fixtures that
protect
the light bulb. Install security cameras. Consider a few camera pointed towards
your house, possibly under eaves or overhangs that will be easy to miss. Where
are your children’s rooms in relationship to yours? Where are the bullets
that you may be shooting going to be flying? What walls can be made bullet resistant?
I have been in homes where the people literally filled the half walls
at the top of the stair case with sand/sand bags to provide a fortified fighting
position
for the family. Other ideas include surplus vests, Kevlar sheeting,
etc stuffed
in this area. Another option is to fortify your children’s rooms if they
are on the other end of the home, but this also provides an intruder with a potential
stronghold. Consider interior flood lights. The same people with the sand bagged
half walls had flood lights above the stairs, facing down. With the positioning
of the lights, it blinded everyone to the defenders at the top of the stairs.
Every home has ambush spots. When you are practicing clearing your house, think
about what spots give you problems. Blind corners or multiple doors in close
proximity are nightmares while clearing. Find a spot on the far side of the room
or down a hallway where you can view these problem areas. One where you can view
a problem area and fortify is an ideal location. Stairwells make good options.
While you are practicing clearing your house with someone else, take turns being
the “bad guy.” See where you want to hide, where you have the best
advantage.
I hope this helps. People often talk about hardware versus software. In these
tough economic times, hardware is not easy to come by. Software is cheap. Try
to still obtain what you can when you can, but focus on learning skills--any skills.
Plant a garden. Change your oil. Help someone with a construction project.
Read a book. Learn to bake bread. Learn to distill alcohol. Reload. Take a
first aid course. Cook with your food storage. Volunteer somewhere where you
can
learn something. Practice bartering your skills for goods or services. YouTube
is an amazing resource out there if you are unsure how to do something and
don’t know anyone that can teach you. If you already have skills, teach
them (while still learning new ones.) Spread the word to those that will listen.
Post a youtube video about preparation, or about any skill that you have. Teach
someone to shoot. You can pick up a surplus Mosin-Nagant rifle and 500 rounds
of ammunition for around $150, depending on where you live. Encourage everyone
you know to buy one or two.)
TheBoxOTruth.com is
a great resource also regarding questions about ammo ("I wonder what
happens if I shoot layers of sheet rock with
"X" caliber...") Show your friends SurvivalBlog. Sow the
seeds of preparation in all you come across. Continue to prepare, pray,
and be safe. - Eli
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Letter Re: Getting the Right Training and Preparing Methodically
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to thank you for what you are doing and your work. I think that the
reality is that you are saving a lot of people's lives in addition to helping
people to continue to be "in" the world but less and less "of" the
world. I have been able, in turn, to pass along to other people a lot of
things that I have learned from you and your readers, and I hope help them
to focus and remain calm in their preparations. (I have also pointed them
all to your web site).
Now three things that I have done/learned that I would pass along to your
readers:
1) I did get some guns and ammunition recently following the information I
learned from your web site and novel. Then I found a man that would teach me
basic marksmanship - again as your advice suggested, learn the tools you could
be relying on. After just one day of proper training I was shooting better
than 90% of the yahoos at the range that had far better gear than I have. It
cost
me a little money But I am better equipped, more confident, and have a foundation
to build upon - add each day I am at the range I am better and better. So I
would tell your readers that if they just "think" they know what
they are doing, then spend a little money and really learn what
you are doing.
2) I bought and read "Patriots". It was a good read, but sobering.
At the same time, it helped me frame better the "problem" I am trying
to solve. And while I hope it never gets that bad, it sure allowed me to get
some perspective
and begin to work things out in a way that fits my scenario. My advice would
be for others to get your book and read it.
3) I purchased the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course. When
I first started this process a few months ago, I was very overwhelmed. I noticed
your course and its price and I thought - "Too much." However, after
reading the blog for a month or so and after reading your your book, I felt
you could be trusted and that your course was not "hokey." I have
been very, very pleased. It is practical, well organized, and adaptable. There
is
a saying "How
do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time." And your course helped
me to get things aligned so that I could eat things "One bite at a time."
I have been working on a one year preparedness program since the week after
Christmas. I am probably 75% of the way toward where I want to be. The remaining
25% is probably one-half just finishing purchasing and storing some things
and
one-half
understanding
if my retreat location can handle some of my "plans" and if not,
[then determining] what is Plan B.
My family and I would not be nearly so far along without your help. I wish
we had started this process long, long ago, but c'est la vie. We are
on our way now!
May God bless you and your family, Kind Regards, - Jay
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Solar Water Disinfection and Pasteurization, by Ariel »
Letter Re: Advice on Accurizing a FAL or L1A1 Rifle
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I was lucky when I purchased a Century Arms L1A1 (British
Commonwealth inch pattern FN/FAL) Clone a few years back. Not only does it
function flawlessly,
it also can use both metric and inch pattern magazines reliably. I purchased
the rifle at a gun show for $400. Like I said, I was lucky.
I see that in the past few years you have changed from the M1A to the L1A1
as your primary weapon. I could do the same, if I could get anywhere near the
accuracy from the FAL that I get from my AR. But the accuracy of this ugly
FrankenFAL clone is just okay--not great, not terrible. I'd like to improve
upon that. Do you know of any reputable companies that sell accurized FAL uppers,
and would it be as easy to upgrade for accuracy as to simply add a new upper
(like with an AR) and maybe a trigger job?
Thanks, - Steve E., Loyal 10
Cent Challenge Subscriber
JWR Replies: Since the serialized upper receiver
on a FAL or L1A1 is legally the receiver, here in the US you can't just buy
one by mail order. (That is the part that is subject to FFL controls,
in interstate commerce). This is often confusing, because with the more ubiquitous
AR-family
rifles, things are just the opposite: The serialized lower is
restricted, but the unserialized upper is unrestricted. This is the case simply
because one day back in the 1950s, Eugene Stoner decided to stamp the serial
number on the convenient broad slab expanse of the trigger group ("lower
receiver") of his new AR-10 design,
rather than on the part that everyone else would consider the "receiver."--the
chunk of metal where the barrel is attached.
OBTW, if I ever establish my own Libertarian Seastead or island nation out
in the Pacific, I will decree that it is illegal to put serial numbers on any "Books" made
there. Then, we will proceed to shower the Peoples of the Earth with good tidings
of unregistered receivers, via convenient Internet mail order. (Yeah, I know,
only in my dreams...)
The accuracy problem with your Franken-L1A1 is likely due to just the
last 20 millimeters of barrel rifling, at the muzzle. L1A1 muzzles
were often butchered by the Neanderthal gunsmith imposters at Century Arms,
when they welded their ugly Section 992(r)-compliant intra-ban muzzle brakes
on.
So
I recommend
that you have a qualified gunsmith shorten your barrel by an inch, and either
crown it, or install a proper American-made L1A1 style flash hider, or install
a
Vortex-style flash hider from "Moses". You will likely see you
group size cut in half.
The trigger pulls on most FALs and L1A1s are usually decent, but if your rifle's
is particularly bad, then trigger work is available from T. Mark Graham at
Arizona Response
Systems (ARS).
Since the lower on a FAL or L1A1 is a non-restricted part (unlike an AR-15
or AR-10), you can mail the lower to ARS
for a trigger job with no lasting paper trail. I highly recommend their gunsmithing
and metal finishing work.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: A Handy Book for Boys »
Two Letters Re: More Predictions for 2009, by Roger Wiegand
Good Morning, Jim!
This is a response to “More Predictions for 2009”:
We can't make other peoples' choices for them, but we can be affected by them.
We are our brothers’ keepers, but not their masters. Governments will
always do what they always do. You need to be concerned with your “mini
government” - your own household. Wherein the adults are the governing
body and are also constituents (along with any dependents). I choose to focus
on what I can control and not toil and spin about the stuff I can’t control.
My predictions for 2009?
- My wife and I will finally take an NRA rifle safety course (already in the
works).
- Depending on how our marksmanship and safety progresses, we might hunt for
food.
- We will evaluate how much wood we burned through winter and adjust accordingly.
- We will increase the size of our (tiny) gardens with knowledge from last
year.
- We continue to diversify our income streams and savings (between the two
of us we have five incomes: two main, one moderate, and two minor).
- We will reduce expense by finding cheap alternatives to everything and continuing
to make our house efficient.
- We will unashamedly get all we can for free. Fruit from public land, materials
from Craig's List, wood from a friend, etc.
- We review home security, vehicle capability, bug-out-bag readiness, and take
budget-appropriate actions
- We will finally repay the rest of college loan debt and live truly debt free!!
(remember: a mortgage is an investment in equity)
Our mindset is that being “in the world but not of the world” makes
a lot of sense for every aspect of our personal existence, not just religious
influence. While there are a lot of frightening and depressing aspects to be
aware of, we will not be frightened or depressed by our awareness of them.
I wrote not to criticize Mr. Wiegand’s excellent analysis, but to simply
reinforce focus on what we can do because of these signs.
- Carl H.
Jim,
I must say that Wiegand is another huckster that has had his hat handed
to him over the last two years: the S&P has done better than his
portfolio. He is another guy that can't make money in good times or bad. If
you followed this guy's advice, your account would be friggin' destroyed.
Here are the four theses of Jimmy Rodgers, Peter Schiff, Wiegand, and all the
other hyperinflation guys:
1.) US Equity Markets Will Crash.
2.) US Dollar Will Go to Near Zero (Hyperinflation).
3.) Decoupling (The rest of the world would be immune to a US slowdown.
4.) Buy foreign equities and commodities and hold them with no exit strategy.
They got #1 right, but their investments related to that were a disaster--
2, 3, and 4. Big flops. Why promote people who have been wrong for 30 years?
FYI, there has never, ever been hyperinflation with deflating real estate prices.
There has never, ever been hyperinflation when one's debt is denominated in
their own currency.
You may find this
article about [Peter Schiff] interesting: Regards, - Jeff K.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| More Predictions for 2009, by Roger Wiegand »
Another SurvivalBlogger's Experiences at Front Sight
Mr. Rawles,
I finally had a chance to use the Front
Sight certificate that I won in your
writing contest. I took the Practical Rifle class and it was great. My shooting
improved dramatically in just a few days. I wanted to get out of the Washington, DC area for the inauguration of Barack
Obama and shooting an AR-15 rifle
seemed like an especially good diversion. Its a long trip for me but
it was worth it and I hope to make it again and send my boys when they are
old enough.
I was able to use frequent flyer miles for the ticket (my friends in the industry
encourage me to use them while I still can, which is not easy). The hotel was
discounted to about $45 per night, since the casinos are starting to hurt with
the worsening economy. The class itself was free [with the gray course certificate]
, but it did cost me about $250 for rifle rental and ammunition (bringing a
rifle would have meant another bag fee and possibly another fee for an oversized
bag.)
Anyway, I can say that the folks art Front Sight are a professional
organization and I recommend them highly. I thank you again for
the certificate. - J. Britely
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Two Letters Re: How to Approach Shooting
Mister Rawles,
My husband and I have two editions of "Patriots",
both heavily highlighted. I shudder to think that your books sounds all too
prophetic
about
now.
I've seen you reference The
Appleseed Program [of rifle matches and clinics]
on your web site, but I can't determine if you have ever been to one of our
events.
If you haven't,
it is
truly worth
the time, since we are about more than just marksmanship. That is just the
hook
to get people to come.
We teach the history of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the mindset
of the people involved. Somehow Appleseed changes people. It gets people off
their rears to come and it gets prompts many to take up the call to spread
the word of involvement. It gets people thinking. Appleseed has given me hope
that there are good committed people out there and that with them, not all
of America is lost. It has also proven to be an excellent way to meet like
minded people. If the worst comes to pass, I have the marksmanship skills to
survive and I now know many others who do as well.
My husband and I are new instructors, as we have taken up the call. We are
involved in teaching in the Southwest, but there are classes around the country,
so everyone should be able to find one relatively close by. The training is
highly effective and I have yet to see anyone, even experts, leave without
some new skills.
Sincerely Yours, - G.F.in New
Mexico
Hello Jim,
A little follow up to MJM's article on basic marksmanship. He is 100% spot
on. The fundamentals and basics of marksmanship are the foundation that all
shooting is built on. I would recommend seeking out NRA high
power competition to improve their rifle shooting skills. High power shooters
are
always looking
for new people and welcome them with open arms and are willing to teach.
Plus the matches are just plain fun and gives you goals to strive for and
measure your progress against. Also don't forget Fred's Appleseed program
as well. Take care, - Jeff in Ohio
« Letter Re: Military Surplus Watertight Containers for G.O.O.D. Vehicle Boxes |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
How to Approach Shooting, by M.J.M.
I am a basic Marine who has been blessed with learning marksmanship from
some of the best practitioners in the business of shooting. No, I am not
a sniper
or a silent but deadly snake eater from a recon unit who is speaking from
high atop a lofty pillar to the masses. Simply, I am a regular guy (with
very little prior experience) who is well trained in the art of marksmanship
who feels comfortable with a gun in his hand. Furthermore, I simply enjoy
shooting and am fortunate enough to be able to do it as part of my working
life. Like everyone else who reads this web site, the present and future
state of our society concerns me. As a result, I vowed that I would contribute
something to this that might help people with similar views/concerns.
While at a gun show recently, I was personally
overwhelmed by the volume and cost of the high tech firearms and accessories
available to the public. Most of it was truly amazing stuff. Laser range
finders, laser sights, holographic sights, night vision scopes and ultra
bright lights name just a few of the accessories that one can attach to a
weapon to become more lethal. However, this stuff was amazingly expensive
and complicated to use. I also found that many of the vendors really didn’t
know their own products. Unfortunately, many were there only to make a buck
and take advantage of the new hot gun market that has been created by the
recent election results. This bothered me because I wondered what a novice
shooter would think while swimming around in this sea of cool, yet complex
stuff? They would most likely believe that one must attach all kinds of expensive
accessories to a gun in order to be proficient with a weapon. They would
also think that they have to spend all of their savings (assuming they have
savings) to upgrade their guns to achieve great results. While I cannot endorse
the quality and effectiveness of any type of accessory for a gun, I can tell
you that they have a place and they are amazingly lethal when put in the
right hands. Moreover, I also cannot endorse any type of weapon. Yet, I can
also tell you that the accessories and the guns are only as good as the person
shooting them. In other words, technology can neither teach marksmanship
nor can it cure poor marksmanship. Remember, the United States military killed
lots of enemy with M1 Garands and Model 1911 pistols equipped with iron sights.
You need to learn the fundamentals…basics will always pay huge dividends.
My goal is to throw out some of my thoughts to give beginning shooters reading
this web site an idea of what direction to go in order to learn to shoot:
1. Take a class. Go to an indoor range and take a class from a certified
NRA instructor. Pull out an advertisement in the classifieds or put a flyer
up
at a local range seeking marksmanship instruction from someone in law enforcement
or the military. We are out there in large numbers. I would teach someone in
exchange for a burger on a free Saturday. If you find the right person, it
shouldn’t cost you too much. Here are some of the things to look for
when you are receiving instruction (these can apply to rifle and pistol and
are in no particular order except safety): safety, trigger control, grip, stances/positions,
sight alignment, sight picture and breathing…just to name a few. There
are no secrets, only basic techniques. Demand the basics. If someone wants
to come right out of the chute and start teaching advanced techniques, either
force them to take a few steps back or get another instructor. Basics, Basics,
Basics.
2. Start small. Every learning process starts off with one small step and
should progress toward refinement as a student masters the fundamentals. Go
buy or
rent a .22 pistol, get some cheap rounds and let someone show you the proper
way to shoot it. Once you have a small caliber weapon mastered at a very low
price, you will truly be amazed at how easily you can cross apply those skills
to a more powerful weapon. On many civilian ranges I have observed multitudes
of clowns brandishing large caliber weapons, shooting expensive tactical/competition
ammo and deploying zero common sense. Due to their abject ignorance, they can’t
put a round on paper because they are too concerned about the sexiness of the
gun that they are shooting. Meanwhile, two lanes down, I am getting a 14 year
old first time shooter to hold a 4 inch group with 9mm reloads. Starting with
a .44 Magnum or a Desert Eagle will not teach you anything but how to fail
or how to get killed. Shooting is not sexy and it is not a fashion statement.
It is designed for one thing…to kill. Start at the bottom and work up.
It is worth it in the end.
3. Dry Fire/Snap In: Snapping in (practicing without rounds off of the range)
is something that Marines do at boot camp for countless hours before stepping
foot on a live fire range. This process also continues in the squad bays at
night to help young recruits refine positions and work out the kinks. Ask anyone
who is a really good shot. They will tell you that you can improve your shooting
for free without expending a single round by dry firing and snapping in. There
are many different exercises you can do to enhance this. Shooters place quarters
or spent rounds on top of the pistol and see if they can dry fire the weapon
without said item falling off. It enhances your trigger control and your confidence.
Bottom line, it gets the weapon in your hand and allows you to practice and
commit proper technique to muscle memory without leaving the house. ALWAYS
CHECK YOUR WEAPON TO ENSURE THAT IT IS NOT LOADED PRIOR TO HANDLING IT!
READ THAT AGAIN.
4. Get further training: Once you feel confident and you have some cash, enlist
the help of one of the tactical shooting schools to hone your skills. Again,
just like transferring basic shooting skills from a .22 to a .45, you will
be amazed at how smoothly good fundamentals apply to solid tactical shooting.
There are arguments on both sides of this, but I will tell you that building
a solid foundation is not only critical, but it is easy and can be done at
a reasonable price. Don’t fall victim to believing that you have to spend
substantial amounts of money to become a great shooter.
As a public service, I would like to include the four safety rules that are
pounded into the heads of recruits. I do not bleed green and do not put these
in this article to somehow snub people from the other services. These are the
only rules that I know. I have taught them to novice shooters in the civilian
world, and I can attest to how well they work. If everyone internalized these
and followed them, we would not have accidents with weapons. They are brilliant
in their simplicity. I wish that we still worked on a level that was this cut
and dry. Here they are:
1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
2. Never point a weapon at anything that you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire.
Read them and teach them!
I cannot possibly hope to teach anyone how to shoot in an article.
I simply believe that there is a lot of confusion out there for those who want
to arm themselves against some of the dangers that lurk in our society. For
them,
I hope that this little compilation helps dispel some myths and provides a
useful roadmap to get started. Thanks for reading.
« Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Free Gunfighting Tactics Videos
Jim,
Blackhawk has done some short videos with Todd Jarrett where he discusses
reloading, shooting on the move, and assuming the prone position. When assuming
the prone position make sure the weapon is pointed down range and that you
don't cover your weak hand/arm. An IPSC shooter shot himself with a .38 Super
while practicing the prone position at a range where I shoot.
Reloading
Shooting on the Move
Assuming
Prone Position
Regards, - Bill N.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK »
Letter Re: Practicing for High-Stress Shooting Situations
Mr. Rawles,
Here is an essay, "The
Five P's: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance," by Michael Gaddy concerning
gun ownership and training, a method for practicing for high-stress shooting
such as might occur in a home invasion, and a recommendation to find out how
your local law enforcement department might respond to an unlawful order to
confiscate firearms. Perhaps your readers may find it interesting.
I hope the Memsahib is continuing her recovery. Best wishes. - "Emma Lee"
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Five Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture »
Letter Re: Safety Note on Modifying Military FMJ Bullets
The article linked at "Box O' Truth Tests Elmer Keith-style
DumDum Bullets" contains a very dangerous statement: "5. Cutting
the end off a rifle Ball [full metal jacket (FMJ)] cartridge projectile will definitely make the bullet expand or
break up..." DO NOT DO THIS! By cutting off the tip off
of a full metal jacket (ball) round you have in effect created a pinched copper
tube, open on both ends, filled with a plug of lead. Upon firing, it is possible
to blow out the lead plug, leaving the tube (jacket) lodged in the barrel.
When the next round is fired, the bullet will encounter this obstruction in
the barrel, causing damage to the firearm and possible personal injury. Commercial
soft point bullets have a solid base to preclude this from happening. Regards,
- John in Colorado
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Selecting and Assembling Web Gear »
Letter Re: Soft Nose Loads for Battle Rifles
Dear James:
Having recently acquired two M14 pattern rifles and some reloading
equipment, I was interested to read yesterday's article on using soft point
ammunition
in battle rifles. As a Canadian citizen, my main battle rifle options were
quite limited. Firstly, our misguided "gun control" legislation
prohibits civilian ownership of most main battle rifles; FALs, CETMEs, G3s
and the like are all "prohibited firearms". However, semi-automatic
M14 variants, such as the M1A and Norinco/Polytech M14 clones, are "non-restricted
firearms" and can be bought with ease, used for hunting purposes, etc.
(traditional wood stocked appearances apparently can deceive gun control bureaucrats).
Secondly, the fact that in Canada the Norinco M-14S/M-305 semi-auto M14 clones
sell for $400-500 as opposed to $1,800-2,000 for [Springfield Armory] M1As
is quite compelling; one can buy two Norinco M14S's, plus reloading
gear, plus a few hundred rounds of ammunition for the cost of a single M1A.
[JWR Adds: Be advised that a good portion of the Chinese
M14S production has suffered from insufficiently
heat-treated ("soft") bolts and some very bad bolt geometry.
Clint McKee at Fulton Armory recommends replacing both their bolts and barrels.
The
result will be a reliable
rifle.]
Reloading for Norinco M14S's is quite popular north of the border. I'd recommend this
site as a guide for those interested in reloading for the M14.
Two rules that I now follow when reloading for my Norinco M14S's is to always
use CCI primers; they are harder than the competition's primers and indent
less upon chambering. Given the M14 pattern rifle's robust design, they do
not require soft-primered cartridges to function. The difference in indentation
on chambering between CCI primers and Winchester primers is visible to the
naked eye. I never had a slam-fire with the 300 rounds I loaded using Winchester
primers, but having seen the difference with the CCI primers, I now use CCI
exclusively. Secondly, when reloading .308 brass for my M-14S's, I load conservatively,
replicating the M80 [standard ball] 7.62 load (although I eventually plan
to experiment with replicating M118 and M852), which is below maximums for
.308
Winchester, and carefully inspect each case before reloading it. It goes
without saying that handloading is an activity that demands extreme care
and meticulousness.
[JWR Adds: Keep in mind when working up "GI Ball" 150 grain
soft nose equivalents (or "GI Match" 168 grain soft nose equivalents)
that because of the thicker brass used with military 7.62 mm NATO cases, the
case
volumes differ considerably
from civilian .308 Winchester brass.]
Lastly, I'd like to say thank you for all the energy and devotion that you've
put into running SurvivalBlog. It's been a daily read for me since I discovered
it a few years ago, and I routinely recommend it to friends. It's provided
invaluable guidance to me in my preparations. Best Regards, - A Somewhat
Prepared Canadian.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| The "Prepper-Lawyer" by The Fourth Whirlwind »
Letter Re: Soft Nose Loads for Battle Rifles
Jim,
I've only been reading your blog for a short time, but I find it both interesting
and informative.
Having been a hunter for the last 56 of my 64 years, I do wonder why anyone
who plans on getting out of Dodge and heading for the woods would want a battle
rifle with ball ammo when we won't be bound by anything like the Hague Convention
as to the ammo we use. Seems to me, that soft points would be a better choice
and if the SHTF.
My M1A will
be traveling with me and will be loaded with
hunting ammo.
My personal choice, if I could only carry one firearm, would be a 12 gauge
shotgun with rifle sights. With slugs, it's good to over 100 yards for big
game and men, with 00 or 000 [buckshot shells] it's great for self defense
and you don't have to be all that good a shot, and #6 shot works well for smaller
game.
I
came
very close to using mine this year on elk because my grandkids scammed my .308
and 30-06 for their elk hunt and I don't have anything else that's legal for
hunting.
Forting up in our home [in the city] also seems like sure death if those who
mean us harm are intent on doing so and have a pint of gasoline and a match,
so
hitting
the road for a less urban environment sounds like the best thing to plan for.
At any rate, I like your site and it has been added to my favorites. - Don
J.
JWR Replies: I was an M1A owner for more than 25 years,
before recently switching to L1A1 (inch
pattern FAL)
rifles. I switched only because the cost of spare magazines and spare parts
for M1As was becoming prohibitive. (An
original USGI M14 parts
set (everything except a receiver) now costs in excess of $1,200, and I
just recently saw one advertised for $1,500!)
You are correct that in most defensive shooting situations, there will be no
need to penetrate armor, and the mushrooming effect of soft nose ammo will
be preferable. However, I recommend the use of soft nose ammo for .308 battle
rifles only for handloaders. Let me explain my rationale: Military 7.62 NATO
brass
is not identical
to civilian
.308
Winchester
brass.
It has
a thicker case head, and is hence more robust. Military ammunition is also
loaded with less sensitive
"hard
"
primers,
that differ
from
civilian primers.
Also, some civilian .308 loads exceed the military pressure specifications
for 7.62
NATO.
The following is a quote from the M1A manual PDF available at the
Springfield Armory
web site:
"The M1A is designed and built to specifications to shoot standard
factory
military 7.62 NATO ammunition. The specifications for standard
military ammunition include harder primers to withstand the slight indentation
from the firing pin when the bolt chambers a cartridge. This slight indentation
is normal. The use of civilian ammunition with more sensitive primers or
hand loads with commercial primers and/or improperly seated primers increase
the risk of primer detonation when the bolt slams
forward. This unexpected "slam
fire" can occur even if the trigger is not being pulled and if the safety
is on. Use of military specification ammunition will help avoid this."
The most cost effective approach to providing soft nose ammo for 7.62mm NATO
battle rifle is to use a
collet-type reloading press bullet puller, and pull
the FMJ projectiles from standard 150 grain 7.62 NATO ball ammo. Then re-seat 150
grain
spire
point
("spitzer") civilian soft nose
.308 bullets, such my old favorite, the Sierra
150 grain spitzer boat-tail. Repeat,
repeat
x 1000. This is time consuming, but it will give you appropriate soft nose
loads with safe pressure an safe primers for your M1A, and it will save you
about 30% on the cost of commercially-loaded ammo. Technically, this is still "handloading",
so it will void
your warranty, but you'll have safe and cost-effective loads that will mushroom
on impact.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: The Big Chill Causes Diesel Gelling Problems in the Lower 48 »
Two Letters Re: What Are the Best Magazines for Investment?
Jim
Here's my feeling on what pistol mags to obtain. Obviously, if you have a high
capacity handgun, it behooves you to have at least ten mags for it. I actually
have 30 Glock Model 19 mags since I already have one and contemplate picking
up another that a friend wishes to sell.
I'm also trying to pick up Glock 17 mags, even though they stick out the bottom
of my G19. I really want a Glock 34 long slide 9mm, and figure that the only
way I may be able to get mags for it down the road is to have them on hand.
They fit my [Model] 19, and stick out a little, but that's okay. [JWR
Adds: There
are
magazine "filler" sleeves made for the compact Glock pistols,
making them more
comfortable to hold when using full-size magazines--such as G17 mags in a G19,
G22 mags in a G23, and G21 mags in a G30.]
I want to warn you folks of one thing about Glock magazines. I am under the
impression that the company will be making the new Glock 21s, Glock 19s and
some others
in the "SF" [Short Frame] variation, which has a thinner frame, and
is more ergonomic. The problem is, while he new SF mags will fit the older
Glocks, the
old [pre-SF] Glock
mags won't work in the newer SF models. Apparently the mag body is cut for
the mag release in a different place. Thus, I'd recommend getting the older
version of the model you want, or just get the new SF mags. Right now, as I
said, I
think
only the Model 21 and 19 Glocks are made in the SF variation.
If you have an odd pistol, pay close attention to magazine availability. My
favorite carry gun is my Walther P-99 in 9mm. Mags were in the $50 range,
which made
them hard to afford. Every now and then, a company like CDNN gets trade-in
mags, which are priced affordably. CDNN were selling the trade in SW-99 mags
(which are the same gun essentially as the P99 for $28. I was able to pick
up two, but the company ran out the day after the election, and hasn't gotten
anymore. Since I like this handgun, I may have to bite the bullet and lay out
twice as much as what I give for Glock 19 mags to get a supply for this pistol.
I think the lesson is, if you have a Browning 9mm, or a Ruger P95, or a high
cap handgun
you
don't see every day, it would make sense to buy the mags while you can.
- Lawrence
K.
JWR Replies: I have been told that the SF mag catch notch
(on the front of
the magazine) can actually be cut by hand, with an X-Acto knife, to retrofit
older Glock magazines. BTW, I'm confident that some enterprising individual
is sure to soon produce cutting jigs,
to make this job easier .
Mr. Editor;
How can you tell people they should 'invest'
in magazines? That doesn't make sense. They are a commodity, that can be cranked
out
in huge numbers. - E.G.B., near Atlanta
JWR Replies: Magazines were until recently a commodity
but their status as a commodity
is is now dubious. As I described in this
article, Federal "bans" and "freezes" often spread
economic chaos. When governments interfere with free markets, prices can get
crazy. Just look at what happened to price of small containers of Freon, a
few years ago.
Based upon our knowledge of what happened during the last magazine
ban (circa 1994 to 2004, and thankfully terminated by a sunset clause), and
seeing a new presidential administration with hoplophobic tendencies
waiting in the wings, it is safe to assume that a new ban is fairly likely.
It is
therefore wise and prudent to stock up, in anticipation. My advice
is to buy all the full capacity magazines
that you and your children will ever need, plus a few more, as an investment.
In as little as six months, you may be very glad that you did! If a new ban
is enacted, it is very likely that the prices of most magazines will double,
and that some may triple or even quadruple.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Long Haul Voice and Data Communications in a Post-Collapse Environment »
Letter Re: Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States
Jim,
Regarding the comments from PPPP and Hugh D.: I couldn't agree with them more!
Both were exactly spot on! The person shooting is 99% of the equation. Training
(and lots of it) is the most important aspect, and in the long run, will probably
wind up being more expensive than the firearm itself (instruction, gas to the
range, ammo consumption and cleaning supplies are just to name a few).
I strongly urge your readers to partake in any excellent training afforded by
professional institutes such as Front Sight, OnPoint Tactical, Suarez International,
et
al.
