The Survival Retreat

Gun Show Gossip and Rumors - Huge Sales

2012-02-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I work part time for a class three gun dealer and have for a few years now and as such we ( meaning I) do many of the larger gun shows in our area. What I have noticed at the last couple is that the demand for weapons is so great its better than it was before Obama took office in late 2007 and early 2008. Whats more its not just any weapon, it is primarily revolving around personal or self protection weapons and now more and more people are moving away from just the traditional handgun to shotguns and rifles. Not bolt action hunting rifles either. I like hearing and seeing what customers have to say, it's like keeping your ear to the ground so to speak. Even after record sales in 2011 people are stilling coming in and buying and asking for more.

Gun show gossip and rumors normally have a leading edge indicator in them if you can sort things out a bit. For example, the economy is still in the bucket and but people are finding money to buy weapons of all kinds. You can almost feel the pent up demand that has been building for months. With the holidays out of the way and income tax refunds floating around people are spending their money on guns.

Every year about this time sales pick up a bit, normally from the post holiday let down. This year though its huge. We just finished a show outside of Philadelphia this weekend and we literally ran out of forms to complete the transfers. All of the dealers were reporting record sales. It was much the same two weeks earlier, that time in Philadelphia. Another indicator is that we normally have a few people come in from states like New York and New Jersey and try to buy guns, the past couple shows it was like a tidal wave of these people. What this shows to me is that even though they know they can't own the weapons they want to buy in their respective home states because of anti gun politicians and laws, large numbers of these folks are willing to try and they want the guns pretty bad for some reason.

Add to that we have had several cases were law enforcement officers from those very same states are in trying to buy weapons. That in most cases can give you a real good feel for what they are seeing or feeling on the streets. The sad part is we can't sell to them either. Now what I guess I am leading too is that plenty of Americans are feeling something bad may be horizon even if they can't put their finger on it they just know its there. Let's be honest here, these people aren't out there buying weapons for the December 2012 deal or some kind of crazy Zombie apocalypse, I think the vast majority of them are scared about what they see happening in places like Greece and know we are only a step or two away.

As I said, keeping your ear to the ground is never a bad thing, you never know what you may hear.

It Seems The Main Stream Media has Just Discovered Survivalist's or Preppers - This after Five Decades

2012-01-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

So are your grandparents the original "preppers"? Maybe not your grandparents, maybe just your parents? I have seen the attention the "prepper" or survival movement has been getting lately in the main stream media and it's almost like they are stunned or shocked that people are actually concerned about their well being. It is starting to look like being a survivalist isn't such a bad thing after all. How does seeing "yourself" being talked about on Yahoo or being the subject of a television show make you feel?

For some reason the main stream media in the past few months has discovered the entire concept of survival or preparedness. The truth is that for the past five decades the survival movement has been there, just under the surface. Go back to the early 1960's and the Cold War. The Soviet Union's attempts to put nuclear missiles in Cuba should ring a bell. How many of you had parents or grandparents that stored away things in a basement or cellar? Mine did. The survival movement is more of a mindset than anything else, the media just hasn't figured that out yet. You need to make up your mind and then get your preparations going, how far you go depends on a number of factors that include money and resources, time, space and most importantly the type of incident you are preparing for to start with.

For most of us money dictates what and how much we can buy or store away. You need to budget your money and plan wisely to get the most bang for your buck. Things like time and space can limit your ability to prepare properly. If you don't have the space to properly (properly being the key word here) store your supplies you may end up being limited on certain things or just simply skipping over items because you have no place to put them. Time, think of it this way. During the Cuban Missile Crisis how many people do you think started digging a shelter in their back yard or started stocking up the family basement? Can you count that high?

The media seems amazed that otherwise "normal" people are survivalists or preppers. They seems stunned that millions of people now think they need to prepare to take car of themselves in a time of need and not depend on the government in one form or another to do it for them. I think the main reason is simple of you think it out. The main stream media is if nothing else very liberal and tilts way left. Liberals are big government people. They believe that government needs to be involved in every part of a persons life. Government provides housing, food, medical care, education and so on. In an emergency they naturally believe government is the answer. Preppers or survivalists tend to see things the other way. They see themselves as needing to be prepared to handle things for themselves should they need to.

I just find it amusing that millions of Americans have been doing something, anything for decades and the media has just caught on. People need to keep going ahead and doing what they are doing, sooner or later the masses may catch up.

Are Gas Masks Really Worth Having? If Anarchist Protesters Can Wear Them Why Can't You?

2012-01-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Are gas masks really worth having? Good question isn't it? If they are such a valuable tool then why does the government at all levels, advise against having and using them? If you have decided you want a gas mask then consider the following before making your purchase. Also, the government recommends the particulate filter masks you can buy at a hardware store, like the NP95 units. Did you ever wonder why? If anarchist protesters can wear gas masks why can't you?

To start with the condition of the mask is critical. Buying a used or surplus mask that does not seal correctly will only get you killed in a crisis when you need it. Buying anything via the web is always a risk, unless you know the organization you are buying it from and can trust the source. Most times you would be better served buying it in person so you can handle it and see for yourself that the mask will seal and work properly. Finding a new surplus mask should not be too difficult, the key here is buying one that accepts standard NATO canister filters. Both the Israeli and South Korean masks are generally at the top of the list when considering such a purchase. The reason is simple, these nations live with a constant threat of terrorism including the use of NBC (nuclear, biological & chemical) weapons.

The mask's themselves are designed to keep a person from inhaling particulate matter or gases. People need to understand that the masks will not protect them from radiation. The military uses gas masks in conjunction with chemical suits to provide full body protection in an NBC environment. Even in full MOP gear a soldier would not be protected from radiation such as from fallout from a nuclear detonation. The suits will protect the wearer from chemical and biological weapons and the mask is part of that protection. Wearing a mask alone will only protect a person from inhaling things, don't let the television fool you to death.

The type and level of protection of the filter is another critical issue. When buying military grade gas masks, or for that matter civilian law enforcement units keeps in mind that not all filters are created equal. For example, a standard NATO canister filter is good for about fours hours of service in an NBC environment. Once the filter has been used, regardless of for how long, replace it as soon as possible with a new unit. Keep in mind that if you are exposed to something like say a chemical agent, ensure you are wearing a good quality pair of rubber gloves before removing the mask if at all possible. Whatever threat was present may still be there, residing on the mask, touching it could prove to be just as deadly has breathing it in.

As for the government recommended face respirator's you can buy at a hardware store, here is the truth. The government has decided that most civilians can't be taught to put on and use a gas mask as is done in places like Israel, so they have decided that having people cover their faces with some type of filtering material will offer a level of protection from many biological threats such as Anthrax. This is true to a certain degree and keeping debris out of your lungs is always a good idea. They will not be of any service whatsoever is a chemical situation however. Even moving up the food chain and buying the paint sprayer versions of these masks will do no good in a chemical attack. The idea after 9-11 was to give people some protection and also to provide people with a level of comfort, they would at least have something making them feel prepared. It is the same idea behind the "72 hour" kits that we all know will do very little in a real emergency were 3 days is not a realistic time frame in a real crisis scenario.

Once you have bought the mask make sure you test fit it and adjust the straps so that if you need to put it on in an emergency it is ready to go. If you buy more than one make sure each person does the same and mark the masks so everyone has the right one since they all need to be adjusted for proper fit to an individual. Having a gas mask can be a big help, a life saver in fact. Understanding what it can and can't do is almost as important as having one.

Does the Sig P238 Make the 380acp A Viable Self Defense Option?

2012-01-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

We all know the limits of the 38acp cartridge and we all know the limitations of most of the weapons that chamber it. The question I am asking is that with the Sig P238 being the pistol, has the 380acp become a viable self defense option? My opinion is that it has.

