Upcoming Radio Interview

Upcoming Radio Interview 

This coming Thursday, March 3rd, 2011, I will be a guest on the Indigo Children Radio Show. Follow the link below to listen to the live broadcast or to find out more about the Indigo Children Radio Show. There are also links to archived shows and this interview will be archived as well. 

Listen Live at 10:00pm - 12:00am Central or 8:00pm - 10:00pm Pacific 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/indigochildrenradio

Details and Archive for this show
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/indigochildrenradio/2011/03/04/how-to-survive-the-coming-solar-storms-2012-part-2

-Richard

Major Increase in Food Prices Coming says Sysco

According to the article below, the major food distributor Sysco, they are expecting a major increase in food prices and availability in the near future.


http://theintelhub.com/2011/02/14/major-food-distributor-sysco-%E2%80%9Cimmediate-volatile-prices-expected-limited-availability-and-mediocre-quality-at-best%E2%80%9D/


This is mostly due to the cold temperature that we had over the winter, which was devastating to crops throughout the U.S. and Mexico. This couldn't come at a worse time considering the current state of our economy and the ongoing worldwide food shortages. Due to their own internal problems, Russia, who is a large grain exporter, has all but cut off exports to feed their own people. This in turn has helped to fuel the current unrest in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and elsewhere. If the U.S. experiences the shortages that Sysco is predicting, will also have to cut down on our own exporting of grain and other food aid. This will lead to a massive world wide food shortage and famine that will dwarf the current and already dire food shortages. In addition to large scale starvation and disease on a worldwide scale, a new war for resources and food may break out and overwhelm the thin capabilities of the western powers.


If you have any plan to stock up on food to survive through the next few years, you should act quickly. If you are still debating as to whether or not you need to prepare, it is time to get off the fence and stock up quick. You may not be able to in a few months. If you wait for this news to hit the main stream media, it will be too late. Please act now, while you can.


-Richard

Safecastle Freedom Awards Contest - You could Win

Safecastle Freedom Awards program--the Survivalist/Preparedness New-Media competition


$12K Survivalist New Media Contest is Live


The official contest page is here:
http://safecastle.blogspot.com/2011/02/2011-safecastle-freedom-awards-new.html


The link above is the official link for this contest, and in an effort to help you get prepared, I have gladly agreed to be a participating site for the contest. If you follow the instructions at this link and post to this blog, you have a chance to win some really good survival equipment.


www.prepared.pro
www.safecastle.com


-Richard

Solar Storms: Are You Ready

The following article asks the question: Could the upcoming solar storms create a $2 trillion 'global Katrina' disaster. You should read it and others like it an familiarize yourself with the effects of solar storms.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/21/solar-storms-global-katrina


If you haven't heard, many scientists are predicting that the next solar maximum that we are approaching now, may be larger than any we have seen in the last 150 years, since the Carrington event of 1859. This may not seem very scary, but the last time we had a really big solar flare impact on the earth, we didn't have the electrical technology that we have now. We now rely on our technology, not only to support our comfortable lifestyle, but also to artificially support our large population. In other world, we have built a fragile system of food production and delivery that is entirely dependent on a fragile, aging, and vulnerable electrical grid.


To counter this threat, you need to be able to survive in a world without electricity for an unknown period of time. This can only be achieved by acquiring redundant methods and systems to provide for your daily needs. In my case, I rely on an electric water well pump to provide water to my home for drinking, cooking, etc. If we lose the electrical grid due to a solar storm or other cause, I will still need water to survive. I have made the following preparations to ensure that I will continue to have water in the event of a disaster. First, I have two generators that can provide electricity to operate my well pump, one that runs on gasoline or propane (duel fuel), and one that is PTO driven by my diesel tractor. If the solar storm, or flare, affects these devices, I also have a dipping bucket that fits inside of the casing pipe of the well, and can be lowered on a rope or cable to retrieve water. To fit inside of the well casing pipe, the shape of this bucket is tall and thin. 


In addition to water, you also need to be able to provide food, shelter, and warmth for yourself and family. This means you need to store up food now. You might be able to grow food or hunt and gather eventually, but you need a stock pile of canned and dried food to hold you over until you get up and running. Growing food takes time and hunting and gathering are seasonal activities. If you don't have enough food to last until you get spooled up on your other methods of food procurement, you will starve. Shelter is pretty easy if we had to live like our forefathers, chances are, you already have a home, which should continue to provide shelter. One thing you might need to do however is to increase your security. Many people in the past had to defend their homes from natives and barbarians, and that will likely be a concern in any post disaster scenario. As for heat, everyone needs to be able to warm some part of their home without electricity. This usually means using propane, natural gas, or wood in a short term disaster, but in a long term disaster, wood is really the only option. Propane and natural gas will run out eventually with no reasonable expectation of resupply. I personally use electricity to heat my home primarily, but I also have a wood burning stove. My wood stove is rated to 30 below 0, however, when it gets really cold, a wood stove may only heat one or two rooms. It also takes a lot of wood. In a cold area, if it were your only heat source; you might burn 5 cords per winter. That is not really a problem, you just need to understand how much it is going to use and plan accordingly. You cannot afford to run out of wood, it could be a fatal mistake. Many homes today are built with a fireplace that will burn wood, if your fireplace will not burn wood, convert it now.


-Richard

Upcoming Radio Interview

This coming Monday, February 28th, 2011, I will be a guest on the Neighborhood Survival with The Swede radio show. Follow the link below to listen to the live broadcast or to find out more about the the Swede radio show. There are also links to archived shows and this interview will be archived as well. 



Listen Live at 1:00 - 3:00 Central
http://www.thewatchmen.fm/


Listen to the Archives
http://jumbofiles.com/user/thewatchmen/24812/The%20Swede%20Show

-Richard

Question: Urban Survival

Q:

We live in a city of about 25,000 and in the winter what would be the best way for us to heat our home, or a room or two in mid-winter (a sustainable method, long term) to keep from freezing.  I was considering putting a small wood stove, really small like a large suitcase in the kitchen and running a pipe right out the window, putting an insert with a sheet metal center area and having the pipe go about 6 feet past the house.  Then burn green wood or whatever i could find, feeling the shortness of the pipe would make it easier to clean.