If these locations are too distant, I hope they can find an experienced friend
or
relative to help them develop good habits in shooting.
Sometimes people get too caught up in statistical analysis and numerical comparisons.
I did not write that piece to attempt to illustrate one as better than another.
I enjoy shooting all of the calibers mentioned (and many more), and easily see
the benefits of each. I am sort of remiss that I did not point out the different
circumstances in which I find each major rifle caliber best. But I'll leave that
up to the shooter to determine for his or her own purposes.
While my article had many statistics, I must reiterate that none of it means
a darned thing without a competent shooter. Handgun/Rifle ballistics and their
effective ranges are nice to know for new shooters, at a glance, to better illustrate
the limitations of any firearm (mostly with effective range, bullet drop and
penetration). But the only way to see those numbers (all taken with a grain of
salt) in action, is to go out and shoot. We can be Keyboard Commandos on the
internet all day long, but in the end, talk means nothing without practical experience.
While the numbers in my comparison look "definitive," they are merely
a composite; hashed together to simply compare and convey energy/speed of bullets
beyond the muzzle.
The real test is: does the shooter know how to best utilize what firearm he or
she has to its greatest potential? Some can adapt available firearms to certain
situations better than others. Eyesight, body size and ergonomic preferences
factor in, but in the end, it boils down to experience. There are a few natural
prodigies out there when it comes to shooting; but for most of us, all that bullet
velocity or energy doesn't mean a thing if you can't hit your target consistently...and
the best way to do that is to shoot (and shoot, and shoot, and shoot...rinse
and repeat as necessary).
Shoot enough, and you'll develop that skill as almost a second nature. But don't
kid yourself, it takes years of routine trigger-time. It doesn't come overnight.
I'm still working at it. Even when one gets fairly good, it still has to be maintained
just like any other skill.
Whether it be 9mm or .45, 5.56 or 7.62x39 or 7.62 NATO or .30 Carbine...get
out and shoot, and shoot often! And be safe out there people! Always
wear hearing/eye
protection, and follow the
Four Basic Rules of Firearms Safety.
Personally, I feel all shooters ought to be able to consistently hit a man-sized
target at 50 yards with a handgun, and at 300 yards (preferably 500) with a
rifle (as often advocated by both William Buppert and the late Jeff Cooper).
Yes, ammo is expensive. It's the most expensive it has ever been, but, it's
also the cheapest it's ever going to get. See you all at the range! - Kyrottimus
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Specialization and Decline, by J. R. Nyquist »
Two Letters Re: Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States
Jim,
[Regarding the tangent on pistol ammo that got started with the battle rifle
cartridge discussion,].I just thought I’d
point out for your readers that while it is indeed
important to select a common caliber (for rifle or handgun) and one
that fits your role/terrain/group,
if weaponry isn’t your forte, don’t get paralyzed with “I
have to pick the best caliber or I’m unprepared.” I know people
who “think it to death” and never purchase anything because that “perfect” caliber
isn’t in stock or they can’t make up their mind. Remember that
it’s the user that makes the difference. You can be
far more effective with a .22LR you’re trained and practiced with
it than some couch commando who owns the ‘baddest’ assault/battle
rifle but has not trained at all. One of the advertisers here, Front Sight,
has a saying, “Any
gun will do, if you will do!” That is very true!
And just because I can’t resist the allure of the caliber debate that’s
going on, please note that while I acknowledge there are differences
between calibers (both among handguns and rifles) in terms of effectiveness,
velocities,
penetration, and such… just maybe there is a reason that the 9mm Luger
versus 45 ACP debate has lasted nearly a century! Could it be that there is
no clear
winner? From Corbon’s web site (a manufacturer with the tightest
quality controls out there):
9mm Parabellum (Luger) +P, 115 grain, 1,350fps = 466 ft/lbs of energy
45 ACP +P, 230 grain, 950fps = 461 ft/lbs of energy
Both are +P, both are common grain weights for defensive loads and they are
made by the same manufacturer. From that perspective the 9mm is slightly more powerful than the 45 ACP! I only say this to show that pure statistical
numbers don’t matter as much as some of us (me included at times) would
like to think. Shot placement and mindset win fights, not online statistics.
Train until you can’t get it wrong! - PPPP
Mr. Rawles,
I am confused as to why there is an argument over relative energy at 50
yards. Having taught hundreds of courses and thousands of people
how to shoot a pistol, at this point in my life I can say that unless you
run across a very competent person – far better than the average police
officer or weekend warrior – they are going to be lucky to hit a target
at half that range.
Let me give you an example. The local PD where I am a reserve has their annual
shooting qualification course set up so that the vast majority of shots are
under seven yards. The longest shot is at 15 yards.
Each year I see officer after officer miss the man sized target, three shots
out of three, at the 15 yard line. Only a few officers who also are on SWAT and some of us middle aged reserve guys actually hit at 15 yards.
So the argument over energy at 50 yards is absolutely a non-starter in my book
unless and until we are talking about sub-machineguns which most of us don’t
own. And then the energy figures would be for 10 inch barrels and not 5 inch
pistol-length barrels.
You can argue until you are blue in the face over 9mm vs. .45 ACP and neither
side will give an inch. Ditto .223 vs. 7.62x39 or .308. Let’s just say
that all of them have their place. Personally, I carry a 9mm on a daily basis
only because its light enough to wear comfortably. When I am expecting trouble
its either .40 when I am on duty or .45 when I am off duty. And a .223 or 7.62x39
in the car where I can get to it …
Overseas I carry 9 mm and 7.62x39 simply because not being associated with
a U.S. military unit, it is what I can get a re-supply of in short order.
Final analysis its not the tool, it’s the person. Or, if you look at
[Massad] Ayoob’s
priorities, gear is at the bottom of his list. - Hugh D.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Speeding Coyote Hunters Arrested in Illinois »
Letter Re: Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States
Jim,
It looks like I kicked a hornet's nest a little with my article, so here is
a little clarification on my part.
To reply to Jim H. In Colorado:
"The recent article [by Kyrottimus] that stated that at 50 yards a typical
45 ACP and 9mm [Parabellum] will have the same energy is wrong.
.45 ACP 230 gr ~390 ft/lbs (528 joules) @ 875 fps (JHP)
9x19mm Luger/Parabellum 115 gr ~385 ft/lbs (521 joules) @ 1,225 fps (JHP)"
"Wrong" is a harsh term for so many variable loads for any type of
ammo. I basically used the NATO loading data for the 9x19mm in a 5" barrel
pistol in a U.S. Military M9.
Muzzle Velocity 375 meters per second (1,230.3 feet per second)
Muzzle Energy 569.5 Newton meters (430 foot pounds)
See: www.Gun-Shots.net: "9mm
bullet weights typically vary between 95 and 147 grains. These bullets leave
the average pistol barrel from 930 up to 1,450fps."
And from another
source:
Ball 115 gr (7.45 g) 1,125 ± 90 fps (343 ± 27 mps)
(If using this, +or- 90 could mean 1,035 fps min or 1215 fps max)
M882 Ball 112 gr (7.26 g) 1,263 ± 5 fps (385 ± 1.5 mps)
(If used, drop ~35fps off for a hand-loaded typical 115gr projectile to get
~1,225fps)
Sources included above; you'll also find references to U.S. military .45ACP
loadings as well.
I "dumbed" my stats in the article down to accommodate for ~4.5" pistols
or some commercial defense loads. Please revise any old reloading manuals to
which you may be still referring.
"His additional assumption, that bullets will slow equally in an air mass,
is also wrong."
I didn't claim anywhere that bullets slow equally to each other, but what I
did say was a SINGLE bullet will decelerate at a constant rate assuming the
atmosphere is at a constant pressure. Allow me to quote myself:
"...so long as the air resistance remains constant, so too will the rate
of deceleration of the projectile." (not "projectiles")
The statement is of a singular bullet, not comparing one to another.
" I noticed that he listed the fps for a 9mm cartridge at 1,225 fps. This
is the energy for a 9mm +p+ range cartridge..."
See above reference to NATO 9x19mm cartridge loads.
...while comparing it to the 45 ACP ball cartridge, not a +p rated bullet."
I was merely comparing NATO spec to NATO spec (apples to apples, so to speak),
maybe I should have listed that from the get-go. NATO ammo in 9x19 may be applied
to handloaders using like weighted projectiles with similar sectional density/ballistic
coefficient to allow for better "energy dump."
"How convenient for the crowd that believes 9mm and 45 to be "equivalent"."
They aren't. I never said they were. I'll pick .45ACP nine times out of ten
because beyond 50 yards it retains more of its power, further. It also doesn't
over-penetrate as much at closer range so it's usually more
efficient at energy deposition than the 9x19mm at both closer and longer ranges
(in my opinion). Please don't jump to conclusions, I said they were "equal
in net force to 50 yards", not in their energy deposition properties.
"
The Winchester Ranger +p 230 gr ball is rated at 985 fps out of my barrel and
it's ballistic coefficient makes it retain more energy at 50 yards than the
lightweight 9mm 115 gr cartridge."
That is a completely true statement, but it's not pertinent to the point I
was trying to make in my article.
"
So while not trying to get into the age-old 9mm versus 45 ACP fight, he's perhaps
unintentionally dishonest in his comparison. I would hazard a guess that the
data itself was simple cut and pasted, and the writer is unused to vetting
his writing."
If I was somehow inaccurate or dishonest in my assessment of handgun data (used
mostly to compare to rifles, not so much to each
other), I apologize. It was not my intent.
I used many other sources but most of those were mostly to reassure my own
assessments and did not feel pertinent to list every one (those included above
with the NATO 9x19 data in the M9 as well as .45 ACP are just a few).
It was not "cut and pasted" and my vetting as a writer is irrelevant.
I admit, I over-generalized in my article for the sake of length. Perhaps I
should have began with preamble stating so to avoid further reactions. If someone
feels the need to add, amend or correct my article, please do so. I don't know
everything about firearms, ballistics or physics. But let's be honest, anyone
can pit two different calibers and different types of loads and get plenty
of different results. I am trying to compare "like loads" as
close as possible (barrel length, ammunition purpose, cartridge source, etc.).
Again, my intent was not to imply that one may be better than the other, or
to start contentious arguments. I was simply trying to, in generalized manner,
display physical properties of energy in moving projectiles.
"
I also found a big error, where the writer says: "Note that grains in
bullet mass differ from from the "grains" of smokeless powder (nitro-cellulose)
propellant, which is not used in this article." He couldn't be more wrong.
I thought there was something up when he equated grain weight to carats and
then to grams - I don't think this is a reloader or someone more conversant
with ammunition - no reloader I know could ever make this mistake."
[JWR Adds: I think that what he meant write was that a physical grain of powder
does not necessarily weigh one grain. But you are correct that powder is weighed
in the same "grains" scale as bullets.]
JWR is correct. It is my fault, however, for not better wording the statement.
It should have read something like this:
"A grain is a unit of lead mass measurement. Note that a "grain" of
measurement is originally based upon lead weight and is in no "weigh" equal
(pun intended) to a single grain of powder (as powder comes in either extruded/stick
or ball/sphere). It is a unit of measuring mass, not individual powder grains.
The unit if measurement "grain" is the same no matter what you are
weighing; bullets, powder or the amount of pepper in your pepper shaker"
"
When he talks of the destabilization of a typical rifle round, he also describes
what actually happens erroneously, when referring to the centrifugal force
of the cartridge "failing", and "the laws of inertia, resistance,
velocity and mass" being the deciding factors after the "spin fails"."
I thought I was using basic words. "Spin Failing" is not a technical
term; not by a long shot (no pun intended). Critical destabilization is often
thrown around as a buzzword. When a bullet hits something harder than air,
it's going to slow down. Longitudinal friction (the direction of the bullet's
travel) is not the only friction a bullet encounters when slowing down. Roll/Spin
Friction (via the bullet's spin) also occurs. If that friction is enough to
slow its spin down beyond the point of stabilization, it will usually begin
to tumble (if it is back-heavy). Otherwise it can do a myriad of other unpredictable
things.
I am positive I'm close enough to be more right than wrong in my basic sentiments.
"Using words like 'critically destabilizes' sounds like he was quoting something
again...."
Maybe I should have used words like "Break apart" or "loses
stabilization" or "slows down very fast" to appease those who
may find my motives or style of writing questionable. I am sorry if I am not
100% to-the-point in detail and that I have often over-generalized to truncate
an already lengthy article. I stand by the basic concept of energy dynamics
in firearms ballistics, though.
And in response to the comments by Beach:
"Point blank" is not just vaguely "... a few yards from the muzzle" as
Kyrottimus stated."
Correct. Again, my mistake of over-generalization. When dealing with new readers,
I should have made a terse, but appropriate differentiation between "point-blank" and
the usual closest correct distance to set up a chronograph (which yields "muzzle" data).
Beach closed with is:"We need to teach the correct usage of terms, not
colloquialisms." I agree completely, and concede this point to you good
sir. - Kyrottimus
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Letter from Jeff Trasel Re: Competence Versus Caliber
James:
In continuing our discussion on the warrior-way as lifestyle, I have several
observations relative to several recent posts
on SurvivalBlog that need comment. First off, I am heartened by the level
of awareness, camaraderie, and spirit of practical know-how, innovativeness,
and just good common sense that pervades the posts of late. However, several
have given me pause for thought, not so much for controversy, more so as how
the subject matter should be approached by those new to our practice. For instance,
there have been some marvelous discussions on battle rifle calibers and their
respective effectiveness. In fact, the data was some of the most comprehensive
I have seen since attending the Small Arms armorers' course at Aberdeen Proving
Ground and various SOF weapons
schools. The authors are to be commended for their research. However, I would
caution those in the early stages of the preparedness continuum to perhaps
hip-pocket knowledge of this nature, as the reality of such data is more academic
than practical. Competence
is in many ways more lethal than caliber. I cannot stress this enough
and it is this mindset that is the nexus of my writings here.
Projectile weights, powder charges, and the like are good to know if you intend
to customize specific loads for your preparedness battery, but in times such
as these, the risk-reward ratio of the effort is somewhat squandered, and [for
the majority of shooters] the
costs better spent on ready-made, good quality commercial or surplus military
ball.
In fact, you cannot get much better than mil-spec National Match-quality
out of the box. I know, as I've tried it, and it took a lot of tests with different
projectiles from a variety of manufacturers, and considerable experimentation
with various powder [types and charges]
to
make
any
measurable
difference
in many years of experimentation. This is not to say it cannot be done,
but there are more pressing matters, such as time on the range that should occupy
one's time.
A recent post listed sabotage skills as desirable in a preparedness situation.
As someone trained in such matters, and having practiced said skills in the field,
I find this a rather curious addition to the discussion. This is a matter of
one's personal survival philosophy, but given that long-term living in
a preparedness state is akin to living the life of an insurgent, I can think
of no quicker way to bring one's existence to the eye of authority. Indeed,
this runs counter to any idea of survival in hostile environments, and represents
an escalation that could imperil the long-term viability of one's retreat.
Sabotage is an offensive, not defensive posture. The
nature of survival is to exact retribution only as a last resort and in a fashion
that does not telegraph
a level of tactical sophistication that is counter-productive. To paraphrase
Chairman Mao, "...one must swim as a fish within the sea of the masses and
not antagonize the great angler."
There are distinct tactical reasons where
sabotage may be of use, primarily in urban and built-up areas as a means of area
denial or in hindering those who may be in pursuit during your egress to your
retreat. Caltrops or water in the gas, as mentioned, would certainly work in
these and other scenarios. I bring this up only in urging caution in deploying
such
tactics. It takes practice to become efficient these types of low-intensity offensive
operations, and while one should stand ready to incorporate their use in a prudent long-term
retreat strategy, it is better to focus on avoidance rather than irritants. -
"Jeff Trasel"
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: A Prescribed Burn in North Carolina to Find a Fugitive's Weapons and Ammo »
Two Letters Re: Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States
Jim:
The recent article [by Kyrottimus] that stated that at 50 yards a typical
45 ACP and 9mm [Parabellum] will have the same energy is wrong.
.45 ACP 230 gr ~390 ft/lbs (528 joules) @ 875 fps (JHP)
9x19mm Luger/Parabellum 115 gr ~385 ft/lbs (521 joules) @ 1,225 fps (JHP)
His additional assumption, that bullets will slow equally in an air mass,
is also wrong.
I noticed that he listed the fps for a 9mm cartridge at 1,225 fps. This is
the energy for a 9mm +p+ range cartridge, while comparing it to the 45 ACP
ball cartridge, not a +p rated bullet. How convenient for the crowd that believes
9mm and 45 to be "equivalent". The Winchester Ranger +p 230 gr ball
is rated at 985 fps out of my barrel and it's ballistic coefficient makes it
retain more energy at 50 yards than the lightweight 9mm 115 gr cartridge. So
while not trying to get into the age-old 9mm versus 45 ACP fight, he's perhaps
unintentionally
dishonest in his comparison. I would hazard a guess that the data itself was
simple cut
and pasted, and the writer is unused to
vetting his writing.
I also found a big error, where the writer says: "Note that grains in
bullet mass differ from from the "grains" of smokeless
powder (nitro-cellulose) propellant, which is not used in this article." He
couldn't be more wrong. I thought there was something up when he equated grain
weight
to carats and
then to grams - I don't think this is a reloader or someone more conversant
with ammunition - no reloader I know could ever make this mistake. [JWR
Adds: I
think that what he meant write was that a physical grain of powder does not
necessarily weigh one grain. But you are correct that powder is weighed
in the same "grains" scale as bullets.]
When he talks of the destabilization of a typical rifle round, he also describes
what actually happens erroneously, when referring to the centrifugal force
of the cartridge "failing", and "the laws of inertia, resistance,
velocity and mass" being the deciding factors after the "spin fails".
He uses big words, but I'm positive he doesn't know what the interactions of
those forces are. Using words like 'critically destabilizes' sounds like he
was quoting something again, and not instructing the reader.
You know, as do I, that [Col. Martin] Fackler [the lead author of the NATO Emergency War
Surgery manual and numerous ballistics studies] explained all of this
stuff very simply and very succinctly - and rotational forces are
a
primary
reason
for
jacket
and
bullet
fragmentation,
they do not "usually fail" as he writes. - Jim H. in Colorado
Jim:
"Point blank" is not just vaguely "... a few yards from the muzzle" as
Kyrottimus stated.
Here is
the official definition:
In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm
and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to
strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm (see also
gun). The point-blank range will vary with the firearm and its particular ballistic
characteristics, as well as the target chosen. A firearm with a flatter trajectory
will permit a nearer minimum and further maximum point blank range for a given
target size, while a larger target will allow for a longer point blank range
for a given firearm.
We need to teach the correct usage of terms,
not colloquialisms. - Beach
« Letter Re: Speeding Coyote Hunters Arrested in Illinois |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Comparing the Big Three Battle Rifle Chamberings in the United States, by Kyrottimus
Since there are probably many folks new to firearms in the recent months,
it may help to convey a sense of awe and respect for the power which they possess.
I intend to use practical examples to give the average person a relative understanding
of firearm ballistics; dealing primarily in the overall energy they are capable
of unleashing at varying ranges.
I will focus on the three most common military-spec cartridge calibers found
in semi-automatic battle rifles in the U.S.: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308
Win), 7.62x39mm Soviet/Russian and 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Rem). I will also address
some comparisons with handgun ammunition and even the .30 Carbine round.
Note: This article make fair use quotes and cites data from
a variety of references. See the References list at the
end of the article for links. The author thanks the writers of these fine
references for their many hours of research.
It is my hope that people who read this will not only further their knowledge
about firearms, but find that it may aid them in their quest for wisdom when
it comes to knowing the limitations of their weapons.
The statistics used herein are averaged and aggregated from various sources,
primarily focusing on military-spec ammunition (what most civilians wind up
buying as "military surplus" ammunition from various nations). Since
most NATO nations comply with similar cartridge standards, comparing their
attributes is easy.
When it comes to the 7.62x39mm Soviet cartridge, I averaged Tula, Vympel and
Barnaul munitions factories from Russia, since Russia is the home where the
7.62x39mm cartridge was born and standardized. While most of us know these
brands by their commercial names: Wolf Military Classic, Golden Tiger and Brown
Bear, the ammunition itself is made to Russian military specifications.
.30 Caliber Carbine (aka US .30 Carbine) is added to the analysis of modern
military cartridges to give those people who use it a realistic idea of its
limitations. Not to detract from the merits of a compact, lightweight, easy-to-carry
carbine or its light ammunition, but to compare it apples-to-apples when it
comes to net power.
All rifle cartridges used in these statistics were Full-Metal Jacket (FMJ--meaning
the entire lead bullet is encased in a cupronickel metal covering). The .30
Carbine ammunition statistics can be applied to either FMJ or JSP because both
projectile types are the same mass, with the same velocity and with almost
identical sectional density.
As we all know, mass x velocity = energy. But it's not so simple. Let's visit
some popular mathematic formulas:
F = ma
Force equals mass times acceleration.
P = Fv
Power equals force times the constant velocity.
KE =
1/2m v2
Kinetic energy equals one half of mass times velocity squared.
So a bullet's speed (velocity) means nothing to us unless we know its mass.
Coupled together we get:
Caliber, Bullet Weight, Muzzle Energy and Muzzle Velocity
7.62x51mm NATO 147 grain (gr)~2,550 ft/lbs (3,457 joules)
@ 2,700 fps (FMJ)
7.62x39mm Soviet 123 gr ~1,525 ft/lbs (2,067 joules) @ 2,360 fps (FMJ)
5.56x45mm NATO 62 gr ~1,250 ft/lbs (1,694 joules) @ 3,050 fps (FMJ)
.30 Caliber Carbine 110gr ~965 ft/lbs (1,308 joules) @ 1,995 fps (FMJ and JSP)
.45 ACP 230 gr ~390 ft/lbs (528 joules) @ 875 fps (JHP)
9x19mm Luger/Parabellum 115 gr ~385 ft/lbs (521 joules) @ 1,225 fps (JHP)
The .45 ACP (Automatic
Colt Pistol) and 9x19mm pistol cartridges were added as a comparison for those
familiar with handguns and their energy at point-blank range. At 50 yards,
both standard .45 ACP and 9x19mm defense loads are roughly equal in net energy
(~350 ft/lbs or 475 joules each).
When measuring both energy and velocity at the "muzzle" of a firearm,
it is basically "point-blank range" which when describing firearms
[versus artillery] means within a few yards of the muzzle.
Now these figures are measured within a few feet of the muzzle (hence the
term "muzzle
energy" or "muzzle velocity"), which is the most powerful the
projectiles will be throughout their ballistic path. Because of wind resistance,
they will decelerate (and thus lose energy) at varying distances. This is why
we get the term "effective range," as beyond a certain point the
energy is too low to be expected to be nominally effective. Also, keep in mind
some projectiles will drop rapidly as their ballistic arc terminates (and is
pulled down by gravity). The energy and velocity at ranges listed below are
assuming the shooter is holding the sights high enough to get the projectile
there before it hits the ground...at a certain point this practice becomes
futile and borders on indirect fire, going back to the concept of "effective
range."
Remember; so long as the air resistance remains constant, so too will the
rate of deceleration of the projectile.
Also, bear in mind that while some bullets travel slower than others,
if they are heavier they can have a net force which is more than the
other (e.g. 7.62x39
has a muzzle velocity (MV)
of 2,360 fps and the 5.56 NATO has a MV of 3,050. While the 5.56 NATO is roughly
700 fps faster at the muzzle than the 7.62x39 projectile, the 7.62x39 is almost
exactly twice the mass of the 5.56 NATO).
The statistics shown here of muzzle velocity and energy are all given through
20" rifle barrels (though not certain on the .30 Carbine figures, though
since there is primarily only one common firearm which fires the cartridge,
the M1
Carbine which has an 18" barrel, it is assumed all statistics for
that cartridge are applied for a 18" barrel). The shorter a rifle barrel
is, the less time the expanding gasses from the compressed burning powder have
to accelerate the projectile before it exits the barrel (which ends acceleration
and begins deceleration due to air resistance). A 20" barreled AR-15 will
generate faster projectile velocity and higher net bullet energy (using identical
ammunition) than a 16" barreled AR-15 Carbine [such as an M4gery or
a typical civilian CAR-15].
To compare accordingly, an AK rifle and a civilian AR-15 carbine both have
16.25" barrels and thus would have roughly the same ratio of velocity
and energy (though at lower values). If one wanted to compare 20" to 20" inch,
maybe a standard length AR-15 and a Russian SKS (or
even Romanian RPK)
would be a fair comparison (either may be slightly over 20" but would
be a closer comparison than a full-length AR-15 to a 16" bbl AK).
Probably the fairest means of comparison using statistics below is to assume
the cartridges were fired from the following 20" barreled rifles:
7.62x51mm NATO : FN-FAL (most
have 21" barrels but many can be found with ~20" barrels)
7.62x39mm Soviet : SKS (most have ~20" barrels)
5.56x45mm NATO : AR-15 (standard size has ~20" barrel)
The measure of mass used for firearm projectiles (bullets) is grains. A grain
is a unit of lead mass measurement, roughly equal to 1/3 of a carat or 65mg.
16 grains is roughly equal to 1 gram. Note that grains in bullet mass differ
from from " grains" of smokeless powder (nitro-cellulose)
propellant, which is not used in this article.
A hard baseball is about 5-1/8 ounces or 149 grams. This equates to 2,300
grains in mass.
The energy being used is in foot-pounds of force and in joules. The best
way to describe a single foot-pound of force, "is the amount of energy expended
when a force of one pound acts through a distance of 1 foot along the direction
of the force." While not scientifically "correct," the terms "force" and "energy" are
used interchangeably in this article.
Also, keep in mind that if a bullet does not release all of its energy into
a single target, it will go through it while retaining the remainder of its
force while coming out the other side. This is why most modern handgun projectiles
are Jacketed-Hollow Points (JHPs), so they mushroom in deformation to a larger
diameter (usually ~0.72" regardless of what caliber it started out as),
thus increasing surface area and resistance in the target medium and will then
release more energy over shorter distance (basically to prevent over-penetration
at close range). Over penetration of a target means that not all of the kinetic
energy in the projectile winds up being released in that target. From the target's
perspective, that means less overall damage.
Rifle cartridges are also designed to deposit as much energy as possible
in a target in a relatively short distance. The 5.56mm NATO projectile, if
within
200 yards, will often critically destabilize while acutely decelerating in
a soft target medium and fragment into many pieces; releasing its energy all
at once in a very small distance. The 7.62x39mm Soviet will usually tumble
a few times (yaw/pitch) in a soft target medium and in doing so release a spike
of its remaining energy in each tumble (and if it stops in the medium, will
wind up facing backwards). The 7.62mm NATO projectile will usually tumble once
and if it does not exit the other side of the target medium (which it usually
does at closer ranges), it will expend all of its energy into the target and
end up facing backwards--this is due to the projectile's point of balance being
closer to the rear, as the back half of most rifle projectiles are heavier
than the front. Once any of the Big Three cartridge projectiles begin rapid
deceleration in a target medium, their centrifugal spin-stabilization (caused
by the rifling in the rifle barrel--similar to a nicely thrown "spiral" pass
of an American football) usually fails and the laws of physics continue with
inertia, resistance, velocity and mass in the target medium.
Now, let's get into the meat and potatoes of mass, velocity and energy:
A 90 mph (132 feet per second, or fps) fastball (major league baseball is
149 grams, 1/3 of a pound or 2,300 grains) exerts approximately 60 ft/lbs
of force
as the pitcher releases it:
Baseball (Fastball) 2,300 grains ~60 ft/lbs (81 joules) @ 132 fps (90mph)
This may not be really easy to envision in any practical sense of energy
when thinking of foot-pounds of force, so joules are also included.
1 joule of energy is equal to the force required for an average adult
human to pick up an apple from the ground to their waist (~1m). Conversely,
1 joule
is the amount of force released when that same human drops that same apple
from that height. Since an apple weighs about the same as a baseball, a person
must exert 81 times the force needed to pick up an apple to pitch a 90mph fastball.
Now that a few rough practical examples of applied force have been given,
let us now examine the Big Three military-surplus cartridge calibers' energy
at
varying distances (.30 Caliber Carbine and two pistol calibers are thrown in
as a comparison to more modern military cartridges):
Caliber, Bullet Weight, Muzzle Energy and Muzzle Velocity
7.62x51mm NATO 147 gr ~2,550 ft/lbs (3,457 joules) @ 2,700 fps (FMJ)
7.62x39mm Soviet 123 gr ~1,525 ft/lbs (2,067 joules) @ 2,360 fps (FMJ)
5.56x45mm NATO 62 gr ~1,250 ft/lbs (1,694 joules) @ 3,050 fps (FMJ)
.30 Caliber Carbine 110 gr ~965 ft/lbs (1,308 joules) @ 1,995 fps (FMJ and
JSP)
.45 ACP 230 gr ~390 ft/lbs (528 joules) @ 875 fps (JHP)
9x19mm Luger/Parabellum 115 gr ~385 ft/lbs (521 joules) @ 1,225 fps (JHP)
Energy at 100 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~2,100 ft/lbs (2,847 joules) @ 2,550 fps
7.62x39mm Soviet ~1,200 ft/lbs (1,626 joules) @ 2,104 fps
5.56x45mm NATO ~970 ft/lbs (1,315 joules) @ 2,650 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~600 ft/lbs (813 joules) @ 1,570 fps
Energy at 200 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~1,750 ft/lbs (2,374 joules) @ 2,331 fps (now moving faster
than 62 gr 5.56NATO)
7.62x39mm Soviet ~915 ft/lbs (1,240 joules) @ 1,825 fps
5.56x45mm NATO ~735 ft/lbs (995 joules) @ 2,310 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~375 ft/lbs (508 joules) @ 1,240 fps (equal in force to
230 gr .45ACP @ ~10 yards)
Energy at 300 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~1,450 ft/lbs (1,965 joules) @ 2,125 fps
7.62x39mm Soviet ~690 ft/lbs (935 joules) @ 1,585 fps
5.56x45mm NATO ~550 ft/lbs (745 joules) @ 2,000 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~265 ft/lbs (359 joules) @ 1,040 fps
Energy at 400 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~1,200 ft/lbs (1,625 joules) @ 1,931 fps (equal in force to
5.56NATO @ ~15 yards)
7.62x39mm Soviet ~515 ft/lbs (700 joules) @ 1,370 fps
5.56x45mm NATO ~405 ft/lbs (550 joules) @ 1,718 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~210 ft/lbs (284 joules) @ 930 fps
Energy at 500 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~1,000 ft/lbs (1,355 joules) @ 1,750 fps
7.62x39mm Soviet ~395 ft/lbs (535 joules) @ 1,200 fps (equal in force to 230gr
.45ACP @ ~2 yards)
5.56x45mm NATO ~290 ft/lbs (393 joules) @ 1,460 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~175 ft/lbs (237 joules) @ 850 fps
Energy at 600 yards
7.62x51mm NATO ~810 ft/lbs (1,100 joules) @ 1,560 fps (equal in force to 5.56NATO
@ ~150 yards)
7.62x39mm Soviet ~280 ft/lbs (379 joules) @ 1,030 fps
5.56x45mm NATO ~172 ft/lbs (233 joules) @ 1,122 fps
.30 Caliber Carbine ~135 ft/lbs (183 joules) @ 760 fps
It is plainly obvious why so many recommend a 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win) chambered
rifle as a primary defense rifle. It clearly overpowers all other modern, common
military battle rifle calibers at all ranges and maintains a further effective
range. The few negative aspects are the relatively higher recoil, louder report
and heavier cartridge weight.