Looking at the 380acp in general you find in order to make the round effective you need to go to more modern hollow point bullets like the Golden Saber, the Hydra Shok, the Silver Tip or the XTP. Looking a little deeper you find that the 380acp really took off in popularity a couple years back even though it had been around for decades. Pistols like the Walther PPK were famous and icons in and of themselves. What really got the round to take off was the introduction of small pocket pistols chambered in that caliber. The 380 got a big boost with the flood of polymer pistols that hit the market that could weigh in under 9 ounces and fit in a PDA case on your belt. The limitations also came along. Stopping power, accuracy, reliability and lets be honest, most of the little plastic guns were not all that nice to shoot.

The 380acp is rightly seen as a backup gun round, a second gun or a better than a stick gun round. The newer higher performing rounds didn't always work well in many of the pistols and you needed to test and test some more to make sure your gun was reliable with whatever round you opted for. Accuracy was nothing to talk about either, some of the little guns didn't even bother to put sights on the slides, they thought people would be pointing at a close target. What makes the Sig P238 different is that you have a small pistol, weighing under 15 ounces with very good to excellent sights( mine has night sights), that is very accurate and can reliably fire the best of the ammo available in 380acp.

That combination changes things a bit in my opinion. The truth is that the 380 is no stopping giant no matter what you do to it. With good rounds it becomes usable. The Sig offers more rounds and a more compact pistol than carrying a 2" 38spl, it is more accurate and the stopping power of the newer 380acp ammo is on par with the best of the 38special ammunition. The pistol is faster to reload being a semi automatic and is much more pleasant to shoot than the average 2" 38 revolver. The P238 is smaller than it's cousins like the P232 and hence is easier to conceal. The P238 is lighter than say a PPK or PPK/s and since it is single action has a much better trigger than either.

I have a P238 and have found it to be utterly reliable and at 5 to 7 yards will shoot a baseball sized group rapid fire all day long. My test for a carry gun has always been that if I can't do the classic rescue shot, head shots on a target without a doubt, at 7 yards I normally won't carry the weapon. This pistol makes that possible which is something most 380acps can't say. As a matter of fact the P238 is such a hit that Colt is bringing back the Mustang which they stopped making two decades ago. My thought is that while being far from optimal, the P238 takes the ability to carry a 380acp pistol and feel comfortable doing it to a hole new level. With 7 or 8 rounds of Golden Saber on tap, knowing you can put the rounds into the target at will goes a long way. Even a cracked out fool with stop if hit in the face with a Hydra Shok. Think about that, having a pistol that fits anywhere, you can wear it all day without issue and it can actually keep you safe without compromising everything else to do it, not a bad deal at all is it?

Do You Follow Your Own Advice? Maybe You Should

2011-12-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

So you end up giving advice to all kinds of people about survival related topics. OK, but do you follow your own advice? Think about that before you answer. Sometimes the people who know the most don't actually practice what they preach. If your advice is that good maybe you should follow it to.

Consider this, everyone talks about how you should have a "bug out" bag or kit ready to go and what should be in it. People may have even asked you about what they should or shouldn't have in their kits and you may have given them great answers. But, is your bug out bag ready to go? Does it have all the stuff in it you told them to have? What about in your vehicle, is your personal car kit ready?

Here's one, we all know about carrying a weapon and how people should do it if it is legal for them to do so. We all know you need more than the magazine in the weapon. How many extra mags do you carry everyday? If your primary carry weapon in a revolver, are you carrying a speed loader for it when you go out? Try this one. The gun you carry everyday, is it a 380acp pocket pistol or less, like a .22? Advice flies out telling people that 380acp's and alike are only backup guns, but is that all you carry normally because its easy to do?

When you look at food and water and other supplies, are you stocked up for at least six months to a year which is what all the survival "experts" recommend? Do you have your evacuation route planned and mapped out and if you do when is the last time you checked it?

What I'm driving at here is that many times people overlook the obvious. The "physician healing themselves" phrase comes to mind. You may have all the knowledge in the world and you may give great advice when you are asked for it. But as is taught to police officers and firemen, if the rescuer needs rescued then you aren't helping anyone when you show up at the scene of an incident. This is no different. Being able to help others survive does no good if you end up dead because you didn't follow your own advice.

Merry Christmas to All and To All a Good Night..................

2011-12-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas this year. Keep in mind that no matter where you are and no matter what you are doing, that the season is about the birth if Christ and not the politically correct version of a holiday for everyone. If you are serving in the military and can't be at home know that millions of Americans are with you this holiday season in spirit and you are in their prayers.

Keep on planning, preparing and have a great holiday. God Bless..............................Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

A Few Travel Tips to Help Get Your Vehicle Ready before You Hit the Road this Holiday Season

2011-12-20T10:23:00.001-08:00

This is the time if year that many people load up the car and take off on their trip to Grand Ma's house. For people who are survival minded and even for those who are not, traveling by vehicle presents special challenges especially in winter weather. Consider also that the holiday season is the perfect time to someone to wreak havoc on peoples lives, not to mention the increased stress which many times leads to violence. I have complied a few holiday travel tips you might want to consider before you hit the road. There is more to it than just having a blanket, although that can be nice too.

First, make sure you have a map of where you are going. Don't even start thinking about relying on your GPS to get home in an emergency, its fine for normal travel but you can't depend on them if something goes wrong. Many people don't know that the federal government can simply turn the system off if they wish. Think worst case scenario, an EMP and even if your car is still running your GPS won't be. Also consider that you may need to find alternative routes home or other destinations. Or you could end up on roads you have no idea where they go to or if they lead to where you are trying to get to, or worse there is an area or section of road you are trying to avoid and you can't find a way around it. A map is the best answer. Invest in a good map and keep it in your vehicle, just in case. Consider that you may need to go someplace you have never been before, without an address a GPS does you no good, get a map. While your at it, get a compass.

If you don't know where you are traveling and aren't familiar with the roads in the area never get below half a tank of fuel. Getting stuck on the road is bad, getting stuck on the road with no gas is horrible. Bottom line, if you don't know the roads or route you have selected, get fuel. Lets be honest for a second, if you have a truck bed to put it in, an extra five gallon gas can full of fuel is always nice. The sad part is if you have an SUV or other vehicle where it can't be attached outside, don't try to put it in the passenger areas, its just not safe. Even though you may maintain your vehicle as needed, always have at least one extra quart of oil and a gallon of coolant on board. For winter travel make sure you have some kind of shovel, the folding military surplus units work fine. Jumper cables, cell phone chargers and any other portable device charger you may need should be packed. Don't forget the ever present flash light, check the batteries as well.

Under ideal circumstances your car kit would have a tarp, a blanket or two, if you have the room an extra winter coat would be a good idea as well. Having some food, even if it is only MRE's can make the difference. If you have a weapon in your car make sure it is fully operational and you have spare ammunition. Speaking of weapons, make sure you are complying with whatever laws may apply in the jurisdiction where you are going as well as traveling through. A good car kit should have a well stocked first aid kit inside. Having items such as a face mask of some type is something to consider as well, the NP 95's work well. Try to have at least one good sized cup that can be used to drink from, in a pinch even an old soda bottle can work to melt snow in or catch rain water.

Consider having a key secreted somewhere on your vehicle, again rather safe than sorry. Stashing money in a car is a risky proposition although there can be some value to the concept if it can be hidden well enough and accessed easy enough when needed. One last thing. Try to have as much of this packed into a pack or a bag you can carry if you need to. The items specifically for the vehicle can stay there but clothing, food, weapons and so on need to be able to be carried. Keep in mind that the last thing you want to do is to leave your vehicle if you have a choice, rescue always finds cars sooner than people on foot. If you get stuck in the snow and you have made contact with someone stay put if at all possible, the vehicle becomes your igloo. If you have a radio antenna tie something red or orange to it, if you don't have an antenna use a roof rack. Buy yourself a small thermometer like the ones people attach to their coats when camping. If the car stops, being able to know the temperature anyway is also very helpful in making judgements on staying with your vehicle or leaving it.

