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Post by captbart on Sept 1, 2017 16:57:40 GMT -5
Still on Harvey ... members of our family raided our prep supplies because their work did not allow time off for preps. The moral is, do not depend on lead time to get ready. Now may be all the "lead time" you are going to get.
Secondly, if you do get blindsided by a black swan think outside the normal. Folks were panicking because there was no bread in the stores. My daughter, who learned her lessons well, pointed out to them that there was plenty of bread in the frozen foods section. Frozen rolls, bread, biscuits, specialty breads (gluten free for example) are all in the cold/frozen foods section. We never lost power at our place but just in case my daughter baked two loaves of bread before the storm hit. Commercial loaves are not the only way to get bread.
There are many options other than the supermarket bread line. Take time before an event to think about options so you have them in your hip pocket should the need arise.
Just my not so humble opinion, of course.
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Post by captbart on Oct 22, 2017 10:51:40 GMT -5
Just finished watching the TV series and the movies again. I really appreciate Burt's one liners; accurate, succinct and often pithy. The Tremors marathon started me thinking. We still have folks in shelters here from Harvey. Not many anymore but those who are there are unarmed. NEVER have going to a shelter as part of your survival plan. Getting in may be easy but getting out may be much tougher and you are at the mercy of those who control the shelter.
Another thing I noticed is the decreasing ability caused by aging. I love my 1911 but I find I am more and more comfortable with a revolver. As I age I lose grip strength in my hands and my ability to rack the slide on an auto safely (nothing critical - like fingers - in front of the barrel) is diminishing especially with the smaller carry guns. I simply can no longer properly rack the slide on my Key Etc P11. I still carry it as a backup gun but I am aware that I can no longer perform a one handed clearing drill. I'm much happier with a Ruger SPP101 DAO revolver in .357. That is on my belt most days and is my preferred weapon.
The doing what you can with what you have meme has been demonstrated very clearly for me in the lead up to Harvey. My daughter was at the store to top off some supplies and people were panicking because there was no bread available. She mentioned to several folks the strange idea of baking your own bread from frozen dough/mixes/specialty breads. Most of these were in the refrigerated sections so no one looked. If you bake your own, it will last as long as needed. Think outside your normal comfort zone and survival gets much easier.
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Post by captbart on Nov 6, 2017 11:17:42 GMT -5
This topic may go in several places but I chose the survival school as most appropriate. I have been ask by quite a few would be preppers what "gun" they should purchase. My answer always follows a 3+1 gun rule. The first gun is usually a handgun for most folks. I always recommend a caliber that will handle the biggest, baddest predator in your area. In cities that is usually 9mm or .38SPL. In black bear country at least a .357 Mag or .45 Colt. In brown bear country, a .40 something. A .45LC is fine if it is a modern gun (Ruger Blackhawk for example). Get the largest caliber you can handle well. A .50AE is no good if you can not hit the side of a barn while standing inside of it due to recoil. Second survival gun is a shotgun. I got 12 gauge when younger. Now I wish I'd gone with 20 gauge. My wife shoots 20 very well and I'm getting recoil sensitive in my old age. If we both had 20's it would mean only one gauge to stock and no worries about putting a 20 in the 12 mix. That mistake always is very bad for the gun. The shotgun is a great home defense weapon and is a good anti-bear gun if needed. The third gun is a rifle in a caliber used to hunt game animals in your area. In the big thicket country of East Texas that could be a .30-30 lever gun. In the plains states, a 7mm, .30-06 or .308 would be a good choice. In suburbia a pistol caliber (.357, 9mm or .45) is a good choice. In fact the revolver caliber lever gun (yes they come in semi-auto as well but I like cowboy guns) has been a great choice since about 1873. Check with the local gun shops and see what ammo they stock. What they have the most just before hunting season is probably what the local hunters use and that is a decent recommendation. That is a basic 3 gun battery to cover almost every situation. The "+1" is a .22LR that will fill in most holes in your firearm tools. A 7mm Rem Mag is not a good squirrel, rodent, ground hog, etc gun. The 7mm is not good for a lot of things in the suburban environment. The .22 can go to the range and practice shooting skills and won't break the bank to shoot. So I always suggest that you add that +1 to the basic 3 good battery. From the 3+1 base you can add on other things as needed or wanted.
Just my not so humble opinion of course.
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Post by captbart on Jan 20, 2018 8:57:48 GMT -5
In general, we managed to survive the coldest weather in Houston in almost 30 years but with the impending visit of our daughter-in-law we went to the grocery for some gluten free foods for her. I have known for a long time that grocery stores have about 3 days worth of stock back in the store room but after 2 days of freezing, icy, no-drive because roads impassable weather, it was a shocking reality check for what that really means.
