Ep 179_Odds ‘n Ends
In Today’s Show, I’ll cover some of the things that have been on my mind lately
A trip to the gun range and how it effected my security plans
- I never tried my wife’s gun but was willing to rely on it in an emergency.
- After a trip to the range, I’ve discovered that my wife’s gun is a piece of junk and there’s NO WAY I will trust our family’s lives on this gun.
A review of the Sig Sauer Model 230 .380 auto
- The magazine release is on the BOTTOM of the handle–Yuck. Makes removing the mag awkward and dumb
- The handle fell apart only 30- rounds into shooting it
- Too Many Clogs (Fail to Feeds(FTF) and Fail to Ejects(FTE))
- Even blowing wd-40 down the pipe didn’t help.
- Yes, Sig has a great reputation, but this one just sucks.
- This was great to learn: better to learn now than when I need it for a life-and-death situation.
IRS and why we CAN’T trust our government
- http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/14/Progressive-Group-Says-IRS-Gave-Them-Confidential-Docs-On-Conservative-Groups
- http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/14/inspector-general-corrective-actions-have-not-been-fully-implemented/
- http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/14/irs-official-lerner-approved-exemption-for-obama-brothers-charity/
- http://www.htrnews.com/viewart/20130513/MAN0101/305140099
- http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/mcconnell-we-ve-only-started-scratch-surface-scandal_724420.html
- http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/dc-turns-on-obama-91386.html?hp=t1_3
Categories: Corruption, do-it-yourself, Guns & Self-Defense, self-reliance, survival Tags:
Article: UM Coach: Bomb Sniffing Dogs, Spotters on Roofs Before Explosions
Anyone find this report fishy?
University of Mobile’s Cross Country Coach, who was near the finish line of the Boston Marathon when a series of explosions went off, said he thought it was odd there were bomb sniffing dogs at the start and finish lines.
“They kept making announcements to the participants do not worry, it’s just a training exercise,” Coach Ali Stevenson told Local 15.
Stevenson said he saw law enforcement spotters on the roofs at the start of the race. He’s been in plenty of marathons in Chicago, D.C., Chicago, London and other major metropolitan areas but has never seen that level of security before.
“Evidently, I don’t believe they were just having a training exercise,” Stevenson said. “I think they must have had some sort of threat or suspicion called in.”
CNN reports a state government official said there were no credible threats before the race.
Stevenson had just finished the marathon before the explosions. Stevenson said his wife had been sitting in one of the seating sections where an explosion went off, but thankfully she left her seat and was walking to meet up with him.
“We are just so thankful right now,” Stevenson said.
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What is the best gun for emergency preparedness?
(from The Ready Store)
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We often get the question about what type of gun we would recommend for emergency preparedness.
The answer is a bit complicated. It depends on what you’re going to use the gun for. Is it for hunting food that you’d need in an emergency? Is it for self-defense? Each gun has it’s different strengths and weaknesses and the gun you choose should be tailored to your specific needs.
Points to consider before you add a gun
Before you choose a gun for your preparedness needs, you’ll want to consider a few points:
What Needs Will You Have? Will you be using this gun for protection? For hunting? Just an intimidation factor? Whatever gun you choose will depend on what you’re going to use it for. For example, a rifle would be better for hunting during an emergency while a shotgun would be better for self-defense.
Popularity/Availability of Ammo. You might not be able to buy more ammo in an emergency. As a rare commodity, you’d need ammo that would be popular enough to fit in your gun. You’d also need a gun that takes a very popular type of ammunition.
How Much Ammunition the Gun Holds. How many rounds does the gun hold? This might affect your decision of gun because of the needs that you have.
Interchangeable Choke and Barrel. For shotguns, the choke of the gun is the tapered build of the gun that helps determine how much the shot will spread. The choke will determine the accuracy and range of the gun. An interchangeable choke will allow you to change the use of your gun from a longer range to a shorter range weapon. The barrel length also makes an impact on the range but more importantly makes it easier or more difficult to handle in close quarter like turning around corners in your home. Handling a 4-foot gun for self-defense to protect yourself from a perpetrator in your home will be impractical.