Look, this is the holiday season as I said. Go out and have a Merry Christmas and don't worry about every little thing happening. What having your car prepared does is make that possible. Most of this stuff is the same thing you should have in your vehicle everyday and maintaining you vehicle is an everyday project you should do to keep it in good running order, not just at holidays. If you know you are as prepared as possible within reason, you will have a better holiday and a safer one as well.

The Question Becomes: Are We Giving The Bad Guys Technology and Ideas to Hurt Us?

2011-12-12T12:02:00.001-08:00

We have all heard about the U.S. military drone that has gone down in Iran and is now being studied by most of the people in the world who mean us harm, but have you heard about the "model" plane that crashed into a Federal Building? A three foot model plane crashed into the side of the federal building in Waltham Massachusetts, the only reported damage is to a solar panel. This is not the first time nor will it be the last time this kind of thing happened. The question becomes: Are we giving the bad guys ideas and technology to hurt us? I think the answer is yes.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security claims that there is no evidence of foul play, however a few months ago a man from Massachusetts was arrested for plotting to fly a remote controlled model airplane packed with explosives into the Pentagon. That sounds to me a little more like a drone or a flying bomb than just a model plane. Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again, bamm boom, here comes a new threat to your survival and well being, people with remote controlled model aircraft. No doubt somebody in the Federal Government is looking at ways to register remote controlled planes now.

We can't forget the raid that killed Bin Laden. Everybody was so busy celebrating him being killed they kind of overlooked the story about the tail section of the Black Hawk helicopter that fell into the hands of the Pakistani government who was kind enough to let the communist Chinese study it for a while before they gave it back to us. That tail section was part of the stealth section of the helicopter. The drone the Iranians now have is said to be the same type that we used to help hunt and then kill Bin Laden in Pakistan. This drone again was using the best of our stealth capabilities which the Iranians are now proudly showing off. Just these two missteps alone have cost the United States god only knows what when it comes to our stealth capabilities which is one of the biggest advantages we have. When you consider that car bombs are now used regularly in Mexico by the drug cartels and ambushes of police are not uncommon either, how long will it be before it starts happening here?

The survivalist concept most people have in mind doesn't involve things like drone attacks by remotely controlled aircraft. Honestly why would it? It seems that our own government may inadvertently be giving away technology that may be turned around and used on Americans at home. That's a survival challenge I'll bet most of you weren't thinking about.

Why Would Anybody Have an Underground Bomb Shelter or Bunker? The Question Should Be Why Don't You Have One?

2011-12-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Why would you have an underground bomb shelter or bunker? That is what you hear all the time as people tell you that you are crazy and paranoid. But, are you really crazy keeping in mind paranoid people have enemies too? The concept they are referring too is often what is called "Sheltering in Place", as compared to a more mobile theory commonly called "Bugging Out". If you opt for the sheltering in place mode one thing is for certain at that point, if at all possible and by all means, having an underground shelter is the way to go. The entire idea of sheltering in place goes a lot farther with a "shelter" to do it in. I don't care where you build it as long as you can reach it in short order in time of emergency. I think we should be asking why don't you have one instead of why would you have one.

The concept of hiding things and people in and under the ground has been around for as long as man. The modern view is drawn along the lines of what most people think of starting around World War 1, but as I said it is a very old concept. During the first and second World Wars underground shelters really came into their own. The Nazi's bombing most of Europe gave people an opportunity to see what worked and what didn't when it came to building a bomb shelter, that changed of course with atomic and nuclear weapons coming on line. Bomb shelters had to be deeper and stronger to resist the blast waves let alone the protection people now needed from the radiation associated with the weapons. As we know the Cold War is over and now we face a terrorist threat associated with smaller nuclear weapons being used on a limited basis. As we covered, the need for the home bomb shelter or underground bunker has changed and some have concluded they are no longer needed at all. This is were they are wrong, the shelters serve valuable roles in more ways than many may believe.

If we take a realistic look at potential threats that may come our way what becomes apparent are the many uses for underground home bomb shelters. Yes, to start with you still have a threat of a nuclear weapon being used, even though it is on a smaller scale. The shelters would provide protection against such an invent including the fallout that will result. If we have a civil unrest situation that is localized, shelters provide a priceless place to hide your supplies and if needed even yourself depending on how well the shelter is hidden. Take this a step further, maybe things really get bad and you end up using the shelter for more than just your normal items you have stored away, maybe it becomes the place for anything of value including people should you need to keep them out if sight for a period of time. The idea of having a safe and secure place to store you guns and ammunition has an appeal all its own as well. If the shelter is constructed properly long term storage of weapons could be a huge plus. One other nuclear related item, an EMP attack is considered one of the most damaging types of terrorist attacks that could be launched on the United States. While having items underground alone will not prevent possible damage from an EMP, it does go a long way to mitigating the effects should one take place.

Even if you have a nice well hidden survival retreat somewhere off the beaten path, having a underground shelter there makes sense. The greatest, best hidden, best stocked retreat in the world will do little to keep you safe when the fallout starts coming down like rain and you end up dead from radiation, even after you made the trek to your preplanned site. Also keep in mind that someone might find your retreat, having a bunker that is not apparent could mean your survival if it keeps your supplies safe so they are there when you need them. This situation becomes much like a shelter under your home, you have a safe and secure place to keep all the things you will need to survive a crisis when you arrive at your retreat if you have prepared properly. Cabins or homes in the mountains provide no better protect from fallout and in most cases not as good as your home that you live in daily. Consider also that they are unoccupied the vast majority of the time and others may find this out simply by stumbling onto the site. Which I guess brings us to security for your shelter. Don't tell the world what you are doing, half the value in these bunkers is the fact no one knows they exist. If people don't know they are there they won't go looking for them, this includes friends from the government, even though they are only there to help.

I guess the point of this entire exercise is to get people to understand that having a bomb shelter under your home isn't so bad. Even after the idea of the Cold War getting hot went away there are still plenty of uses for them. Also keep one thing in mind. The word "bomb" in relation to bomb shelter is a bit deceiving. There is no home bomb shelter that can withstand a nuclear weapon, the only question is how far away from the point of detonation you are and how much of the blast wave hits you. The shelters people have in and under their homes even when done correctly are fallout shelters. They are designed to protect the occupants from radioactive fallout, not from the blast waves of a nuclear explosion. As an aside, the old civil defense shelters built by the government during the Cold War had a minimum protection factor of 40. That is forty times the reduction in the amount of radiation that would hit your body as compared to standing exposed outside. Most modern shelters if done right can provide a protection factor of between 500 and 1000. These can be built in your back yard or under a garage floor or even in a concrete basement if done correctly.

Lets start over, why don't you have a bomb shelter anyway?

Survival Weapons Really Only Have Two Purposes - Are Your Weapons Up to the Task?

2011-12-04T06:32:00.001-08:00

When you open up the topic of survival firearms almost everybody has their favorite weapon they want to talk about and they think is the best choice. Rifle, shotgun or handgun everyone has their picks. No matter whether it's Glock, Sig, Colt, Remington, Ruger, Walther, Kimber, you name it, somebody out there thinks its the ultimate weapon for survival. Sometimes the choices people make are made out of whats on hand or what they can get at the right price to fit their requirements. Maybe it is being made out of necessity. Whatever the case is, type or brand x is what they are using. All of that is fine but for a person really interested in survival they must keep in mind that the weapons they choose have only two purposes, the ability to protect them and the ability to gather food. Other than those two purposes, nothing else they do really matters. Are the weapons you choose up to the task if needed?