Houston was literally at a stand still due to ice on all bridges, overpasses, fly-overs, etc. No vehicles could travel, not even on major roads. Stores could not get deliveries so stockrooms were empty! The grocery store shelves were more than half empty in all cases and completely empty in manner. No veggies, fruits, fresh anything. The difference between "knowing" a fact and really UNDERSTANDING that fact was really brought home.
If you haven't gotten your panty up to where you can live for a lot longer than the government recommended 3 days, you really need to reconsider your priorities. I've seen this in hurricanes but they have plenty of lead time. We went from an overnight freeze to a record setting couple of days below freezing in less than a day as the weather guys began to understand that they had really underestimated the strength of this winter storm.
Your "worst case scenario" may not be even close to what Mother Nature throws at you so if you are not over prepared, you may not be prepared.
Just my not so humble opinion of course but this last week in Houston was an eye opener.
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Post by captbart on Feb 6, 2018 22:10:14 GMT -5
I did not watch the Super Bowl, I just don't care but I did notice that there was rioting in BOTH the losing and winning cities. Just how incredibly stupid do you have to be to burn down your city because of a sporting event? It is another one of those always be prepared moments. Burt's line in T2 of "When you need it and don't have it you'll sing a different tune" applies here. Since we never know what will set the mobs off, we must always be prepared for violent reactions to events, even if the reaction makes no sense.
Some car company is running an add about loading up their crossover SUV with an incoming meteor. They load their stuff and then go back 2 or 3 times for more junk. Finally they start running as the rock starts streaking in the sky. Two major things wrong: first the roads are clear except for these clowns. Having see several hurricane evacuations I can tell you categorically that if you have not left at least 24 hours before the event, you are NOT going to make it!
Secondly, if you are close enough to get a really good look at the inbound rock, you can not successfully get our of dodge (GOOD). Your best chance then is to hunker down in your basement and pray. I despise stupidity, and when we are taught such things as grab the flat screen TV, that is just too stupid to be forgiven.
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Post by captbart on Feb 25, 2018 21:59:24 GMT -5
I have been under the weather lately and been re-watching all the Tremors movies and series. I've seen some interesting bits that I wanted to comment on. The first and biggest bump in the road for me is how Burt seems to be unable to remember to reload in a timely manner. When my mamma taught me to shoot at the age of 8 or so, she pounded into my brain (literally - with a fly swatter to the butt (the seat of all knowledge at that age)) that you never put your weapon away until it is reloaded! How many of Burt's problems stem from failure to reload before anything else.
I came to the point that I never, ever clean all my weapons at the same time. While one is being cleaned the other is locked and loaded in case of need. Once the first is cleaned, oiled and reloaded then, and only then, the second is unloaded and cleaned. Without our weapons we are no longer the strongest animal out there and mother nature is NOT your friend.
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Post by captbart on Mar 2, 2018 23:39:04 GMT -5
OK, I just watched the "Aerial American" episode on Alaska. They mentioned a couple that "tested" their theories about brown bears by going to Alaska and "lived" with them. The guys video camera was running as the bears ate him! It took about 6 minutes before the bear ate enough of him that he either died or at least stopped screaming! When you go to test your survival skills, if you have not given yourself a solid gold plan B, I assure you it is NOT a test! It is the real thing.
Do not be stupid! Always leave yourself an out.
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Post by Mr.ELBlanco on Mar 10, 2018 17:01:14 GMT -5
I believe my out in this situation would've thrown big lead. Also I probably would've have done that in the first place.
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Post by captbart on Mar 10, 2018 20:52:24 GMT -5
You and me both EB. Without our firearms of sufficient caliber we are not at the top of the food chain. I am always astonished at the stupidity of people who go into live and death situations without a thought about their own mortality. I've often said I can fix ignorance through education but I can't fix stupid. Apparently brown bears have figured out how to fix stupid.
We're going to Yellowstone next year and we will have industrial strength bear spray. Plan B will be my Ruger Blackhawk with bear loads and Plan C will be my Marlin 45-70 with bear loads. Walking in the park I won't be able to carry the Marlin but if the coach has a problem, it won't be because of bears.
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Post by Mr.ELBlanco on Mar 11, 2018 1:06:04 GMT -5
Bear spray is better then a sharp stick, I hear it works pretty well.
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Post by captbart on Mar 11, 2018 12:51:12 GMT -5
From all I've read, the stuff with 2% capsaicin stuff works very well. The trick is to make sure what you are carrying spray with enough capacity and range (35 ft is the farthest I have seen) to not only discourage the bear once but a second and preferably a third time. Also, one has to know that once used you have to leave. If you don't when the bear's vision clears it is going to be one ticked off bear and you don't want to deal with its temper. Multiple shots just in case there are other bears around or if the first bear takes more than one or you miss the first shot. Always plan for contingencies. Finally, I have read that in some cases, you between a sow and cubs for example, that spray may not be effective. The protection of her cubs overrides everything else. That is why the plan B and plan C. I'd never want to kill a sow bear with cubs but if it was her or a human, I want to make sure I have the means to protect the human.