Safe Storage. How are you going to store the weapon? Is it going to fit inside of your 72-hour kit or would it be something you keep under your bed or in the top of your closet? Will the gun break apart and store in a different space? Depending on what you’re using the gun for and how readily available you need the gun, the answers might change. But always keep your gun in a safe place away from children. If you are going to own a gun, treat it with the respect it deserves & get proper gun safety training.
Understand Your Weapon. No matter how many guns or how much ammunition you have, if you don’t understand how to use your gun and don’t have practice shooting it, it will be worthless. Or worse, your ignorance could cause injury or death for yourself, loved ones, or innocent people.
Which Gun Should I Own? Below we’ve listed the different types of guns you could consider acquiring for use in an emergency with some helpful details for each type of weapon. Please keep in mind a couple things:
• Prices for ammunition can change. The prices listed below are on the cheaper end. High-grade ammunition can be much more expensive than the prices listed below.
• *Range has many variables including: weather, specific ammo, specific gun, gun condition, visibility, and shooting experience to name a few. The best way to know the range of your gun is to use it.
High-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $300 – $6,000 | Average Price = $800)
These weapons are designed for use in hunting large game like deer or elk from a longer distance. The ammunition is large, heavy, and travels very fast in order to take down larger game from far away with a high level of precision and accuracy.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| .30-30 | 400 yards* | Common | $1.00 |
| .30-06 | 900 yards* | Common | $1.00 |
| .308 Win/7.62x51mm | 900 yards* | Very Common | $0.90 |
Tactical Rifle (Price Range = $400 – $4,000 | Average Price = $1,000)
These weapons are designed for self-defense and are typically semi-automatic (you can just keep pulling the trigger to fire without cocking or reloading). Usually these weapons will hold more rounds of ammunition than a typical hunting rifle and are commonly used with a high-capacity magazine. They are usually shorter than a hunting rifle and have a pistol grip and stock combo for easier handling in close quarters.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| 7.62x39mm | 800 yards* | Very Common | $0.25 |
| .223/5.56 | 400 yards* | Very Common | $0.25 |
Low-Caliber Rifle (Price Range = $150 – $1,000 | Average Price = $300)
These weapons are designed for hunting smaller animals like rabbits. They have a much shorter range, but the ammunition is significantly less expensive than other weapons. With a little digging you can find rounds for close to a penny each.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| .17 HMR | 300 yards* | Uncommon | $0.20 |
| .22 LR (Long Rifle) | 100 yards* | Very Common | $0.05 |
Click on the image to compare different kinds of rifle ammo:
Tactical Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Tactical shotguns like tactical rifles are intended for short-range self-defense. They usually have a shorter barrel and a choke designed to spread the shot as much as possible. Typically these are pump action or semi-automatic weapons. Barrels shorter than 18” or weapons shorter than 26” are illegal in the USA without proper registration. Another thing to consider is shotguns are the easiest ammunition to load yourself.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| 12 Gauge 3” #1 | 30 yards* | Common | $0.80 |
| 20 Gauge 3” #2 | 30 yards* | Common | $0.50 |
Hunting Shotgun (Price Range = $200 – $2,000 | Average Price = $500)
Hunting shotguns are designed for shooting small game (especially birds). These weapons typically have a barrel 28” – 33” long. There are many choices for ammunition depending on your intended use.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| 12 Gauge 3” Slug | 75 yards* | Uncommon | $0.50 |
| 12 Gauge 3” 00 Buckshot | 50 yards* | Common | $0.80 |
| 12 Gauge 3” #7 Birdshot | 35 yards* | Very Common | $0.50 |
Click on the image to compare different kinds of shotgun ammo:
Pistol/Handgun (Price Range = $150 – $3,000 | Average Price = $500)
Pistols, like shotguns and tactical rifles are design for close-quarter self-defense. Handguns have the advantage that they can be legally concealed with a proper permit. Ammunition is cheaper than other weapons but still not as cheap as a low-caliber rifle.
| Common Ammunition | Practical Range | Availability | Price/Round |
| 9mm | 50 yards* | Very Common | $0.35 |
| .40 S&W | 50 yards* | Common | $0.40 |
| .45 ACP | 50 yards* | Common | $0.45 |
Click on the image to compare different kinds of handgun ammo:
What are you packing?