When is comes to survival firearms which as I said can be almost anything a person chooses, they will be graded or held accountable for only two purposes, defense and food. Weapons are bought for many reasons, some like to go out on a Sunday afternoon and shoot at targets, or others like shooting sporting clays. Some people are precision shooters with match grade weapons, both handguns and rifles. Some people just like to collect them for whatever reason, they may be historically significant or they may have owned one long ago when they were younger. Others collect firearms as an investment vehicle. The reasons for owning guns is varied but as I said, the reason behind buying or having firearms you intend to use in a survival capacity is pretty limited. The first reason for having them should be obvious, protection. If society collapses for whatever reason you choose to assign as the cause, you will need to protect yourself and your loved ones. If you have prepared and have supplies on hand to help you get through the rocky times you can ill afford to have someone take them from you which they will do when things get scarce. The other reason for protection is just plain outright assaults on people who find themselves in harms way. Maybe you are out looking for something like gasoline and you find yourself in an encounter with a group of people who want what you have or they simply don't like you maybe because of your color or the vehicle you are in. It really doesn't matter why they want to hurt you but they often will, hence the need for protection.

As for gathering food this is an area that many overlook, especially those in more urban areas. If you live in the country or a rural setting you may already be a hunter and this comes as no big surprise and you probably already have hunting weapons. Gathering food can be done in a urban setting pretty well actually if people know how to do it. All kinds of small game can be found in most areas, having the weapons to take that game could be helpful. The key is that nothing else that a weapon does matters in a survival role. It may be the most accurate weapon in the world, but do you really need that in a TEOTWAWKI scenario? The obvious answer is no. The weapon may be one of only a handful ever made, but is that going to matter when everything goes to shit? Again, no. The gun could be the old revolver your grandfather gave you that he had since the 1920's , but does it shoot safely and do you have ammunition for it? Keep in mind also that handguns are primarily defensive in nature and not meant to go out and assault a fortified position with. Handguns offer you the ability to be armed while doing daily tasks such as shopping and even in a worse case scenario, being armed anytime a person goes outside the survival retreat that they have secured for themselves. If you know you are going into harms way get a rifle if possible, they offer range and firepower (if you have picked the right weapons that is) that could save your life.

Survival weapons need to be dependable, durable, accurate enough for the desired purpose and should be weapons that can use common magazines and ammunition. Having the perfect rifle in 460 Weatherby Magnum is fine for sport shooting and knocking down a Moose, but do you have 500 rounds on hand? Can you get that ammo at Wal-Mart? The other thing you need to keep in mind is that I am talking about survival for the vast majority of people, there some people that live in very remote areas and they may already have very different firearms needs. For them dealing with a hoard of people may be a pretty remote possiblity, however no matter where you live you should keep safety in mind at all times, more so when people get desperate. Survival weapons many times cross over with hunting weapons for many people so the concept of being able to protect yourself and gather food with the same weapon probably isn't that hard to grasp. For those out purchasing weapons with survival in mind try to either dedicate your weapons to one or the other purpose or buy weapons that do both tasks well. You can hunt with a 223/5.56 caliber rifle and take most medium and small game without issue. If you like 308/7.62 better it opens up the larger game animals. The famous 12 gauge shotgun has a shell loaded for almost everything, birds, small game all the way up to Bear, don't forget all the specialty shells made for the 12 gauge such as armor piercing, door breaching rounds and even pepper spray and flare rounds.

If you already have a gun collection going just make sure that the weapons work and you have the correct ammunition and enough of it on hand for them should you need them. Almost anything can be pressed into service if needed and while not being the most desirable weapon for that purpose it will sure beat sticks and rocks. Just remember, if the gun you want to use as a survival weapon can protect you well and gather food if it needs to, it will probably work out well should you ever need to put it to the test in a real world scenario.

The Idea Behind a Survival Retreat is to Help You Survive, It Won't do that If You Can't Reach It

2011-12-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

Planning is the key to survival, realistic planning that is. You make plans and then start out on your preparations in an effort to reach whatever goal or level you have set for yourself. Along the way your plans may change for all kinds of reasons, money and/or time not the least of the good reasons. When planning to either set up or create your survival retreat you need to keep in mind your overall goal and what you are preparing and planning for. What I mean is that if you plan your survival retreat around a civil decay it may look different than one built around a nuclear exchange. Some things don't change like having enough supplies no matter where you have them, my iusse is you being able to reach and use your supplies when you need them. The amount of those stockpiles and the type could vary depending on what you are planning for and how long in duration you believe the situation may last. But one thing is for certan, you need to be able to get there to use them.

A survival retreat is designed to help you do one thing mainly, survive. If your retreat doesn't do that your plans have failed before they got off the ground. People talk about relocating across half the entire nation so they can escape from a perceived threat. Many talk about society melting down and a complete collapse of the government in general or maybe even a breakup of the country. Now I am not about to tell you it can't happen but is that really what you are preparing for? Could we, the United States, have a situation in which civil disorder is rampant? Yes. Would that situation get to the point were if you really wanted to survive intact you would need to abandon most the Eastern half of the country? Probably not. Lets go this way, could we have a nuclear attack on the United States? Yes. So having said that you prepare for this attack. If such an attack should occur we would probably not have much warning if any, think terrorist strike. In your preparations for this attack you have built an underground shelter that is stocked and equipped with air pumps, food water and other supplies that could last for months. I admire your will power. The real question becomes can you get to your retreat before the bomb goes off? If its not pretty close, real close, you better evaluate your ability to use what you have built.

To better illustrate what I mean consider this. I watched a program on television a few months back about Cold War shelters. The show featured an underground shelter built for JFK in Florida. This shelter while hardly ideal was located very close to his vacation site, right across a very small waterway. The shelter was no where near what he would have been using in Washington D.C., but he wasn't in Washington D.C. a lot of the time and planners knew he probably wouldn't be able to get there so they had this much smaller shelter built. As I said it was hardly ideal by any means but they knew he could reach it and use it in a crisis, which is obviously the idea in the first place. Planning for your survival retreat should be no different, you need to be able to use it. Having a great backwoods retreat set up in the Northern mountains of Utah is wonderful and may be a great location for such a thing. You may even have a private plane and a license to fly it. But if you live in Pennsylvania getting to your retreat will be nearly impossible in an emergency. Nothing will be flying and driving across the country will take two to three days in good times, let alone after a major crisis.

If you live in an area where you don't feel good about building a retreat or shelter look to locations that you do but keep in mind that you need to be able to reach them in bad times. Roads may be blocked or closed either by traffic, damage or military or law enforcement personnel. Consider the travel time, you don't want to be on the road and have fall out start coming down while you are sitting stuck in traffic. Can you get there on one tank full of gas/fuel? If not where will you be able to get fuel along the way. Keep in mind that the longer the trip to the site the more detailed planning that will be required of you. Do you travel while working? Can your loved ones reach this location without you? Are the threats along the way serious, like during an collapse of society or roiting will you be able to safely drive to the retreat?

There are many issues to consider when making your plans regarding a survival retreat. The retreat itself, the stocks and supplies you will put in it and so on. But, while making those plans keep in mind the old saying about "The best laid plans of mice and men". Be realistic in developing your plans. Also having a good retreat or shelter that you can use is better than having the perfect shelter you can't reach. As I said above the primary reason for having a survival retreat is survival, it won't help you do that if you can't get there in one piece.

Science Fiction Meets Reality - Hornady's Zombie Max Ammunition

2011-11-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

This post could be called "Science Fiction meets Reality". OK, for all you Sci-Fi fans out there a major ammunition manufacturer has heard you. Shows about Zombies are pretty popular, as are the video games and the books. Now Hornady has gotten into the act with their "Zombie-Max" ammunition, certified to kill zombies. Science fiction or not, this stuff is cool. Did I just say cool?

To be honest this is kind of a neat idea for the shooting public. This is the first time that I can recall when a major player in the shooting industry came out with a product aimed right at the heart of pop culture. Talk about expanding the base, here it is. This could bring a new group into shooting sports just by exposing people to the idea. The ammunition itself comes in all the major and popular calibers, 9mm, 40S&W, 45acp, 12 gauge, 7.62x39, 7.62x51/308 and 5.56/223. I think they even have a 380acp round on the way. The bullets themselves are called z-max which obviously stands for zombie max. The truth is the ammo is loaded with either a ballistic tip in the case of the rifle ammo and a polymer expander in the case of the handgun rounds. Under normal circumstances these inserts and tips would be red, but for this ammo I tend to call it snot green keeping in the zombie theme.