What would you suggest for long term survival in our urban environment?

What type of food would be the best for long term survival?  MRE's, dehydrated or what?

A:

As for heating, I have a wood stove and mine is rated to 30 below 0. However, when it gets really cold, a wood stove may only heat one or two rooms. It also takes a lot of wood, in your area, if it were your only heat source; you might burn 5 cords per winter. That is not really a problem, you just need to understand how much it is going to use and plan accordingly. You can get small wood stove, and you can run them out of a window, just make sure that your flue pipe extends above the roof line for proper ventilation. I think that wood is the best option for long term survival heat, because wood is the only fuel that will be available long term in a disaster. Propane and Natural gas will eventually run out with no chance of resupply. I live in a rural area, so I have easy access to wood for free, in your case, you might need to network a little and find people that have dead trees that they need to get rid of. As for flue cleaning, make sure you get some flue cleaning logs, and burn them in the stove periodically if you can. You can get some now and save them for later. They will make flue cleaning much easier and you won't need to clean the flue as often.

As for survival in an urban area, the best thing you can do is get out now and move to a more rural area. If that is not realistic, which it is not for most, you will have to do the best that you can. In a long-term disaster, in an urban area, you will be competing for more limited resources with more people. The best thing that you can do is get what you need now so that you don't have a need to be out on the street when everyone else is out looking for supplies. If you are going to hold up in the city, there is a very high chance that you house will be burglarized, vandalized, and looted, as is the case in most large disasters. In this case you will either have to hide and risk losing your supplies or fight, so I would suggest arming yourself and keeping a large supply of ammunition on hand. I think that it is better to avoid fighting if you can, but I think that it will be hard to hide in an urban environment. You may want to think about bugging out of the city, which will require you to have a destination in mind, and a way to get there with your supplies. Having an older car or truck that is pre-electronic and can withstand a solar flare or EMP attack is also a good idea. I keep an old 80's model diesel truck at my farm just in case.

In terms of food for long term survival, dehydrated food is very good and has a very long shelf life, up to 20 years, but it is also very expensive. Canned beans have a long shelf life, up to 10 years, and can be eaten right out of the can or mixed with rice. Just make sure you have a manual can opener. I keep rice and other grains in sealed mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, which will have a multi-year shelf life. Rice is the best grain to keep in my opinion, because it is inexpensive, compact for storage and doubles in size when cooked, can be stored for a long time, provides calories and protein, and can be cooked or will absorb water overnight if no heat is available. MRE's are good for travel, but are expensive and don't have the shelf life that some people think they do. Although an MRE will last for 5 to 10 years under the right conditions, it can also go bad in a matter of weeks if kept in a hot car.

Just remember, the best plan is the one you do.

-Richard

Re-Post: Upcoming Radio Interview

Big News,


This coming Tuesday night, February 15th, 2011, I will be a guest on the Knight Zone radio show with Colin Knight. Follow the link below to listen to the live broadcast or to find out more about the Knight Zone radio show. There are also links to archived shows and this interview will be archived as well. 


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yowradio


-Richard

Survival Navigation

If you find yourself in a survival situation, at some point, you will have to decide whether to stay where you are, or move to another location. You might choose to stay where you are and wait for rescue, or you might feel that you need to find your own way to safety. Even if your choice is to stay and wait for rescue, you might still need to at least move to higher ground or to an opening where you can be seen by search and rescue crafts. Regardless of the motivation to leave your present location, you need to know how to navigate if you want to reach your destination. Navigation is a lot more complicated than just heading in a direction. 


Many people have heard stories of lost individuals walking in circles, which is a true phenomenon, due to the fact that the human body has a stronger and dominant side of the body. The easiest solution for this problem is to use a method of navigation called dead reckoning. Dead Reckoning is a simple process that requires no training. Once you have chosen a direction of travel, find an object that is located in the direction that you want to travel, and walk toward that object. Once there, repeat the process. Whether or not you choose a close object or a far object depends on the terrain and surroundings. If you are in an area like a clearing, you can choose an object far away; however, if you are in heavily wooded surroundings, you might have to choose an object that is much closer, like a hundred feet or so. 


Now that you know a method that will keep you on a straight path, you need to learn to find a direction or heading. The first thing you need to determine is what direction you should be heading in. When you go into an area, you should have a map, but at least, you should know what direction you traveled to get to your general location. In other words, if I am going to a state park, I should know what highways and towns are located to the North, South, East, and West, and which ones are generally closer. It does little good to know which way is South, if you don't at least have a general idea of where you want to go. If you are stuck in a situation where you truly have idea of where you are, you should travel downhill in the hope of finding a stream or waterway. The general rule is that small waterways and streams lead to larger waterways and rivers, and rivers lead to towns and civilization.


If you have determined a general direction that you want to travel, now you need to locate your direction. If you have a compass, that makes it simple, the needle points north, otherwise, it requires a little work. I separate non-magnetic navigation methods into two categories, day time and night time navigation. In the day, we use the Sun to navigate. Now everyone knows that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, correct. But in reality, it is not that simple. Although the Sun does rise in an easterly direction, it varies greatly depending on the time of year and your location. Without going into seasonal changes, there is a simple method that works anytime and anywhere the Sun is present. Start by finding four sticks about 10 inches long and drive one into the ground as close to vertical as you can. Now take a stick and drive it into the ground as close to vertical as you can at the tip of the shadow of the first stick. Now do the same with your third stick as you did with the second, after the shadow has moved a few inches, and then again with the forth stick. At this point, you should have three sticks lines up perfectly with an East/West line. At this point, if you are in the Northern hemisphere, your first lone stick will be to the South, and the opposite side will be North. The opposite would be true if you are in the Southern hemisphere. At this point you should know where all four directions are.