So, what gun do you prefer? Comment below to tell us what kind of gun you prefer for emergency situations.
Categories: Guns & Self-Defense, Prepping, self-reliance, survival Tags:
Boston Massacre
Two bombs rock the Boston Marathon.
How absolutely horrible. Thoughts and prayers to the injured and their families.
Cowards kill the innocent.
As a marathoner, I am devastated. What a sad, horrible day.
May God bless the victims and comfort them in this time of need.
REMEMBER: Emergencies happen. Always be prepared.
Report: missing limbs
Categories: Freedom, Guns & Self-Defense, survival Tags:
Ep 174_APRIL’S Fools and Wisdom
Ep 174_APRIL’S Fools and Wisdom
- OBSERVATIONS
The ammo shortage isn’t the same everywhere. I got a ton of ammo at the vacation house. I did have to go to Wal-mart at midnight, though, to get it. If you want something, you can get it.
Many cities send fake magazines to your house that really just advertise house or medical services. We have ones that push interior design and doctors…they are fake magazines just pushing services. Throw them out.
Throw out coupons that will require you to spend money you wouldn’t otherwise. I throw out most casino and fast food coupons.
I hope everyone had a great Easter and/or Spring Break. Today’s episode is a compilation of wisdom, observations and insight on this day of fools and foolishness.
- Who’s Crazy?
While visiting with an old acquaintance…a kid I’ve known since childhood, he remarked that he had business dealings with a prepper and said that he was “worse than You (meaning me)” about prepping. The guy wanted a generator encased in a cement building. My friend said the guy “scared him” and that my wife and I “scare him, too.”
What scared him is reality. He’s broke, renting an apartment, with no motivation for a better life. Hearing us preparing for hard times and doing something about them scared him to death. You see, he’s a vet who works as an electrician for his dad’s business. He’ll own it some day. But while his dad was working and building the business, the son just wants a check. He doesn’t like to work overtime, turns away work, and has little motivation. He declared bankruptcy recently, but has a $600-plus payment on a motorcycle he makes every month but drives maybe three months out of the year, all while renting an apartment and living paycheck to paycheck…ALL HIS OWN DOING. He has no desire to give his wife or son a home of their own, and is comfortable watching cable tv and sports all while drinking and smoking.
Sad…bad choice after bad choice, but he thinks my wife and I are nuts…and we own a SECOND house, pay off our debts, save, and plan for emergencies. So who’s the crazy one?
I like the guy personally, and never berated him, but he’s comfortable calling us crazy to our faces? Really?
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Ep 171_ A Prepper’s & Gun Lover’s Guide to Las Vegas
Yes.
I’m serious.
A Prepper’s Guide to Las Vegas.
Yes, Las Vegas Needs one.
Vegas deserves a prepper’s visitor’s guide. So many people come here from all around the world…and there’s so much to do…but for people like me who dislike gambling, or for others who need MORE than gambling…use this guide to enhance your visit here. I’ll highlight some of the great things you can do here and make this trip AMAZING.
1. Clark County Shooting Complex. What an amazing complex. It should be TOPS on the Prepper’s Vacation List in Vegas.
HISTORY OF THE CLARK COUNTY SHOOTING COMPLEX
The shooting complex is a culmination of community and citizen advisory, state, local and national government efforts.- The concept of a public shooting facility for the citizens of Las Vegas and surrounding areas was first created in the early 1980s.
ADDRESSING PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
- More than 45 percent of Clark County households own a firearm and until now, Las Vegas was one of the few urban areas without a public shooting range.
- Public safety is the number one priority of the Clark County Shooting Complex. Each building and shooting range was designed with the intention to be operated as a safe shooting site.
- Clark County received a highly esteemed EPA recognition for its Environmental Stewardship Program.
- Prior to construction, the County completed botanical, wildlife and paleontological studies and implemented a lead mitigation plan to address potential concerns.