Keeping in mind the power of the aforementioned rifle calibers, and that
the more powerful cartridges weigh more, and thus the shooter would be able
to
carry less ammunition when comparing a like weight (e.g. 25lbs) of ammunition.
An average adult human male can only comfortably carry about a 65 lb load on
their shoulders. An average adult human female can only comfortably carry about
a
40 lb load on their shoulders. Keep that in mind when selecting a primary defense
rifle.
Penetration is another important thing to consider. So is effective range
and accuracy. Determine which pros outweigh the cons and pick your rifle(s)
accordingly.
By comparing the Big Three military calibers most commonly found in semi-automatic "battle" rifles
in the U.S., I hope you have expanded your understanding a little bit on the
amount of power they each bring to bear. If possible, I recommend getting at
least one rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win) and another in either 7.62x39mm
Soviet or 5.56x45mm NATO (or both if you can afford it). Heck, two of each
is good too.
When it comes to the .30 Carbine cartridge and the M1 Carbine which fires
it, many will pooh-pooh its lack of "stopping" power. Many of these
same individuals will champion the .45 ACP as a great handgun cartridge.
I know
one is a pistol and one is a carbine, but the M1 Carbine more or less bridges
the gap between a handgun and a battle rifle. At 200 yards, the M1 Carbine
hits with the same power as the .45ACP does at nearly point-blank range. While
the .30 Carbine cartridge in military configuration is FMJ (to abide to the
Hague Convention of War [that restricts military use of expanding bullets],
which at closer ranges can over penetrate a target and thus not release all
of its kinetic energy, there are many commercially available sources which
are loaded with JSP (Jacketed Soft Point) projectiles. These deforming bullets
are essentially the same as most hunting bullets, though would be better as
a personal defense weapon than a hunting one. Within the effective range, they
will deform and ensure that most or all of the energy of the bullet is released
in the target.
For defensive purposes, an M1 Carbine is still viable as a PDW (Personal
Defense Weapon) in your battery--especially for small-statured women and adolescent
children. A Ruger 10/22 (or
Marlin 60/795) with Tech-Sights installed has a very similar length of pull,
sight picture, and balance as
an M1 Carbine. It can easily be used to train a person unfamiliar with firearms
using the inexpensive .22LR cartridge until they prove proficient enough to
graduate to a centerfire weapon--the M1 Carbine is the perfect transition weapon
from the 10/22. It is more powerful and easier to control and has a greater
effective range than most modern semi-auto handguns. While both the .30 Carbine
cartridge and the M1 Carbine firearm are both fairly outdated, and there are
better choices for a defensive rifle and cartridge, they are still better and
more versatile than any semi-auto handgun, in my opinion. If you wind up seeing
a WWII or
Korean War era M1 Carbine from the CMP,
at a gun show, pawn shop or from a personal seller and it is a reasonable price,
I suggest looking into
getting one. Also, a few modern reproductions are floating around out there
by IAI (Israeli Aerospace Industries) and Auto-Ordnance (Both are good quality
and American made). [JWR Adds: The Plainfield and Iver Johnson
clones were also quite well made. The M1 Carbine reproductions to avoid were
those made by Universal Industries. Few of their
parts interchange with original GI M1 Carbine parts, and their trigger groups
could best be descibed as "pot metal". They were in fact more "look-alikes" than
they were M1 Carbine clones.]
But when building your survival battery, make certain you can afford the
necessary accoutrements for each rifle; such as magazines, spare parts, web
gear/LBE,
ammunition, lubricant/rust preventative, cleaning accessories, and most of
all--training. Get familiar with safety first and foremost,
and move your way into nomenclature and eventually to close, intermediate and
long range shooting with each caliber in various shooting positions to broaden
your horizons further. I also suggest that you pick up some grocery-store throw-away
produce and line them up at varying ranges to see what kind of hydrostatic
shock your rifle can produce at 400+ yards. Melons, pumpkins and coconuts are
fun to shoot. They also put all the numbers above in perspective to what 1,000+
joules of force can do to soft tissue.
Let is all hope and pray that no one reading this will ever need to use any
firearm in their battery against another human being. But if one day we find
ourselves forced to defend our lives, family and property, then let us be prepared
to stand and fight!
References:
Chuck
Hawks' Ballistics Page (Rifle Shooter magazine)
.308
Winchester Ballistics (Rifle
Shooter magazine)
7.62x39
Ballistics (Rifle
Shooter magazine)
.223 Ballistics (Rifle
Shooter magazine)
.30 US Carbine Ballistics (Rifle
Shooter magazine)
Wikipedia Page: Joule
Answers.com: Foot/Pounds
Baseball Pitching Facts and Fallacies
Rifle Shooter Magazine's Ballistics Page
TKD Tutor: The Concept of Force
The cited energy and mass conversions done using Microsoft "Convert" utility
program
« Letter Re: Dress for Survival Success |Main| Note from JWR: »
A 1911 Dinosaur Turns Over a New Leaf -- Switching to XD Polymer Frame Pistols
I have been shooting M1911 steel-framed Colt .45 ACPs for more than 35 years,
and up until now, I've always considered myself a M1911 die-hard. But through
those years, I've seen the price of Colt pistols and spare parts radically
escalate. My first M1911-series
pistol
was
a slightly-used
Colt Commander
that
I bought in 1981 at a San Jose, California gun show, for $160. (In those days,
you could pay cash for a pistol from a fellow private party, and walk out the
door
with it, sans any paperwork. Sadly, things have changed in California--and
that
was one of the main reasons that I migrated to a free state at my first opportunity.)
I have bought and traded
my way
through
a dozen more 1911s, since the early 1980s. In the early
1990s,
when
stainless
steel Colts became available, I sold off my blued-steel Colt pistols and
bought a pair of stainless steel Gold Cup .45s, for around $350 each. I remember
that The Memsahib was aghast when
she
heard that
the
price
jumped
to $505,
just a few years later. More recently the retail price of the same pistols
has galloped up to $1,116! In
my estimation that is an absurd price, when you can buy a polymer-frame Springfield
Armory
XD
.45 for around
$500, or
a polymer-frame Glock 21-SF .45 for around $550. (And even less, if bought used.)
The 1911 design is nearing its 100th birthday (sniff!), and although it is
still a great design, I can see the wisdom of moving on to a more
modern design with two-column magazine. And even though I have a lot of
training hours and muscle memory invested in
the M1911
platform,
I
consider
it now well
worth
the time
and trouble
to
transition
to polymer. I can literally buy twice as many pistols
if I sell off my Colts. I will also end up with pistols with considerably larger
magazine capacity. (13+1 , versus 8+1 for the single-stack Colts.) The other
advantage is durability. In so-called "torture tests", the reliability
of both the XD
(20,000 rounds in one test) and the Glock
(still shooting after insane levels of abuse) have been well documented.
Selling off my accumulation of spare parts
(nearly a tackle box full),
extra magazines
(about
40), and various holsters and mag pouches will be time consuming, but again,
I think that I'll come
out
ahead.
Now that spare parts are becoming available for Springfield Armory
XD .45s, I think that will
be my logical choice. Speaking of XD pistols, I highly recommend that SurvivalBlog
readers take advantage of the
"Get a Gun" package deal at Front Sight, that
was recently extended
for a few more weeks. This training plus XD pistol plus field
gear plus references package is a tremendous bargain. Effectively,
you'll end up with a free pistol.
I've
had overwhelmingly positive feedback from the SurvivalBlog readers that have
taken
advantage of
this offer. I realize that he offer sounds almost too good to be true. But
it isn't a fantasy or some shyster come-on deal. It is a genuine offer,
and hundreds of
people
have
already
completed
the
training
and
gone home
very well trained as the proud owners of very reliable XD autopistols. (BTW,
I'd like to hear from more of you. E-mail me your impressions of the training.) Don't
miss out. OBTW,
the winter
months are the ideal time to take a course at Front Sight. In the desert climate
of southern Nevada, January and February can be in the 70s. You do not want
to go there in July! The Memsahib and I both took the Four Day Defensive Handgun
course,
and loved
it. It is truly outstanding training!
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Food Storage Versus Expecting Manna Falling from Heaven »
Letter Re: Montana Bound--Recommended Sidearm for Rural Living?
Jim:
I concur with your recommendation for a .45 ACP, and the Glock in particular.
The Glock 21/30 family is also well-equipped to handle either the .45 Super,
or Triton’s .450 SMC, with just the simple addition of a heavier recoil
spring and rod. (In the 21-23 lb range.) A Glock set up with this heavier
spring is also still able to shoot standard .45ACPs all day long. While not
sanctioned by Glock, myself and many, many others have shot a huge number
of these rounds downrange in our G21s and G30s without so much as a hiccup.
The [discussion forum] site GlockTalk (where, BTW, there are lots of Survivalblog
fans) has a ton of information on shooting the 45 Super through Glock 21/30
Pistols. In Him, - E.R.P.
JWR Replies: Owning a spare barrel for your Glock in .45
Super sounds like the best of both worlds. For those that can afford the extra
parts and more expensive ammo, it affords the extra stopping power of the .45
Super for a better chance at stopping dangerous game. Fortunately, pistols re-barreled to shoot .45 Super can still shoot the ubiquitous .45 ACP cartridge.
The only drawback to owning a dual-caliber pistol might be getting the cartridges
mixed up, in the stress of a protracted self-defense shooting situation. But
there are ways to avoid that. (Such as color-coded ammo can lids and corresponding
colors for magazine floorplates.) Besides, a pistol is not likely to be used
much in an extended gunfight. Properly, that is the time and place for a battle
rifle!
« Letter Re: Montana Bound--Recommended Sidearm for Rural Living? |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Food Storage Versus Expecting Manna Falling from Heaven
Dear Sir,
Thank you so much for your insightful and educational blog. I highly respect
your opinion and I am e-mailing you today to ask for your advice.
My husband and I are both conservative Christians who are totally committed
to being prepared. Our problem is that we have encountered other conservative
Christians who believe that manna will literally fall from Heaven if famine
comes upon the land. I was personally told by my former pastor that
I was "stupid" for storing food and owning guns. He also told me
that by being prepared I was demonstrating a "lack of faith in God".
He told me that God would provide for me in the form of manna falling from
Heaven if disaster ever struck. This story, unfortunately, is extremely common
within the conservative Christian church. My husband and I have come across
people like this over and over again. Other than telling these people that
manna falling from Heaven was a one time event, quoting Scripture like Proverbs14:8,
and reminding them that even Noah prepared for disaster by building the ark
- how do my husband and I deal with people like this from a Christian perspective?
Prayer seems to be the only answer. Can you recommend any other solutions in
addition to prayer? Thank you for your time and attention. In Christ, - Heather
M.
JWR Replies: I often get e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers,
asking about how I can justify active preparedness in light of my Christian
faith. Some cite the "Lilies of the Field" passage in Matthew 6:25-34:
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is
not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the
air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you
by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much
more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore
no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself. Sufficient unto the
day [is] the evil thereof."
In my view, people are misinterpreting these verses. These are verses
about worry, not about work or preparedness. Never does
the Bible teach that we should laze about and not provide for our families.
Earning our daily bread is the Godly way to live. We are taught not to
be lazy or dependent on others. Yes, we are to trust in God's providence,
but nowhere do the scriptures absolve us of the responsibility to work or
to save up for lean times. Consider these four verses from the book of Proverbs:
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth
vain [persons is] void of understanding.. Proverbs 12:11, KJV
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to
penury.(Poverty.) Proverbs 14:23, KJV
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. Proverbs
21:25, KJV
The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one
[that is] hasty only to want. Proverbs 21:5, KJV
Food Storage
The Bible encourages storing food. Look at Gen. 41:47-49 (KJV): "And
in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.Gen 41:48
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land
of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which
[was] round about every city, laid he up in the same.And Joseph gathered corn
as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for [it was] without
number." And then see Gen. 41:53-57: "And the seven years of plenteousness,
that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.And the seven years of dearth began
to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but
in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was
famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all
the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.And the famine was
over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and
sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.And
all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy [corn]; because that the
famine was [so] sore in all lands."
The preceding is a good example that illustrates the need for food storage.
As I write this in 2008, a growing portion of the world is already experiencing
famine. You should recognize that famine could just a well come to stalk America,
Europe, the British Isles, and Australia. (The regions with the largest SurvivalBlog
readership.) It is prudent and Biblically supported
to stock up during good times in anticipation of lean times.
Prov. 6:6-15 (KJV): "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways,
and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat
in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep,
O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come
as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked
man, walketh with a forward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with
his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Forwardness is in his heart, he deviseth
mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come
suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy."
The lessons from scripture are clear: Don't be lazy and lax. Store up in good
times for future lean times. Consider this: "[There is] treasure to be
desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it
up." - Prov. 21:20 (KJV)
And ponder this Old Testament passage: Psalm 34:9-10 (KJV): "O fear the
LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.Psa 34:10
(KJV) "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek
the LORD shall not want any good [thing]." And then look at this New Testament
passage:, from 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV): "But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel."
One of the many names of God is Jehovah Jireh, which
means God Who Provides. As a Christian, I believe that God will provide for
his covenant people. I believe that one of the many gifts that the God has
provided is a conviction, by the Holy Spirit, to be well prepared. I realize
that we are only on Earth for about 80 trips around the sun, and that is just
the twinkling of an eye versus eternity. Where we end up after this
brief life is far, far more important in the grand scheme of things.
We will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell. But how we spend our +/-80
year life on Earth is up to us. (And the most important thing that we do in
the is life is make ourselves right with God, though his Grace, to accepting
eternal life in heaven. But stepping back to this temporal world: The Bible
makes it very clear that we are to be good stewards of the blessings that God
provides us. I therefore feel strongly convicted to not just share the gospel
of Christ, but also to physically prepare for my own family, and store extra
to dispense as charity. The bottom line: I can't continue to share the gospel
if I starve to the point of achieving room temperature!
Self Defense
Other readers question how I can justify owning guns for self-defense.
Some Mennonites, for example, eschew all means self defense and decry
even the willingness to defend oneself or one's loved ones. That,
in my opinion is taking "turning the other cheek" (Luke 6:29) to
an extreme that is not scripturally founded.
Exodus 22:2 provides Biblical justification for killing someone if he intends
to forcibly rob or kill another man: " If a thief be found breaking up,
and be smitten that he die, [there shall] no blood [be shed] for him." Exodus
22:2 (KJV)
And Jesus teaches that it is wise to be armed, in Luke 22:35-36 (KJV): "And
he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked
ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take [it], and
likewise [his] scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment,
and buy one."
In an article titled: What
Does The Bible Say About Gun Control? Larry Pratt keenly observed the
difference between self-defense and vengeance:
Resisting an attack is not to be confused with taking vengeance
which is the exclusive domain of God (Rom. 12:19). This has been delegated
to the civil magistrate, who, as we read in Romans 13:4, ". . . is
God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for
he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil."
Private vengeance means one would stalk down a criminal after one’s
life is no longer in danger as opposed to defending oneself during an attack.
It is this very point that has been confused by Christian pacifists who would
take the passage in the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek
(which prohibits private vengeance) into a command to falter before the wicked.
Let us consider also that the Sixth Commandment tells us: "Thou shall
not murder." In the chapters following, God gave to Moses many of the
situations which require a death penalty. God clearly has not told us never
to kill. He has told us not to murder, which means we are not to take an
innocent life. Consider also that the civil magistrate is to be a terror
to those who practice evil. This passage does not in any way imply that the
role of law enforcement is to prevent crimes or to protect individuals from
criminals. The magistrate is a minister to serve as "an avenger to execute
wrath on him who practices evil" (Rom. 13:4).
Jesus taught both to turn the other cheek and to be well-armed
to defend oneself. The important factor is having the wisdom to know when to
employ either approach depending on the circumstances. I pray, for wisdom,
discernment, and discretion, daily. I don't seek out trouble, and
in fact I have moved my family to a remote, lightly populated region in good
part to avoid trouble. But if unavoidable trouble
comes my way, I want to have the option of resisting force with force.
And I only have that option if I am armed and trained.
Some critics of armed preparedness cite Matthew 26:52-54 (KJV), which descries
how Jesus responded when Peter cut off the ear of a high priest's servant,
using a sword: "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into
his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled,
that thus it must be?"
In context, Jesus is telling Peter that it would be suicidal to fight in that
particular situation, since they were quite outnumbered. And of course Jesus
knew it was in God's plan for him to be arrested, tried, crucified, and resurrected.
Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its place –which
was back in his belt. Jesus was telling Peter in effect that "there is
a time to fight, and this, my friend, isn't it." He didn't command him
to "throw that sword away", or "surrender it", or to "stop
carrying it". After all, according to Luke, Jesus had just recently ordered
the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was
obviously to protect their own lives when traveling--not to protect His
own life, which He intended to sacrifice, to pay for our sins, once and
for all.
The Old testament teaches both to be armed, and to be trained. We
read in Psalm 144:1:
Blessed [be] the LORD my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war,
[and] my fingers to fight:
Yes, as Christians our battles are mainly spiritual, but we must also be prepared
to defend our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, against evildoers.
Charity
Charity--both in time of plenty and in times of disaster--is a Christian responsibility
with its roots in the Old Testament tradition of Tzedaka. This responsibility--particularly
for the support of widows and orphans--was repeated in the New Testament, such
as in Acts 11:27-30: "And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto
Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the
Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came
to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according
to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas
and Saul."
The Biblical approach to survivalism is to avoid trouble, but to be ready
for it nonetheless. And when trouble does come, have extra stores on
hand, so that you can dispense copious charity. Give until
it hurts!
In closing, I'll leave you with a key verse: "A prudent man foreseeth
the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." -
Proverbs 22:3 (KJV)
Note: I've updated my original response to include all cites from the KJV translation.
« Letter Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI? |Main| Mini Dairy Goats for a Sustainable Future, by Donna G. »
Letter Re: Determining the Best Pistol Ammo to Store for Barter
With an economic depression looming just in front of the world and post-Peak
Oil price shocks on it’s heals (according to Mat Simmons
peak oil is history, it happened in May 2005, check his web site out) it
would
be good to have something for barter better then that green toilet paper
we haul around for the same purpose. I think firearms ammunition would be
an ideal selection. It is relatively compact, portable and usable. But what
calibers to stock pile. Up until the commodity boom hit I was buying fired
brass cases by the pound from a shooting range down in Kentucky, and having
them shipped up to me in Michigan. Unfortunately about 2007 scrap brass started
paying better and the range then starting selling it to the Chinese, thank
you free trade.
The brass was swept up off the floor of there outdoor range and put into boxes
and shipped up to me. There was no sorting of anything, it’s called range
brass and I got what was fired that day, both pistol and rifle. I performed
a statistical analysis on the type and quantity of the different brass I received
for the last three shipments in the summer of 2006, the last time I got any
brass. It’s nice to know what you’re getting for your money and
it’s a lot of fun to do the study, although, when I’ve told people
about things like this they look at me like I was from Mars. You need to understand
that this type of study is a snapshot in time of what was being shot over three
different times in the summer. I have performed these studies for both years
I received brass from them.
It would be a waste of resources to have something that there is little or
no market for. Therefore, if you’re going to store ammunition for trade
what is the most common?
The top 10 brass types were, in descending order, as follow,,
9mm Parabellum (Luger) 38.9%
40 S&W 22.3%
45 ACP (45 Auto) 18.8%
38 Special 4.6%
380 Auto 4.5%
223 Rem. (5.56x45mm) 3.8%
357 SIG 1.8% - This one may be an anomaly, it was <.1% i n the last study.
32 Auto 1.5%
357 Mag. 1.4%
44 Mag. 0.4%
The remainder of the brass total 2% for all types combined. In the study before
this one, 40 S&W and 45 ACP were flipped in order, this tells me, that
the 40 S&W is gaining in popularity over the 45 ACP, at least with
law enforcement.
A total of 36 different cartridge types were in my 2006 summer shipments. As
you can see most of the brass was for pistols. Do not be confused about the
results, people go to the range too site in there rifles and stop, more or
less. Also this range was very popular with law enforcement.
Conclusions:
This study should be considered valid only for the most common pistol cartridges
shot. Rifle cartridges are totally another matter. However for barter purposes
the top three or four are a good bet. This may seem intuitive but as an engineer
I deal in factual information, not conjecture. Well, unless of course, conjecture
is all I have to go on that is. If anyone has information on this subject,
I would like to see it. Thank you, - The Old Yooper
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Michigan's Upper Peninsula as a Retreat Locale »
Letter Re: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
Hi.
The Chinese say that if proficiency is desired a skill must be repeated "10,000
times." Well, if you don your concealment rig and practice weapon presentation
and dry firing 30 times, every day, you will have done it over 10,000 times
in just one year. Repetition builds muscle memory and with muscle memory comes
speed. Speed is not a matter of quick reflexes. It comes from eliminating extraneous
motion. It doesn't matter how "fast" you practice. If done right,
every time, even in slow motion, when needed in reality you will be amazed
at the effortless speed that results. My twenty bucks (two cents ---adjusted
for inflation) worth. - Doug R.
« Letter Re: Peakniks Need Better OPSEC |Main| Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Rainwater Catchment and Filtration »
Letter Re: Seeking Advice on a Self Defense Handgun Purchase
Hi Jim,
I do not have a handgun presently but want to get one. If you were only going
to buy one handgun for self defense what would it be?
God Bless, - Greg O.
JWR Replies: Presently, I'd recommend getting either a Glock
M21-SF .45 ACP or a Springfield Armory XD .45 ACP. Go for a full size model
unless you plan to carry your pistol concealed extensively. If that is the
case then
get a Glock Model 30 (commonly called a "Mini Glock") or an XD Compact
.45. Given the
currently frantic market for full capacity magazines in the US, be sure
to buy at
least six spare magazines immediately. (In fact, preferably before you
buy the gun itself, just to be sure. Yes, the supplies of magazines are drying
up that quickly!)
Some important notes on magazine compatibility: With a few exceptions, magazines
are generally brand and model specific. With most brands of handguns, full
size magazines will fit in the compact models as spares, but not vice versa.
To provide a few extra rounds, I recommend that all of the spares that you
carry should be full size magazines.
If you get a "-SF" (Short Frame) variant Glock, they can only accept
the more recent production "SF" Glock magazines with the retention
notch cut in the front. Older ("pre-SF") Glocks can accept either early
or late generation magazines.
BTW, I highly recommend Front Sight's Gun & Gear & Training
offer--which includes an essentially free XD pistol, holster, belt, a spare
magazine, and a magazine pouch.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Criminal Gangs in TEOTWAWKI -- Understanding a Potential Threat, by Ryan S. »
Three Letters Re: Frequency of Firearms Practice
James:
I'm writing in response to the woman who has enrolled in the Front Sight "Get
a gun" [training, gun and gear] deal.
My wife and I (and our two kids) all went to Front Sight in June. I have always
been a prepper wannabe. bought several firearms and all kinds of holsters and
web
gear. My wife really wasn't interested in firearms.The Front Sight instructors
were great. They really took extra time with my wife. She is very proficient
now,
we practice once a week "dry practice" in the basement when the kids
are at school. then about every third week we go out into the wilderness and
set up a couple of targets. I have a [Springfield Armory] XD45 and love it.
She uses a XD9 and loves it. All of my other pistols are not really appealing
to me anymore.
Be sure you buy a roll of Front Sight [gray paper pistol] targets while you
are there. They really help you bring back to remembrance things they taught
you. Don't skip any of the
sessions, be sure to go to the night shoot as well. There is so much information,
and after you leave you won't really have a chance to try it again.
BTW, my kids loved [the Safety
and Youth Achievement course], and are begging to go back. We have a 6
year old boy and an 11 year old girl,)
Have fun. - Brad
James,
Regarding your reader who asked about dry practice and how often she should
shoot: Shooting is important, but "dry practice" is almost magical.
Done properly (Dr. Piazza's manual is a perfect example), dry practice will
keep you up to speed and even improve your shooting skills - all without
firing a round. While I agree that you should shoot as often
as is practical, remember that many people think you have to shoot tens of
thousands of rounds yearly and go to the range weekly to keep up on your
skills. Not so. While I don't recommend it, I've gone 3-to-4 months without
firing a single shot on more than one occasion. But when I finally got
to the range, I did just as well or better than before because I kept up
on my dry practice. Dry practice builds and maintains muscle memory, and
reinforces good trigger control. Of course the old adage still applies: "Perfect
practice makes perfect." It sure isn't as cool to "click" when
you could be shooting real bullets, but if you're limited on time or budget,
it is a valuable substitute. Remember that even if you're Joe millionaire,
you should do more dry practice than live-fire. Shooting at the range is
simply verification that your dry practice is being done correctly. - PPPP
Hi Jim-
The Front Sight pistol manual clearly states a preference for dry-firing practice.
The rationale is that 1: you need to practice daily, if at all possible;
2: live-firing may produce bad habits before good habits can be ingrained.
The manual emphasizes that "perfect practice" makes perfect. I
think very few ranges allow the kind of "draw to the ready", "point
in" and "fire" anyway. If one did, I would never go there--who
knows what clowns may be there with you.
By the way, with a decent CO2 pistol and holster, you can practice all the
procedures, plus fire at a target in your garage or basement.
Added thought: at our latest visit to Front Sight we met a doctor and his wife
who bought Certificates on eBay. I checked and they're going for about $300.
That's a bargain! I guess that some First Family folks don't care to share
their certificates with family, friends or local police. (Which would be a
wonderful idea!).
We stayed at the Saddle West RV park for $20 per night with full hookups and
very clean restrooms. This Casino also gave us $5 vouchers for breakfast for
each day of our stay. We had very nice breakfasts for only a dollar or two
more. They also gave Brunch vouchers, but of course, we weren't there to use
them.
Do you remember the "hostage shoot-off"? You go one-on-one with
another member of the group and whoever puts down the hostage-taker and two
other bad
guys first, eliminates the other shooter. The surviving shooters continue facing
off till only one is left. A 16 year-old girl won that one on another range
down from us. We had a couple of grizzly rambo types in our group, plus several
older women (50 -65). In our group a rambo-type with cut-off t-shirt and tattoos,
was beaten in the shoot-off by one of the women! As you were, we were once
again astounded by the confidence and proficiency that resulted from the thorough,
patient instructors.
We were there with about 400 others, the 2nd biggest group
they've trained. But there's plenty of room for more. - Bob B.
« Letter Re: Advice on AR-15 Magazines |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re: Frequency of Firearms Practice?
Mr. Rawles;
I took your advice and signed up for the Front
Sight Gun (XD), Gear & Training special. I'll be taking my classes
in January. I've shot my boyfriend's Glock .45--a "Mini" Glock
Model 30-- several times out in the desert. Oh, and BTW, I don't know why
the .45 [ACP] got such a bad rep[utation] for "heavy" recoil.
It is not
bad at all. My conclusion: The 9 Milly is not a "lady's gun" [caliber]--its
actually a round for training children. So I'm getting the
.45 version
of
the [Springfield Armory] XD.
My question is, after my boyfriend and I get this training (he is now just
about convinced to go with me), how often should I/we take target practice
to keep
up to good proficiency? Is the "dry
practice"
that
Dr. Piazza
mentions
worth doing? (I live in an an apartment in the suburbs, and I'm not sure how
I often I can get to a range, or out in the cactus (on BLM [-managed public
land].) And, BTW, just for comparison purposes, how often do you go to the
[shooting] range?.
- Maria in Mesa, Arizona
JWR Replies: First, congrats on taking the plunge and attending
Front Sight. You won't regret it!
I recommend shooting as frequently as your
time and budget allows. Once a week would be ideal to stay in top form. But
with the current high prices
of
centerfire
pistol
ammo,
you might consider conducting two out of every three shooting
session with semi-auto .22 rimfire pistols. Dry practice is indeed quite useful,
particularly
in developing
muscle
strength
and motor
control. Note,
however, that some
stringent safety rules must be enforced and a safe backstop constructed,
to eliminate the risk of a negligent discharge. Needless to say, failure to
do so could have
tragic
consequences
in
an apartment
building.
The Memsahib reminded me to mention that bird watching with heavy binoculars
or a camera with a long lens is also great exercise for building arm muscles,
acquiring targets, and practice holding a considerable weight perfectly still.
The first time that the Memsahib ever shot a pistol (some 20+ years ago), she
did amazingly well--in part
because
she already
had
several
years of experience toting around a 35mm camera with a 200mm lens (and a 2X
extender).
We rarely "go to the range", since we live way out in the hinterboonies and
we can step out our back door and shoot whenever we'd like.
I generally
shoot about once a month in bad weather, and once every 10 to 15 days in good
weather.