At night, if you are lucky, you can sometimes see the distant light of towns, which would give you a direct line of travel. Otherwise, you are pretty much forced to use the stars for navigation if you have no access to modern technology. The moon can also be used, but it required knowledge of a complex lunar cycle. Although you can navigate by multiple stars, the simplest is to use the North start, which is of course to the North. First, you need to find the Big Dipper, which most people are familiar with. It looks like a large dipping cup with a handle. To help you locate it, you need to know that it rotates throughout the year, but there is an easy way to remember the cycle. In Winter, the handle hangs down like an icicle, in Spring the cup faces down to pour out the spring showers, in Summer the handle faces up as if dipping cool water, and in Fall the cup faces up to catch the falling leaves. Once you find the Big Dipper, follow the stars that make up the wall of the cup opposite the handle up in the direction of the open cup. At about 4 times the distance of the cup edge that you followed, you will find the North Star as the handle star of the Little Dipper.   


-Richard

Charcoal

Once you have made you first fire, you will begin to collect the carbonized wood remains that we call charcoal. It has many uses, and should not be idly discarded by anyone in a survival situation.  The most important use for charcoal is for filtering water. Although all water found in the wild should be boiled, filtering is also a good idea to remove debris and bacteria. After the burning process, charcoal becomes porous, and can catch very small particles in those pores. Even modern water filtration systems use charcoal, but a primitive charcoal and sand filter can be fashioned from basic materials. First, find a receptacle; it can be natural or man-made. Make sure that you have a small opening at the bottom, and a large opening at the top. This receptacle should be tall and this if possible. Fill the receptacle with alternating layers of sand and charcoal, a few inches think, and as many layers as you can. Pour your water in the top, and let it percolate down through the layers. It is even better if you can filter the water first through some fabric, like a shirt. Once you have collected the filtered water, you should boil it if you can for the best and safest results. Even if you have no ability to boil the filtered water, it will still be much safer than it was before filtering. Charcoal can also be consumed in small amounts as a digestive aid. It will absorb any bacteria that you have consumed and help to prevent or cure diarrhea. Charcoal can also be used as a writing utensil for leaving message for search crews about your condition or direction of travel. On paper, it will work just like a pencil.


-Richard

Importance of Fire

Legend tells us that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this, Zeus punished him by having him bound to a rock while an eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. We accept this today only as a myth because the evidence shows us that the control of fire by man was a learned skill that developed in stages over many thousands of years. Experts now agree that Homo erectus was most likely the first human species to control fire which provided early man many benefits. This was a turning point in human cultural evolution that allowed for humans to proliferate due to the incorporation of cooked proteins and carbohydrates, expansion of human activity into the night hours, and protection from predators. (Price) Every living human is drawn to fire, quite literally like the moth to the flame. In addition to physical warmth, it also warms the soul. We sit around the fire and sing camp song and feel safety within the glow of the light. These feeling are due to a legacy with fire. We need it for our survival, but it is much deeper than that, fire is life. Although food and water are the basis for supporting life, heat, in this case from fire, is required to cook and purify. 


Regardless of your feeling toward the history or mythology of fire, the need for fire should not be in doubt. The control of fire is the premiere skill among survivalist, and the ability to produce fire from nature alone is a right of passage. Fire provides us many benefits as mentioned, and can be produced in several ways. Fire production can be categorized as Friction, Chemical, Electrical, Percussion, Compression, or through the Focusing or Reflection of Light, principally Sunlight.


Examples:
Friction, as in a bow or hand drill.
Chemical, as in the mixing of chemicals like potassium permanganate and glycerin.
Electrical, as in lighting.
Percussion, as in flint with stone.
Compression, as with a fire piston.
Sunlight, as in using a magnifying glass to focus heat.


-Richard

Chemical fire: Starting a fire with trash

Survival often requires you to make due with very limited or random resources. Although many survival situations are in truly remote areas, many are also very close to present or former urban areas or human settlements. In fact, there have been countless cases of people that were lost or stranded within a few miles of civilization. I know of a girl who got lost in the wood just 300 yards from her rural home and ended up traveling several miles before being rescued days later. This means that in a survival situation, you might have a few items from your pack to start with, the random collection of items currently in your car, or you may happen upon human trash. No matter where I have gone, no matter how remote, I always find trash. Often, bottles in the trash still have a small amount of their original contents, and there are several common trash items that can help you get a fire started.

If you have a lighter or matches and want to conserve them, you can ensure that your fire will light on the first try if you have or can find some hand sanitizer. Many people carry this around, and can often be found in the trash. This is essentially a gel stabilized alcohol, and is very flammable. Even the briefest contact with fire will ignite it. If you can, spread it around on some of your fire kindling, and light it before it evaporates. Just be sure not to have any on your hands when lighting your fire. There have been several cases where people used hand sanitizer, then lit a cigarette and caught there hand on fire.

There are also chemical combinations that will start a fire spontaneously when combined. Two of the most likely to be on hand or found, are chlorine bleach with brake fluid, or potassium permanganate (found in disinfectants and in deodorizers) with glycerin (found in Sugar or Anti-freeze). These chemical combinations also emit dangerous smoke, so they should only be used in an emergency, and with proper ventilation, once you combine the chemicals, you should back away to avoid the smoke.  

-Richard

Hand Warmers

I went camping this past weekend, in an area where fires were not allowed, and the camping was primitive. The overnight low was in the mid 20's, and while not a dangerously low temperature for campers, it still felt cold for a Texas night. I had a few instant hand warmers and I used two of them as a heat source. Once you take them out of the package, you shake them to start a chemical reaction that provides about 8 hours of heat. I put one at the bottom of my sleeping bag, and put the other on my abdomen, and I was very warm throughout the night. Although I could have survived the night without them, this is a perfect example of how a small amount of preparation can make a big difference in your comfort level when you are in a true survival situation. Since so much of survival depends on your state of mind, a few light weight comfort items can make the difference. I already carry candy and chocolate in my survival kits, and after this weekend, I will be sure that I have some hand warmers in all of my survival kits.