RANGE FEATURES
Archery Center - The Archery Center houses a known-distance archery range, covered firing points, classroom area, restrooms, and night lights.- Shotgun Center - This feature contains 24 combination Trap and Skeet fields, a 5,443-square-foot Shotgun Center, a Pro Shop, shotgun storage lockers and a cafeteria. It also features 80 full-service RV sites, a clay target storage building, lighted ranges and shade ramadas.
- Rifle-Pistol Center - The public Rifle-Pistol Center offers 30 shooting points to 50 yards; 15 points to 200 yards; 15 points to 100 yards, night lights, shade ramadas, concrete shooting tables and seats, covered shooting areas, a 3,000-square-foot building with a convenience store, a 30-seat classroom, restrooms and a Pro Shop.
- Education Center - This 4,400-square-foot building contains three 30-seat classrooms expandable up to one 90-seat classroom, two offices for Nevada Department of Wildlife use, and restrooms. It also features night lighting, a 100-meter archery range, a 100-yard range, and a 50-yard range. It also includes a shotgun range and two walking field courses.
- Maintenance Area - A secured compound with a 1,500-square-foot storage maintenance building.
- Host Site - The Host Area
2. Las Vegas Gun Store. Yes, their guns and firing ranges are cool. That’s NOT why I’m recommending visiting. How about a FREE Concealed Carry Firearms License…YES I SAID FREE!!!!Sign-up in advance and get your CCL for Nevada and its reciprocal states AND Florida and its reciprocal states as well…all for free…all you need to pay is for your ammo and/or rental and the license application.
Don’t need your concealed Carry License? Pick a machine gun off the wall and have some fun.
3. Grand Canyon West, Arizona–You may have never seen the real American desert, you may have never seen the Grand Canyon. Combine the two and a two hour trip out of Las Vegas and you get an amazing perspective on the American West and the desert AND desert prepping. It’s a great trip and is horizon broadening.
4. The BEST of the retail stores. In addition to big box stores like Bass Pro Shops, retail outlets like Winco, Costco, and Big 5 Sporting Goods are not to be missed. I picked up a Mosin Nagant in 2013 at Big 5 for $109. They even have Mosin sniper rifles.
By the way, this Bass Pro Shops is connected to a casino, has beautiful mermaids dive right in front of you and is unlike any of their other stores.
5. Hoover Dam. Engineering marvel. A tour is a lesson in hydroelectric power in itself and a reality check for preppers everywhere. Go below the dam and raft the heck out of the Colorado River. Go above the dam to water ski, fish, hunt, and camp.
6. Mt Charleston. If you don’t know what vertical climate is—you will. Start off with palm trees on the desert floor. After turning off US 95, in 20 minutes you will be in an alpine forest and freezing while sucking in the thin air. Watch your car’s thermometer tick off the degrees as you ascend into the mountains. Great camping and cool temps to escape the desert heat.
7. The casinos–a cheap date if you don’t want to gamble. The drinks are free as long as you are at the slots/tables, the food is relatively cheap…if you look, and the light shows and free entertainment make it an inexpensive time. Plus you get to watch non-preppers blow their money and jolt you back into reality. Be sure to visit the Fremont Street Experience, which is free.
8. The Planetarium at CSN (the College of Southern Nevada). This little community college has a small planetarium that shows the same programs the big planetariums do. For a family of four, you’ll only spend about $20 for an hour long movie and a look through the college’s astronomy telescopes. The experience is amazing, and similar science centers in other cities (with a movie) will run you $20 a person.
9. Thunderbird’s Air Show–FREE and open to the public at the airbase. They open the base once a year for the Thunderbirds air show. Park at the NASCAR racetrack and hop a bus. You get exposed not only to amazing aerial acrobatics, but an amazing assortment of military aircraft on the ground.
10. Abandoned Mines and the desert–explore them and search for the fortune they left behind.
11. Hunting and Fishing–Lake Mead, trout ponds, striped bass in the dam and, in the distant mountains, white tailed deer, mule deer, big horned sheep, elk, and countless other species are enough to bring you here.