« Letter Re: Deflation Possibly Followed by Mass Inflation? |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: A Suggested Checklist for Preparedness Newbies
Here's a beginner's list I made for my [elderly] father today:
Food
{Brown pearl] rice does not store well. Neither does cooking oil so that needs to be fresh.
No, Crisco doesn't count.
Coconut oil would be your best bet.
Wheat berries - 400 pounds - bulk order at your local health food store
Beans - 400 pounds - bulk order at your local health food store
Mylar bags
Spices
Salt
Country Living grain mill
propane tanks, small stove and hoses to connect
freeze dried fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat if you can find them.
Water
500 gallons
of water [storage capacity. Rainwater catchment is a common practice
in Hawaii]
Water filter
Cooking
Cast Iron Cookware
Firearms
FN PS 90
10 PS 90 magazines
5.7 handgun
10 FN 5.7 handgun magazines
5.7 ammo
Training: Front Sight four day defensive
handgun course. (Note: eBay sometimes has
course certificates for $100!)
Body armor: Nick at BulletProofME.com
Medical
Personal medications
Augmentin antibiotic
Up to date dental work
Painkillers
Bandages
Iodine
Anti-fungal spray
Finances
$10,000 cash in small bills
100 one-ounce silver coins (GoldDealer.com or Tulving.com)
Transport
Gasoline in 5 gallon cans or better yet, this.
Gas stabilizer
Mountain bikes
Air pump
Miscellany
Flashlights
Rechargeable Batteries
Battery
charger
Hand held walkie talkies
Topographical map of your area
Spare eyeglasses
Shortwave radio
Home generated power
12 volt battery system
Good backpack
Good knife
Good compass
Good shoes
Bar soap
Toothbrushes
Dental floss
Toilet paper
Fishing kit
Salt licks
Connibear traps
Regards, - SF in Hawaii
JWR Adds: The following is based on the assumption that SF's
father also lives in Hawaii: Because of the 10 round magazine limit for handguns,
I recommend that Hawaiians purchase only large
bore
handguns for self defense--such
as .45
ACP.
Both the
Springfield
Armory XD .45 Compact or the Glock Model 30 would both be good choices. The "high
capacity" advantage of smaller caliber
handguns
is not available to civilians in Hawaii, so you might as well get a more potent
man stopper, given the arbitrary 10 round limitation.
« Letter Re: Mexico as a Retreat Locale and Advice on Water Filters |Main| Note from JWR: »
Home Security Lessons Learned: An: Unwelcome Intruder, by R. in Utah
The following is from Jennifer’s (my wife's) perspective…
My Journal Entry of Jan. 30th, 2005. I do not intend to put just dramatic experiences
in my journal, in fact, I intend to put mostly my feelings on higher things
as well as normal everyday experiences in here, but this one is deserves
to be remembered for posterity.
We started out the new year with a 100 year flood. We were evacuated from
our home, but we were able to move back in a day later. Luckily had 72-hour
kit
available and ready, but if it would have been longer, we were ill-prepared
for this situation. No plan, no shelter, etc.
The sewer lines were broken due to the flooding, so they capped our sewer line
and the city pumped it daily. Last week I woke up Tuesday morning at 4:45 am
and smelled something funny. I went downstairs and stepped into 2” of
sewer water all over the basement floors. 2000 sq. feet of sewage. Wait-----It
gets better or you could say worse!
I hadn’t slept very well all week and was getting up several times
a night to check the drains down in the basement. Friday night our neighbors
called us to go to a late show. We left our oldest daughter to baby sit, and
our son was on his way home from his friends to help her. When we got home
at 11:30 or so, the back door to our house in the garage was open a little
bit and we really didn’t think much about it. We figured our son hadn’t
shut it tight when he got home. (we live in a very small town with literally
zero crime. Our two oldest children were sleeping in our master bedroom and
the other four were upstairs in their beds. So we woke up the kids and sent
them upstairs to bed. My husband and I got ready for bed and went to sleep.
At about 2:30 AM, my 7 yr. old came down stairs because she had had a bad dream.
I told her she could sleep on the couch in my room. I heard her go back upstairs
about five minutes later. I was awake somewhat so I got up to go check the
drains downstairs so I could have some piece of mind and be able to go back
to sleep. I came back to bed and my husband was snoring, but it sounded kind
of funny. I moved over closer to him and realized that the snoring wasn’t
coming from him but from under the bed. I told my husband that one of the kids
must have came down and fallen asleep over on his side of the bed. He was unresponsive,
he sleeps very sound. I got up in the dark and felt under the bed and I was
shocked to feel a full size big body instead of one of my tiny kids.
I somewhat calmly told my husband that it wasn’t one of our kids. This
woke him. I can't say why I was calm except for the fact that perhaps angels
were watching over me. I went over and turned on the lamp and looked under
the bed. There was a big man sleeping under the bed. I whispered with some
serious intensity, “Roger, there is a man under our bed!” My husband
immediately got out of bed and looked under the bed also. For a minute we thought
it might be one of our son’s friends. Not thinking real clear at 3 am.
He has two 14 yr. old friends that are pretty big. My husband ran upstairs
and pulled my son down to our room and he looked under the bed and our son
informed us that he had no idea who that was sleeping under our bed.
I immediately dialed 911 in the other room while my husband was grabbing his
shot gun from the closet. He cocked his shotgun and looked in the chamber and
it was empty. Because we have kids in the house, he usually keeps it empty,
but has the shells nearby. He ran into his closet to grab his shells and they
weren’t there. Realizing his gun was nothing but a big whoppin’ stick,
he told me to watch the man while he ran to get shells in the garage. He didn’t
find them in the garage and realizing that he just left me with an empty gun
on an intruder, he grabbed a golf club and came back into the house. (He told
me later he had picked out his four iron first and thought, I never hit my
four iron very good so he grabbed his nine iron instead.)
Anyway, the sheriff showed up within 10 minutes of me calling 911. He came
in and shined his flashlight under the bed and turned to us and said, "you
don’t know this guy?!” We said, “Nope.” He looked at
us with amazement and then took out his Taser and undid the holster on his
gun. He then woke him up, handcuffed him, and started searching him. He started
pulling out a bunch of drugs, meth, pot, pipes, [drug weighing] scales as well
as my ' wallet, checkbook, cell phone, keys to our Suburban and a .99
cent
pen of my
daughters that had a bunch of shiny beads on it that looked like diamonds and
rubies (that is, it looked like that to a guy that was wasted on drugs), and
a hand gun. You can not imagine the scene of seeing the cops arrest a 170 pound
drug lord under your bed at 3 am after you realized you slept with
the guy there for 4 hours.
Apparently, our son didn’t lock the side door to our house when he came
in, and he and his sister fell asleep in our master bedroom about 10:30 or
so. The guy comes into our house at about 11:15 or so. We arrive at 11:30 and
he gets scared and jumps under our bed. We come in and get the kids to bed
in their rooms and we get undressed, brush teeth and jump in bed. We talked
for about 10 minutes. He was going to wait until we got to bed before he made
his getaway, but he fell asleep before he could make his getaway.
We are so lucky that the kids were ok, I mean, he literally had to step over
our son as he was going thru our stuff in the bedroom. Anyway, we were blessed
to escape completely without harm, he is really lucky he didn’t wake
up to my husbands nine iron, the cops had one of the easiest arrests ever,
the guy was prone, asleep, under our bed, in our house, with all the stuff
he stole from us in his pocket with all of his drugs. The guy apparently had
two outstanding warrants for arrest for breaking and entering.
I know the "what ifs" are endless to think about. But, there are
some basic "what ifs" that do not take much imagination. What if
the turning on the light would have awakened him? He has a gun, we have an
empty shotgun and a 9-iron. What if our kids were awake when he broke into
our home?
Some observations: An empty gun is worthless, it will never save your life.
We owned no rifle and no handgun. We have no training. We had no dog and
no security system. We have purchased a rifle and handgun now and put in
a security
system. We got a dog. We need training. The situation presented to us would
have been much less stressful and less out of control if we would have had
front sight training and the appropriate weapons to protect ourselves. Our
oldest two children would have been safer, if awake, if they would have had
front sight training and so forth. We are lucky it turned out to happen the
way it did, but you can't base your life on luck, you need skills for every
situation, skills are the answer, from gardening to weapons training, skills
are the focus of our family now. We were so vulnerable.
We talk about protecting ourselves, our preparations, our fuel, our shelter
and our food for TEOTWAWKI, always in the future tense, but we are seeing
more and more situations every day and year that make me believe that TEOWAWKI
happened
sometime in the late 1960s and as we have lost skills, become spoiled people
dependent on fragile infrastructures, accepted crime and immorality as something
we just have to live with, and all this has crept in, in an amazingly subtle
way as we have slowly and sometimes quickly lost essential skills and freedoms.
- R. in Utah
JWR Replies: This article underscores te importance of having both
the tools and the requisite training needed to survive in
an uncertain world. I highly I recommend
that SurvivalBlog readers take advantage of Front
Sight's "Get a Gun" training and gear package offer. It is worth
flying across the country to take Front Sight's Four Day Defensive Handgun
course. The
Memsahib and I have both taken it, and it outstanding.
« Letter Re: Advice on Driveway Alarms for Retreat Security |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: 11th Hour Preparations: It is Not Too Late to Start
Jim:
It is not too late to prepare for the hard times that are coming. But
time is short, so I am going to be brutally blunt. Prices are going up. If
you don’t
already expect double digit inflation, you haven’t been paying attention.
If you are just realizing that you need to prepare for the future, forget buying
barter goods. Forget precious metals to swap for what others may be willing
to sell.
The idea of buying things so that you can swap them for other goods or services
later is bad policy. That’s right. I’m advocating that you buy
no precious metals and no barter goods. Instead- you need to prioritize purchases
of things that you need right now. Sitting on a pile of sewing needles, can
openers, or thousands of dollars of face value in gold or silver is not going
to stop you from starving to death, freezing to death, or dying gasping in
your own fluids.
This is not a slam on Mr. Rawles' excellent advice to invest in tangibles.
It is not even a criticism of his recent post on barter items to acquire, or
of
his advice to invest in precious metals. JWR is a voice of reason in a world
gone mad. This letter is a reminder that all those things are good advice only
after you have squared away your personal needs. Only after you have
duplicate sources of potable water, shelter, a substantial food supply, a deep
medicine
chest, and ample supplies of sturdy clothing and footwear should you invest
in barter goods or precious metals.
Here are your priorities:
You need breathable air to live. Most of us expect that to be available for
free. Your next priority for sustaining life is shelter from extreme elements
(your home and a way to heat it during winter), then potable water. Let me
make this explicitly clear. Unless you have clean water to drink, you will
die in a matter of days. It is not the government’s job to make sure
that you stay alive. It is your responsibility to care for yourself and your
dependants. You are responsible to ensure that you have access
to clean drinking water or a method to filter, boil, or collect it. If you
have no method to
do so, go get one. At the very least, plan on a way to boil water over an outside
fire.
After air, shelter, and water – you need food. Come what may, you and
those who you love will need to eat. Buy food. The cheapest food that you can
get will keep you alive, but my advice is to buy extra of what you already
eat. Oatmeal, grits, rice, pasta and potatoes are all relatively affordable
and life sustaining. Potatoes will store for months. The others will store
for years if properly packaged. Yes these alone would make a very bland diet.
Use them to stretch your regular grocery meals while the other supplies last.
What next? Get over-the-counter medicines. Diarrhea will kill you. The stomach
flu will kill you. Pneumonia will kill you. Allergic reactions will kill you.
There may not be any 911 to send help. There may not be an emergency room to
flee to as a last resort. There may not be a pharmacy with inventory to sell
at 3 a.m.. Buy vital medicines now. Look in your medicine cabinet. If you do
not have the medicines to treat an allergic reaction, stomach flu, and a chest
cold; go buy them today. $10 spent on medicine could save
your child’s
life. It won’t if you can’t give it to them. Go buy it before you
go to sleep tonight.
If you can avoid getting sick that’s even better than treating illness.
Hygiene is critical to health. Buy toilet paper and tissues. You will need
them, why don’t you already have them?
You should have sturdy warm clothes and footwear for each member of your family.
And yes, you should also have a means of defense and forage. A simple shotgun
and shells for it will let you defend your doorway and harvest birds and bunnies
if need be. If you are contemplating buying your first firearm then I strongly
recommend that you take an NRA-sponsored firearms safety course as soon as
possible. Firearms are a vital tool, but whether you ever
need to defend you home, you
will need to drink, sleep in a dry place, eat, and stay healthy. God has given
you the resources and wisdom to prepare, the rest is up to you. Now pray for
wisdom and go take action. - Mr. Yankee.
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Preparing for Survival Retreat Perimeter Defense, by O.F.
There may come a time when a survival retreat will need to be defended, and
a properly prepared perimeter will be key to the success of the defense. While
many survival-minded
individuals and retreat groups have likely considered the possibility of a defense scenario, many are
at a loss as to how to plan for such an situation. If the time comes, a well-thought,
methodically planned perimeter defense will hold up better than simply having “a
bunch guns and ammo.”
Fighting positions offer several advantages during perimeter defense. Proper
positions allow the defenders to observe possible threats with reduced risk
of detection, protect the defenders from attack, and serve as a point of reference for reporting events to other members
of the retreat. They also form a buffer between the outside world and the retreat.
Fighting would-be attackers at “arm's length” is preferred to fighting
them inside the retreat, because it keeps the threat away from important assets
and personnel.
Fighting position placement will vary widely depending on terrain, but should
always be done with 360 degree security as the goal. Follow the acronym OCOKA
[Observation and fields of fire, Cover and Concealment, Obstacles, Key terrain,
and Avenues
of approach } when considering
terrain:
Observation and Fields of Fire – Positions need to be located so that
the area outside the perimeter may be observed in all directions. Fields of
fire/observation (or sectors) should overlap. For example, if one position
is observing 12 o'clock to four o'clock, then the next position might observe
three o'clock to seven o'clock. Other positions would cover similar sectors
ensuring the entire “clock” is observed.
Cover and Concealment – Cover is protection from projectiles or other
forms of attack. Natural cover, such as logs, dirt berms, or stone are advantageous
in a rural or remote environment since they blend in and are often readily available. Man-made cover could include
vehicles, retaining walls, sand bags, furniture, or dumpsters. Concealment
is protection from observation. Good positions offer defenders a place to hide to avoid being detected and blend
in with their environments.
Obstacles – Obstacles force attackers to slow down, stop, or change
direction when trying to approach a fighting position. Some natural obstacles
include downed trees, cliffs, ravines, streams, boulders, and embankments.
Some man-made obstacles include fences, road barricades, concertina wire, parked
vehicles, debris piles, berms, and ditches.
Key terrain – Key terrain is any piece of terrain which offers a definite
advantage to whoever occupies it. For example, a hill overlooking the retreat
would provide obvious advantages for anyone wanting to defend or attack it.
Other key terrain features might include intersections of roads or paths leading
to the retreat, areas affording excellent cover or concealment, or supply storage
buildings.
Avenues of approach – Positions should be able to monitor the roads,
paths, waterways and open areas which offer access to the retreat. Attackers
are much more likely to come up a driveway than through a forest heavily overgrown
with brush. The farther the visibility on avenues of approach, the more warning
defenders will have.
After determining where to emplace fighting positions, available personnel
must be taken into consideration. If only two or three people will be defending
the perimeter, then it may not make sense to build a dozen positions. Even with a dozen people, not everyone will be
able to man the positions all the time. Everyone needs to rest some time, so
personnel will need to man the positions in shifts. In such a scenario it would probably be better to setup half a dozen fighting
positions which could each be occupied by two people at times if needed. If
the situation necessitates more fighting positions than available personnel can occupy, then decoys can be placed in unmanned positions.
Equipment will also be a factor in preparing fighting positions. A backhoe
can easily dig a foxhole in mere minutes, whereas it may take an hour or more
with e-tools or spades. There may only be enough sandbags on hand to fortify a few positions. Different types of weapons
work better in some locations than in others. Don't put the only sniper rifle
on the retreat at a position that will be guarding a 100-meter approach up
a ravine if there is a position overlooking half a mile of road leading to
the driveway. Yours should balance caliber, range, and rate of fire around
the perimeter where they will be most effective.
Once the terrain, equipment and personnel considerations have been made, the
type of fighting position should be selected. As there is an inverse relationship
between the protection offered by a position and the time it takes to construct, the type of position chosen will
depend on the opportunity cost between the two. The basic types of fighting
positions suited for most retreats will be the hasty, the one-man position, and the foxhole. Each will be described briefly here.
For more detailed information, see the following US Army Field Manuals: FM
7-8 (Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad) andFM 3-21.9 (The SBCT Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad).
Hasty positions – These positions consist of nothing more than a shallow
trench just large enough for a defender to lay prone. The hasty offers no overhead
protection and little protection to the front or flanks, but it is the quickest
to construct. If there is plenty of time to prepare, then pick a different
option. Ideally, one position should consist of two trenches aligned in a V
so that two people may occupy it and cover a wider sector (each prone in one
leg of the V).
One-man positions – These positions are usually holes just large enough
for one person. Cover and concealment can be added to protect the defender.
Positions with only one person are the not as desirable as positions with two
or more because they leave one person responsible for an entire sector. If
something should happen to that one person, then the perimeter would have a
gap. If using one-man positions, locate them within site of each other.
Foxholes – Possibly the most recognized fighting positions, foxholes
are two-man pits which are the ideal choice for perimeter security. Foxholes
should be dug approximately two meters by half a meter and armpit-deep to the
tallest defender (shorter individuals will have to stand on something). This
will ensure the best cover and natural shooting positions will be afforded
to all personnel. Cover and concealment should be added to the fronts and sides
of the hole, leaving the two front corners somewhat open for observation/fire.
Create a sector sketch for each position. Draw a pie wedge which represents
what the position's field of observation/fire looks like from the perspective
of the person occupying it. Include direction and distance notations. Draw in trees, buildings or other obstructions and
label dead space which cannot be viewed behind these obstructions. This information
can be used for planning interlocking sectors of fire with other positions. Post a copy of the sketch in the fighting
position, so that anyone occupying it has an idea of what they are responsible
for watching and where the trouble spots are.
Also, keep a copy or each position's sketch at the retreat command post (CP)
for “big
picture” planning and situational awareness.
Fighting positions on the perimeter, once established, should be continually
improved. Sectors [of security responsibility] should be cleared of objects
limiting lines of site. Cover should be added to the front, sides, rear, and
top of the positions. Camouflage should be checked by walking out 50 to 100
meters
and observing the position; if it doesn't blend well with the background it
will have to be improved. Communication equipment should be added. TA-312 field
telephones or similar closed-circuit devices are a good choice. If practical,
stock fighting positions with first aid kits, ammunition, water and other supplies.
Details and changes should be added to sector sketches.
Crawl trenches can be added between fighting positions for a safe way to move
between them.
After fighting positions are well-established, extend the perimeter with obstacles.
Put concertina wire or brush 50 to 150 meters beyond fighting positions. Add
serpentine barriers or speed bumps to roads or paths. Fell trees across unused
avenues of approach. Put up fences. Anything that makes the perimeter harder
to breach should be considered.
Early warning systems alert defenders to a possible attack. It's better to
have some advance notice that someone is coming than to be caught by surprise.
Some early warning systems are active (require personnel to function). Once such system is a listening post/observation
post (LP/OP).
LP/OPs are positions which are strategically placed outside the perimeter in
a locations which offer observation of a likely line of attack. The object
of LP/OPs is usually not to engage attackers, but rather to communicate back
to defenders on or inside the perimeter about suspicious activity or pending
attacks before trouble reaches the perimeter. Since communication is an LP/OPs
biggest weapon, each one should have at least two forms of communication if
available. LP/OPs should be camouflaged to the maximum extent possible. Individuals
manning the LP/OP should be well disciplined at light and noise discipline
to further avoid detection.
Passive early warning systems do not require constant attention from personnel
to function. Ordinarily this might include a security system or even a dog
that always barks when a stranger approaches the house. A retreat perimeter defense scenario may call for some
less conventional options. Passive early warning devices need to be easy to
build, effective, and require little maintenance. Trip wires are cheap, and meet these requirements. A simple trip
wire can be constructed from "Spiderwire" (or other high-tensile, low-visibility
filament), a plastic spoon, a clothespin, and WD-1 commo wire
(other stranded pair wire, such as speaker wire, will work). Construct the
trip wire [release switches] as follows:
- Split apart a several inches of the two WD-1 elements and strip back a
few inches of the insulation on both wires.
- Pinch open the clothes pin and
wrap the exposed wire from one element of the WD-1 around one jaw of the
clothespin. Do the same with the other element
and the other jaw of the
clothespin. When the clothespin closes, the two exposed elements should
be in contact.
- Tie the clothes pin to a fixed object.
- Tie the spoon handle to a piece of
Spiderwire (you probably want to drill a small hole in the spoon handle).
- Clip
the bowl part of the spoon in the jaws of the clothespin in order to insulate
the two exposed wires from touching each other.
- Tie the other end of the
Spiderwire to another fixed object across the path, thus forming the trip
wire (it should be taut enough
to stay suspended
across the path, but not so tight that the spoon
pulls out of the clothespin).
- Connect the far end of the WD-1 to the the device
to be triggered.
Tripping the line causes the spoon to be pulled out of the clothespin and
the exposed wires to touch each other. This completes the circuit at the
far end of the wire. This simple switch can be used to activate flares, lights, or alarms.
If no alarm
circuits are available, improvised devices
like the following may be fashioned. (Check state and local laws, first!):
20 oz bottle blast alarm:
- Drill a small hole in a the top of the bottle cap.
- Insert an Estes model rocket igniter (available at hobby shops) into
the hole and seal with adhesive or melted plastic (cut off the safety seal ring from the cap
and melt with a lighter)
- Fill the cap nearly full with [FFF or FFFF black]
gunpowder.
- Pack dryer lint into the cap on top of the powder.
- Screw the cap tightly
onto the bottle.
- When the two ends of the rocket igniter are attached to
a power source (6-volt battery
should be enough) the bottle will explode with a loud bang.
Fuse flare (homemade flash pot, similar to devices available at theatrical
shops):
- Carefully break and remove the glass in a screw-in [AC electric] fuse.
(the kind used before circuit breakers were the norm in American houses).
- Use tin snips to cut 3⁄4 of the way
through the metal strip in the fuse.
- Screw the fuse into an ordinary lamp
socket (socket should be pointed upwards).
- Place photographic flash powder
(available at theatrical supply stores) in the fuse.
- When power is applied to the
fuse body, the flash powder will create a bright flash of light.
- A piece of Scotch
tape will help keep the powder in the fuse
- Use model rocket igniters or fine gauge (0000) ]
steel wool connected to the electric leads to light the fuse.
[JWR Adds: Although this improvised method will work, it
is both expensive and labor intensive. I recommend stocking up on large 1960s-vintage
photographic flashbulbs, such as Westinghouse M2 bulbs. These are available
on eBay for as little as 40 cents each, if purchased in quantity. (One recent
eBay auction was for 300 "new old stock" M2 flashbulbs and the winning
bid was just $77.) You might also be able to find similar flashbulbs via Craig's
List or Freecycle.
BTW, if you use extreme caution (gloves, safety goggle, et cetera), a hole can
be
drilled
into
some
flashbulbs,
so
that a pyrotechnic fuse can be inserted into the mesh core. This allows flashbulbs
to
double
as
fuse
igniters. Resist the urge to trickle in blackpowder to create a blasting cap.
This
is far too risky!]
Roman candles or other fireworks:
- Use model rocket igniters or [a thin twist of fine gauge (0000)] steel
wool connected to the electric leads to ignite the fuse on the firework.
- Tape
the wires securely to keep them from being dislodged.
A standard operating procedure (SOP)
should be developed after the perimeter infrastructure is in place. The best
perimeter infrastructure in the world is useless if those defending it are
uncoordinated. The SOP should address who will occupy each fighting position
and what their areas of responsibility are. It should also specify when, how,
and who will perform other critical security tasks including patrolling the
perimeter for weak spots, checking communications equipment, re-supplying or
redistributing ammunition in the event of an active engagement, treating casualties,
rotation of challenges and passwords, length of guard shifts, and anything
else that is imperative to the specific retreat. All members of the retreat
should be familiar with the SOP, and defensive scenarios should be practiced
on a
regular basis, preferably by battle drills or at least by talking through the
process with the aid of diagrams or sand tables.
While having to resort to defending a retreat is not desirable and may not
seem likely, it is still a realistic possibility. Taking the time to build
a well planned perimeter defense will be a real advantage in the event of an attack. Going without a plan could be chaotic at best,
and cost precious supplies or lives at worst.
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Letter Re: Another SurvivalBlog Reader's Experience at Front Sight
Jim,
I noticed your recent post about Front Sight’s 2009 schedule. A friend
and I just returned from the four-day defensive handgun course and one-day CCW course.
We did the "Get
a Gun" and train package. I’d like
to give you a little summary of the experience, in the hopes that some of your
readers might be encouraged to train.
My experience with shooting started at age 10, with my first .22 rifle. By
age 19, I was a USMC rifle expert, and in the 17 years since then, have done
a fair amount of recreational target shooting. I’ve always kept a handgun
in the home for protection. But, the only real training in firearms I received
was in the Marine Corps. Whenever I thought about my level of competence, I
would tell myself that if I ever needed to use a gun in defense of life, that
I would “rise to the occasion” and do what I had to. After reading
Boston’s Gun Bible, and many posts on SurvivalBlog about the
value of training, I decided that I wasn’t competent enough with handguns
to actually defend myself in the stress and chaos of a lethal encounter. When
I read about
Front Sight’s “Get a Gun and Train” deal, I decided it was
too good to pass up.
In the four days at Front Sight, we trained for about 9-to-10 hours per day,
with a night shoot on the third day adding an extra three hours. They use a
student/coach system that requires you to watch your buddy as he goes through
the exercises.
You’re expected to correct anything he does wrong, and then the roles
reverse so he can watch you. This alternating teach/learn makes the training
process really effective and the techniques for handling the firearm sink in
quickly. They stress developing muscle memory on the range, and with “dry
practice” drills. We learned how to rapidly deal with the three types
of weapon malfunctions, shooting while moving, clearing doors, corners, and
rooms, rapid presentation to the target, the “three secrets”, and
much more. By the end of the fifth day CCW class, I felt a huge amount of confidence
with my Glock that I never felt before. It was so comfortable and felt like
an extension of my hand.
The instructors were professional and very friendly. In fact,
at the end of the last day, after class, my friend and I had a few hundred
extra rounds in
our range bag. So, one of the instructors voluntarily ran the two of us through
some of the high-level confrontation drills like close-quarters (three feet
away) shooting,
walking head-shots, etc. He spend about two hours just with us, so we could
get even better. He probably could have gone home to his family but he stayed
there to train us for free. We were extremely satisfied with the whole
experience.
What I realized after getting the training, was that no matter what I thought
of my abilities, they were not good enough to bet my life
on. Only by training, and continuing to train, can I actually depend on my
gun to protect lives.
Lethal encounters never happen when you plan on them, so you’ll only
be "half as good as your best day on the range".
The more training you have, the better that “half as good” will
be when your body is flushed with adrenaline, your hands are shaking, you’re
trying to overcome shock, and fight for your life.
Quality training, and continued practice, are a must for anyone who owns a
gun for defense. And with an uncertain future ahead, I would jump on Front
Sight’s deal while the planes are still regularly flying. Regards, -
Robert A. (a 10
Cent Challenge Subscriber)
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Letter Re: Advice for an Unprepared Greenhorn
Hello Mr. Rawles!
I love your blog, and visit at least weekly, more often
daily.
The current economic situation is sickening. I mean, actually making my
stomach hurt, as I am not prepared. I just recently was hit
on the head with
the motivation
to get prepared. The only problem with that is that I don't even know where
to start. Food? Weapons and Ammunition? Medical supplies? I am the patriarch
of a family of 4. My wife and I, and our two children, both 10 and under. What
I could use your advice on is just what I mentioned before, where does someone
like me start. We have very little money, we live in the city, and we have
no supplies except a Remington 870 Express [12 gauge shotgun] with a couple
boxes
of
ammunition and food from the grocery store for a couple weeks and our camping
supplies
which amount to a couple days in the woods. I'm extremely worried that I simply
won't be able to help my family survive the coming collapse. I want to be prepared,
and I'm motivated.
Thank you for any time you could donate with your advice! - MWS
JWR Replies: Start out by getting a good quality water filter
such as the Katadyn VARIO currently on sale at Ready Made Resources and
stocking up
on canned foods.
If you don't yet already have one, buy a
spare riot "Police" length
20" barrel with rifle-type iron sights for your Model 870, with "IC" (improved
cylinder) choke, or better yet the "Rem Choke" removable choke tubes.
These
barrels are
available
with
a
durable
finish
to match your "Express" variant.
Buy at least 200 rounds of #4 buckshot, 25 rounds (five boxes of 5) of rifled
slugs, and when you can budget for it, a case of #6 birdshot shells for bird
hunting
and
small
game
hunting
Since your resources are limited, your greatest opportunity to increase your
chances of survival will
be
teaming up with like-minded folks in your area. For some suggestions, see my
static page on Finding
Like-Minded People
in Your Area.
Be sure to take advantage of low cost training through the American
Red Cross,
the Appleseed Program, and the WRSA.
Pray hard, study hard, and train hard.
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Range Report: Advantage Arms .22 Conversion Kit for the Glock, by Everyday Prepper
To start off let me say I'm in no way affiliated Advantage Arms or Glock. I
don't get paid to advertise or test their products and I definitely don't
get paid to write reviews.
I took the Glock out today with the Advantage
Arms conversion kit installed.
I wasn't exactly skeptical of the kit after reading about it online but I was
expecting to have some sort of break in period. I opened the kit up and out
fell an orange piece of paper that instructed me to put some oil on the parts
in the picture. I grabbed the oil they shipped with the kit, put the drops
on the slide where they wanted me to and rubbed the oil with my finger to spread
it around some.