-Richard

Survival Communications

If you are planning to go camping, or just out into the woods, you should always tell someone where you are going, where you will be at different times, and when you plan to return. If you go with a group, this same rule applies to small trip, like looking for firewood, or whatever. If you can, take your phone. If you can, bring or borrow a satellite phone. What I do is I take my phone with me and leave it off to preserve the battery life, that way if I have an emergency, I know I can turn it on and call someone if I can get a signal. Most times, if you are in a rural or remote area, you won’t be able to use your cell phone. I also like to use radios, especially if I am with a group. I carry an FRS/GMRS radio with me when I go into the woods, and I make sure that everyone has one if I co with a group. Depending on the terrain, a good FRS/GMRS radio has a range of several miles. This may not sound like much range, but when most people are rescued after being lost, they are rarely more than a few miles away from civilization. The great thing about FRS/GMRS radios is that they are used by many people and most have a channel scanning feature, so that if someone is nearby, you can find them with the scanning feature.


If you are in a situation, where you have no access to electronic communications, there are several methods of primitive communication that you can use. If you are lost, you can spell out S.O.S., or HELP, with rocks or logs if you can find a clearing. This is very helpful for contacting aerial search teams. You can also create a large triangle shape which is a sign for help that can be seen from multiple angles. Another method of signaling is to use a mirror if you have one to reflect sunlight in the direction of any search craft or search team, and this can be seen for many miles. The method is to hold your hand out in front of you and make a peace sign with your index and middle fingers spread apart. Now move your hand until the object you are signaling towards is visible between your two fingers. Now use your other hand to move the mirror until you can see sunlight on your hand. Now move the mirror up and down so that the beam of light is alternating between your hand and the target. Continue to aim your hand at the target as it moves, and watch your hand to make sure the light beam is still on target. Another good method of communication is to build a large fire for rescuers to see. The smoke from a fire can be seen for miles in the day, and the fire light can be seen at night. The best way to do this is to build up kindling like grass, then small stick, and then larger logs like a bonfire, then stack green leaves and wood close by. When you are ready to signal, use some torch logs from your campfire, which you should already have ready, and light the signal bonfire. If it is day time, put the green wood and leaves on the fire to produce smoke. You should use verbal communication to signal a rescue team, or to call for help in the hope that someone is near and can hear you. Unless you know someone is near, use this sparingly, you can lose your voice in a very short time if you are yelling a lot.


-Richard

Upcoming Radio Interview

Big News,


This coming Tuesday night, February 15th, 2011, I will be a guest on the Knight Zone radio show with Colin Knight. Follow the link below to listen to the live broadcast or to find out more about the Knight Zone radio show. There are also links to archived shows and this interview will be archived as well. 


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yowradio


-Richard

Quick Survival Tip: Interchanging Batteries

As most of the country is experiencing a major winter storm, power outages and imposed blackouts are very common right now. Although you should always have candles, lamps, and flash lights with batteries, not everyone does. In a pinch, if you find yourself in a situation where you have a flash light, but you don't have enough batteries, you can interchange AA, AAA, C, and D batteries to some degree, because they are all 1.5 volts. This works best when using a smaller battery to make up for a large one, due to the size of the battery receptacle. All you have to do is use some metal object like a spring, or even coins to gap the distance and make contact. You won't get the battery life you normally would, but it is a great trick that could save your life.


Remember, you should always stock up on survival supplies, know where they are located, and know how to use them. 


-Richard

Rolling Blackouts in Texas

This morning, we are experiencing rolling blackouts in Texas, and throughout the U.S. This is not new for many states, but it is new for states like Texas that have more robust grids than those of the ailing northeast. In Texas, it is not the age of the grid, but rather a recent flood of immigration from the northern states due to the economy, causing massive population growth in Texas. Basically, the population in Texas is growing faster than the electrical grid can be expanded to take the extra load. As the U.S. economy continues to dive, this trend will only get worse. If our grid is this vulnerable from just a few extra people running their heat, imagine what would happen if there was a disaster that affected part of the grid. If so, the power could go down for days or weeks state wide like it does in the northern states. When this happens in the northern states, there are always casualties, and access to food is limited. To compound this problem, the number of "Black Start" power plants in Texas has been reduced to only a hand full. By "Black Start", I mean a power plant that has the ability to make electricity when the grid is completely down. In other words, it takes electricity to make electricity, and you can't start up a power plant with a little generator from Home Depot. I have spent the last 12 years working for an electrical utility in Texas, so I have some insight into this. If we lose the grid, in order to bring it back up, the "Black Start" power plants will have to physically isolate themselves from the rest of the grid, then bring their generators online, and only then can they start up their first turbines to start making electricity. Once this is done, these "Black Start" power plants can start to physically reconnect themselves to other isolated grid sections and bring up additional power plants around the state. Once all of the power plants are up around the state, they can start serving power to the population. This could take weeks or months. Even if we were able to get power from another state, the physical reconnecting would still be required. Currently while we have electricity, we can re-route power automatically using SCADA systems, which are computer controlled physical connections, but with no power, the SCADA systems will not work. All of these reconnections will have to be done with a human crew, under conditions that could include snow, ice, flooding, etc. Additionally, many utilities have put so much trust in the computerized systems, that the physical means to re-route the power don't even exist anymore, which would greatly complicate efforts to restore power. Basically, a loss of the grid in Texas now would be a devastating disaster, but the dominoes are already lined up and ready to fall due to overpopulation, an undersized grid, reliance on computer technology, decommissioning of older "Black Start" power plants, and the lack of public knowledge and involvement.