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Post by Mr.ELBlanco on Mar 11, 2018 12:58:54 GMT -5
From all I've read, the stuff with 2% capsaicin stuff works very well. The trick is to make sure what you are carrying spray with enough capacity and range (35 ft is the farthest I have seen) to not only discourage the bear once but a second and preferably a third time. Also, one has to know that once used you have to leave. If you don't when the bear's vision clears it is going to be one ticked off bear and you don't want to deal with its temper. Multiple shots just in case there are other bears around or if the first bear takes more than one or you miss the first shot. Always plan for contingencies. Finally, I have read that in some cases, you between a sow and cubs for example, that spray may not be effective. The protection of her cubs overrides everything else. That is why the plan B and plan C. I'd never want to kill a sow bear with cubs but if it was her or a human, I want to make sure I have the means to protect the human. Makes sense to me, yeah I agree. Wouldnt want to kill mama bear but I would if its between me and them or someone else. .44 Magnum and bigger for me on handguns. 45-70 and bigger on rifles.
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Post by captbart on May 4, 2018 11:40:21 GMT -5
EB, I understand the .44 Magnum. My problem is that I have never had good luck with the .44 Mag. Each time I've fired one, I've gotten hurt one way or another. Last time, it was firing a very hot hand load and the revolver had a washed out chamber in the cylinder. The round saved lead and spit it back at me, notching a crease in my ear! I was using ear plugs (I had given my headset to a teenager shooting with us) so I was left with a bloody gouge in my ear. My bride won't let me near a .44 mag anything anymore!
That is why I go with the .45 Colt and a bear load - I've looked at the differences between the .44 Mag and the .45 Colt bear loads and there really isn't enough to quibble over so I'm content. I am still looking at the .454 Casull or the .460 S&W Mag. My only problem now is that I turn 69 in two weeks. I am a tad concerned about recoil at my age. Still, recoil does not top Ursa stopping power when it is needed.
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Post by captbart on May 4, 2018 12:57:03 GMT -5
Those who have read much of what I write know I am a big bore bigot. The Problem Solving poster I use as an icon says it all:" There are few of life's problems that cannot be solved with the proper applications of a high explosive projectile". That said, there is such a thing as too much gun. I realize that is close to heresy but that is the truth. There are times when a silent small bore is exactly the proper tool for the job at hand. The use of an air rifle for small games most appropriate. If you don't think so, consider the results of hunting a squirrel with a Sharps Big 50! If you can find anything left of the critter I assure you that you will not be roasting it on a spit. There is a way ( called "barking" that involves shooting the tree ahead of the squirrel and letting the exploding bark frag the critter ) that does not turn the animal into a red mist but it is easier to use the air rifle for a clean kill. Also you don't have as much concern about where the round goes after it blows up the critter. There are subsonic .22 rounds that are among the most quiet of the gunpowder rounds but none are as silent as an air rifle. A shot gun blast sends all the game in an area running; an air rifle does not have that effect.
When you are planning your survival, make sure you consider both the high and low ends of the firepower equation.
As an aside, anytime I am outside I always carry a "where did that (insert least favorite, biggest bad guy) come from and how did it get so bloody close?" handgun. Usually that is a .357 Mag in the cities (occasionally a 9mm auto) and eastern country and a .45 Colt with bear loads in the western country. That way, I should be able to handle any big nasty that sticks its nose in my business. I think is was Jeff Cooper who said the purpose of a handgun was to fight your way back to where you should never have left your rifle. (could have been Elmer Keith or Clint Smith) When carry a small bore weapon, a properly sized handgun is a must. Given my age and joint condition I am not able to bow hunt any longer but anytime I am in the tall and uncut, I have an adequately sized handgun. Actually, sitting here, writing this in my family room I have an adequately sized handgun. I might have time to go to my room for the proper weapon for a surprise, black swan event. But I am not disarmed if immediate action is required. One of my big complaints about Burt as a survivalist is that he allows himself to become disarmed within his own home; T3 as an example. In my case I would have 26 rounds of 9mm. It may not be enough, but I am NOT unarmed.
So always have the proper firepower for the job at hand. Then have the firepower to handle the worst case, black swan event. Then have your plan B because plan A probably worn't work.
Just my not so humble opinion.
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Post by tabasco on May 14, 2018 9:44:22 GMT -5
CaptBart, I wanted to let you know I really enjoy your thread. As an old Boy Scout I truly believe in being prepared. And you are right, skills are more important than gear. Preparedness should be educational, healthy and above all FUN. If it's fun, even humorous, people return to train and learn. As for gear, I like my old, tried and true companions for company. My keychain, since approximately 2003. The MRE sized Tabasco is used frequently,and the lights and knifes used almost daily.
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