The ballistics are pretty good and in keeping with Hornady's standards. The 9mm round is a 115 grain bullet moving at 1135fps. The 45acp, my favorite for zombie stopping (people too), is a 185 grain bullet propelled to 1000fps. In 7.62x51/308 they opted to use a match weight load at 168 grains. The only round not loaded in brass is the 7.62x39 which is loaded in a steel case which reminds a person of their Steel Match rounds. Its has a bullet weight of 123 grains, standard AK-47 fare. The ballistics for each round are printed on the boxes, again keeping in the standard Hornaday practice.

One thing is for certain, zombies or not, this ammo is going to be a collectible item if Hornady doesn't keep it in production. Even if they do and you buy some, its kind of neat walking around telling people you have z-max ammo in your weapon. When they ask what that is you can tell them you are prepared for the zombie apocalypse, even if it doesn't really exist.

The Surefire 60 Round AR-15/M-16 Magazine, The Higher High Capacity Mag - You need At Least One

2011-11-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

If you are the owner of an AR-15/M-16 type rifle, Surefire has come out with it's higher high capacity magazines that could really give you a tactical edge. In this case the magazine I am talking about is the 60 round version, although they do offer one with a 100 round capacity. Surefire is marketing these magazines mostly to the military and law enforcement agencies right now but they can be had if you look hard. Obviously it also works on any rifle that uses the standard M-16/NATO magazine such as the H&K 416. You don't need a bag full of these but you need at least one, the one in the weapon.

The magazine is itself is nothing revolutionary in and of itself except Surefire did it first. It is a stagger feed design that allows holding 60 rounds of 5.56mm in a space just a bit longer than a standard 3o round unit and less than the 40 rounders out there. It is a metal mag, not polymer like most of the newer designs. The magazine itself only weighs in at 6.4 ounces empty and is just a bit over 8.7 inches long and features a black no tilt follower. When loaded with 60 rounds it weighs 2 pounds give or take an ounce. The one thing to keep in mind about this Surefire unit is that it actually works and works well, unlike many of the cheaper non mil-spec 40 rounders you find many times for sale. One other plus is that it is not as bulky to have hanging below the rifle as the 40 round units.

As I said this magazine works, in either full or semi automatic fire it worked just fine. The biggest advantage here is that if you have your weapon loaded with 60 rounds going out the door your staying power in the fight is much greater as is your ability to fight/fire your way through an ambush or entry where the opponent has possibly surprised you or your team. I would not want to be carrying six of these under normal circumstances but having the first magazine in the weapon holding twice the firepower of a normal mag is a nice feeling and a nasty surprise for someone who engages you. For the survival minded person it won't be hard to see the attraction. One or two of these loaded and ready to go would certainly give you the ability to hold off a good sized group should you find yourself in a scenario that requires it. Imagine having two or three people in your group being able to deploy this kind of firepower, especially from behind cover.

If you have a weapon capable of fully automatic fire than this magazine is almost a must have, since you now know they exist. To be honest the Surefire magazine is not cheap, it has a retail of $129.00. As I said above, they are really working the military/government/law enforcement route right now. The mags themselves have been out for a few months now and are just starting to turn up in the civilian marketplace, unfortunately few can be had for a discount. This unit is not cheap but is reliable firepower that can be had simply by putting it in the magazine well of your weapon. When an option like this presents itself you really need to think hard about taking advantage of it, it could be a life saver in the right circumstances.

Safety in an Urban Area, Its a Different Kind of Survival

2011-11-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

I found a video which I thought may be helpful for some people, it is about being safe in an urban environment and is put out by Stratfor, a security and intelligence organization. The timing for the video is good since we are talking about the Christmas season and the streets and malls will be flooded with thousands of extra shoppers. Safety in an urban area is a different kind of survival than you may be used to, but it is unfortunately a sign of the times.

Many of the issues covered in the video by Fred Burton, are things many people never think about. One good tip is carrying something in your hand you can use to defend yourself. No, don't walk down the street with a pistol in your hand but you could carry a keyring with pepper spray without much trouble. A good item as he pointed out in the video is a flashlight, lights that produce over 75 or 80 lumen's can temporarily blind someone allowing you to escape, or better yet, lights with strike bezels not only blind but allow you to use it as a very effective close in defense weapon and can cause a great deal of injury and pain.

Concepts like looking around you before you withdraw money from an ATM or being on guard when you enter or pass by allies or parking lots are things we all know we just don't do or don't think about. Urban areas have special security challenges especially for those of you are not normally in that environment. A little reminder now may help people avoid a big problem later like someone getting hurt or worse. It's sad to say but we live in a world where we need to worry about things like this, whether we like it or not. Stratfor did a good job putting this together, have a look for yourself.

Are Your Bug Out Funds as Ready To Go as You Are?

2011-11-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

When it comes to having what I refer to as an "emergency fund" or "escape money" what I am really talking about is having an amount of money hidden away that is to be used in a crisis. Understand the crisis I am talking about is not needing a new pair of shoes or a new shotgun. I am talking about a situation in which for whatever reason you can't get money from a bank or an ATM. The real question is: Are your bug out funds as ready to go as you are? Because believe it or not even if the banks aren't working you will still need money. Gold, silver, cash, ammunition, food, you name it, it may all end up being cash at some point. Are we looking at an economic collapse? A terrorist attack? A Hurricane or a nuclear detonation? I can't see the future but if you prepare for the worst anything less is a blessing. Even for those of us who have a decent shelter setup in our homes there may come a time when we need to leave, or that everything around us stops working.

In this type of scenario you may need to flee your residence or bug out because for some reason, whatever that is, you can not shelter in place such as during a pending hurricane. If a hacker crashed a particular banks computers and it happened to be your bank, or if suddenly banks ran out of cash, then what? Where does that leave you? If we had an EMP attack where are you going to get money to live on or for a hotel room or even gasoline for your car? These are the types of scenarios I am talking about. Understanding that, what are some of the best little tricks to accomplish this? Even being in your shelter in your home or cabin doesn't mean you won't at some point need money of some kind.

Well for starters we need to determine how much money you need. If you asked yourself how much would it cost for you to drive 250 miles away and stay in a hotel for a couple days, don't forget food in there, how much would that be? Remember you are not looking to stay at the Hilton. If you need two tanks of gas, two nights in a hotel and food for you and maybe a child or two, could you do that with $500.00? Probably. So lets go with the five hundred dollar figure. To start with make sure you have this money spread out in large to small denominations. Having a few five dollar bills, then more in tens and then some twenties and finally may a fifty or two and then maybe a hundred dollar bill would be a good mix.

The obvious is that if you pull up to a gas station and need gas, you and everyone else by the way, you don't want to hand the cashier a fifty dollar bill for thirty two dollars worth of gas. When the attendant tells you he doesn't have any change, then what? You need the gas so you have no choice and you just lost eighteen dollars. Think of this happening with food, a room, you name it in a crisis people do bad things to other people like ripping them off by raising the prices or not having "change". You also don't want to display large bills as this will no doubt attract attention to yourself and that is something you won't want. Try letting another person in your group hold some of the money if you have to bug out and take turns paying for things if you need to.

Another neat little trick is the pre-paid debit cards. Go out and buy a couple in whatever amount you like, Visa or MasterCard, and put them with your emergency bug out money. Avoid the American Express cards unless you have no other choice as many merchants don't take them because of fee's and delays in getting their money. Walking up to a gas pump or a cash register with plastic at times doesn't draw as much attention as paying with cash. Keep in mind the type of situation you are in, if the power is out or financial networks are down these cards won't work either. Another idea is to have money hidden away at the location you are planning on retreating to should it become needed. The same rules apply here, have enough money to do what you think you will need to for a set period of time. The longer the time frame obviously the more money you will need.