As individuals, we can do little to change what is happening with the growth of the state, or the condition of the electric grid, but we can help ourselves individually and in small groups. The root problem individually, is our dependence on electricity. We use it for heating, but it is also required to maintain our food supply. You cannot run the gas pumps to fuel the trucks that deliver food without electricity. Your local store only has about three days of food on hand based on average demand, and the shelves can be picked clean in minutes during and leading up to a disaster. This is why everyone should keep at least several weeks worth of food on hand at all times, if not a few months worth. The last thing you need to be doing in a disaster or in bad weather is to be out buying the last food scraps on the shelf. As for heat, everyone needs to be able to warm some part of their home without electricity. This usually means using propane, natural gas, or wood. Even some gas heating systems still require a small amount of electricity to operate, so learn how your system works and prepare accordingly. I personally use electricity to heat my home primarily, but I also have propane heat, and a wood burning stove. Many homes today are built with a fireplace that will run on gas or wood, so just make sure you have plenty of fuel on hand at all times. If you have a little food, fuel, and water stored up, you can concentrate on staying warm and safe.

-Richard

Trajectory variation with different types of ammunition

Most hunters and shooters know that when you fire a bullet from any rifle, that there is a specific trajectory that the bullet follows, based on gravity and wind predominantly. However, most hunters don't go to the trouble to learn the trajectory for their rifle and ammunition. The trajectory of the bullet flight will vary considerably based on factors like barrel length, barrel twist, wind speed, caliber, bullet weight, and powder charge. There are other factors, but these are most prominent. Most important among these in terms of what you can directly control and alter, is your ammunition. This means that if you use one type of ammunition to sight in your rifle and another to hunt with, you most likely won't get the same bullet trajectory and might reduce your chances of getting an animal if your shot is beyond 150 yards. Many people sight in a rifle at 100 yards with a small bullet, like 140gr, and then buy a heavier bullet, like 180gr, for hunting a larger animal. The problem is that although there is little difference at 100 yards, the trajectory of a 140gr, and a 180gr bullet is very different beyond 150 yards. The powder charge will also vary from cartridge to cartridge depending on the manufacturer. My point here is that you should sight in your rifle with the specific ammunition that you plan to hunt with, find a trajectory chart for that ammunition, and fire your rifle at different ranges. See how your results compare to the given chart, and make notes. Once you have a validated trajectory chart, take that with you when you are hunting. If you change ammunition, repeat the process again. The chart below will give you an idea of how to compensate for wind, although it may vary slightly for your ammunition.  


I am in the process of building a new hunting rifle in .308 caliber, and I am planning to stock up on Silver Bear 140gr soft point ammunition, because of price and availability. This is the most reasonably priced hunting ammunition in .308 and has good reviews. If you are interested, there is a link below to the Silver Bear 140gr soft point ammunition page at ammunitiontogo.com. There is also a chart of the trajectory statistics for the Silver Bear 140gr soft point ammunition below. You should be able to find a similar chart for whatever type of ammunition that you are using.


http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/100rds-308-silver-bear-140gr-soft-point-ammo/cName/308-762-nato-soft-point


Or try:


http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ItemDetail.aspx?sku=AMM-690


-Richard

Concrete Calculation Tool

Just a quick offering. 


I have been pouring a lot of concrete lately for my survival and other projects, and I use a program that I wrote a few years ago to calculate how much concrete is needed for each job. I have placed a link below, and it will also be available in the file archive section of this site. This is a simple tool, but it works well.


https://sites.google.com/site/centraltexassurvival/concalc.zip 


-Richard

Consolidating Calibers

I used to think, like many people, that having many guns, as opposed to just a few, was a good idea. My thought process at that time, was that if I had guns in several different calibers, that I would have a better chance of finding ammo, or in other words, being able to shoot any ammo that I found. The problem with this was that I found myself in a situation where I had many guns, but very little ammunition for each weapon. I had pistols in .45, .357, .38, .38 S&W, .44, 9mm, and a few other odd calibers. I also had rifles in several calibers, some odd, like 7x57 Mauser. Although there is nothing wrong with any of these guns or calibers on the surface, it did create a problem for me. I liked to take a few of the guns from the collection and shoot them with friends, usually I would shoot up a box in each gun, and some of these calibers, due to rarity are expensive. Therefore, I spent my limited resources on a small number of expensive rounds of ammunition. I have since come to the conclusion that it is better to have fewer common calibers and more ammunition, which will be less expensive in a more common caliber. I am not suggesting that you cannot collect guns or that you shouldn't have multiple guns. What I am suggesting, however, is that you should collect and buy guns that use as few calibers as possible, and preferably those that are very common. 


For pistols, aside from .22, everyone knows that 9mm is the most common round available, and the price of 9mm ammunition reflects that. If you are not a fan of the 9mm, that is fine, just remember, that under survival conditions, you are far more likely to encounter 9mm rounds than any other. If you are concerned about stopping power, there is a larger selection of defensive ammunition available for 9mm that is more than adequate for personal defense. Just a side note, regardless of what round you chose to carry, remember that you should not consider all ammunition the same. A lot of people buy a gun for defense, and then proceed to load it and carry it around with cheap target ammunition. It is fine to buy full metal jacketed ammunition, or FMJ, for target practice and stocking up, but you should have your personal weapon loaded with defensive ammunition. I use a jacketed hollow point, but frangible ammunition should also be considered, depending on your environment. This is a very common mistake, so do some research on your own.


For rifles, it is not that simple. .223 and 7.62x39 are of course very common and should be considered as your staple assault rifle round. However, these rounds are a little small for hunting. .308 is a better round for hunting, and still very common and modestly prices. .308 is by far the cheapest and most widely used hunting round today, eclipsing the 30-06 in popularity some years back. The .308 is also a good assault rifle round. It was used widely by the military throughout much of the last century, and still to a degree today. Both AR-15 and AK-47 style rifles can be purchased in .308. I personally have an AK-47 in the native 7.62x39 and consider that my staple assault rifle. Because it is so common, the 7.62x39 ammunition is less expensive than .308 and I can buy more ammunition per dollar spent. However, I have chosen to stock and use a different caliber for hunting large game, .308, and I don't plan to acquire any other hunting rifles that are not in this caliber. There are many available used and new rifles in .308, so you are not limited. 