I took a piece of standard 8.5"x11" sheet of printer paper and hung
it up. Next I paced off 10 meters and turned to fire. The magazine seated perfectly
just
like my original Glock magazines. I chambered the first round took aim and
pulled the trigger. Bang! Nice, I thought. There was almost
no recoil and the gun hit pretty close to where I was aiming. I went ahead
and fired a few more
at a slow and controlled speed then I just let the last six or so speed their
way to the target as fast as I could reasonably regain my sight picture. At
the end of those 10, I went up to the piece of paper and measured the spread
of hits and they all fell within a three inch circle, save one. (Though I think
that one was me getting a little trigger happy.)
I finished the day by placing 10 to 20 targets out and running training drills
to help with quicker target acquisition and movement. I fired in the neighborhood
of 120 rounds (give or take five rounds) and never had a jam or malfunction
of any kind.
It wasn't an intense break-in but I was impressed at the quality, feel and
accuracy of the kit.
If Advantage Arms wouldn't have stamped their name on the slide you wouldn't
even know it was a company other than Glock that created the kit. With the
market for these kits (I waited eight weeks while they caught up on back orders)
I'm surprised Glock hasn't jumped on this boat and started creating their own.
I'm not a professional instructor but I think the advantages to this kit are
obvious. While I'm not shooting my standard caliber with its standard recoil
I'm getting much more training time in and it's much cheaper. I can practice
every drill and training exercise I know for five times as long thanks to the
cost savings. If you are worried about the recoil and muscle memory issues
you can always finish your shooting day with your original caliber by removing
the kit (as simple as field stripping the Glock) and putting your original
hardware back in place.- Everyday
Prepper
JWR Adds: Advantage Arms also makes .22 LR conversion kits
for Model 1911 pistols, with an equally good reputation. Both of these conversion
kits are available via mail order to US customers with no FFL paperwork,
since they do not include a pistol frame.
-
Everyday
Prepper.
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Letter Re: Airsoft and Paintball Groups for Small Unit Tactics Training?
Gidday Mr Rawles,
I was just wondering whether or not it would be wise for me to join a tactical
Airsoft club in the future. Due to the current political climate in New Zealand
training with live firearms, and so forth is frowned upon and could get you
labelled as a "terrorist".
However there are a lot of Tactical Airsoft/Paintball groups throughout the
country and I was wondering whether it would be a wise move for me to join
one of these clubs to gain some tactical skills/experience? Or is it better
to avoid groups all together? - S.S. in New Zealand
JWR Replies: I can't speak to the potential OPSEC or
legal issues, but I can talk about the value of the training. In my experience
Airsoft and paintball are fine for learning some aspects of camouflage and small team
tactics. The fatal flaws of both, however, are that:
1.) Since paint balls and Airsoft pellets have hardly any penetration beyond
five yards, people start to subconsciously equate concealment with cover.
2.) Because paint balls only have limited range, people start to subconsciously
think of anything beyond that range as "safely out of range" (for
maneuver in the open.)
If you can regularly remind yourself about those shortcomings and
adjust your training regimen accordingly, then you'll find that
they provide somewhat worthwhile training. But it is essential that you integrate
high velocity ballistic realism. This means declaring anyone that blatantly
stands up in the open at 50+ yards "dead meat." Ditto for anyone
that mistakenly takes "cover" behind bushes. Again, concealment
is not cover!
« Two Letters Re: Survival Medicine and Ditch Medicine |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Holster, Sling, and Web Gear Recommendations
Howdy Mr. Rawles!
Before I begin, I’d like to offer my congratulations on your fine novel
being republished. I’ve read it once myself, then again to my family
(I hate television, reading is good family entertainment) which should be considered
high accolades in itself. Currently my copy is in the Pacific Northwest, bound
for the midwest next, as it continues to travel the country within my circle
of friends.
I read the
posted letter by R.P. on 26 August, and associated recommendations
on holsters, slings, and web gear, and thought I’d offer some discussion
on the matter:
The main reason pistols are currently worn on thigh rigs has less
to do with ‘CDI’ [“Chicks Dig It”] factor and more
to do with accessibility. When one wears a vest festooned with pouches, the
bulk of these tend to hinder proper presentation of the pistol when the holster
is worn conventionally on the pants belt. That is, if the pants belt can even
be seen, as most wear their vests low enough to preclude such. The addition
of body armor only exacerbates the situation. The pistol, therefore, is typically
moved elsewhere – mostly onto a thigh rig or integrated into
the vest itself. This is far from a new style though – the old leather
1911 holsters
hung down from the frog clip to accomplish the same purpose.
As you noted, thigh holsters typically aren’t comfortable
while ‘on
the move’ . They are good for one thing though, and that’s an assault.
Thus the reason that laden troops are often seen with them – those troops
are equipped for an assault. Additionally, a conventionally mounted holster will
typically interfere with a ruck waist belt. If not precluding ruck use entirely,
at a minimum compromising comfort.
I’ve been working through these issues for years, and have come to some
conclusions:
No one rig will ‘do it all’. Compromises abound and are mandatory.
For the vast majority of time (as it applies to me) a light vest, at the
most, is all that is called for.
I am not personally a fan of the heritage [LC-1/LC-2 series] deuce gear. Not
that the concept is wrong, bad, or anything else – but the ALICE clips
(or as my associates and I came to call them, “meat hooks”) really
did need to be jettisoned. They rub body parts raw, blistered, and cause other
similar problems when used for any significant length of time. As well, the
magazine pouches were designed more for extreme magazine retention and protection
(security) than allowing a speedy reload, and the closure hardware on them
never was very robust.
When I had evolved my deuce gear as far as it would go, my pouches were all
lashed to the pistol belt with gutted paracord.
Using the grommets of the belt and the freshly-emptied ALICE clip slots on
the pouches, paracord can be worked
tight enough to prevent pouch movement laterally and vertically. Another consideration
is that by using paracord, there is less metal to clink against other items.
This technique worked well in my opinion, and happened to be identical to
the way – in both layout and
attaching - one of my closest friends independently evolved his LBE in Ranger
school. If one is really attached to that generation of equipment, then I recommend
this method of pouch attachment, as it is a quantum step up in comfort! Just
make sure that the knots are oriented away from your body and melted somewhat,
to prevent them from coming loose and the paracord sheathing from unraveling.
In my opinion the new generation of MOLLE load bearing vest (LBV) is superior
to the old deuce gear - of course allowing that everyone is different. Not
only are the MOLLE vests superior in comfort, but the modularity offers the
capability of repositioning your pouches to find the placement where they feel
best for that individual. I personally prefer the slightly older models that
use two buckles in the front, as opposed to a zipper. Conveniently, these vests
are low enough in cost that purchasing one per rifle, carbine, or shotgun isn’t
cost prohibitive.
Like R.P. and yourself, I have attended Front
Sight. I’ve also attended
other top-notch institutions – I typically attend at least one course
per year. As such, it should come as no surprise that after significant attempts
at finding “a better way”, I also advocate using a conventionally
mounted belt holster. It seems we prefer the same manufacturers as well – Blade-Tech
and Milt Sparks specifically. The Milt Sparks folks talked me into trying the
Summer Special II and I’ve been happily using that for the last three
years or so and actually prefer it to the original Summer Special. I would
also add Lou Alessi to the recommended holster-maker list, as I’ve been
using his leather belt holsters for the last decade or so and am quite taken
by his execution of the old Bruce Nelson design, which Lou calls the DOJ holster.
Specifically, I prefer the slightly modified version he made for Dick Heinie.
Those can still
be ordered as such directly from Lou, as Dick quit carrying
them. I’ve used several gun belts over the years, but eventually stuck
with the Riggers Belt offered by The Wilderness. I prefer mine with the optional
5-stitch reinforcement, to make the belt less flexible under load.
I have found that the key to proper pistol presentation when wearing a vest
is to have the vest ride high enough that it doesn’t interfere with the
holstered pistol; not quite as high as a chest rig, but almost. As well, when
laying out the pouches for attachment, I leave a open area on my front and
both sides; approximately 10:45 to 1:15, 2:00 to 4:30, and 7:30 to 10:00 are
all open space. This allows unimpeded access to a properly holstered pistol,
as well as the spare pistol magazines and such on the opposite hip. The open
area directly to my front is so that I can assume a solid prone position without
lying on full magazine pouches; I space the pouches such that they act as wheel
chocks when I’m in the prone. With the vest riding
at this height, other items can be carried on the belt with decent access – a
knife, pistol magazines, flashlight, multi-tool, and compass for example. With
all that open area though, the vest really doesn’t carry much. As
I’m not employed to assault enemy positions, I don’t need an assault
vest. What I do need – and what the vest provides – is water, more
ammo for the pistol and carbine, navigation, communications, and a blow-out
kit. If called for, a PVS-14 or PVS-7D in rigid case can be quickly and securely
attached to the water carrier on the back. As the unofficial motto of my favorite
school says, “shoot, move, and communicate”, this vest is geared
to meet those needs. What it is not geared to meet is self-sustainability.
This vest shouldn’t be confused with a rig meant for patrolling, what
one would choose to wear when knowingly venturing into unfriendly areas, or
anything to sustain oneself longer than a few hours. Essentially this is a
vest to be worn when contact isn’t expected, just something to work ones
way back to a nearby resupply.
For the applications where the light vest isn’t sufficient, a ruck is
called for, as well as a vest that works well with a ruck but also has the
volume capabilities for sustainability. Of course, this is a trade-off, and
there are many trade-offs involved in choosing kit. As always, determined by
METT-T [Mission,+Enemy,+Terrain,+Troops+Time Available]. At this time, for
a patrolling
/ heavy vest, I’m evaluating
the K171 Arktis model. It’s heavier, bulkier, doesn’t allow unimpeded
pistol usage (the pistol is stowed in a cross draw integral holster and meant
to provide
security over speed), and favors security over speed in reloading – but
it does carry a patrolling load well.
On the topic of slings, I realize this is personal preference, but I prefer
different slings for different applications. On a battle rifle or a precision
rifle, I prefer the Quick-Cuff from Tactical Intervention Specialists. I’d
been using these slings for years before our military adopted them as part
of issue sniper kit - they really are top-drawer quality. I’ve used them
on long-range courses and competitions and never regretted it. It doesn’t
do anything that a good loop sling doesn’t
do – it just does it faster and easier. For shotguns and carbines, it’s
difficult to find better than the Giles or Vickers slings, in my opinion. When
set-up such that the buttplate is approximately one fist height below the chin,
these work very well.
At this point though, I’d like to reiterate your admonition that training
must be sought. If a trip into the Arizona or Nevada deserts, the
Oregon mountains, the Oklahoma hills, isn’t a viable option at the
moment, then I also advocate the Appleseed
Program [rifle matches and clinics].
These fine, hospitable folks will get you spooled up on the basics of marksmanship
quickly
and efficiently – I
should know, I’ve
been volunteering as an instructor for almost a year now. All the best, and
God Bless! - Bravo
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Letter Re: Springfield Armory XD Pistol Accessories
James-
I wanted to thank you for the great web site! It's fantastic!
I was on the Springfield
Armory web site yesterday,
and noticed that they are having a 20% off sale on all accessories, including
XD magazines, through July 31st. I picked up four more, and thought I'd pass
the info along.
Keep up the great work, and I pray for a healthy recovery for your wife. -
Kristopher in Afghanistan
JWR Replies: Thanks for your prayers for The
Memsahib. We are now hopeful that she will make a complete recovery.
I am enthusiastic about the XD pistols. Now
that spare
parts for the XD pistols are
available, they are my top pick for self defense pistols.
An important reminder to all SurvivalBlog readers in North America: Front
Sight's Gun + Gear + Training special offer (that includes a free XD
pistol in your choice of calibers) will be ending soon, so don't
hesitate!
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| The Tomato Rebuild--Machining Technology is Crucial to Modern Society, by Thomas G. »
Letter Re: .22 Rimfire Conversion Kits for SIG-Sauer Centerfire Pistols
Dear Jim:
Recently, I purchased a .22
conversion kit for my SIG P226 .40 S&W pistol.
I was not aware that SIG was
making such a unit until I saw it in the gun shop. Although pricey, ($369
factory price, $315 store price, [and I] managed to get
one for $295) I went ahead and bought it.
I can happily report that this conversion worked flawlessly out of the box. While
I did not have the opportunity to really test it for accuracy, I was able to
bounce a pop can around at fifty yards. The three kinds of ammo used were CCI
Stinger, Remington Golden hollow point, and Remington Thunderbolt with the angular
bullet. In firing approximately 90 rounds (all there was time for), there were
no malfunctions.
The conversions are made for the P220, P226, P229R, and P228/229. I tried to
put the unit on my [SIG Model] and [Model] 229, but it wouldn't fit, (darn!).
My
employer
is
looking at purchasing the 229 kits training. We were using a K22 for shooters
that were
having problems. With the price of ammo, it makes no sense to keep throwing expensive
ammo into the backstop, when you can drop back to a .22, work through a problem,
and move back to the larger caliber.
With this unit, you keep the trigger pull of the original pistol, unlike the
SIG Mosquito [,22 LR], which has a horrible DA trigger. I was told at an armorer's
class
in November of 2007 that the trigger was mandated by California law. Further,
I
was told that SIG had no plans to bring out a conversion. I guess they changed
their
minds.
JWR Replies: With the current high cost of centerfire ammunition,
I highly recommend getting one .22 rimfire conversion kits for each model of
your rifle
and pistol in your primary firearms battery. Because these conversion kits
are not classified as "firearms" in most jurisdictions, they can
usually be bought without any paper trail. There are a few countries that are
exceptions,
such as South Africa, where barrels are a restricted (registerable) part
of a firearm.
« Letter Re: Stocking Level Advice for a Preparedness Newbie |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Report From an Enthusiastic XD Pistol Shooter
Hi Jim,
I recently bought a Glock 21 (.45 ACP). Although the pistol works great, it
did not fit my hand well and it tended to point to the right as I brought
it up to fire.
I have large hands so it was not a "large gun, small hand" problem.
I love my Glock 19 and Glock 27 so there is no anti-Glock bias here.
For comparison, I bit the bullet and bought a [Springfield Armory] XD Tactical
in 45 ACP. Renting a gun is not an option where I live, so if you do not know
someone with an
particular
model, you are out of luck in the testing department. Anyhow, I can not be
more happy with my choice of the XD. The pistol is about as [Model] 1911 feeling
as you can get in a plastic frame firearm. I believe it is the steel magazine
used in
the XD that allows for the much thinner and more ergonomic grip design. I was
also pleasantly surprised by the ambidextrous safety that works like a 1911.
No more weak finger magazine changes for me.
I would wholeheartedly recommend the XD to anyone looking for a reliable pistol
and would point to my $600 Glock 21 mistake as evidence.
Kind regards, - Bill A.
JWR Replies: I've heard from many SurvivalBlog readers that
they love the ergonomics of the XD grip angle. They are fantastic pistols.
And now that
spare
parts for the XD pistols are
becoming available,
they are my top pick for self defense pistols. (And
this comes from someone that was heretofore a dyed-in-the-wool M1911 dinosaur!)
A reminder
to all
SurvivalBlog
readers in North
America: Front
Sight's Gun + Gear + Training special offer (that includes a free
XD pistol in your choice of calibers) will be ending soon. My advice
is: go for it, or you will kick yourself later! It is a
great bargain and it would be a shame to miss out. The Front Sight gray course
certificates
are transferable (they can be used by anyone that hasn't trained at Front Sight
before),
so the
deal is worthwhile even if you end up giving your course certificate to a relative
or a friend that has the time to train. They also have no expiration date,
so there
are
no worries if there is a delay in scheduling your classes. (OBTW, with the
hot
climate
in
southern
Nevada,
I recommend scheduling classes between mid-October and early April.)
Regarding your Glock 21, don't consider it a "mistake" and a loss, just because
it doesn't fit your hand. As I've mentioned in SurvivalBlog before, there is an
option for you: Both Robar and Arizona
Response Systems do very nice machined grip reduction
gunsmithing on
Glocks. In his excellent book "Boston's
Gun Bible", author
Boston T. Party mentions that a large frame (G20/G21) Glock
with
a grip reduction feels a lot like holding a Browning Hi-Power.
Boston highly recommends frame reductions. Although I haven't personally
had any Glock work done by them, I have done business with both Robar and Arizona
Response Systems for more than a decade on other gunsmithing
projects. Both firms are very competent and reputable. The last
I heard, Robar had higher
gunsmithing rates and
a
deeper
backlog
of orders. So you should probably go with T. Mark Graham at Arizona
Response Systems. OBTW,
if your budget allows it, have tritium
sights installed at the same time as
the grip reduction job.
« Ten Letters Re: Help With a Non-Preparedness Minded Spouse |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re: Feedback on Training at Front Sight
Dear James,
Just wanted to say thank you for letting your readers know about the Front
Sight Gun + Gear + Training special offer. My husband and I attended the
four-day defensive handgun and the one-day CCW courses
last week, and are expecting delivery of
the [Springfield Armory] XD40 [pistol]s
we used during the courses, in two days.
Neither of us had any real experience with guns before the course. To be honest,
when I read your book and in reading your blog, I always skimmed through or
skipped the "gun sections" altogether.
Well, the course was a blast (pun intended). They took us from knowing virtually
nothing to being able to hit the "stopping zone" on targets that
flipped around in 1.5 seconds. (Okay not every time, but enough that we impressed
ourselves!) We learned how to recognize and clear malfunctions in a matter
of seconds, and do emergency reloads in the middle of "gun battles." They
took us through mazes with pictures of bad guys and good guys and hostages
and we had to shoot the bad guys, not shoot the good guys, and rescue the hostages.
There was a night shoot, and shooting at close range and while moving. (The
close range and moving were part of the CCW class.)
I can't say enough about the caliber of instruction. We had a main instructor
and two to three coaches helping 18 students at a time. Each was very patient
with this newbie. I felt that when I needed it, I was able to receive one-on-one
help. Most of the students were already very experienced (law enforcement,
military, and gun enthusiasts), and they also felt they were making valuable
progress based on their experience levels.
We are looking forward to our continuing practice and education. And since
we have recently moved to "The Wild West" (very rural Mendocino County
[,California]) we have a new-found sense of being able to take care of ourselves.
Thanks again, - Pat in Northern California
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Advice on Getting Started in Precious Metals Investing »
Letter Re: Observations on Gun Laws in Europe and Request for Gun Selection Advice
Dear Jim,
It is almost a year since I [started to] read SurvivalBlog. It is a great thing.
Thank you for it. I am doing my best to be ready for the moment WTSHTF.
Here in Europe, as you know, we have a problem with the gun control, so the
only way to have guns is for hunting purposes (for self defence is almost
impossible), and after few difficult tests, that includes psychiatric and medical
tests, some law knowledge about guns regulations, safety and laws, and of course,
having a clean background (no prison). Of course, there is regulation even
about the amount of ammo that you can have at home. I read you store 10.000
cartridges just of .22 [rimfire], and I can’t believe it!!!! Here, the
government would take your license, guns and of course, all the ammo plus assess
you a
nice fine.
Comparing with your great country, it’s a madness. I feel envy of how
easy you can buy such tools.
I always want a gun, but feel too lazy to apply for it and pass through all
those tests, controls, taxes (did I mention how many local, regional and national
taxes must be paid??).
Thanks to SurvivalBlog, finally I decided and encourage myself to get one or
two weapons (of course for “hunting purposes”).
After few months, I finally got my permit last week. And now I have my doubts:
which models should I buy. What will you recommend for me?
I want a 12 gauge for home defence: My choices are Mossberg 590 or Remington
870 Police. Which one do you believe is better? I am considering the 870.
As a rifle, I really have no idea, so I would appreciate your opinion about
this matter. I believe with a 12 gauge I am served for short distances, but
for hunting and long distance shooting, what would you recommend? And what
about the caliber?
Thank you very much for your blog, which is helpful as nothing else I found
in a long long time. I am almost ready with food, location, medicines, and
other stocks…. everything but the weapons.
Hopefully nothing will bring us TEOTWAWKI, but I am getting ready, just in
case. Good luck. - TL
JWR Replies: I recommend 12 gauge for riotguns. Functionally,
I consider the Mossberg 590 or Remington 870 roughly comparable. Both are sturdy
and reliable. The
Remington 870
has
a
slight edge on quality over the Mossberg, but in my opinion not enough to justify
the higher price. For left-handed shooters, I generally recommend the Mossberg,
since their
top-of-tang
safety
is truly
ambidextrous. (Whereas the M870 triggerguard-mounted safety is a bit slow for
left-handers.) If you opt for the Model 870, I recommend that you replace the
fragile black plastic cup
shell follower (in the magazine tube) with a Choate
Machine and Tool Company solid high density orange plastic
follower. These are
almost indestructible. There are also steel cup followers made.
For rifles,assuming that semi-autos are probably restricted, I recommend that
you buy a "Scout" type bolt action chambered in .308 Winchester.
I realize that many
European
nations
restrict
civilian
ownership of
rifles
and
pistols
in
"military"
calibers.
If that is the law where you live, then I recommend getting a .243 Winchester.
« Victory in the DC v. Heller US Supreme Court Decision--With Some Reservations |Main| Notes from JWR: »
The Warrior Way as Survival Strategy: Attune Yourself to a Martial Mindset in Daily Living, by Jeff Trasel
One of the constant knocks by the mainstream media on the preparedness movement
is the oft-touted canard that preparedness, indeed the “survivalist” mindset
is nothing more than an excuse by far-right loons to engage in Rambo-esque
fantasies of firearms, firefights and macho posturing. While there is a scintilla
of truth to this in some far dark quarters of doomsday lunacy,
it is for the most part fiction. (This matches JWR’s caveat on discussing
unregistered suppressors [in the US] or other illegal preparations). So that
we bring no discredit on what is nothing more
than prudence, perhaps a few short observations can be proffered here so those
of a serious nature can learn to assume a proper martial mindset without resorting
to hysteria.
Preparedness, survival, or any other euphemism one can assign to our interest
is as much mindset as gear, land or other physical manifestation of prudence.
It is in itself a way of life that incorporates simple daily teachings, practice,
and when training, the incorporation of real-life situational aspects that
can better model an actual emergency scenario or a situation of social unrest.
Any competent defense professional will say that greatest advantage in warfare
is information, followed by logistics, then combat power. It’s no use
having the greatest army in the world if you don’t know where the enemy
is nor if you can’t you feed your troops. As Napoleon so famously postulated,
an army marches on its stomach.
So with those adages in mind, how does one
prioritize daily living to more readily understand these concepts? We all have
things we do on a daily basis, so the question of incorporation becomes one
of time management, especially given the marvelous source of information now
available in today’s 24 hour “always on” culture. For instance,
instead of perusing the morning newspaper or watching the morning breakfast,
find several reputable financial news sources such as the online versions of
the The Wall Street Journal or Barron’s. Start educating
yourself on how markets move, how seemingly insignificant moves in commodities
or futures,
such as pork or wheat can have a direct impact on your daily life. This also
gives you markers to start creating your own scenario planning data for acquisition
planning, and in the worst case, a timeline for moving to your retreat. American’s
are notorious for living in a bubble, in what is now a deeply materialistic
culture, and missing the obvious signs of downturns both in the US and abroad.
This new discipline has an upside as well, in that by becoming a more financially-aware
individual, you can make more informed decisions on how to manage cash flow
or even become a day-trader, freeing up capital for other, more serious purposes.
Understanding the world around you, looking at information as intelligence
rather than simple factoids and being aware of the bits and pieces that can
provide a different and in many instances, a more accurate picture of what
is really going on, is a skill that will pay one back in spades. Think outside
the box!
Next, personal fitness is a must. In any crisis situation, adrenalin levels,
stress, even physical injury can manifest themselves in a variety of ways that
can cripple or terminate the best laid plans. It is therefore mandatory that
anyone considering a preparedness strategy baseline their family health. The
advantages of this are twofold: first, it gives one an idea of how much exercise
they will need to incorporate into daily life to bring them to a level of basic
fitness of a recruit in the US Army, ideally the Marines, which is not as hard
as it may appear. Second, this will aid in identifying a medicine acquisition
plan for family members so you are not caught short in a crisis situation.
There won’t be heart or blood pressure tablets around if the mob has
burned all the Walgreen [Pharmacies]. Gun shows are great places to get surplus,
mil spec-quality first aid equipment, along with catalog houses that supply
paramedics or EMS personnel. The best book on the subject is the US Army Special
Forces Medical Manual, available anywhere, along with “Where There
is No Doctor” and “Where
There is No Dentist”. (I will
cover medicine in a survival situation in greater detail in another post.)
Learn how to take your blood pressure, especially pre- and post-exercise so
you understand the difference between resting and active pulse. The various
military physical fitness programs are all available on the web. Pick one that
you can realistically follow upon consulting your physician, and then be rigorous
in its application.
You want lean, endurance-based conditioning – not necessarily big bulky
SEAL-like muscles. I can remember from my [USMC Force] Recon days watching
these guys while with them at dive school, getting all bulked-up and then not
being
able
to
run worth a damn with my fellow Marines. You want endurance, endurance, endurance.
Muscles will come, and remember: shooting skills are as much a kata as a karate
movement and are technique-based on a solid, lithe platform. Incorporate a
martial art into your training regimen if possible. This can be a speed bag,
or large punching bag, dojo work, sparring with a partner or any other self-defense
program. These teach discipline, respect for the art, and most importantly,
stamina and situational awareness, all priceless skills in a crisis situation.
These types of activities begin to solidify the warrior mindset, and in solidifying
this mindset, you now assume the duty, indeed the responsibility to only use
these skills in the protection of kith and kin, and not as a license to bully,
cajole, or simply show-off. Many years ago my first sensei gave me an axiom
that rings very true: “One warrior may spot another in an instant. Be
it by the way he moves or by the way people avoid him. The problem lies when
would-be warriors and/or fools attack a true warrior. The fool may seem to
back the warrior down, but the warrior knows by instinct that he outclasses
the opponent and does nothing, or just kills.” By increasing you martial
acuity, you will soon learn to spot fools, an invaluable skill not only in
crisis situations, but in life in general.
Learn to live in the outdoors. Go camping or hiking with your family as much
as possible. Carry weight when you hike, so you get used to load bearing. Increase
it, and record you accomplishments. Not only is it great exercise, but it allows
for team-building activities and provides an avenue to understand group dynamics
and how task-oriented your family is or is not and what your personal and familial
endurance levels are and should be. Bring map and compass and learn orienteering
skills, and if possible, find the local orienteering club and go on organized
compass courses when you can. Land navigation is an invaluable skill along
with map reading (topographic – not your normal service station map of
greater Canton…). This was the greatest challenge when I attended [US
Army] Ranger school, the skills of pace-setting and azimuth shooting, particularly
at night.
Remember, you may not have the luxury of G.O.O.D. as
a family unit, so it is imperative everyone know how to find your retreat,
rally point, or rendezvous
site by azimuth and location. Moreover, in fleeing, you may need to alter your
route intentionally if pursued, and you will want to keep your bearings so
you eventually end-up where you need to be. This will help bond your family
unit, and help in math skills with kids. Thinking on your feet and being able
to understand where you are without navigational aids is the ideal. Hold a
rehearsal drill with a prize or incentive at least yearly. Also have a vehicle
plan that works on the same level – and here any of the relatively inexpensive
commercial GPS systems
can be a great help. However, don’t become reliant
on them, as they fail, they require power, and they can be tracked. Map and
compass are best – master them. Have your kids join the scouting movement
in your area as this will also provide an inroad to appreciating living rough.
I learned more about outdoor living in my 10 years of scouting than was ever
taught to me in the many schools (with the exception of S.E.R.E. – Survival,
Evasion, Rescue, and Escape) that I attended whilst in the military. Lastly,
get local
guidebooks that identify edible plants and animals indigenous to your potential
egress/retreat area. Again, take the family out and do some plant, bird, and
animal spotting. Knowing how animals behave – particularly what they
eat – can give you insight into how they react around humans, particular
those humans not know to them. Understand the ebb and flow of the environment
around your egress and retreat area. The warrior knows his terrain intimately
and it is a force-multiplier in a crisis situation. From the Art of War,
on the Varieties of Terrain for the commander: “if ignorant of the conditions
of mountains, forests, dangerous defiles, swamps and marshes he cannot conduct
the march of the army…”
We’ve now started to look at incorporate an intelligence gathering outlook
on life, followed by a fit state of readiness for the unexpected, now what
about conflict? Unless you live in a state that allows concealed carry, you
most likely will not have much experience in the carry of, or more importantly,
the skills of living with loaded firearms. The old soldier’s adage of
training as you will fight is key here: living with live weapons does not impart
a casual familiarity that can lead to tragedy, more so the understanding of
levels of readiness depending on the scenario. Combat pistol and rifle craft
will be followed in another post and there as many philosophies as there are
gurus. I subscribe to the school of Jeff Cooper and Mel Tappan, and readers
are encouraged to seek out their writings. Suffice to say, in regards to our
emerging warrior ethos, the idea is mastery, as a weapon is only as effective
as the mindset and situational awareness of the person wielding that weapon.
Begin to think of becoming one with your chosen piece; don’t choose a
combat handgun, rifle or shotgun simply on caliber and aesthetic appeal. You
want to ensure you have good grip control, eye relief (for rifles) and for
shotguns, that the stock fits snugly when snapping the weapon to your shoulder.
This is especially critical when fitting weapons for women and children. Your
martial mentality is the platform for that weapon to be effective so it is
imperative it feel comfortable. Next, find an air pistol and air rifle that
resemble your chosen battery. Rather than wasting ammo “snapping-in” on
the range (and fielding potential embarrassing and/or curious questions), use
these tools to get the feel for breath control, trigger pull and eye relief.
Use toy soldiers to simulate range. If you pick a particularly loud air rifle,
check local ordnances prior to beginning your training. I have used air pistols
in my garage for many years with no problem. Just ensure you have sufficient
target backing. You will be amazed by how well you shoot your live weaponry
once you’ve disciplined your stance, breathing and bench positions with
the air weapons.
One of the reasons I stress familiarity with a martial art is that all involve
a relatively similar pre-contact stance. That is, feet slightly wider than
shoulder width, a light bend in the knees coupled with a straight back and
slight relaxation in the elbows in a punching position. This easily translates
into the FBI “A” (“triangle,” “apex,” etc.)
shooting position when using a pistol. There are a variety of shooting stances;
find one you’re comfortable with and practice it until it becomes rote.