Don't overlook bartering materials such as gold and silver coins, ammunition, clothing, gasoline and even food if you have it to spare. All of these things could be in demand in a collapse or a TEOTWAWKI event. Some of them may be worth more than cash depending on the situation. One last thing, you can hide money in all its forms in places like your survival vehicle or even your bug out bag, just make sure that if you do hide money away that you feel real good about where you are putting it. Having $300.00 in your cars bumper only works to your advantage if you have the car with you. Obviously more money is good but don't let that get in the way of you getting started, make sure to include having some funds available in your planning for the worst of days.

The Walther PPQ - It's More than an Upscale Glock

2011-11-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Walther PPQ is a pistol you should consider if you like striker fired polymer weapons. For someone interested in a defensive pistol either at home or for daily carry the PPQ has a lot to offer. Why am I even talking about the pistol in the context of a survival web site? The answer is that a firearm that works well in a survival setting is much more attractive if it can be used everyday. It is also much easier on the wallet than having two different series of weapons, unless of course that is your goal which is fine too. This pistol is more than an upscale Glock.

The Walther PPQ is imported into the United States by Smith & Wesson but I need to tell you right up front this pistol is a step up from their current lineup as far as I am concerned. The PPQ comes in either 9mm or 40S&W, in 9mm it features 15 round magazines with 17 rounder's being optional. In 40S&W it holds 12 rounds. One nice feature many people don't know about it that the pistol will use the older Walther & Smith & Wesson P99 magazines and holsters. The PPQ comes in at a price above both the Glock and Springfield XD's although it compares well to the XDM in terms of price.

One thing is for certain, the Walther is a shooter. The first round out of the box I fired was dead center on the little "x" in the 10 ring on a standard B-27 target. This pistol will absolutely shred the center ring of a silhouette at 20 to 25 feet doing rapid fire drills including double and even triple taps. The pistol has a very crisp trigger that while very similar to a Glock seems just a bit nicer to manage in rapid fire. I will guarantee head shots with this weapon at any realistic distance are no trouble at all. The Walther comes with three interchangeable back straps and a very nice set of adjustable three dot low profile sights. As for size it is almost a twin to a Glock 19/23 which is my favorite size in Glock wear since I have all kinds of goodies for my Glock pistols and feel comfortable carrying them I know what size I like best and this is it.

I fired it, my daughter fired it and she came away with the same conclusion I did. This is one shooting pistol that has a good trigger and a great feel in your hand. Now to be sure there are some down sides to these guns, like the cost which is running about $100 more than for a Glock and standard Springfield XD. To be honest I like the feel of this pistol better than either of those and I can tell you they can't out shoot this pistol at the range. As for reliability, I ran into no issues during the break in, neither did by 14 year old daughter. Who by the way was able to shoot this pistol for the first time and at 25 feet never leave the 9 ring with a round. Which is more than accurate enough should she ever need to defend herself in our home should the case ever come to that.

I won't be getting rid of my Glock's anytime soon but I have added this pistol to the collection. I would not hesitate going into harms way with it in the least and am waiting for a holster that I have ordered so I can start carrying it daily. For a survival weapon you could certainly do far worse, on the other side I think it would be hard to do much better.

How Many Spare Magazines for your Pistol Do You Carry? - Please Don't say None

2011-11-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

The question always comes up when I'm working at a gun show. People buy a particular handgun and the first thing they ask is how many magazines come with it. Makes sense but then no matter what you tell them, one, two or three they hardly ever buy spares. The real disturbing part is that for the most part when and if they carry the pistol they don't carry an extra magazine with them. I love the comments like: "If I can't hit them in the first 14 rounds it won't matter". The sad part is that most don't realize the concept behind carrying a spare magazine or two, for that matter most have never even thought about it. The truth is they could just get dead fast. The question is how many spare magazines for your pistol do you carry? Please don't say none because you don't need them.

The idea of needing to fire more than x amount of rounds is not the concept people need to worry about. Obviously hitting the target comes into play here, but hitting the target which is not as easy as people think when being shot at, doesn't mean you will never need to reload your weapon. Shooters out there know that many malfunction drills end up requiring you drop the magazine from the offending weapon as a way to clear the weapon and get it back in service. If you drop the magazine in the weapon you need something to put in it's place, hence another magazine. Don't even start talking about my weapon never jams or I will just pick up the one I took out, yea sure while you run for cover and hope the magazine wasn't the cause of the malfunction in the first place which they are many times.

From a tactical standpoint consider this, you have two kinds of reloads, a speed reload and a tactical reload. A speed reload speaks for itself, you are doing it as fast as possible and not seeking or do not have cover as an option since your weapon has run dry. The second type is the tactical version, the preferred version by the way, this is simply getting to cover and reloading your weapon assuming you fired it no matter how many rounds you think you fired. By reloading from cover you can top off your weapon and save the partially used magazine for possible emergency use later if needed. This entire concept goes out the window if you don't have at least one extra magazine to start with.

Many times people ask how much ammo or how many extra magazines is too much? My answer goes like this. The average police officer in the United States carries one in his weapon and two more on his belt while in duty in uniform. Now consider that if he or she gets into a gunfight they also have a radio with people on the other end who will be coming to their aide in a hurry. In plain clothes, off duty or as a civilian carrying a weapon they don't have that duty belt on but the concept is still the same, only more pressing if off duty or a civilian since you won't have that lifeline in your hand to call for help.

Everyone needs to make a realistic determination has too how many spare magazines they need to carry but one thing is for sure, the answer isn't zero!

Big Brother Really is Watching - All Those Drones have to go Somewhere Right?

2011-11-16T06:25:00.001-08:00

The line about Big Brother Watching is taking on a whole new meaning, at least in Lancaster California. As of May 2012 the city will have a surveillance plane flying overhead for at least ten hours everyday. That's right, a spy plane if you will is going to be overhead watching with video camera's and infrared sensors. I guess at least it's not a black helicopter.

The story goes like this. The city of Lancaster California is going to start a program in which they pay for a Cessna 172 airplane to fly ten hours a day for the purpose of surveillance, they say is going to be used to fight crime. According to the city the plane will be able to pass real time information onto the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department which in turn will use the information to arrest criminals and cut down on response time. The plane itself will be equipped with a large array of video cameras and will also have FLEAR, or forward looking infrared capability.

The cost of this little adventure is about $1.3 million a year or if broken down, about $300 per hour. One has to wonder with the war in Iraq winding down and soon so will Afghanistan, what the companies that have been providing all the high tech surveillance gear will do to replace that income. Drones and such don't make companies money unless they are selling and without the military spending tons of money on them the next logical step is to market them to domestic law enforcement agencies. Some this marketing has already started but there is sure to be a huge increase as the companies start looking to replace missing Pentagon revenue. We have all heard the talk of using drones along the Mexican border and some are already being used. We also all know about the Posse Comitatus Act from June 1878, which limits the use of the U.S. Military inside the borders of the United States to enforce laws. But there are few laws that regulate law enforcement from using the same military technology on citizens.

I'm sure that Lancaster California will not and is not the only municipality doing something like this, although normally the law enforcement agencies themselves run the programs. As Americans we need to be ever aware of what "our" government is doing with our freedoms. The idea that governments want camera's for speeding vehicles going through red lights is one thing but when you think of cities using hundreds of cameras like in New York City, to watch people walking down the sidewalk going about their daily business, it gets a little scary. Big Brother really is out there and he may be watching you some day soon!

Last Weeks Test of the Emergency Broadcast System proves again why you Can't Depend on the Government for Your Survival

2011-11-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday the Federal Government ran the first nationwide test of the Emergency Broadcast System and the results of that test should give pause to anyone trying to prepare for an emergency. This is yet another example of how relying on the government will only doom your chances of survival in a crisis. The only good thing is that the way the system worked we could have a TEOTWAWKI level event and you might never know it happened. You can't depend on the government for your survival, once again this was proven out.