Be careful when buying used guns, however, especially if they have been re-chambered. Many old rifles, like Mausers, have been re-chambered to .308, and some cannot handle the pressure of a modern .308 load. This is also true of other calibers. Just make sure that you know the pressure rating of the gun you are buying, and the rating of the round that you are planning to use in it. Also, pressures are not always listed in the same scale; some are listed in Copper Units of Pressure (CUP) and others in Pounds per Square Inch (PSI). Below, I have listed the formulas for converting between the two.


PSI = (CUP x 1.51) - 17,902
CUP = (PSI + 17,902) / 1.51


Here is a real world example: 
I had a small ring Mauser, in 7x57, with a pressure rating of 46,000 CUP. I wanted to have it re-chambered to .308, but according to SAAMI, the .308 Winchester has a MAP (maximum average product) pressure of approximately 62,000 PSI* (conformal transducer measurement). My gunsmith advised against re-chambering, for a good reason. Using the formula above, PSI = (CUP x 1.51) - 17,902, I can see that 46,000 (Mauser CUP Rating) x 1.51 = 69460, minus 17,902, gives me a result of 51,558 PSI. This is well below the SAMMI rating for the .308. You can see why most gunsmiths would be hesitant. Granted, the Mausers, as well as most other guns, were built to take a 125% pressure load, it is not worth my life to put that to the test. Even if it didn't explode, it certainly wouldn't be good for the gun over time. Also, you may say, that it would be acceptable to shoot a lower pressure hand load, which is true, but what if the gun is later owned by someone else that doesn't know the back story. That is just too dangerous to risk. My choice was just to trade the gun in on something else.


Just to follow up on the .22, I own several .22 guns and I consider them a very important part of any collection. The ammunition is cheaper by far than any other caliber and they are essential for target practice, small game hunting, and training for new shooters and children. Although they aren't very practical for defense or hunting large game, they can be used if needed. I know that deer, and other large game animals can and have been killed with .22 rifles. If I could only have 1 gun, it would definitely be a .22. They are very versatile and can be used in many situations beyond what might seem practical.


-Richard 

Shipping Containers: Good to Have, but Prices Are Rising

I currently have a shelter structure built using shipping containers, that are underground. I like shipping containers, because they are inexpensive, very strong, and provide an instant place to secure goods, for survival or otherwise. There are concerns regarding the strength of shipping containers when used in an underground setting, but they are easily overcome. Shipping containers are still readily available and are starting to gain acceptance as a building material for houses and other structures. They can be stacked one upon another, and are very versatile when planning out a design, especially for multi-story and cantilevered construction. If nothing else, I think that everyone should have a shipping container stored on rural property and stocked with food and survival supplies. A bare shipping container may not be the best protection from all threats, but it would be somewhat secure and a relatively good shelter from the weather. If you cannot cover your container with concrete, either above or below ground, you should at the least clean it and paint it with a thick paint, like elastomeric. This will ensure that it does not rust while exposed to the elements. Shipping containers are made from a rust resistant type of steel, called corten steel, and while it is highly rust resistant compared to other steels, it will rust over time. 


For long term survival, however, I do not recommend leaving your container exposed and uncovered. If you are worried about radiation, you will need to make sure that your container is covered with dirt or concrete. Also, if you are looking for protection from armed attackers, a container wall is not enough, although they will stop a .22 round, they will not stop a 9mm. (I have done some testing) This may not be a concern for some, but if your goal is to buy a container and use it for a bug out retreat, you need to think a lot about security. The point here is to do what you can now, and then do more over time as you are able.


Additionally, I went to my local shipping container supplier this past weekend to buy another shipping container to add to my current structure, and I was surprised by the rising cost. When I originally bought my core containers a few years ago, I paid about $1300 per container. I did purchased another container while I was there at the container yard this past weekend for $1500. The owner of the lot told me that he had a few left at that price, and then they would be going to $2100. This is due to multiple factors: the economy in general and the value of the dollar; the demand for containers; and a reduced supply due to less shipping to the United States. As the dollar continues to decline and more people catch on to the fact that shipping containers are an easy way to secure your goods, they are going to increase in price, and may become very difficult to obtain. 


By the way, I am adding this latest container as a shelter overflow for family, so remember, if you have friends and family that know you are preparing, there is a good chance their plan will be to head your way when it all goes down. Make sure you are set up the way you need to be before it is too late, and get prepared to help as many others as you can. If you cannot keep your humanity during and through a disaster, there is little point in surviving it at all.


-Richard

MRE's and the Alternatives

I can personally attest to the fact that MRE's do go bad, and I know that temperature is a big factor. If you look at the shelf life, it can be as long as ten years, or as short as a few weeks depending on the temperature. I was on guard duty not that long ago, and all we had were MRE's for our meals. They must have been stored incorrectly, because they were all bad. Basically, I just ate the crackers and hard cookies, everything that was soft was spoiled. I think that the emergency food bars are a better choice for the individual than surplus MRE's. The emergency food bars are cheaper than MRE's, provide the same amount of calories, are just as portable, and will last longer in a wider range of temperatures. I know that MRE's have a lot of varied items in them like cookies, peanut butter or cheese and crackers, but if you are storing them in a car or bug out bag, you may be unknowingly storing a rotten mess as well as having a big disappointment coming in the future, or worse, you could be in a real survival situation and not have any food. The sites linked below sell the emergency food bars in bulk and in individual bars. 


http://www.campingsurvival.com/emfoba.html 


http://www.firstaidkitproducts.com/product/1200C 


I also have some dehydrated food, which has a 15 to 25 year shelf life. I have some made by Mountain House, which is available in #10 cans or mylar bags, and can be acquired at any camping supply store or Walmart. There are other brands as well, like the Auguson Farms brand that Sam's Wholesale carries, which is cheaper than Mountain House, if you have a Sam's membership. I have a Sam's membership, and I think that it is helpful for buying bulk food and other supplies. If you don't have a Sam's in your area, I know that there are several other warehouse chains throughout the country, you just need to do a little research. As is always the case, you can find a lot of good deals online if you look.