I like to shoot on BLM land where I can set up a loose range with a variety
of targets that can simulate a variety of situations. Moreover, one can carry
side arms “live,’ the most important part of the exercise. Always
use caution and appoint one of your group as range master. I cannot emphasize
enough the importance in warrior thought of acclimation to daily use of one’s
weapons. Each pistol, rifle and shotgun, and the associated ammunition and
accessories, all have specific, indeed quirky, characteristics that are best
discovered and addressed in a benign environment. Another advantage of the
informal range is practicing contact drills in the form of fast draw and point
shooting; again, topics for another time, but key to the mindset. In conjunction
with the mechanics of the draw and basic tactical levels (safe – elevated – hostile),
there is the consideration of dress and load-bearing equipment. We’ve
all seen pictures of militia-types and airsoft rifle enthusiasts kitted-out
to the nines, but in reality, no warrior worth their salt dresses in such a
poseur fashion.
Kit should be scenario, then mission-driven. It’s ok to mix commercial
and military gear, as it gives you the best of both worlds, along with adaptability
and more importantly, a covert OPSEC profile. One need not run around in camouflage
with chickenplate-enabled body armor and all the other stuff that goes with
such a mindset in order to present a hardened, tactical, preparedness profile.
Try running 10 to100 yard wind sprints with what you consider to be “appropriate” gear,
along with running up and down hills, pausing frequently to set-up a shooting
position, and you will soon see what gear is needed and what quickly proves
superfluous. Moreover, one quickly grasps the need for constant conditioning,
proper diet, and rest – again, train with the gear you intend to use
in your preparedness planning. Crisis situations entail short-burst energy
requirements, breath control, noise and movement discipline and a host of soft-skills
that are much more important than having “cool” gear. You may have
the slickest web gear, a trick battery of personal defense weaponry, and way-cool “digital” cammies,
but if you’re too winded to hold an aim point, too thirsty sucking down
water like there’s no tomorrow (and at that rate, there won’t be…),
or cramping and puking for lack of salt, you are now ineffective as a resource,
a drain on those dependent on you, and more likely dead, as you were not sufficiently
aware tactically, as you were too troubled sorting yourself out… The
warrior is ready at all times, and uniformly effective, regardless of time,
place, or contingency.
I rarely wore the same load bearing equipment (LBE) configuration twice, as
operational contexts were always different.
The axioms I lived by were simple
enough: keep your [front] belt area free of any pouches or protuberances; this
allows you to lie flush when rounds start flying; next, position you main weapon’s
magazine pouches on your side, slightly behind your hip or ideally, over your
kidneys, as again, when prone, they are easier to access without elevating
your profile. You drink more than you shoot, so canteens can be located at
the traditional hip pistol position; use [CamelBak-type water] bladders where
possible, as they are less noisy, hold more, and can double as a pillow, rifle
rest or
anything
else
you can come-up with. 1 qt. plastic mil spec canteens are fine, but I normally
carried them on my main LBE framed knapsack or butt back. Use mass to distribute
weight (your hiking with weight pays off here). If you do use them on your
waist belt, ensure they are positioned in such a way that you won’t injure
yourself collapsing quickly on the deck, nor are they in the way of your weapons
carry. Never attach a side-arm to an LBE belt that leaves your body. Drop-leg
pistol holsters seem all the rage, and for Close Quarters Battle (CQB)
and urban warfare, they have a place. In a retreat scenario, less-so, as they
will
hang on fencing, drag on brush, and hamper quick ingress and egress from vehicles.
Use good quality leather or black nylon (i.e. low-profile, non-martial appearing)
pistol dress when not in tactical mode, and again, wear it as often as possible
so it becomes second-nature. Shoulder holsters are good for this as well; just
ensure it fits, can carry spare magazines, and that you have practiced drawing
from the holster so it is not a liability. As to holster location, again, this
is personal preference, as some like to cross-draw (i.e. a right-handed shooter
holsters their piece on the left hip, magazine facing the target, and draws
across the body) or use the simple hip draw. [JWR Adds: The
disadvantages of cross-draw rigs have been previously discussed in the blog.]
Concealed carry
is much in the same vein, although by its very nature, you normally carry
a
smaller
weapon,
using a variety of purpose-built holsters on the arms, legs, inside the belt,
or small of the back. I like the small of the back myself. Constantly experiment
with your LBE until it is no longer “fiddly” and fits and works
the way you desire. Run in it, dive on the ground in it, get it wet, understand
how it behaves in a variety of circumstances. Use black electrical tape, or
ideally, mil spec“100 mph tape” (in reality, olive-colored gaffer
tape) to secure loose straps and to cover metal or plastic tabs or sharp edges
that might become noisy or otherwise problematic in use. Don’t use black
duct tape as it is too sticky and leaves a residue that gets on everything.
In recapping the warrior mentality relative to equipment, remember that less
is indeed more; the more you pre-place, the less you need in a bug-out kit.
Blend in and look "conformist" as much as possible, using situational
awareness, concealed carry, and normal attire when going about your business
in urban
and non-conflict
rural areas. Don’t depend entirely on surplus or new mil spec gear; use
the best kit for the job, but more so, maintaining a martial “look” may
draw the authority’s attention or encourage other fools of a tin soldier
mentality to take you on. Adjust your kit profile to the appropriate level
of security and risk and you should be fine. Lastly, you must reconcile in
your mind the concept of deadly force. Regardless of how prepared your scenario,
you may be forced to confront those that wish you harm, and you will die if
you start the mental ethical thought process at the contact point. Knowing
your tools, knowing where to shoot, and understanding the need to shoot will
allow you the upper hand when dealing with fools. Concise action can often
abrogate the need for violence; so again, preparedness can be as much a tool
of avoidance as much as kinetic action. Deadly force will comprise several
upcoming posts and I will also provide a topical reading list in the next few
weeks, addressing not only use of deadly force, but the warrior mindset, how
to plan and what constitutes strategy, tactics, and conflict. In the meantime,
start thinking about times you’ve been scared, or in a heightened state
of anxiety, or even shot at. What went on in your mind? How perceptive were
you? What physiological signs manifest themselves? How did you compensate?
In short, begin to analyze things from an angle of what you would do, say in
an airplane crash or severe auto accident – I call this reaction planning,
and it will save your life. Understand that danger has constants, just like
any other natural phenomena. The more you think of “what-ifs?” the
more you will be ready for crisis.
In closing, preparedness, like any other skill, is much, much more mental than
physical. The successful preparedness planner is in essence a renaissance thinker,
as you must understand and appreciate a variety of skills, and master the most
critical at least at a basic level. In creating this series of articles, I
will be working with a variety of assumptions: many of my readers will have
had some military or scouting background, and possess a passing familiarity
with firearms. You may have only just started to think about contingency planning,
and I encourage you to mine the marvelous resources of SurvivalBlog. Next,
that you have families, and you intend to incorporate your family or immediate
friends or relatives into your planning; also, you are in the early days of
simply trying to sort through the myth and reality of what the preparedness
movement and mindset entails, along with the commiserate moral, ethical, and
practical considerations one must entertain to not only thrive in a crisis
situation, but also maintain the social mores of being a good citizen, neighbor
and staying within the remit of reasoned law. And like a good scout: Be Prepared… Stay
tuned! - "Jeff Trasel"
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Stocking Up on Socks and Underwear »
Letter Re: Salt Intake
JWR:
A friend and I went to a Civilian Marksmanship
Program (CMP) match
last weekend. It was a good clinic to learn how to hit a long distance static
target. (Cough.) Say what you will about how
useful that it, I think that learning many different techniques for doing a
thing gives you a better understanding of the thing. In this case marksmanship.
On to the point. We both ended up drinking three liters of water over the course
of the day. The next day I could barely balance, couldn't eat, was mostly incoherent
(felt stupid). I drank water for the entire morning and didn't get better.
I had a can of V8 (high sodium) [tomato juice cocktail] and was better within
20 minutes. Salt is your friend. - Ben M.
« Letter Re: Alaska as a Retreat Locale |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: More About Recent Flooding in the US Midwest
Jim,
I'm sending a follow-up to your link on the
historic flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Typical issues: Roads closed or collapsed, bridges flooded or swept away, traffic
jams for miles, power and gas outages, water shortages, businesses closed,
forced evacuation of 20,000 people included the local jails and a hospital.
Cleanup will take months, and there will be shortages of construction material.
Heck, we had shortages of lumber and sheetrock in Iowa during the Florida and
Louisiana hurricanes.
And what has become typical - jurisdictional disputes. Local law enforcement
has its own issues, but FEMA doesn't play well with others.
Armed police and National Guardsmen stood ready to prevent you from re-entering
your neighborhood and your property. First, they and the fire department will
break into your home to determine if it is safe for you to enter. Then they "allow" you
one trip, only to your home, and only to retrieve what you can carry on your
back.
Watch
the YouTube clip at the 1:58 mark. Sometimes those who "protect
and serve" are
not very friendly. And "contraband" items were not overlooked. It
would be a kick in the teeth to return home to an arrest warrant.
What made the flood more destructive was the fact that the crest predictions
were off by 10 feet and overwhelmed the levees. People who felt safe by moving
their possessions to the second floor found that the unanticipated extra 10
feet of dirty river water invaded that, too. One might want to rent a storage
garage (on a high hill!) when the flood warning is posted.
BTW, I received my .45 ACP Springfield XD [pistol] Saturday along with the
rest of the
Front
Sight "Get a Gun" training and gear package. I've attended Orange
Gunsite for rifle and pistol, but it's been some time. This [pair of courses
at Front Sight] should be fun. Thanks for giving
me the push I needed.
- Redmist
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes from JWR »
After 10 Years--Some Observations and Lessons Learned by a Y2K-Era Prepper
It was June, 1998. Y2K was
a salient topic of conversation. It got my attention. When the electricity
went off and there would be no water to drink, and no
fuel to move food to the JIT grocery
stores, I could see things getting very ugly. I had been willing to fight
for this nation as a member of the US Army.
Now it was time to fight for my household. I bought a Springfield Armory
M1A. I bought a safe to store it in. I bought another M1A (for
the spousal unit of course!) I bought ammo. Lots of it. I bought gear. I
bought food.
I became awakened to the idea of being self-reliant.
That was 10 years ago. Y2K didn’t cause a global melt down. (Although
I have a friend in the service that sat in a command bunker holding his breath
at Y2K – the
government didn’t know what was going to occur.) I
have not had to live through or endure Hurricane
Katrina. No participation
in the 9/11 attacks.
In fact, I can’t claim a campaign ribbon for any
disasters. Am I upset or sorry that I have changed my life to follow a path
of self-reliance? Most definitely, absolutely not!
Let me share with you the good and the bad of what I have done in the last
ten years. So often, people new to self-reliance are like ants at the foot
of a mountain staring up with their head touching their back wondering how
in the world they will ever be able to replace modern society and be able to
take care of themselves WTSHTF.
Well, truth be told, you can’t do it
overnight unless you’re Warren Buffet. I am walking, talking living proof,
however, that you can make significant progress. Let me show you!
In order to show you that you do indeed have cause for hope, let me share
a
few of my screw-ups. How about the initial purchases I made
while in a state of “marked concern” when I became “self
aware” with
regard to self – reliance. The money I invested in self-reliance was
my spousal unit’s “down payment on a house”. Do you think
this view of “my nest” versus “the world may end” led
to some intense “discussions”? You bet your last dog flea it did.
For much of the intervening 10 years I have been the one prepping while my
wife harbored a severe grudge against the entire topic because I spent our
money for the house down payment on crazy self-reliance materials. A grade
of “F” to
me for consensus building. She is just beginning to come around in the last
two years. Poster child example of a bucket of wet sand. (If two guys fight,
they belt each other like two crazed wolverines. Eventually they realize they
were stupid for fighting, shake hands, forgive and are back to being friends.
Kinda like a cow urinating on a big flat rock – big splash and splatters,
but it dries up pretty quickly. Get in an argument with a gal and it is like
pouring water into
a bucket of sand – the surface may dry after a bit, but it stays wet
down in that bucket for a long time.)
I very religiously squirreled away Gillette Atra razors because that is what
I used each day. The handle that you click onto the blade cartridge gave up
the ghost after many years of faithful service. The stores don’t sell
them anymore! Now I have three dozen packs of five cartridges with no way to
use them to shave! Fortunately, I did find a second/spare handle in my stores
and
will
be able to use them up. Did I re-learn some valuable lessons? You bet!
Two is one, and one is none.
You need to see what you have (inventories!)
Store what you Eat/use – I did great on the cartridges, but forgot
spare handles!
In the run-up to Y2K I bought a dozen 6 volt golf cart batteries to be able to
set-up some kind of power system in the house. Great intent. No photovoltaic
panels No wiring until last year. They have been “stored” sitting
on pallets in a friends storage building for 9 years because I have not been
able to get
to the replacement power system yet. I could have used that money for a higher
priority item.
The spousal unit and I built our home last year. We did many things very right.
Some learning experiences occurred, however. Maybe chief amongst them is my
underestimation of the massiveness of the size of this endeavor! I joke with
friends about not being free from the To Do list to be able to get into trouble
for at least five years! Fix the septic pond berms. Sort out the “scrap” lumber.
Put a deck on the back of the house so the [building] code Nazis will give
us the permanent occupancy permit. Fix the leaking pressure tank in the basement.
Fix the DR
mower. Mow. Clear 30 trees dropped to get the septic pond clearance (not done
with that one yet). Cut and split and stack firewood. The list goes on. Don’t
get me wrong – I would not trade my homestead back for city living for
anything. Was I able to foresee the "second & third order effects” of
the change to a country homestead? Nope. Not even having read Backwoods Home
magazine for 8 years. Thank God I listened to my in-laws and did not try
to finish the upstairs interior construction while living downstairs!
Prior to Y2K I tried very hard to create a group. It failed in many ways. Had
Y2K caused the feared problems, we would have been road kill. Okay, we would
have been the third or fourth critter on the highway run over by life, but
we were
nowhere near ready to deal with WTSHTF/TEOTWAWKI.
The Yuppie Queen and her husband went right back to spoiling their princess/daughter,
buying Jaguars, clothes,
and hair implants. You know - living the typical American city life. The other
couple moved out onto 20 acres in a very rural county and raise goats and chickens.
I am on 20+ acres and moving in a self-reliant direction. Two out of three
ain’t
bad!
I endured the gauntlet of multiple careers trying to find a fit for who I am.
Thankfully, my spousal unit was trained well by her farmer parents. We never
carried any debt other than the mortgage. One thing we did do smart was under-buy
on our home with a condo (sixplex) in town. No car payments. No credit card
payments. We kept 3-6 months of expenses in savings. One business venture was
as a franchisee for Idiotstate. Massive mistake. Four years with no income
for me and a net loss of $60,000 overall. What preps could you get done with
an
extra $60,000? I am certainly not happy I put one in the “L” column.
I am not proud of failing. I am proud of jumping into the fight and giving
it my 110%. As they used to tell me in the military, “What an opportunity
for character building!” Learning lesson for me was that I should never
have stopped Soldiering. I simply have green blood. I have returned to the
Army by working as a tactical/leadership contractor at a nearby Fort and getting
reappointed into the National Guard. Will a deployment take me away from directly
protecting The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU)? Yes. Does staying employed doing
what God designed me to do mean we’ll have a steady income? Likely. Does
a pension check from age 65 on make us better able to care for ourselves? You
betcha. The world may not disintegrate in 30 days. It may actually remain fairly
normal. One has to prepare for that contingency as well.
By now you have to be thinking “What a knothead! This guy couldn’t
find his fourth point of contact if you put one hand on a cheek!” Well,
not so fast there Skippy! I have a thing or two that should go in the “W” column.
I should give you a massive dose of hope! Let me describe to you in a quick
overview where I have come to in my 10 year quest to become more self-reliant.
First, about our home…
Home
Your home is your castle, right? Well mine actually kinda is. It sets on a
chunk of land that is 20+ acres. The terrain is rolling and 95% wooded. It
butts up against a cemetery to the north, a 900+ acre conservation area to
the south, a river to the west, and a section line to the east. The home is
an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF)
structure. The walls are 1” of concrete
fake rock veneer, 2.5” of foam, 8” of reinforced concrete, 2.5” of
foam, 5/8” of sheetrock. It is “round”, being made up of
12 wall sections each 8 feet in width. Two stories with a basement. About
1,800 square feet of living space. (2,700 with the basement, however, that
area is not finished yet.) Geothermal heating/cooling and a soapstone wood
stove.
Metal roof. No carpeting – oak floors and tile. The wellhead
is inside the home so I don’t have to worry about winter breakdowns or freeze-ups,
nor losing access WTSHTF. We are running at top speed towards the 20% equity
checkpoint in order to get rid of the bankster-invented Private Mortgage Insurance
(PMI) extortion racket. (We have a credit rating of 804, so the “risk” the
bank incurs by carrying our note is a freaking joke!). It suits our lifestyle
very,
very
well. Our intent was to have a very low maintenance home. Having lived here
one year in two more weeks, it looks like we have a very big check mark in
the “W” column. More details on the design/floor plan in a future
article!
Weapons & Training
We have an M1A set-up for combat, and one set up for long-range precision work.
The Glock 21
[.45 ACP] is the base pistol for the household, with one for each of us and
a G30 [compact Glock .45 ACP] as back-up. The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU) doesn’t
carry a rifle or carbine, just the pistol. (More on that later.) Training for
both of us
includes Defensive
Handgun 1 and Team Tactics with Clint and Heidi Smith at Thunder Ranch. I have
also had General Purpose, Urban, and Precision Rifle with Clint. I completed
a special symposium at Gunsite (pistol, rifle, shotgun, carbine). I am an NRA Certified
pistol, rifle, and home defense instructor. I have several other weapon platforms
as a “Dan Fong” kind of guy. The two rifles with
accoutrements, and the four pistols with same were certainly not cheap. Nor
was the training. I do, however, know how to properly employ them now.
Food & Supplies
The spousal unit & I could stretch the on-hand food to cover two years.
Canned freeze dried is 45% of it, bulk buckets is 45%, and “normal use” food
is the last 10%. We have built a rolling rack set of shelves for the 3rd part
to ease rotation of the canned goods with each grocery store trip. No, I haven’t
found the secret spy decoder ring sequence on how to rotate the bulk and freeze-dried
stuff with our normal, both of us work, lifestyle. The sticking point for this
area I see is that WTSHTF, Mom & Dad in-law, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law
with wife and two princesses (one with hubby), and my Mom & her husband
will
show up on our doorstep. That makes for an even dozen mouths to fee
Security
Now for a bit more detail. First topic up, IAW my military training, is Security.
The base of everything here is God. I have chosen to bend my knee to Jesus
Christ as my Lord and Savior. I can amass all the weapons, ammo, food and “stuff” you
can imagine, but He is the one ultimately in charge. I am charged to be a prudent
steward of His possessions - my family, property, vehicles, food, weapons,
ammo, etc.. I am definitely striving to be the ant storing things for the winter.
If you ain’t right in this area, it will really matter in eternity.
Part of your security is weapons. There are sheeple, wolves, and sheepdogs.
I am definitely in the 3rd category. In today’s world your “teeth” are
your firearms. I plan from a Boston T. Party paradigm of having a battle rifle.
Hence, the M1A. Were I starting over today, I would likely go with a FAL, but
now "I will dance with the one that brung me". Or maybe just accept the brilliance
of the M1
Garand at $620 delivered to your doorstep from the Civilian Marksmanship
Program (CMP).
I do have two of these. Hard to argue with .30-06 ball. I renovate Mausers
as my hobby and so have a .35 WAI scout rifle. A second one in the
more common 7.62x51 chambering is in work now. I laos have a Mossberg 835 [riotgun],
two Ruger 10/22s (one blued, one stainless), Ruger MKII stainless .22 LR pistol,
S&W
625 pistol in .45 ACP/.45
Auto Rim, a few Enfields, and a couple of Mosin-Nagants round out the field.
Let me detail for you the path to get to the Glocks. I think it may save you
some of your money. I received a Colt Gold Cup [M1911]
.45 ACP pistol from my Dad as a graduation gift from the Hudson Home For Boys
[aka USMA West Point].
Great
intent. A weapon as a gift – how can you ever be wrong in doing this?!
However, a terrible choice as a combat weapon. The Gold Cup is a target pistol.
Tight
tolerances.
Feeds only hardball, and that can be tenuous proposition. I carried it on the
East-West German border leading patrols. The rear sight broke twice. The front
sight shot off once and tore off twice. It was a jammomatic. I hated it. Sold
it to a guy that wanted to target shoot.
Took that money and bought a stainless Ruger P90DC. Sack of hammers tough.
always goes bang when you pull the trigger. Inexpensive as far as handguns
go. After some marked de-horning, you could even make it run in a fight without
shredding you at the same time. One marked problem. Two [different weight]
trigger pulls [for first round double action versus subsequent round single
action.]. This started to teach me to throw the muzzle down as I pulled the
trigger in
double
action.
This nasty habit caused a problem when you were firing the 2nd through X rounds,
as now it operates as a single action. TLSU had a heck of a time with it at
Thunder Ranch. Clint loaned her his G21. No more trigger problems.
Still bowing at the altar of the 1911, I bought a Kimber Compact to carry instead
of the Ruger. (I still have the Ruger – it is still “the gun that
my Dad gave me” and no one buys the P90 used for anywhere near it’s
initial cost, so I can’t sell it without taking a significant bath on
it.) The Kimber was going well. Then I got a little too aggressive at slamming
magazines home in the shortened grip and jammed it. Then the recoil rod unscrewed
itself during an IPSC run
and seized the gun while messing up the trigger. Off to Kimber. Free warranty
work and 48 hours without my self-defense pistol.
Now I have no confidence in the pistol. I Loc-Tite’d the recoil rod
and staked it so it wouldn’t come undone again. Then I sold it.
Glocks cost roughly one-half of what a Kimber does. Crummy factory sights,
but all my pistols wear tritium anyway. No ambidextrous safety required. My
short fingers are
mated to big palms, so I can handle the grip. TLSU has been trained on the
Glock Model 21 (G21). It ain’t an issue of psychological derangement
like many guys get about their 1911/Glock/H&K/Springfield, but it is a
comfortable and working relationship between Glock & I. I have a G21 and
a G30 for both of us. They always go bang accurately and they have never rusted.
I am
not
pleased
with Gaston [Glock]’s refusal to take responsibility for any mistakes
they make in manufacturing. No problems with the G21 however. A pistol is what
you
use
to fight your way back to your rifle, which you shouldn’t have laid down
in the first place.
M1As hit my safe because it is what I knew from the service. They also fire
a full power cartridge, 7.62x51. It makes cover into concealment. I don’t
have the other 10 guys in an infantry squad fighting with me so I can maneuver
under their covering fire. I have to hit the bad guy with a powerful blow once
and move on to the next wolf/bad guy. Mouse guns firing rabbit rounds don’t
scratch that itch for me. To each his own. My two are old enough to have USGI
parts and good quality control. Here are the mods I made to my “combat” M1A.
Maybe they will help you:
Krylon paint job to disrupt the "big black stick" look
M60 [padded] sling
Front sight filed down so that zero is achieved with the rear sight bottomed
out
Handguard ventilated
National Match trigger group, barrel, and sights (came as a “Loaded” package
from Springfield)
Rear aperture drilled out to make it a ghost ring
Skate board tape on slick metal butt plate
For the “Surgical” M1A (it shoots1/2 minute when I do my part):
National Match loaded package
Trigger assembly additionally tuned at factory
Unitized gas system
Factory bedded
Stainless barrel
Swan rings and QD bases
Leupold M3 3.5-10x40 scope
Handmade leather cheekrest
Other weapons - I have two M1
Garands. Both were bought from the CMP. One
is stored offsite with a "Bug-In Bag" (BIB). One is a Danish return, less
wood, that I re-stocked. TLSU has claimed this one as hers. Ammo from the CMP
is
cheaper
than any
other cartridge out there, save the communist surplus stuff. An M1917 Enfield
(also
from CMP) is in the safe, along with a 2A, a #3, and a #4. A VZ24 is stored
offsite. The first Mauser I renovated is sitting there as an additional .30-06
with a Trijicon 3-9x40 tritium-lit scope. A Remington 700 with Leupold VX-II
scope is in the safe, but likely to be sold soon. A Mosin-Nagant (M44 or
M38) ride in each vehicle.
I formerly had [Ruger] Mini-30s. I could never find any 20 or 30 round magazines
that would function reliably. I sold them and got SKS carbines. When I quit
holding out
for TLSU to become a Warrior and carry one, I sold them off to fund other
toys. I am pondering the purchase of an AK folder because it is a sack of
hammers
tough and can be transported discretely. I don’t know if I have ever
come out on the positive side when selling a gun. Now I have to re-buy an
AR-15 to have one for training purposes. The SKSs could be useful for arming
the
family showing up on your doorstep. Hindsight being 20/20, I would caution
against selling any gun you buy. (The 700 mentioned above is a 2nd precision
weapon and I have no AK to train with. Still deciding.)
Ammo is required to feed these weapons. I have over 10,000 rounds of 7.62x51.
I have over 10,000 rounds of .22 LR. No, I don’t think these amounts
are enough. Now that the costs of ammo have risen to heart stopping levels,
I really don’t feel like I bought enough in the past!
I need to plus up the quantities/smatterings of other cartridges that I have
like .30-30 Winchester, .270 Winchester,
.40 S&W.
The location of my home is the best I could get balancing competing requirements.
It is as far from the city as we can get and still stomach the drive to work.
It is between two major line of drift corridors – 12 miles to the major
one, 8 miles to the secondary one. It is bordered by neighbors on only one
side. The folks in the cemetery don’t say much. The critters in the
wildlife area are more vocal - the ducks, turkeys, geese, hoot owls, loons,
coyotes
sound off regularly. We don’t mind. About 95% of the property is wooded.
A few hickory, lots of oak. walnut, (unfortunately) locust trees are all
there.
The local river comes out of it’s banks about every other year and
blocks our driveway for several days, but never comes near the house. The
German Shorthair
is long in the tooth for security, but she is there. A new pup is in the
pipeline.
I would feel a great deal more secure if the homestead was picked up and
dropped into Idaho or Alaska. It is about as good as we can do, though, staying
near
a major city so we can have decent paying jobs. There are some improvements
we can make though. I just bought a weather alert radio from Cabela’s
today. Tough to hear tornado sirens when you live miles away and have 1 foot
thick walls! We need a driveway monitor/alarm. Again, the superior insulation
of
the walls means we hear nothing outside. I can see the utility
of sandbags if things got really ugly. Some more land line communication
assets would be
useful. I think an AR-15 for training people would be useful, as would an
AK. Overall, I think we have done pretty well in the security arena.
Our Home
We started the 10 years in a condo. It was part of a six-plex set on a small
pond. I hate Homeowner’s Associations and their covenants! We could afford
the mortgage on one of our two paychecks. Good thing! I didn’t get a
paycheck for four years. We scraped by. Two years after re-entering the job
market we built our house. We worked on the plans for five years. Beware! Finding
a property piece and building a non-shoebox home on it is not for the feint
of
heart!
You effectively are funding the construction of a mini town. You build and
maintain mini roads (your driveway). You must build and maintain a mini sewage
plant (Your septic system/pond). You must build and maintain a mini water plant.
(Your well.) You must perform mowing and tree removal for the mini parks of
your town (Your “yard”/acreage). I will write a separate article
detailing our construction woes.
Let me highlight some of the self-reliant features of the house for you. We
did not want to spend a constant stream of Federal Reserve Notes [FRNs]on
maintenance. We used insulated concrete form (ICF) construction for the structural
strength
and the energy efficiency. The metal roof should outlast us. The geothermal
and
the
R-50 walls
of the
ICF are paying us back the initial investment in construction costs. We opted
for no carpeting due to the track in mud nature of the property, having a dog,
and me having allergies. Wood and tile floors don’t hold dirt like carpets
do. Less fire hazard as well. We used commercial steel doors for the exterior
and security-need spots. They have ASSA
[high security] locks. They have peepholes.
The basement has a 10’ square root cellar for the storage of canned produce
from the garden. It also has a safe room/shelter. 12” of concrete overhead.
The well head is enclosed in it. Land line telephone and power service into
it via buried lines. Food stored in it. DC wiring
in place to the attic for when we get to the photovoltaic [PV]
system. We also ran DC wires to each room in the house for the use of LED lighting
off of a battery system. The soapstone
wood
stove
augments the electrically driven geothermal. (In spite of several damaging
thunderstorms this past year, we have not lost power so far – great job
juice Coop!)
The stairwell was kicked out onto the W/NW of the house. This shields the house
from the hottest part of the day’s sunlight, and the coldest winter winds.
We made the stairwell an extra foot wide. What a huge nice difference that
foot makes to walking up and down each day, not to mention moving stuff up
or down them! The mud porch/entry was set up for coming in with muddy boots,
or for snow covered coats. We should have made it 1’ wider, as it can
be a little tight. The bench is great for donning/doffing boots. The tile is
easy to clean the muddy paw prints, human or canine, off of.
Windows were one of the few areas that caused some fireworks. TLSU wanted a
green house in order to take advantage of the great view of the property. I
wanted firing ports to defend against mutant zombie hordes. I am still hugely
uncomfortable with the nakedness the windows leave us with. Yes the view is
great, but what about when we experience incoming rounds, or more mundanely,
when someone comes out to the property while we are away from the house all
day at work and they help themselves to our stuff? Some relief is in sight,
however. We are pricing Shattergard vinyl film for the ground floor windows.
Things That are Still Need on the Home
The great thing about the R-50 ICF walls is that they are R-50 and pretty tough.