If you were watching MTV last Wednesday during the 2pm test, you didn't miss anything, MTV never ran the test. If you are a Comcast subscriber in Northern Virginia you didn't see it either. Don't feel bad though because if you lived in Los Angles you got to see it on your television screens for thirty minutes, not the thirty seconds that it was supposed to be. Direct T.V. played Lady Gaga and in New York, Time Warner Cable customers didn't get anything at all.

Now keep in mind this is not meant to be a complete list, just look at some of these areas left in the dark, New York, Northern Virginia, everyone watching MTV regardless of where and then of course we have Lady Gaga from Direct T.V. The audience that missed the test was in the tens of millions of people. I suppose all those people are expendable. I don't know about you but I'm not expendable and neither is my family.

As I have said many times in the past, you can not depend on the government to come to the rescue when you are in a survival situation.

So What are You Preparing For, Zombie's or a Snow Storm?

2011-11-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

What are some of your top reasons for being a "prepper"? Are you concerned about America and the world in general melting down completely financially? Are you worried about civil unrest or protests such as those by the "occupy" movement? What a terrorism and a possible war in the Middle East with Israel and Iran? The list goes on as I am sure you can imagine. The important thing is that you understand there is a "list". So what are you preparing for, zombies or a snow storm?

The idea of a third world war or a zombie attack may be remote but if they actually did occur, would you or better yet, could you survive? The reason I'm talking about this is that many people get into the survival or prepper movement or mindset but never really develop a comprehensive plan that looks at the worst case scenario. It's like people who have their 72 hour kit and think they can survive anything that may come their way. You and I know they can't but they feel good anyway. Don't let yourself fall into the same trap is the idea here.

If you are preparing for the worst why not go all the way and do it right? Instead of having a months supply of food, why not try to get to a year? Instead of having a few hundred dollars hidden away as escape money, could you get to a thousand given a little time? When you look at weapons, lets say you picked Glock as your handgun of choice. Do you have more than one just in case, or how about enough weapons for yourself and lets say your spouse or older children to be armed if needed( it will be needed)? When it comes to your water source, how many if any backup sources do you have? Heat, clothing and so on.

If you plan for what you believe is the worst case scenario or TEOTWAWKI then anything less should be easy to handle. If on the other hand your plans only go so far and things get worse or last longer than you had anticipated you could be in real trouble.

Survival Could be a Matter of Just Seeing the Light - LED Light that Is

2011-11-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

When people talk about survival related topics they often skip a really important one, flashlights. I know that most people think a survival flashlight as some form of a Maglight style light, holding 3 or 4 "D" cell batteries. This type of light does have certain advantages, one being it can be used as an improvised impact weapon, think club. They are also sturdy and not overly pricey. The optimal choice in my opinion is much smaller, a little more expensive, just as sturdy if not more so and the best feature of all, they can run for tens of hours on a single set of batteries.

I'm talking about lights like those manufactured by companies like Surefire and Streamlight. Just for the record these two companies have tallied up impressive results in the field by both the military and law enforcement. To understand why I think these are the best choices for a survivalist consider the following if you will. A company like Surefire does not have a "cheap" light so to say. A good example of what type of light I am talking about is a Surefire LX2 LumaMax. This light is a dual output LED that offers 200 Lumen's of lighting power when needed or down to 15 Lumen's for less intense uses. The key here is that yes they are bright but the high output setting runs two hours on a set of 123A batteries and the low power/output last up to 47 hours on that same set of batteries. The light itself is almost indestructible and the batteries have a shelf life of tens years. Hello.

Another smaller option from Surefire is the E1B Backup LED. Again a dual output light with 110 Lumen's on high output and 5 Lumen's on low. This little light runs on one 123A battery and offers 1.3 hours of high output light and get this, 37 hours on the low output setting. Thirty seven hours from one battery, try that with your 3 or 4 "D" cell flashlight.

From a survival standpoint being able to store batteries for 10 years and get full use out of them alone is a big selling point. Being able to run a flashlight for dozens of hours at a time is something you can't overlook. A good light for this purpose should be at least 75 Lumen's which is enough to give you a curtain of light should you need it. In plain English, to temporarily blind a person or animal trying to do you harm. Those lights you see for ten or twenty dollars at flea markets look fine and most are some form of LED. It is true they may run a long time on a set of batteries and the may even throw off a decent amount of light. But, think of it this way. If they worked that well why aren't the people whose life may depend on the light using them?

In a survival situation your life and your loved ones could very well be depending on that light for a variety of reasons.

We Are Back and Worse Than Ever - We Will be Dropping Back in Very Soon

2011-11-05T10:30:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are back. I, we needed a short break due to a change in employment and rearranging of schedules but its done so we will be back turning out info staring in a day or two. Hopefully we can start bringing you the quality information we try to provide.

The state of the "survival" movement is ever changing and we will be bringing you those changes and advances (and setbacks) as they occur.

Talk with you soon.....................................B

TEOTWAWKI: You Don't Need to be a Survivalist to Know What it Means, that Alone Should Worry You

2011-04-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Are you a survivalist or do you consider yourself to be prepared? If you do then you know what TEOTWAWKI stands for right? It means The End Of The World As We Know It, that’s why people just kind of make it shorter, it takes up too much room any other way you say. The fact that people know what it means or for that matter are even thinking like that should be sending warnings off in your head. Its pretty sad when people are planning on a major meltdown and even making up words for it.

Is it the whole 2012 deal? Is it a giant comet hitting the earth? How about the new craze which is a zombie attack? Maybe its a video game? The truth is no, its not any of those things. The sad part it that its based on what more and more people are seeing happen around the nation and the world. Most responsible people are saving more, buying a few extra food items when they go shopping. Not buying things they don’t need. All pretty normal stuff when things get tight. But how do you explain the huge increase in gun and ammo sales? I know, its all Obama right? Nope, its more than that. People are concerned over a variety of events they see happening. Things like an economic collapse are right at the top. Terrorism is up there as well. A civil breakdown in whatever form you can foresee, the scenarios go on for awhile. But the key here is that people, normal everyday people have lost faith in the things that they normally took for granted. Normal people see trouble on the horizon and are trying to get prepared for it. By the way, the safe picture above, is probably a little more prepared than most so don’t worry, I’m just trying to figure out how they got in my bomb shelter to get the picture.

Another sign that should worry people is that mothers are getting concerned more and more everyday. Polls showing people believe their lives are better than what their children will have is a sure sign of problems. People believing the country is going in the wrong direction by almost two to one is another one. When mothers start worrying about their children, its reached critical mass. These people don’t believe in giant asteroids hitting the earth, they believe the country and the world is sliding out of control. TEOTWAWKI to them is the loss of faith in the government, faith in society to do whats right. They see a government grabbing power, an economy not going anywhere, unemployment still going up and no jobs in sight. They see their savings dwindling down to nothing, they see bills building up. They see banks getting money but normal people loosing their homes and cars. They see rogue nations testing and developing nuclear weapons knowing these countries hate America. There is for sure a lot to be worried about other than zombies or comets or how about this one, global warming.