http://www.mountainhouse.com/ 


http://augasonfarms.com/ 


-Richard

Wild Edibles: An Introduction

Wild edibles can make the difference in a survival situation and save your life. Although meat is a better source of fat and protein than wild plants, hunting and trapping game is never easy and it is not reliable for consistently keeping food in your system. Wild edibles are extremely nutritious and contain essential vitamins and minerals. In fact, in some cases, wild plants can have up to 500 times the nutritional value of their domestic counterparts. So if they are so nutritious, you may ask why we bother going to the supermarket at all. There are several reasons, but some are more important to the concepts of survival. First, unlike their domesticated relatives, many wild plants have very short seasons where the plant either fruits or is edible. Secondly, many plants are only partially edible meaning they are only safe in small quantities or only part of the plant is edible. This is also true of many of the plants that we grow in our garden or buy in the store, but we know from our traditions what parts to eat. Most importantly, many wild plants are highly toxic. The misidentification of plants sadly still produces deaths even in modern times. The Buddha, for instance, died by eating a poisonous mushroom that was gathered by accident while collecting edible mushrooms. Additionally, by design or by a product of evolution, many poisonous plants mimic edible plants and the differences can be very subtle, case in point, Poison Hemlock and Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot) look very similar, so be careful. In total, about two-thirds of all plants contain at least a poison part, so you are twice as likely to choose a poisonous plant, if you are just choosing plants at random. My advice is to keep it simple and avoid plants that are not easily identified or have a poison twin. You will find that many of the edible plants will be immediately recognizable to you even if you didn't know that they were edible before. I have included a list of easily identifiable plants and trees that are common and do not have a poison twin. Although this is just a small list of available plants, I believe in taking the safe route and keeping it simple. Find out what common edible plants grow in your area and try to memorize just a few that are very common and that you are already able to identify. Most specialists suggest that you learn about 10 edible plants to start with, and then go up from there.


Research these on your own, they are found all over the U.S.:
Pine Trees (Nuts, Inner Bark, Needles for Tea)
Oak Acorns (After par boiling to remove bitter taste)
Cactus Fruit
Blackberries (Fruit, Leaves for Tea)
Grapes (Leaves and Fruit)
Sunflower (Seeds, Leaves, Roots)
Wild Plums (Fruit only)
Wild Persimmon (Fruit)
Greenvine (Stems, Fruit, Young Roots)
Native Pecans
Native Walnuts (Hickory)
Mesquite (Beans)
Mulberry (Fruit and Leaves)
Hackberry (Fruit)

-Richard

Survival Knowledge as a Legacy

Throughout human history, until the late 19^th century, the fastest way for a man to travel was on the back of an animal or on a drawn chariot. Within a few decades of the first automobiles and trains, we were soaring through the sky at ever increasing speeds. At the same time, due mostly to industrialization, families began to leave the rural farms across the land and swelled the cities. Within two generations, the ancient knowledge that man had passed from father to son for more than 100 thousand years was mostly lost. After World War II, people continued to flock to the cities and for the first time in known human history, we raised an entire generation of humans that lacked the knowledge to feed themselves. My Grandmother, who was born in 1924, cooked poke weed when I was a child. Poke weed is a wild plant similar to spinach that is poisonous if not prepared correctly. She learned to identify and prepare poke weed from her mother, yet failed to pass the skill to my mother. My grandmother now while healthy for her age, lacks the eye site to identify the plant. Fortunately, I have chosen to pick up a mantel that would otherwise be lost to my family forever. This example is not an isolated incident. Every child learns the fact that you can start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, but very few are taught the methods, which are very complicated. In this blog, we will discuss the rule of three. The rule of three states that you can live three minutes without oxygen, three hours when exposed to extreme low temperature, three days without water, and three weeks without food. What we discuss further, however, is that under the right conditions, without the warmth of a fire, you can be on the road to death and completely incoherent in less than twenty minutes. The number one killer of individuals that get lost, even for a short time, is hypothermia. The ability to produce fire is by far the most important skill that ancient man possessed. We will cover the skill of fire and many others in this blog in detail over time. I will attempt to cover every skill needed to survive. I want to stress also that this blog is not only a survival site, but also an attempt to shed light on the value of ancient knowledge and asks the following question: Why would we as a society give up the most important knowledge that man has every possessed, the knowledge of nothing less than survival itself? I don’t want you to think early on that I am opposed to technology, because I am not. Humans have made some great discoveries and because of this we enjoy very comfortable lives. There is very little in life that I like better than to sit in my easy chair at home and pop in a good DVD on my big screen. Add to this a bag of microwave popcorn with a ton of butter and I am in heaven. I then have to work off the butter on the treadmill the next morning because I work at a desk and have little opportunity for real exercise. I am also not suggesting that we all become hunter gatherers again either, because that is a very hard life style with a high mortality rate. What I am suggesting, however, is that we can retain just a few minimal skills from our forefathers so that in the rare case of an emergency, we are prepared and we know how to survive. The common thought is that these skills are an anachronism and that modern man has no use for them, yet people get into these situations very often. For now it is sufficient to say that you can find yourself in a survival scenario quicker than you think. I know that you have heard these stories on the news, a story about a couple of lost hikers or a story about someone that ran their car off the road in a remote area and survived on their own for a few days. The point is that these things happen and they can happen to you. This simple knowledge discussed in this blog took thousands of years to develop but is fading so fast. You and you alone have the responsibility to gather as much of this knowledge as you can and pass it on to your children. Don’t let it die so quickly. So many of our ancestors gave their lives to give us this gift of knowledge, don’t be so quick to throw it in the trash pile. As a final note, I offer this: Our society as we know it may not stand forever and our children’s future survival may depend on the knowledge passed down through the ages. Whether in 100 years or 1000 years, history shows us that we will face disasters, natural or otherwise, that will put our technology to the test. There are many great civilizations that have risen and fallen throughout time that left a period of technological darkness in their wake.