The bad thing is that they are R-50 and pretty tough. We can’t hear anything without
a door or window being open. Hence the just purchased weather alert radio for
us from Cabela’s this week. It is kind of eerie waking up at
0200 hours and having no idea if the thunderstorm is just a thunderstorm or
if it is a tornado. The television is useless when the rain is so heavy that
the dish won’t get a signal. With regard to 2-legged varmints, a driveway
MURS Alert
system is on the purchase list as we have had multiple invited guests show
up, beat on the front door, and have to walk around to the living room
windows to get our attention so they can be let inside. Okay for invited guests – certainly
too close for uninvited varmints!
The entry hallway was one of TLSU’s “must haves” in the house
layout. It has worked out well in terms of traffic flow and such. The security
door at the foot of the stairs is a tough choke point to deal with at 0500
in the dark. No light installed there means nothing is visible through the
peephole.
I will have to install a camera and/or light so I don’t open it to let
the dog out in the morning and get rushed by 2-legged varmints.
So far, the only commo needs are between myself and TLSU. When the sister-in-law,
brother-in-law, parents-in-law and my Mom show up and we start pulling
security, we will need to be able
to talk more. I have an old set of TA-312 [field telephone]s and wire for the
primary LP/OP,
but obviously will need more in this area. Just not a sexy/fun area to spend
FRNs on for a combat arms kinda guy, but I am working on the self-discipline
needed.
We did look ahead and sink the FRNs into running 12V wires in the home for
future installation of PV panels and batteries. Obviously things like the Shattergard
film, more food, more Band-aids, etc., are of a higher priority though. We
are working our tails off to reach the 20% equity mark to get rid of the PMI
extortion as well. I still have an ASSA lock to install on the shelter door,
and one to put into the basement door. Other projected door enhancements include
armor plates for the front, outside basement, shelter, and outside storage
doors. There just never seems to be enough $ to go around, does there?
The other major source of fireworks during the home design/build was on-demand
water heaters. Having taken a 30 minute hot shower with one in Germany for
5 marks while on an FTX, I well understand what a brilliant piece of technology
they are. TLSU, having never been outside of CONUS cannot give up on the electric
water heater. She still doesn’t believe that the electricity will ever
go out for more than an hour or two. Wouldn’t it be great to be able
to draw hot water at the kitchen sink, and take a hot shower from a propane
fired on-demand heater? She doesn’t get it yet. Obviously not something
to break up a marriage over. We really did very well on the whole house building
thing. The opposite of what everyone warned us about. I am pretty proud of
that performance!
Food
We started a garden this spring. So far, it is an endeavor run by TLSU. Spinach,
onions, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beets, and some herbs. I have not been
able to convince her to expand the size. She wants to learn in steps and I
am the whacko that orders 100 seedlings at a time from the conservation department,
which then overwhelms us in the planting department. For example, the first
iteration of this tree-planting endeavor, we got them the Thursday before Easter
weekend. Friday night and all day Saturday we planted our buns off. TLSU was
indeed a great Trooper about it, planting right along with me. Sunday was spent
at church
and pigging out at family’s homes for Easter. Monday I had shoulder surgery
to grind off bone spurs and remove cartilage chips. Too much, too fast. But
at 7 FRNs per 12 seedlings, how can you argue? I have to admit though, that
after two years of the 100 seedlings, I am ready to give it a rest. This year
we settled for seven apple saplings. Initial inspection of the cherry, pecan,
oak, walnut and persimmon seedlings around the house reveals about an 80% survival
rate. Only another 10 years and we will be getting food from them!
The initial freeze dried and bulk storage food needs to be rotated. Anyone
figured out how to do this kind of at home cooking when the two of you work?
The canned/”normal” food is now being rotated with each grocery
store trip. We have canning jars for this year’s veggies and the root
cellar has a robust collection of shelves to store them on. How much is enough?
I
don’t know. Four geographically separate and secure stashes of three
year’s
worth of food for all of the family? Who knows!?
Medical
I have Boo-boo kits just about everywhere now. You know, the band-aid and antibiotic
salve with ibuprofen kit that handles 90% of life’s issues in this area.
Now comes the high-dollar investment stuff. The combat blow-out packs for gunshot
wounds or serious car wrecks. I did go along on a buying trip to a medical
warehouse and got some catheters, sutures, gauze pads, etc.. I did get in on
the last great iodine buy before our loving big brother government banned the
sale of iodine to us mere citizens. (It is a stewable ingredient to make drugs,
you know – “we must deprive/punish all to protect you from a few.
Oh, well, you don’t need to be able to sterilize water anyway – we’ll
take care of you on that too….”)
TLSU and I eat very healthy food – locally raised beef with no antibiotics
or growth hormones. No growth hormone dairy products from a local dairy. Spinach
from the garden. There are sugar detectors on the doors. Also, no chips allowed.
We get to the dentist regularly. We both do Physical Training (PT)
. She jogs 3 miles, 3-4 times per week. I run over lunch at work about 4 miles,
4-5 times
per week
and
lift
weights twice per week.
“Needed Still” list includes: Blow out kits, more bandages, more
hospital type stuff, more medicines, syrup of ipecac, more antibiotics, more
feminine
stuff (think of a vaginal yeast infection with no drug store open), drinking
alcohol, poison Ivy soap and remedies, athlete’s foot cream, more baby
wipes, more hand sanitizer, all forms of baby stuff, get the bone spur ground
smooth in my other shoulder and the cartilage chips taken out, get rid of the
cat (allergies).
Vehicles
We still have the same vehicles we had in 2001. A 1998 Toyota Corolla bought
with 30,000 miles, and a 1999 Ford Explorer bought with 45,000 miles. Both
were
paid in full when bought. Both avoided the 25% loss of value when driving a
new car off the lot. The Corolla gets 37 MPG.
I hate it. Every bit of plastic on it has broken – the car door locking
mechanisms, the trunk lock, the ventilation system fan. It gets 37 MPG. I can’t
find anything to touch that. The Ford is too big to get decent mileage, and
too small to really be
a useful truck. It is paid for and has AWD/4WD.
It always starts. Both vehicles have BIBs and gas masks in them. Both have
trunk guns. Both have roadside gear
to help ourselves out of a jam. We are saving for the replacement of them both.
We are going to be saving for quite a while. We need more cash in the BIBs
and Bug Out Bags (BOBs)
All of the preps in this section were done via Cabela points. I bought gas
and paid for business expenses - everything I could pay for with a credit card
was paid for with the Cabela’s credit card. You get points at some sickening
rate of $.01/FRN spent, $.02/FRN in the store. However, when you buy $6-8,000/month
of stuff between personal and business stuff, it adds up! The gear for the
BOBs & BIBs, weapons gear and parts – a significant percentage – 85%+
- came from Cabela [credit card bonus] points. When I got birthday or Christmas
monetary gifts I spent them on self-reliance items. We did this never incurring
any
interest
penalties because we zero the balance out each month. Our BOBs are set-up to
sustain us for 10 days. They are packed in Cabela’s wet bags for load
out in five minutes. Originally I sought to wear a tactical vest and ruck.
After two unsuccessful winter BOB campouts where I could barely waddle one
mile with
both of them on at the same time, I dropped the vest. TLSU’s back is
in tough shape due to scoliosis, so she is not humping any mammoth rucks with
the extra three mortar rounds and can of 7.62 linked. We also decided that
the G21 was what she could carry and dropped the SKS and chest pouches of 10
round stripper clips. Her ruck is a Camelback Commander. That is as big of
a ruck as she can hope to carry without killing her back. We are not leaving
home to go on a combat patrol in Hit or Fallujah. We are fleeing some kind
danger and have every intention of avoiding additional entanglements, to include
government hospitality suites in stadiums.
The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU)
I started self-reliance the wrong way. No consensus development. I saw a danger
and acted. I am a male/sheepdog/warrior type. I am not sure that I could have
ever persuaded her to participate in any meaningful manner before Y2K. She
has only recently begun to do so after eight years of seeing me provide for
and protect her. I was, however, stubborn/strong enough to do what I thought
was
the right thing and to heck with what was popular. Most “males” check
their gender specific anatomical gear at the wedding alter and continue on
in sheeple status. I get that females are the nurturers. I get that they work
from an emotional starting point, not logical. Not wanting the tornado to destroy
the house or the hurricane to wreck your and the adjoining three counties is,
at best, the French method of addressing life. TLSU is finally helping me to
rotate food via the grocery store purchases. She no longer rolls her eyes or
sighs disgustedly when I spend my Cabela points to buy gear. Once I explained
to her that I was planning to shelter and feed her parents and siblings and
that our one year of food wasn’t going to feed all of them for very long,
she started to get on board. She even likes spending the points off of her
Cabela’s card now. She is running 3-4 times per week and gets some PT
from work outside in the garden. She has come a long way. As best as I can
tell, she will not ever be a warrior. We have come a substantial distance from
sleeping on the couch each time a self-reliance topic hits the table of discussion
though. A definite and growing check mark in the “W” column!
Skills
Skills that I have acquired:
Rifles – renovating Mausers and training at Thunder Ranch helps
your ability to use these tools immensely.
Soldering – fixing plumbing leaks myself vs. paying a plumber $200
to show up and start billing me for work
Building – I invested 13 full work weeks of time during the building
of our home helping the contractor. Some of it was the nubby work of cleaning
up the scrap and sawdust. Some of it was banging in joist hangers. I laid
all the tile and 95% of the wood flooring in the house.
Fix-it – the DR Brush mower has long passed it’s warranty
period and while performing quite admirably, does need attention every now
and then.
The 1974 F100 demands attention regularly. Each of these repair work challenges
teaches me a little more about mechanical items and taking care of things
myself.
Sewing – Yes, my dear Grandmother taught me to sew buttons, and
my Mom taught me to survival sew/repair things. A 1960 gear driven Singer sews
nylon
gear though!; )
Skills still needed:
More First Aid – it appears that a first responder or wilderness 1st
aid course may be in the cards for this year.
More Hand to Hand – my goals and objectives list has had this goal
on it for several years. Good news – I got started on knocking it off the
list. Bad news, it revealed an “old man” shortcoming in my shoulder.
Good news, I am getting the shoulder fixed (hopefully) during “normal” times
versus after Schumerization. I just may get ambushed and not have my trusty
M1A in hand. Having unarmed defense skills means never having to be a steak
dinner/victim.
More riflesmithing – each birthday or Christmas gift of money has
been partially apportioned to the purchase of gunsmithing tooling. I need more
practice
with the tools I have. I still need more tooling. I recently secured Parkerizing
gear, but have not gotten the metal stands for the tanks built. Still,
progress is progress and I can already do more to maintain weapons than
95% of the
population.
Knife making – I just cringe at the idea of spending $300 for top
quality knives. CRKT is my friend. Even better is learning to assemble the
scales and
blank myself. Eventually, knowing how to forge blanks myself would be useful.
Mill lumber – with 95% of my property wooded, I have the material
to be self-reliant with regard to my lumber needs. I need a way to saw the
tree into lumber though. First, the mill, then the skill to use it. Then
I have
the gear to diversify my income and help others.
Have I always done the smartest thing? Absolutely not! Much to the crazed
satisfaction of a former operator buddy, I have cycled through the “best/high
dollar” gear
approach to the “sack of hammers USGI/AK” school of self-reliance.
Don’t get me wrong – I ain’t surrendering my Kifaru rucks
anytime soon! However, there were a great number of FRNs spent on those self-reliance
tuition payments! Have I learned a lot? Absolutely, yes! Am
I better able to maintain my independence and protect and provide for my
family? Absolutely,
yes! Could you do better than I did? Good chance. Have you
done as much as I have in the last 10 years? Only your freedom, loved ones,
and the quality
of your life post-TEOTWAWKI depend on the answer to that one.
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Letter Re: What is a "Gray" Front Sight Course Certificate?
JWR –
Is the Front Sight certificate [offered in the current auction, and available
as writing contest prizes] good
for
the
course
that
includes
the “free” pistol?
Also, you keep mentioning “gray” certificates but not all of us know
what that means! Thanks, - MDR
JWR Replies: The "gray" course certificate is for one person to attend one
Front Sight four day course (or for two people to attend a two day course.)
The certificates
printed on gray paper are transferable, but are "introductory",
meaning that they can't be used by someone that has already attended a Front
Sight
course.
The four
day courses are normally $2,000.
Front Sight's current "Get
a Gun" training and gear package offer (including a Springfield
Armory XD pistol) is a separate offering. But that also includes a gray course
certificate, which
makes the
offer a real
bargain!
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Letter Re: Observations on Real World Pistol Malfunctions and Failures
Dear James,
I've mentioned to you before that I'm a affiliate instructor with another major
firearms training school. The
comments made [by correspondent PPPP] about pistol malfunctions are 100%
in line with what we see on our firing
lines, as well.
We advise our students to run away screaming from any weapon that has 'target',
'match', 'custom', or 'accurized' stamped on the side of them. It was [Mikhail]
Kalashnikov [the designer of the incredibly robust AK-47] who pointed out to
us all that when you have something with moving parts, the parts need
room to move! Most
custom shop and high dollar pistols are temperamental beasts that react very
poorly
to
heat and
dirt. We see the
$1,200+
[Model]
1911 choke and seize up all the time once the guns get hot. Most people
buy guns
and they
never shoot them, in fact, last time I heard a statistic regarding firearms
usage in the United States, the national average of rounds fired per gun was
seven - and that is over the entire lifetime of
the owner! Manufacturers sell guns that they bet will never see hard use, and
usually
they win that bet. And the
tight, 'accurate' 1911s lead that pack. This is why it is imperative that
every reader of your blog get out to the range and run their guns for real!
Yes, professional schools are expensive and the cost of ammunition is getting
ridiculous, but at risk of sounding like a cheap slogan, how much is your life
worth? Going out for two or three days of intense training will put your weapons
and accessories through the use and abuse you will need to truly decide what
works and what needs a second look, as well as teaching you a host of valuable
skills.
Standing in a booth at the local indoor range, picking your gun up off of a
table, and firing when you choose to at a static piece of paper, is at best
an exercise in marksmanship. You haven't been training for real until things
start breaking. We announce at the beginning of every class, that it is our
sincerest hope, that everything our students brought with them - every gun,
every holster, every magazine - breaks! If it sucks, we want to find
that out
now, not when innocent life is on the line. We run the gear and the
students hard because that is the only way to truly test things, and it's the
best way
to build the confidence of the operator. [JWR Adds: And it
is in grungy conditions that's the best place to learn to do stoppage clearance
drills. If
you can clear a Type
2 stoppage when your gun is filthy, when your arms
are tired, and when you are under stress, then odds are that you can later
do the same in combat. Fine motor skills are sharply degraded when you are
under stress.
Train like you will fight, repetitively!]
Things that I would add to the list of bad ideas:
1.) 8-round magazines for the 1911. I've seen few that finish two days of training
without blowing apart. Usually the floor plate dislodges from the base of the
magazine, leaving the student standing there with a pistol gummed up with loose
rounds, a follower and a spring clogging the ejection port, and a magazine
body that they can't get out of the well. [JWR Adds: The only brands
of 8-round M1911 magazine that I have fond that good strength and longevity
are
original Colt brand, and MetalForm brand. And coincidentally,
Colt now buys all of their .45 ACP M1911 magazines from MetalForm,
under contract. (These are manufactured for Colt by MetalForm, using Colt "rampant
stallion" stamped
floorplates, and sold in Colt packages.)
2.) Recoil buffers - get these out of your life! Get them out of your pistols
and get them out of your rifles! They never fail to disintegrate under heavy
use, rendering the weapon useless until disassembled and cleaned out.
3.) Extended this, and enlarged that. Don't modify guns with oversized slide
stops or extended mag release buttons, mercury guide rods or rubber grip sleeves,
etc... There's one bit of wisdom that I learned the hard way years ago: There
is nothing you can buy, bolt, glue or screw to a gun that will align your sights
and press your trigger for you. You cannot spend money on things to make you
shoot better, regardless of what our modern American mindset tells us. Marksmanship
comes from proper technique and proper practice, and good old fashioned work. Obviously
there are some issues like sharp edges and [S&W]
J-frame [size] grips that are too small for a shooter's hands, but serious
equipment issues are hardly
what
the majority of add-ons sold in the Brownell's catalog are aimed at. Save your
money and spend it on training!
Lastly, I agree with every recommendation the writer mentioned. 'De-horning',
or removing the sharpe edges off of carry guns, is highly recommended and something
I have done to all of my concealment guns! And de-cocking the SIG [pistol]s
before re-holster is mandatory on our range - as a matter
of fact, we teach that the pistol be de-cocked every time the trigger finger
breaks
contact with the trigger
and returns to register. This way, the trigger is reset to the position that
the trigger finger is used to finding it every time it enters the trigger guard.
That applies to all of the de-cocker equipped pistols - [such as] H&K USPs,
Beretta 92s, Walther PPKs, et cetera.
The instructor who wrote the letter that you posted is obviously one of the
good ones, and anyone within range of him would be well served by attending
his
course!
-
Bill from Ohio
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Do It Yourself Coffee Roasting »
Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival
Jim,
I saw the article that mentioned Reloading for autoloading rifles, and some comments
that seemed to not completely answer questions people may have.
It is important to note that reloading any caliber is a delicate undertaking
for any gun you are about to trust your life with. The use of case gauges is
an important one, but for the part-time reloader they are an expensive investment
(~$30-50 each!). A much easier method is to test the cartridge in the firearm, to accomplish this, if you are working on either a progressive or single stage press, reload a few rounds as dummies. This means
no powder, no primer, just case and bullet, and test them in the gun for fit
and feed. Do not test fit live ammunition unless you are in a place where a
discharge is allowed. (For most of us [that live inside city limits] this means
a firing range). Numerous negligent discharges have resulted from people not
following proper safety precautions, and even if you do this is never a guarantee that
a mechanical problem won't develop causing an accidental discharge.
If you have issues with reloading bottle-neck rifle cartridges, a likely fix
is to use small base dies, these will size the brass down to a smaller size,
and will size more of the case than a standard full-length sizer. However,
the added working of the brass will result in earlier failure of the brass.
When it comes to [reloading] dies, I recommend against buying those made by
Lee Precision, I have had far too many cases that were mangled, scratched,
or had other defects resulting from the poor quality of Lee [brand] dies. One
thing to be especially careful of when using Lee dies is the decapping pin
will sometimes
stick in the flash-hole, if you are working on automated loading equipment this will likely detonate the [fresh] primer when you go to seat
it. (Most other manufacturers have switched to a headed [de-capping] pin, making
this
an extremely rare problem.). RCBS, Redding, and Lyman all make very good and
sturdy
dies from hardened tool steel, Dillon offers tungsten-carbide sizing dies for
bottle neck rifle cartridges, if you have money to spend, the Dillon dies
will likely outlast your grandchildren, provided they have an adequate supply
of decapping pins (RCBS, Lyman, and a few others offer free replacement parts,
Dillon believes these to be a consumable item, and charges for them).
Regarding the differences between Military and Commercial cartridge specifications
You are absolutely correct, 5.56 and .223 have the same external case dimensions,
but for the most part the similarities stop there. 5.56 has a SAAMI maximum
working-pressure of 55,000 PSI, where as the .223 [Remington] maxes out at
50,000. If a 5.56 round is fired in a .223 firearm, then pressures are likely
to
be
extreme, another key difference is the 5.56 chamber and throat dimensions
are different, the engraving force will be reduced, and there is the potential
for some gas leakage to the rear, a cumulative effect of this will be lower
over-all pressures.
However, with .308 [Winchester] and 7.62mm NATO [the specification difference]
is slightly the other way, but for different reasons. The .308 and 7.62mm NATO
rounds are functionally
identical, while there was some disagreement about the chamber pressures generated by
some commercial ammo (SAAMI maximum some say is 62,000 PSI) and some military
ammo (maximum pressure at 50,000), there seems to be a larger issue with the
military chamber being longer, and thus being harder on the brass. If you are
reloading,
you
can account for these differences with your selection of load and powder. That is one of the true advantages of reloading your own ammunition.
In all likelihood, anyone using a good quality military semi-auto in 7.62mm
NATO isn't going to notice any difficulty using commercial .308 ammo. But keep
it in mind if you ever do encounter problems.
I hope all is well Jim, glad to see you are getting some more public exposure.
It seems that the population at large is waking up, I had a co-worker hand
me your book "Patriots" the
other day. I giggled a bit to myself and told him I already had the book. Even
my mom started asking me questions about the SurvivalBlog site, after hearing
about it on the news. Lets hope all the people who are waking up to the unpleasantness
we are all facing are able to head it off and clean up this mess before a lot
of people have to get hurt. Sincerely, - Drew
JWR Adds: Part of the problem in discussions regarding commercial
versus military cartridge specifications is that some of the specs are written
in terms of pounds per square inch (PSI), while others are written using Copper
Units of Pressure (C.U.P.) They are not the same scales!
« Letter Re: Cooking Aromas and Post-Collapse OPSEC |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Spare Parts Now Available for XD-45 Pistols
Jim:
You
mentioned that spare parts for Springfield Armory XD pistols have been hard
to find.
That
was the case, up until recently. But now spare XD parts are starting
to show up at PistolGear.com.
Hover you cursor arrow over "Springfield XD" at the bottom of the
window that pops up . There should be a line that reads "XD Factory
Parts".
I just got a whole stack of [factory spare XD parts] in the mail last week.
There are still some critical parts
that
are missing, such as the extractor. I have done a lot of business with them
and talked to the owner Tom a good deal, good fast service and sounds like
a pretty good guy.
My first XD has over 40,000 rounds through it without cleaning and it functions perfectly. They are just as tough as a Glock, just
as easy to field strip,
but a bit more difficult to detail strip. Overall, it is a great pistol. -
Regards, - Bert M.
JWR Replies: That is great news! Consider the proviso that
I mentioned yesterday, withdrawn. I can now without reservation
endorse the XD pistol as a primary pistol for the long term survival firearms
batteries of SurvivalBlog readers.
At this point, I
am sorely tempted to sell off my stainless steel Colt M1911s and replace them
all with XD-45 pistols. I now recognize that I could get better reliability
and nearly twice as many guns for the money that I'd net from selling my used Colts!
(A stainless steel Colt Gold Cup .45 now sells for around $1,200. Yikes!) The
only remaining issue is that I have 35 years of training
invested
in
the M1911 platform. I will do some extensive testing of an XD-45 and let you
know what
I decide. Oh boy, am I tempted!
I must reiterate that Front Sight's "Get
a Gun" training
and gear package offer is available only for a limited time. I most
strongly
recommend that SurvivalBlog readers take Naish Piazza up on his offer
before he cuts off further enrollments. (They only have a limited quantity
of
guns and gear
available for this "package" deal.
This
is
a tremendously generous offer. As near as I can figure, Naish is offering the
package
at near his cost, as an inducement to get shooters to come and take their first
course
at Front Sight. Once someone takes a course there, they are "hooked" and
keep
coming back for more--the the training there is that good. The
Memsahib and I can vouch for that personally. We were astounded at the quality
of the training.
I learned more in four days at Front Sight than I had in the 35 years
of my previous pistol
shooting
experience. I'm not kidding.
OBTW, I
note that in addition to Springfield Armory factory spare parts, PistolGear.com also
sells a
wide range of aftermarket parts and accessories
for XDs. And anyone that needs more details on XD pistol should check out
the XD
Talk Forums.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Food Shortages at COSTCO and Sam's Club Stores »
Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival
James,
You might want to mention that reloading for semi-auto rifles requires
an extra measure of care. After sizing, cases should be checked with a Wilson
or Dillon case gauge to make sure they are
are sized correctly. Maximum overall case and cartridge lengths have to be
adhered to
[Clint McKee,] the owner of Fulton Armory is very "down" on reloading
for semi-auto battle rifles, and I believe most of the [bolt out of fully-locked
position]
Kabooms with AR-15 type rifles have occurred with reloaded ammo. While one
should be
very
careful
when
reloading ammunition of any type, one must be very, very careful when
reloading ammo for semi-auto rifles.
Thx, - "Walter Mitty"
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Ammunition Reloading for Survival, by NC Bluedog
Ammunition storage is one of the survival planning trinity: ("Beans,
Bullets and Band-Aids"). But what happens when you run out? You can’t
plant a garden for 7.62mm NATO or
cut up old sheets to make .45 ACP.
In this case you need to at least consider the practice (some would say art)
of ammunition
reloading. Speaking from a perspective of more than 10 years experience, I
can honestly say that reloading is no more difficult than repairing a leaking
faucet and baking a loaf of bread. It is very similar to making up a recipe
with a few mechanical interventions. It is also relatively safe, so long as
you don’t try to smoke while measuring powder or try to seat a primer
with a hammer. I will limit this discussion to center fire metallic handgun
and rifle cartridges, but similar considerations would apply to shotshell
reloading.
First, let me present an introduction on ammunition components. There are four
basic ingredients to loaded ammunition: Primer, powder, brass case,
and projectile.
We will handle each in order. We need to be precise in our use of language
(Thank you Jeff Cooper!) A cartridge or round is one unit of loaded ammunition.
A bullet is the projectile of a cartridge (in the same sense that a clip is
different from a magazine). Let me stress at this point that if you already
have all the components, it is far better to put it together now rather
than later. Reloading takes time, something that may be in extremely short
supply in a TEOTWAWKI situation.
If your ammunition inventory is adequate, you should consider keeping some
components for barter or future use, but the
majority of your powder should be in loaded ammunition!
Primers and powder are the two things which cannot be reused and require an
industrial capacity to produce. Making primers out of matchstick heads or smokeless
powder out of nitric acid and cotton should be regarded a fantasy for individuals
wanting to survive. While black powder can be made relatively safely, it will
not function well in modern firearms. There is a reason the old-time black
powder cartridges were as big as cigars, smokeless powder is far more efficient
and safer to handle as well. In other words, if you are considering reloading
sometime in the future, you should store some primers and powder now while
they are available. (A political aside: In addition to banning guns and ammunition,
there have been legislative attempts to ban reloading components.)
Primers come in two sizes each for both pistol and rifle for a total of four
sizes: Small pistol, large pistol, small rifle and large rifle (Pistol in this
sense includes revolver cartridges). The small version of each type is designed
for smaller cartridges and vice versa. While small pistol and small rifle are
essentially the same size (likewise for large pistol and large rifle), they
are designed to ignite vastly different powder charges. Mixing them up can
lead to disaster. An example of a small pistol primer cartridge would be the
9mm NATO (also known as 9x19, 9mm Parabellum and 9mm Luger). The .45 ACP uses
a large pistol primer. The 5.56mm NATO (aka .223
Remington and 5.56x45) uses the small rifle primer, and the 7.62mm NATO (aka
.308 Winchester and 7.62x51)
uses the large rifle primer. Due to the difference in size between small and
large, confusion would be difficult and impossible to use incorrectly, but
do not confuse pistol and rifle primers of the same size.
Besides the four basic sizes, there is a myriad of subtypes, including standard,
magnum, match and military grade. Magnum primers are a niche market and not
used in common caliber ammunition (Note .357 Remington Magnum does not use
a magnum primer), so you can safely ignore them. Match grade primers are supposedly
made with tighter specifications and better quality control. Military primers
typically have a “harder” cup and require a strong firing pin impact
to ignite, but are less likely to be punctured by a misshaped or pointed firing
pin or suffer a slam fire in semi-autos with floating firing pins. The differences
in my experience are minimal to nonexistent and you can safely ignore them
and go with standard primers. Typical military style weapons (in good working
condition) such as AR-15s FN/FALs and M1As work fine with
standard primers. Likewise, the difference between the manufactures such as
Federal, Winchester, Remington and CCI are also minimal.
Reloading powder (also called canister grade propellant) is available in a
confusing array of types from multiple manufacturers. The most distinguishing
characteristic is know as burning rate, with a huge spectrum between the slow
and fast burning (arbitrary unit designation). The burning rate is controlled
by several manufacturing techniques. First is composition. Powders can be either
single or double base, with the double base including a proportion of nitroglycerin
in addition to the nitrocellulose. The size and shape (spherical or rod shaped)
of the powder granules also dramatically alters the burning rate as does various
coatings applied in manufacture. The burning rate is tailored to the pressure
limits of individual cartridges as well as the projectile weight and barrel
length. The general rule is faster powders are used in handguns and slower
powders in rifle ammunition. Smokeless powder is listed by weight (typically
in grains, one pound is 7000 grains) for a given charge, but is usually measured
volumetrically to obtain the desired weight. This is one reason I prefer spherical
(also called ball) propellants. The spheres measure much more uniformly when
metered by volume.
Just as we simplified the primer issue down to four basic types, the more than
100 different powders available can be vastly simplified for personal reloading.
For example, I typically store only four different powders and could go with
two in a pinch, one moderately fast for handguns and one moderately slow for
rifles. Now, let me discuss safety. While smokeless powder is very stable,
it is flammable. Unless contained in a closed space (such as a cartridge) it
will only burn, albeit vigorously. It will not explode if dropped or otherwise
mistreated. Primers on the other hand are designed to explode if crushed. Treat
them as you would treat loaded ammunition. Both components prefer a stable
room temperature without excessive humidity and will survive almost indefinitely
in such an environment. One thousand primers takes up about as much space as
two decks of cards and an eight pound jug of powder is about the size of a
gallon of milk.
Our next component is the brass cartridge case, hereafter simple called brass
or case. Apart from factory new brass, most reloading is done with used cases.
These can come from collecting your own to scavenging the local shooting range.
I prefer to reuse my own brass since I know its’ history, but “when
times get tough….” When scavenging brass, one needs to be extremely
careful. Modern factory ammunition is made with several different metals besides
brass. Steel and aluminum are the most common and are definitely not reloadable
in a safe way. They need to be crushed and disposed of. In addition, some foreign
ammunition is Berdan primed (discussion beyond the scope of this article) and
also is not easily or safely reloaded. The problem is that externally, it is
near impossible to tell the difference. For safety’s sake, discard everything
which doesn’t have a recognizable domestic US factory stamp on the case
head (Winchester, Federal, Remington, etc.). Another problem arises with surplus
military brass. These frequently have crimped primer pockets, and while reloadable,
require special care which will be discussed later. All collected brass should
be cleaned and sorted by caliber. Be careful here since some shooting range
ammunition (not necessarily “common caliber”) can be very similar.