So if you are storing away things are you a survivalist now? Does being prepared or at least trying to, make you “one of those people”? I don’t think so. And it looks like the survivalist stores, camping stores, preparedness web sites, gun stores, even bulk food sales store don’t think so either. Don’t believe them, ask gold dealers about their business right now. You are not alone out there feeling like you need to do something. The guy next door maybe a survivalist now and you don’t even know it. Do you have stuff stored in your basement? If you do, guess what, your part of the growing crowd. Take my advice, if you can start preparing a little at a time. Money is tight I realize this, but if you can work on it if you have not already started. People need to understand, perception becomes or is reality most times. People are feeling threatened and vulnerable and our government is not doing anything to help, as a matter of fact they may be the cause for some if not most of it. A calm steady hand we do not have at the helm. One incident could start thing ball rolling, don’t be in its path when it does. TEOTWAWKI or not, a few extra bucks saved now will never hurt you late

The Only Sig Weapon Many Have Never Heard of - The SHR-970 Bolt Action Rifle is a Best Buy and a Great Addition to Your Survival Arsenal

2011-04-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is probably the only Sig weapon many people have never heard of. Its the SHR-970 rifle and if you can find one you will have a great dual purpose weapon. For survivalist getting the most out of your gear is important, or for people who just want to get the most for their money this rifle could fit the bill perfectly. The SHR-970 was made by Sig from 1998 to 2002 and it came several popular calibers including 270 Win., 308 Win., 300 Win Mag., and the ever popular 30-06. It was offered in two basic forms, the standard and the long range versions, with the long range versions offered in .308 or 300 Win Mag only. It was also offered with either a wood stock or a synthetic version.

Here is why I’m saying this rifle would make a great addition to your survival arsenal, the weapons have a very fast lockup time and most of all they are extremely accurate, accurate enough to work as a top flight snipers weapon if needed. They have detachable box magazines and come in weight wise at under 7.5lbs. Also keep in mind that many people don’t even know what they are and they can be had in great condition for many times around or under $400. When you look at that type of price point you can’t compare the bargain rifles that for sale to this rifle in any respect. I purchased mine in 30-06 several years back from a dealer who had it sitting in his rifle rack for almost two years, he bought it new thinking it was a Sig and people would automatically know what they are buying, they didn’t which worked out fine for me.

I have fired probably close to three hundred rounds through it and with 165 grain bullets it will reliably shoot well under 3/4′s of an inch at 100 yards. With Federals Gold Medal Match 168 grain round it bumped the 1/2 inch mark. Remember this is a “sporting” rifle that never really caught on with the public. I’m not suggesting the vast majority of people would use match ammo because they won’t, what I am saying beyond a doubt is that even with standard hunting ammunition you have a weapon that can shoot with the best police/military rifles out there for a fraction of the cost. My rifle is bone stock with a Harris bi-pod and 4 1/2 x 14 Redfield scope on it, nothing special at all.

This rifle offers what many can not, a weapon that can be used for hunting since it is not a heavy barreled rifle weighing a ton and at the same time a rifle that could be turning into a precision marksman’s weapon if needed. It is accurate, fast, dependable and best of all it can be had for a great price. The long range versions bring a little more money but I am sure they are well worth it. In this case having a rifle no one paid attention to is a real find for the rest of us.

Don't Be Afraid to Buy a 9mm Pistol - It Can and Has Saved Many Lives, It Could save Yours

2011-04-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what you may have heard or seen, the 9mm cartridge can save your life and has done so many times for many people. Why am I saying this? Because the idea that somehow the 9mm isn’t a laser beam or death ray seems to have non-gun people buying all kinds of larger caliber weapons that they really can’t handle very well and as a result they don’t practice at the shooting range as much as they should. Since no bullet is a laser beam it would seem to make sense that hitting the target with well placed rounds would be the goal, not having the most powerful pistol you can afford to buy. If we take a look a recent history, say the last twenty or so years, as it relates to handgun/bullet technology and actual shooting results we can find that much of the debate is based on false information. No bullet including the 40 S&W round is the magic answer as we will see. So called “experts” have many new shooters and gun owners worried or afraid to buy a “wimpy” little 9mm pistol but they don’t want to be hit by one. The carry pistol for Navy SEAL’s is the Sig P226 in 9mm, would they claim the SEAL’s don’t get it done when needed with a handgun? I think not and they have their hands tied most times with full metal jacket ammunition. The idea of having a largest most powerful handgun you can shoot well makes all the sense in the world, having a powerful one that you can’t doesn’t work.

The gun “experts” forget to tell people that most forty caliber handguns are built on 9mm frames. As a result the recoil from these weapons while not uncontrollable is much greater than with the 9mm and by virtue of that control suffers. When control suffers, hits suffer, when hits suffer you die in a gunfight. He who hits the target first normally wins, keep that in mind. The concept that a larger caliber provides people with a larger margin of error on shot placement is an idea that is taking hold, sadly. One case that everyone talks about that started the charge to more powerful handguns was the FBI shootout in Miami. The issue was that the FBI had a bank robbery unit that got into a gunfight with two armed and trained criminals with automatic rifles. Needless to say they lost pretty badly. Most of this loss was due to poor tactics and training. The FBI of course not wanting to take the blame slammed the Winchester 9mm Silvertip round as the culprit. They claimed the bad guys were hit multiple times with the round and they failed to fall, which on the face is true. The inside story was much different, the Silvertip was designed to meet the FBI’s standards one of which was low penetration, they wanted a round that would not over penetrate and possibly strike another person and as a result the Winchester company designed the round to meet the FBI’s own standards. Another point that many skip over is that the gunfight was ended by an injured FBI agent who fired the final round with a Smith & Wesson model 13, loaded with 38spl + P rounds, not exactly known as Thor’s Hammer. As a result of this shooting the search for the magic bullet started and resulted in the FBI adopting the famous 10mm rounds in a new Smith & Wesson pistol designed to be a double action semi automatic that could handle it. As they soon found out the agents couldn’t shoot it very well as it was too powerful and they weren’t very fond of the pistols because they were large and heavy. So from this the 40 S&W was born. In original form it was loaded with a 180 grain bullet that matched the toned down 10mm loading the FBI ended up with.

Gun companies simply reinforced existing 9mm pistols and they had it, a middle ground if you will. Many argued that why not just go to 45acp pistols but of course they were told the pistols were too large and did not hold enough ammunition in their magazines. As was later proven the 180 grain rounds didn’t preform that well in actual shootings and as time has shown the rounds most effective in the 40S&W are the lighter faster rounds such as the 155 grain bullets now carried by Homeland Security and so on. With a lighter faster round the .40 has proven to be a good and solid performer. When you see a trend such as many law enforcement agencies going to 45 caliber pistols you need to wonder why don’t you? I mean if the .40 was all that why would they switch? The answer is simple, because it’s not. When you look at actual shooting results not someones opinion, you find that in 9mm, 40S&W and 45acp there is very little difference in actual one shot stopping percentages on the street. Many don’t understand that bullet type has a lot to do with how effective a round is. If you are shooting FMJ or full metal jacket ammunition then you have got to want a 45acp pistol, its already a big bullet without expanding. When you look at the military and find cases of people being hit two, three and even four times with a 9mm you start thinking it’s not a good round but the truth is that the military uses FMJ ammunition at very high speeds. The round simply punches a small hole in whatever it hits and that’s not going to provide you with a good stopping round. With ball ammo the bigger the better is the best motto to follow. When using a good round such as a Remington Golden Saber or my favorite the Federal Hydra Shok you find that actual results for all three of the calibers are in the mid nineties as far as percentages of one shot stops go. This percentage is derived from examining the placement of the rounds, shooting someone in the arms for example doesn’t figure into the count. They are for the most part center mass hits.

When buying a handgun being able to shoot it well and liking the weapon goes along way. When the 40S&W first hit the law enforcement market the average score for officers qualifying dropped in some cases by as much as 20 percent. The reason was obvious, the same weapon now in forty was producing much more recoil and muzzle flip than their former 9mm pistols. The weapons required much more training time to become proficient with them. The shift to a larger more powerful weapon such as the 45acp is because after seeing actual results police departments realized the 40S&W wasn’t producing the magic they had been sold on. Another point to consider is that 9mm ammo is much less expensive and as such people are likely to shoot more since it costs less. I am not saying not to buy a forty caliber pistol, I am not saying you should buy a 9mm handgun. What I am saying beyond a doubt is that when you compare real shooting results in the real world you see only a one or two percent difference in stopping ability with well placed shots among the top three handgun rounds. As such I am also saying that if you like the 9mm go ahead and use it, don’t be afraid you are not under gunned if you do. The old saying about fearing the man who uses one gun still comes into play.