-Richard

Fire Steel (Ferrocerium)

I have been using fire steel (Ferrocerium) and flint to make fire for a long time and I have found that the best value fire steel comes from http://www.firesteel.com/. Their fire steel is high quality and very inexpensive. I keep a fire steel rod with me at all times, including a small rod that I keep in my wallet. If you get caught in a survival situation, fire can be the difference between life and death. Fire has many uses including warmth, light, cooking, protection from animals and insects, as well as being a real boost to moral. Learning to make fire by a primitive means is difficult, but rewarding when you succeed. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, as well as a connection to the earth and to our past. I believe that everyone should know how to make fire with several primitive methods and learn to identify the needed materials that are found in their area.

I also have a good method for making char cloth if anyone is interested in primitive fire. For those who don't know, char cloth is carbonized cloth that is used to catch and grow a spark that mimics the natural fungi that primitive peoples used in fire making. What I do is take any old, 100% cotton fabric, cut it into 3" x 3" squares, take 10 squares and fold them inside a piece of aluminum foil, and poke a few small holes in the foil. I then put it on the gas grill for 15 minutes or so. You will see smoke exit the holes, and when it stops, you should be ready. The idea is that you are burning the cloth outside of the presence of oxygen, and you leave behind the carbon. This char cloth that is produced will catch and grow the smallest spark. This is great for any primitive fire starting.


If anyone has any general questions about fire, I also have experience with several other ways of producing primitive fire, like friction or compression. I have been very successful in the past making fire with methods like flint, bow drill, or pump drill. 


-Richard

Radio Communications

I am wondering what best idea is for radio communications. I found this radio below, that will work for 2 meter ham, MURS, and FRS/GMRS.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TYT-TH-UVF1-UHF-VHF-Dual-Band-Handheld-radio-1750-tone_W0QQi\
temZ180584993632QQcategoryZ163855QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m263QQ_trkparmsZa\lgo%3DSIC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D10%26pmod\%3D160375068624%252B180473740805%252B250670162284%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3\D5297230430789231175#ht_4334wt_1139

Currently I have a CB base station for long range communications, and a set of FRS/GMRS radios for tactical communications. I have a ham license, and I want to start taking advantage of it. I have a lot of experience with military radios, but I am new to the HAM world.

I like the MURS radios, but they are limited to only 5 frequencies. However, they have more power and a greater range than FRS/GMRS, because MURS are VHF and FRS/GMRS are UHF. I think a good option is to use a radio that can tune to multiple frequencies and then tune them to the MURS or FRS/GMRS frequencies, this also allows you to use digital privacy codes and push up the wattage. (Just mind the FCC rules for now)

As for FRS/GMRS, I have a set of the Midland GXT900VP4, and they are good radios. We use FRS/GMRS in my Guard unit because we are moving to more civilian friendly frequencies for rescue and relief, and I have personally used the Midland GXT900VP4 out to 4 miles. The distance depends on the terrain. When they rate the distance of those radios, it assumes line of sight, so they will work for the rated distance on open terrain, like water or hill to hill. One thing about the Midland GXT900, is that they have a voice scramble feature that is not available in the newest model, the GXT1000. The voice scramble feature violates the FCC rules, so you need to be careful with that feature.

As for the Chinese radios, they may not be the best, but they have a lot of features for the money. There are better alternatives for more money, you just have to search for the same features. I will add one note. With many of the name brand radios, they lock down many of the frequencies to appease the FCC, so make sure you know whether the radio you buy is completely unlocked or if if has to be hacked to open all of the frequencies. (Caveat Emptor)


I would like to know what are you using and how is it working?


-Richard

Body Armor: Used vs. New

I have been looking into some body armor, and I have found that although you can get used armor pretty cheap now, new vests are starting to get really cheap as well.

This company, bulletproofme.com, sells used panels for $30 and $60 for level 2 and 3A vests. If you bought 2 panels, you could make your own carrier and have a level 2 vest for about $60 or level 3A for about $120, or you can buy a new carrier for about $30 extra.

http://www.bulletproofme.com/Bullet_proof_Vests_Catalog.shtml

New carrier for about $30 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/POINTBLANK-BODY-ARMOR-BULLETPROOF-VEST-CARRIER-SZ-50-52-/180\596372048?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0c61f250#ht_2354wt_1139

However, looking on ebay, you can now get used vests for about double the price above, but you can get brand new vests really cheap now also.

Used 2 vest for $110 with shipping:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PACA-BODY-ARMOR-LEVEL-II-POLICE-BULLET-PROOF-VEST-XS-/160503\380675?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255ebf3ac3#ht_3270wt_1139

New 2A vest for $160 with shipping:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-GERMAN-KEVLAR-BODY-ARMOR-BULLET-PROOF-VEST-XL-GL-/300501\024223?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f741bddf#ht_1088wt_1139

Used 3A vest for $185 with shipping:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ABA-Ballistic-Vest-IIIA-3A-bullet-proof-vest-XL-/22070606981\
6?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33631b5d38#ht_500wt_1156

New 3A vest for $250 with shipping:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-BULLET-PROOF-VEST-BODY-ARMOR-IIIA-3A-/110537427881\?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bc8b4ba9#ht_2983wt_1139

I guess it depends on your budget. Do you think it is better to buy a new 2 or 2A vest, or would it be better to get a used 3A vest. In my case, I need to get vests for more than one person, so the dollar figures are compounded, but it is getting to the point that the new vests are not that much more than the used ones. I do know at the very least, that you should avoid the Second Chance armor that was sold in Germany and in the U.S. that is not Kevlar. I have also been thinking of buying one of the used panels from bulletproofme.com and inserting it in my laptop backpack that I carry to work, just in case.

Let me know what you think.


-Richard