For example, a 9x21 is only slightly longer than the much more common 9mm NATO,
but would be catastrophic if it functions at all in a common 9mm. Another common “competition
cartridge” (not “common caliber”) is the.38 Super, which
is also very similar to the 9mm NATO. Again, the safest bet is to discard (or
otherwise sequester) any brass without a legible case stamp indicating caliber.
When scavenging brass, it is also important to discard those with cracks in
the case mouth. This is typically due to the “work hardening” of
the brass during repeated resizing operations. Cases with small dents induced
during ejection in a semi-auto can usually be reused in my experience for routine
plinking ammunition, but shouldn’t be used for loads pushing the pressure
limit. In fact, I wouldn’t use scavenged brass for any “top end” load
since internal volume can vary significantly.
The business end of loaded ammunition, the projectile (aka bullet), also comes
in a withering array of sizes and weights. For simplicities’ sake, there
are two main types, either lead or jacketed. Both types can come in several
styles such as full metal jacket (FMJ), hollow-point, spitzer, round nose,
truncated cone, semi-wadcutter, etc. The only safety caveat here is that “pointed” bullets,
such as spitzers, must not be used in tubular magazine rifles (such as lever
action .30-30’s) since the cartridges are “nose to tail” and
recoil could fire the stacked cartridges. In this case the bullet point is
acting like a firing pin to the cartridge in front of it.
Factory bullets are sold in a specific bore size, commonly measured in thousandths
of an inch, and weight, commonly measured in grains. This is where a lot of
confusion is introduced because of the “naming nomenclature” of
our ammunition. For example, .38 caliber is actually 0.357” and is one
reason why .38 Special can be safely fired in a .357 Magnum. To add to the
confusion, our naming nomenclature is used for a marketing perspective, rather
than precise use of language. For example, both .38 Super and .357 SIG use
9mm bullets (0.355”) instead of the logical .38 caliber (0.357”)
bullets their names would indicate. Here is a table of common caliber ammunition
bullet sizes and range of bullet weights:
| Cartridge |
Nominal Diameter (inches) |
Nominal Weight Range (grains) |
5.56mm NATO
.223 Remington |
.224 |
40-70 (55-62 most common) |
7.62mm NATO
.308 Winchester
.30-06
|
.308 |
110-180 (150-165 most common) |
9mm NATO
.38 Super
.357 SIG |
.355 |
115-147 (124 most common) |
| .357 Magnum |
.357 |
110-180 (158 most common) |
.40 S&W
10mm |
.400 |
135-200 (175 most common) |
| .45 ACP |
.451 |
160-300 (230 most common) |
While it is possible, making jacketed bullets from scratch is difficult. Cast
bullets, on the other hand, are relatively easy to make with appropriate tools
and supplies. Safety note: Molten lead burns skin like almost nothing else,
and lead fumes are dangerous, so adequate ventilation is absolutely critical.
Tools needed include a melting pot with spout or ladle, bullet mold and water
bath/bucket. Lead can be obtained from wheel weights (make sure they are lead,
other metals are used) or by “mining” the berm at the shooting
range. This “dirty” lead will need to be washed, melted, all non-lead
metal (steel weight clips, bullet jacket material, etc.) removed and flux added
to remove dirt. I prefer to obtain cleaned and fluxed lead from other sources
(eBay, etc.) but it is more expensive and as always.
The keys to making good cast bullets are a properly heated and smoked mold.
Nonetheless, the first few casts will likely be misshapen, and need to be thrown
back into the melting pot. I prefer the micro banded or “tumble lube” bullet
molds by Lee Precision since they typically don’t require resizing and
are easily lubed with their Liquid Alox bullet lube.
There are several caveats with regard to using cast bullets. First is that
lead bullets leave a residue in the barrel (commonly called leading), particularly
when fired at higher velocities (greater than 1200-feet per second) and become
significantly worse the higher you go. Second, barrels designed to “swage” the
bullet (most typically Glock with their hexagonal rifling) will cause excessive
pressure when fired with lead bullets. A simple solution is a drop in replacement
barrel with conventional rifling like the Lone Wolf brand.
The velocity limitation imposed with using cast bullets can effectively preclude
their use in semi-auto rifles since effective operation is severely limited
at the lower velocities. Thus, if you are planning to reload rifle ammunition,
I would suggest a supply of jacketed bullets of appropriate size and weight
for your particular firearm.
So, now you have your supply of primers and powder, bullets (either cast or
store bought jacketed) and a fresh supply of brass from the recent firefight
with the Mutant Zombie Hordes, where do you star?. Reloading consists of eight
steps: Cleaning the brass case, decapping the spent primer, resizing the brass
case, re-priming the brass case, belling the case mouth to accept the bullet,
charging the case with powder, seating the new bullet and reshaping or crimping
the case mouth. Several of these steps can be accomplished at the same time,
such as decapping/resizing the brass case, case mouth belling/powder charging
and bullet seating/crimping but I will discuss each separately.
Cleaning is usually done with a vibratory cleaner with a mild abrasive such
as ground corn cob. I prefer the Dillon products, but others are equally useful.
Depending on the state of your brass, all that may be needed is a quick wipe
with a paper towel. It is critical to handle each case to examine for damage
and discard suspect ones.
Decapping the brass case consists of running a punch down the case mouth to
push out the old primer. This is where care must be exercised in cases with
crimped-in primers. After decapping crimped-in primers, the primer pocket must
be reformed to accept a new primer. This can be accomplished by reaming the
pocket with a primer pocket reaming tool or re-swaging the pocket.
Resizing the brass case is mechanically complex, but is easily accomplished
with an appropriate resizing die and reloading press. It is necessary at this
point to bring up the concept of headspace. Headspace is simply the distance
from the bolt face of the firearm to the point where further advancement of
the cartridge into the chamber is stopped. Rimmed cartridges headspace on the
rim, since that is what prevents the cartridge from going further into the
chamber. Rimless cartridges either headspace on a belt (in “belted” magnum
cartridges, serves same function as a rim but leads to easier feeding), on
the shoulder of bottleneck cartridges or the case mouth in straight-walled
ammunition. This is an important concept since if the cartridge is too long
for the chamber; the bolt will not close correctly. If it is too short, the
firing pin may not strike the primer, or worse, it may push the cartridge further
into the chamber before ignition, where pressure locks the case in position
and pushes back on an unsupported case head. Brass is weak compared to steel
and the pressure pushing the case head back to the bolt face may stretch the
brass to where it separates from the body of the cartridge. This is known as
case head separation, and puts extremely hot gas under tremendous pressure
venting right next to your face. Beside the risk of injury or damage to the
firearm, you now have the task of removing a now headless cartridge out of
the chamber before the firearm can be reused.
Resizing the brass case consists of squeezing down the now slightly expanded
fired case back to nominal size. Because of the stresses imparted, lubrication
is usually necessary (except in straight-walled ammunition using carbide dies)
and is easily accomplished with a simple spray of case lube prior to resizing.
This reforming of the brass makes the metal hard and brittle and limits the
number of times it can be done without cracking (most commonly seen as cracks
in the case mouth which undergoes the most change in size). The only dimension
which is not squeezed back to nominal size is the overall length (OAL) and
each subsequent resizing operation tends to lengthen the case neck. After resizing
a couple of times, the neck may need to be trimmed in order to get the OAL
back into specification. I usually discard such brass, since it is removing
brass which has come from somewhere else in the case, thus weakening it to
some extent. This is not so much a concern for low pressure cartridges such
as .45 ACP but can be significant in higher pressure cartridges. In a TEOTWAWKI
situation, re-annealing the brass (heating up and quenching) and case trimming
may be necessary to get the most life out of a given case.
Re-priming is simply the act of inserting a new appropriate size primer into
the brass case. This can be done either on the press, or with a handheld re-priming
tool. If I am using a single stage press (where each step is done on a batch
of brass before moving on to the next step), I prefer to use the handheld tool.
If I am using the progressive press, I leave it up to the press in its sequence
of events.
Case mouth belling is the process of slightly enlarging the case mouth to provide
ease of bullet insertion. This step is typically not necessary with boat-tailed
jacketed bullets, but is critical with cast lead bullets to prevent shaving
of the soft lead.
Powder charging is another critical step, similar to resizing. First, you need
a recipe. Good sources for a recipe are the powder manufacturers’ and
bullet manufacturers’ loading data books. The powder charge must be matched
to the cartridge, the weapon and the particular bullet. Load data will typically
list a starting load and a maximum load. You need to stay within these limits.
Variations within these limits looking for optimum accuracy is know as “working
up a load”, and is the source of a lot of enjoyment in these times prior
to TEOTWAWKI. Powder dispensing is usually done by adjusting the volume of
powder to give a specific weight charge. The ultimate in precision is accomplished
by hand weighing each charge, but volume dispensers are much more convenient
for routine reloading. Periodic checking of the weight of a “thrown” charge
is warranted to make sure your settings haven’t changed.
Bullet seating is simply the process of seating the bullet on the case mouth
and pushing it down into the neck (or the body in straight-walled ammunition)
so the cartridge OAL is within specification. Once the die is adjusted for
the correct depth, subsequent members of the batch will have the same length.
Following bullet seating, reforming the case mouth or crimping the bullet to
prevent movement under recoil may be necessary. There are two types of crimps.
Taper crimping simply smoothes out any belling and snug’s up the case
mouth like a turtle neck sweater. This is used in straight-walled ammunition
like pistol cartridges where you need the “step off” from brass
to bullet in order to headspace correctly. Roll crimping actually cinches up
the case mouth, much like a clothes belt, to provide purchase and prevent movement.
Bottleneck cartridges and rimmed revolver cartridges are usually roll crimped.
So what kind of supplies do I need to “roll my own” now or when
times get bad? Basic equipment would consist of:
Reloading manual.
Single stage press (Lee makes a nice, inexpensive one).
Die set for your caliber (available from several manufactures).
Powder/bullet weight scale.
Dial caliper/micrometer.
Hand priming tool.
Powder funnel
For the consumable supplies, I consider the amount needed for 1,000 rounds
of loaded ammunition. I choose this not only because it is a nice round (and
comforting) number, but because our weights are measured in grains and there
are 7000 grains in a pound. If you know the charge (or lead bullet) weight,
you simply divide the number by 7 to tell you how many pounds are needed to
make 1,000 rounds of ammunition. For example, if the charge weight of powder
is 35 grains, 35 divided by 7 equals 5, so I will need 5 pounds of powder to
make 1,000 rounds with that powder. If my bullet mold makes 230 grain bullets,
230 divided by 7 is slightly less than 33, so I will need 33 pounds of lead
to make 1,000 bullets.
For my logistics, I limit myself to “common caliber” ammunition.
For handguns, this means 9mm NATO and .45 ACP. For rifles, this means 5.56mm
NATO and 7.62mm NATO. For handgun reloading, I mostly use two moderately fast
powders both of which work fine for 9mm NATO and .45 ACP. These are Hodgdon
HP38 and Accurate #5 powders. These have similar burning rates, but the HP38
uses a significantly lighter charge which makes it more economical.
For rifle reloading, I choose two moderately slow powders both of which work
fine for 5.56mm NATO and 7.62mm NATO. These are Hodgdon H335 and Accurate 2230.
Likewise, the burning rates are close and charge weights nearly identical.
Since cast lead bullets are not appropriate for these rounds, you will obviously
need 1,000 jacketed bullets for either.
Supplies Needed for 1,000 Rounds by Caliber:
| Component |
.45 ACP |
9mm NATO |
7.62mm NATO |
5.56mm NATO |
| Casting Lead or Jacketed Bullets |
230 grains = 33 Pounds of Lead |
124 grains = 18 Pounds of Lead |
Need 1,000 FMJ Bullets |
Need 1,000 FMJ Bullets |
| Primers |
1,000 Large Pistol |
1,000 Small Pistol |
1,000 Large Rifle |
1,000 Small Rifle |
| Hodgdon Powder |
5.3 grains = 0.76 Pounds of HP38 |
4.4 grains = 0.63 Pounds of HP38 |
44 grains = 6.3 Pounds of H335 |
25 grains = 3.6 Pounds of H335 |
| Accurate Powder |
8.5 grains = 1.22 Pounds of AA #5 |
6.2 grains = 0.89 Pounds of AA #5 |
44 grains = 6.3 Pounds of AA 2230 |
25 grains = 3.6 Pounds of AA 2230 |
Like baking bread, reloading can be enjoyable and a real valuable skill in
bad times. The costs associated need not be excessive. - NC Bluedog
JWR Adds: While 5..56mm NATO and .223 Remington have quite similar case
dimensions and loading specifications, they are not completely interchangeable.
For example, it is not considered
safe to shoot commercial soft nose .223 loads in a semi--auto rifle chambered
for 5.56mm NATO. The same warning applies to 7.62mm NATO and.308 Winchester.
Use caution and use the appropriate safety equipment when
storing powder and primers, when reloading ammunition, and when
melting lead/bullet casting. Study
the standard safety warnings before you begin!
« Survival Real Estate Market Update |Main| Letter Re: The British Perspective on Food Storage and Preparedness »
Two Letters Re: Recommendations on a Reliable AK and a Competent AK Trainer
James,
I just finished a two day AK Rifle Gunfighting class with Suarez
International,
using my AK that I got from Mark Graham at Arizona
Response Systems. I fired
over 700 rounds in a two day period, and had no hiccups or issues. Mark is
a first class gunsmith, and was great to work with. For a quality AK build
at a very reasonable price, call Mark. For the best training on how to fight with
the AK rifle, not just shoot it, call Gabe Suarez at Suarez International.
Regards, - SJC
JWR Replies: Gabe Suarez has a fine reputation as a trainer.
His classes are reportedly quite intense. I have been a fan of Mark Graham's
gunsmithing work since the early 1990s.
He did fantastic rebuilds on two pre-ban SAR-48 FAL clone rifles for me, converting
their
receivers to accept
inch magazines and folding charging handles. (He did the "builds"using
British L1A1
parts kits that I had supplied.). Mark is also known for his Glock grip reductions
and his custom gun refinishing, using a system called MetaCol. It is a very
durable
and corrosion-resistant
finish. OBTW, another gunsmith that I recommend for both FAL and AK work is
Rich Saunders at CGW.
Jim:
After watching the humorous 'safety' video posted on Total
Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest, I was reminded of my most recent training
with Gabe Suarez, Team Tactics. We were
shooting rifles in groups and I noticed that unlike shooting handguns, tunnel
vision with a rifle, especially a scoped one, is a real issue. Shooting handguns
still gives you peripheral vision so if someone on your team starts walking
into your line of fire, you can see it more easily. With a rifle, looking
thru the scope, you lose all your peripheral vision. There are two fixes
for
this:
1) Keep your shooters in a line. [("Team on line.")]
2) Remind your leader that his or her job
is [being] more of a manager than a shooter.
When I was in a leadership role [("fire team leader" or "squad
leader")], the
only time I actually fired my rifle was when a certain percentage of my
shooters
all had to reload or had gun malfunctions at the same time. When the cadence
of cover fire dropped I began to shoot and I stopped as soon as I could,
so I could [resume the role needed to] be the peripheral vision for my team.
Don't be shy if you have to grab someone and fling them to the side if they
are about
to
walk
into
friendly
fire. Adrenaline and tunnel vision are a deadly combo. - SF in Hawaii
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop »
Letter Re: The Potential Combat Effectiveness of Shotguns
Jim,
There is a
fairly heated discussion going on at the FALFiles Forums about how useful
a shotgun is in a Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) situation. I was curious, what
exactly is your take on the issue?
Personally, I do not feel a shotgun can effectively replace a rifle, however,
it still proves an effective tool when the extreme-close situation arises.
I suppose one can distill this argument down to only "defensive purpose" shotguns
such as those built for tactical situations (3" chambers and open/cylinder
choke),
those you aptly refer to as "riotguns". While the effectiveness of
a shotgun for hunting small game is readily apparent, where exactly would a defensive
shotgun come into play using either various types of buckshot or slugs?
In what circumstances would a shotgun be a superior choice to a battle or assault
rifle? Examples?
I, as well as many, value your opinion on the matter. Best Regards, -- Kyrottimus
JWR Replies: While semi-auto battle rifles are more practical
for most defensive shooting (most notably because of their capability at both short
and long range), riot shotguns can definitely be effective at short range.
In the dense North Woods, there is seldom any shooting beyond 50 yards, so
they are adequate there. (Riotguns can be effective to 40 yards with buckshot
and 90+ yards with slugs.) I also generally recommend riotguns for urbanites
that live in cities or states with harsh restrictions on semi-auto rifles.
In a city (again, range limited, by terrain) a repeating riotgun is generally
more useful than a bolt action rifle, so if those are your only options,
then go for a shotgun. But with all that said, assuming that you don't live
in a liberal fantasyland like New Jersey, if you only have the money to buy
one rifle (and the requisite training)., or one shotgun (and
the requisite training), then buy a semi-auto battle rifle!
With the addition of a spare "bird" barrel, shotguns can also be
useful for foraging, since they are the only effective means of wingshooting.
(And the only legal method, in many countries.)
Also, police have found that shotguns firing slugs can be more effective and
safer than a rifle, in the specialized task of removing a door from its hinges.
Speaking of which, building "entry" is incredibly dangerous, and
frankly I can't foresee the need of the average prepper to ever do so. But
you never know. There was that one chapter of "Patriots"...
A couple of provisos:
Despite popular misconceptions popularized by Hollywood, shotguns must be
aimed, much like a rifle. The bead sights that are installed on most shotgun
barrels are insufficient. I recommend either buying a replacement barrel with
rifle sights, or having these sights retrofitted.
Be sure to do some pattern
tests at various distances with your shotgun, using full-power buckshot
loads. (I generally prefer #4 buckshot--not to be confused with the much
smaller and and much more common #4 birdshot, which is a standard load for
duck hunting.) Even if you have a shotgun with a wide open "Cylinder
bore" (no choke), you may be surprised how tightly it shoots, especially
inside of 10 yards. Again, you can't just vaguely point, you have
to aim. If you plan to shoot slugs, again do some tests and zero
your gun's iron sights.
OBTW, I highly recommend the Four
Day Tactical Shotgun course taught by Front Sight.
This course builds skills, builds confidence, and dispels a lot of
myths.
« Letter Re: Food Riots in Haiti |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy
In the past week I've had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask
me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: "I could spend days
looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there
are hundreds
of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes
the "Rawlesian" philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?"
I'll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general
summary of my precepts:
Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With
each passing year, technology progresses and chains of interdependency lengthen.
In the past 30 years, chains of retail supply have grown longer and longer.
The food on your supermarket shelf does not come from local farmers. It often
comes from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This has created an alarming
vulnerability to disruption. Simultaneously, global population is still increasing
in a near geometrical progression. At some point that must end, most likely
with a sudden and sharp drop in population. The lynchpin is the grid. Without
functioning power grids, modern industrial societies will collapse within weeks.
Civilization is Just a Thin Veneer. In the absence of law
an order, men quickly revert to savagery. As was illustrated by the rioting
and looting that accompanied disasters in the past three decades, the transition
from tranquility to absolute barbarism can occur overnight. People expect tomorrow
to be just like today, and they act accordingly. But then comes a unpredictable
disaster that catches the vast majority unprepared. The average American family
has four days worth of food on hand. When that food is gone, we'll soon see
the thin veneer stripped away.
People Run in Herds and Packs, but Both Follow Natural Lines of
Drift. Most
people are sheep ("sheeple").
A few are wolves that prey on others. But just a few of us are more like sheepdogs--we
think independently, and instead of
predation,
we are
geared toward protecting and helping others. People naturally follow natural lines
of drift--the path of least resistance. When the Schumer hits
the fan, 99% of urbanites will try to leave the cities on freeways. The highways
and freeways will soon resemble parking lots. This means that you need to be
prepared to both get
out of town ahead of the rush and to use lightly-traveled back roads.
Plan,
study and practice.
Lightly Populated Areas are Safer than High Density Areas. With
a few exceptions, less population means fewer problems. WTSHTF, there will
be a mass exodus from the cities. Think of it as an army that is spreading
out across a battlefield: The wider that
they
are
spread,
the less effective that they are. The inverse
square law hasn't been repealed.
Show Restraint, But Always Have Recourse to Lethal Force. My
father often told me, "It
is better to have a gun and not need it, than need a gun, and not have it." I
urge readers to use less than lethal means when safe and practicable, but at
times there is not a satisfactory substitute for well-aimed lead going down
range at high velocity.
There is Strength in Numbers. Rugged individualism is all
well and good, but it takes ore than one man to defend a retreat. Effective
retreat defense necessitates having at least two families to provide 24/7 perimeter
security. But of course every individual added means having another mouth to
feed. Absent having an unlimited budget and an infinite larder, this necessitates
striking a balance when deciding the size of a retreat group.
There are Moral Absolutes. The foundational morality
of the civilized world is best summarized in the Ten
Commandments. Moral relativism and secular humanism are slippery slopes.
The terminal moraine at the base of these slopes is a rubble pile consisting
of either despotism and pillage, or anarchy and the depths of depravity. I
believe
that
it takes both faith and friends to survive perilous times. For more background
on that, see my Prayer
page.
Racism Ignores Reason. People should be judged as individuals.
Anyone that make blanket statements about other races is ignorant that there
are both good and bad individuals in all groups. I have accepted The
Great Commission with sincerity."Go forth into all nations" means
exactly that:
all nations. OBTW, I feel grateful that SurvivalBlog is now read
in more than 100 countries. I have been given a bully pulpit,
and I intend to use it for good and edifying purposes.
Skills Beat Gadgets and Practicality Beats Style. The modern
world is full of pundits, poseurs, and Mall
Ninjas. Preparedness is not just about
accumulating a pile of stuff. You need practical skills, and those
only come with study, training, and practice.
Any
armchair
survivalist
can
buy a set
of stylish camouflage fatigues and an M4gery Carbine
encrusted with umpteen accessories. Style points should not be mistaken
for genuine skills and
practicality.
Plentiful Water and Good Soil are Crucial. Modern mechanized
farming, electrically pumped irrigation, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
can make deserts bloom. But when the grid goes down, deserts and marginal farmland
will revert to their natural states. In my estimation, the most viable places
to survive in the midst of a long term societal collapse will be those with
reliable summer rains
and rich
topsoil.
Tangibles Trump Conceptuals. Modern fiat currencies are generally
accepted, but have essentially no backing. Because they are largely a byproduct
of interest bearing debt, modern currencies are destined to inflation. In
the long run, inflation dooms fiat
currencies to collapse. The majority of
your assets should be invested in
productive farm land and other tangibles such as useful hand tools. Only after
you have your key logistics squared away, anything extra should
be invested in silver and gold.
Governments Tend to Expand their Power to the Point that They Do Harm. In
SurvivalBlog, I often warn of the insidious tyranny of the Nanny
State. If
the state where you live becomes oppressive, then don't hesitate to relocate.
Vote with your feet!
There is Value in Redundancy. A common saying of my
readers is: "Two
is one, and one is none." You must be prepared
to provide for your family in a protracted period of societal disruption. That
means storing up all of the essential "beans, bullets, and Band-Aids" in quantity.
If commerce is disrupted by a disaster, at least in the short term you will
only have your own logistics to fall back on. The more that you have stored,
the
more
that
you
will have
available for barter and charity.
A Deep Larder is Essential. Food storage is one of the key
preparations that I recommend. Even if you have a fantastic self-sufficient
garden and pasture ground, you must always have food storage that you can fall
back on in the event that your crops fail due to drought, disease, or infestation.
Tools Without Training Are Almost Useless. Owning a gun doesn't
make someone a "shooter" any more than owning a surfboard makes someone a surfer.
With proper training and practice, you will be miles ahead of the average citizen.
Get advanced medical
training. Get the best firearms
training that you can afford. Learn about amateur radio from your local
affiliated ARRL club.
Practice raising a vegetable garden each summer. Some skills are only perfected
over
a period
of years.
Old Technologies are Appropriate Technologies. In
the event of a societal collapse, 19th Century (or earlier) technologies such
as a the blacksmith's forge, the treadle sewing machine, and the horse-drawn
plow
will be
far easier
to re-construct than modern technologies.
Charity is a Moral Imperative. As a Christian, I feel morally
obligated to assist others that are less fortunate. Following the Old Testament
laws of Tzedakah (charity
and tithing), I believe that my responsibility begins with my immediate family
and expands in successive rings to supporting
my immediate
neighborhood
and
church, to my
community, and beyond, as resources allow. In short, my philosophy is to "give
until it hurts" in times of disaster.
Buy Life Assurance, not Life Insurance. Self-sufficiency
and self-reliance are many-faceted. You need to systematically provide for
Water, Food, Shelter, Fuel, First Aid,
Commo,
and, if need be, the tools to enforce Rule
308.
Live at Your Retreat Year-Round. If your financial and family
circumstances allow it, I strongly recommend that you relocate
to a safe area and live there year-round. This has several advantages,
most notably that will prevent burglary of your retreat logistics and
allow you to regularly
tend to gardens, orchards, and livestock. It will also remove the stress of
timing a "Get Out of Dodge" trip at the11th hour.
If circumstances dictate that you can't live at your retreat year round, then
at least have
a caretaker and stock the vast majority of your logistics in advance, since
you may only have one trip there before roads are impassable.
Exploit Force Multipliers. Night vision gear, intrusion
detection sensors, and radio communications equipment are key force
multipliers. Because
these use high technology they cannot be depended upon in a long term collapse,
but in the short term, they can provide a big advantage. Some low technologies
like barbed wire and defensive road cables also provide advantages and can
last for several decades.
Invest Your Sweat Equity. Even if some of
you have a millionaire's budget, you need to learn how to do things for yourself,
and
be willing to get your hands dirty. In a societal collapse, the division of
labor will be reduced tremendously. Odds are that the only "skilled craftsmen" available
to build a shed, mend a fence, shuck corn, repair an engine, or pitch manure
will be you.and
your family. A byproduct of sweat equity is muscle tone and proper body weight.
Hiring someone to deliver three cords of firewood is a far cry from
felling, cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking it yourself.
Choose Your Friends Wisely. Associate yourself with skilled
doers, not "talkers." Seek out people that share your
outlook and morality. Living in close confines with other families is sure
to cause friction but that will be minimized if you share a common religion
and norms of behavior.You can't learn every skill yourself. Assemble a team
that
includes members with medical knowledge, tactical skills, electronics experience,
and traditional practical skills.
There is No Substitute for Mass. Mass stops bullets. Mass
stops gamma radiation. Mass stops (or at least slows down ) bad guys from entering
a home and depriving its residents of life and property. Sandbags are cheap,
so buy plenty of them. When planning your retreat house, think: medieval
castle.
(See the SurvivalBlog Archives for the many articles and letters on Retreat
Architecture.)
Always Have a Plan B and a Plan C. Regardless of your pet
scenario and your personal grand plan of survival, you need to be flexible
and adaptable. Situations and circumstances change. Always keep a G.O.O.D. kit
handy, even if you are fortunate enough to live at your retreat year-round.
Be Frugal. I grew up in a family that still remembered both
our pioneer history and the more recent lessons of the Great Depression. One
of our family mottos is: "Use
it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."
Some Things are Worth Fighting For. I encourage my readers
to avoid trouble, most importantly via relocation to safe areas where trouble
is unlikely to come to visit. But there may come an unavoidable day that you
have
to
make a stand to defend your own family or your neighbors. Further, if you value
your liberty, then be prepared to fight for it, both for yourself and for
the sake
of
your progeny.
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More About Front Sight's New "Get a Gun" Training and Gear Offer
Naish Piazza, the director of Front Sight sent me some of the frequently
asked questions about the "Get
a Gun" training
and gear package offer that I
mentioned in SurvivalBlog last week.
1.) What kind of Springfield Armory XD Pistol is given away in this offer?
A Standard Model 4" Barrel XD in your choice of 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45
ACP. The perfect balance for good gun handling, power, speed and concealability.
2.) Is it 4 days or 5 days of training at Front Sight?
You attend Front Sight's flagship Four Day Defensive Handgun Course, the course
everyone raves about and then stay one extra day for Front Sight 30 State Concealed
Weapon Permit Course so you can get more advanced concealed carry training
and walk away with everything you need, certificates, fingerprints,
and photos to secure CCWs
in Florida, Nevada, and Utah. With reciprocity
laws, these three permits allow you to carry concealed in over 30 states!
3.) When do I have to attend the course?
The certificate you received from Front Sight has no expiration date so you
can use it at any time in the future. Even when Front Sight's courses increase
in price, your certificate is inflation proof and will allow you to attend at no extra charge.
4.) How often does Front Sight offer this course?
Front Sight offers their Four Day defensive Handgun course and 30 State Concealed
Weapon Permit Course at least twice per month, every month except July and
August.
5.) What days of the week are the courses held? If taking the full five days,
the courses start on Friday and ends on Tuesday, so you don't have to miss
an entire
week of work, just a couple of days.
6.) Can I purchase the ammunition I need at Front Sight?
Yes. You can either bring factory new ammunition with you or purchase it from
Front Sight's pro shop.
7.) How far away is lodging?
Most students stay at one of three hotels within a 20 minute drive from Front
Sight's world-class 550 acre training facility. Hotel rates range from $40
per night to $75 per night.
8.) How do I get to Front Sight?
It is easy and inexpensive. Simply fly to Las Vegas, Nevada, rent a car, and
drive to Pahrump. Front Sight is a 45 minutes drive from Las Vegas or 20 minute
drive from Pahrump. Las Vegas is one of the least expensive cities in the world
to fly into from just about anywhere in the US.
9.) How long do I have to take advantage of Front Sight's offer?
Not long. The US
Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) members have already surpassed the
original number of guns and courses Dr. Piazza set aside for them. I was
able to get him to extend the offer but he only did so with the understanding
that he could stop it at any time with 48 hours notice, so take advantage
of it immediately.
10.) Where can I get more information about Front Sight and their courses?
Go to Front Sight's web
site and click on the link, Front
Sight Experience A-Z for answers to most if not all of your questions.
Well, I hope this answers most of your questions about this offer.
Don't forget, Dr. Piazza can end this promotion with very little warning. If
you're thinking of taking advantage of this great deal, then now is
the time to take action.
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