12. Prepper Energy–being a transplanted son–this place has given me so much more incentive to redouble my efforts to prep. Las Vegans are preppers and focused on SHTF. Sure, the beautiful people here are clueless, but the rank and file Las Vegan loves his AR, his Glock, and his prepper lifestyle. This place will re-charge your batteries.
Ep 171_ A Prepper’s & Gun Lover’s Gu
Categories: Guns & Self-Defense, Prepping, survival Tags:
10 Most Depressing States in U.S.
Couldn’t disagree with this article more. Many of these states are among my favorites, but I get that people having financial problems are often depressed, and these states have been hit hard. With a third of Nevadan’s homes under water, a mortgage default is enough to depress even me…but I’m not…don’t worry.
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Ep 169_ The Dark Side of Prepping
Don’t Give in to the dark side of the Prepping, survival community. What do I mean? Well, let’s take a tip from Star Wars…yes, Star Wars. Remember Luke Skywalker? Remember he was being instructed in the ways of the force and warned about the dark side of it. Yoda, the Jedi Master instructs his pupil (and his father before him):
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
As a kid watching the movie, I really didn’t get it, but then again, I really hadn’t experienced hate at that time. Now that I’m older, I see the connection AND as an instructor in the ways of prepping, I would say the same to the fledgling preppers, homesteaders, and D-I-Yers…because it’s true.
Now don’t ask me to talk from personal experience. I really don’t know anyone personally who is filled with hatred…but I do know that there are people in the world (not MY community) that are against what i stand for. There are racists, paranoids, fear mongerers, and combative types that go over the line, and I want to remind you all of that line. I can think of one podcast show that does nothing but preach fear for the entire program EVERY day.
That is sad and VERY DANGEROUS.
A little fear is healthy…motivating, even. But to prey on people’s fear and try to scare the heck out of them every day is no good. I must admit that I have listened to the fear mongerers at times, and no good has come of it. Thank heavens I stepped back from the ledge and realized that these types were walking me down a path I didn’t want to go.
There is so much wonderful stuff to celebrate in your prepping “walk” that you can easily avoid the dark side. Don’t fear your neighbor, or people different than you. Celebrate the good prepping is doing in your life. Don’t focus on the bad guys in the world, just be prepared for them if the break through your front door.
Gardening and homesteading are beautiful POSITIVE endeavors. Celebrate that beauty. You are making the world a better place. Embrace it.
Preppers are putting their families first. Celebrate your focus on your family.
To wrap things up, let me quote an old camping adage: “leave the campsite better than you found it.” That means leave your house, your life, your community better than you found it. That’s the essence of homesteading and prepping. Giving into paranoia and fear and hate does not lead anyone to leave anything better than they found it.
Stay positive and leve your situation better than you found it, for yourself and all of our brothers and sisters on this planet.
Ep 169_ The Dark Side of Prepping
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Homeland Security Stockpiling MOUNTAINS of Ammo
They stockpiled millions of rounds in the past. Well, how about another 21.6 million rounds…and for what?
“An approximation of how many rounds of ammunition the DHS has now secured over the last 10 months stands at around 1.625 billion.”
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Ready-Made Resources Warns of Impending Food Shortages
I received this note from them:
5 Reasons Food Shortages are coming!
In a recent email to our customers, some questioned our urgency to buy food during all the clamour amongst the American public to buy guns and ammo lately. You have seen what happened to the supply of guns and ammunition, it has disappeared almost overnight. If this happened to the food supply would you be ready? So let’s go through the numbers and see why YOU should be buying food right now and get ahead of the game before its too late.
- ) Imminent collapse of the U.S. Dollars We have literately printed trillions in debt and owe 100′s of trillions in unfunded liabilities.
- ) Hyper-Inflation is on the way. We have already seen most food prices double in the last 2 years alone!
- ) Historic high gas prices have effected and will continue to effect the high price of food.
- ) Back to back world crop failures, historic droughts world wide especially in the midwest of America.
- ) If we see a collapse of the dollar, the potential for government food rationing is high. There are already 2 executive orders that give the president the right to control all food supplies.
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