Hi Jim,
I enjoyed seeing “Dan Fong’s” letter, since I haven’t had contact with him in ages. It was great to see he’s still kicking. It’s good to see that
you’re getting sponsors as well. His plasma cutter topic is on target. One thing people might look at instead of a generator, or as a back-up to the one they have, is a welder with integral genset. Most portable welders are also generators, and being portable you can take it to a work site. Even an under-hood welder, like the kind that many serious 4×4 vehicles have, can be used as a generator (though not as efficient as one
designed to produce power to begin with). In many ways they are a better back-up than just a back-up generator. You gain a useful tool, rather than paying for a spare generator that will just sit and do nothing for you until you need it. They also are more likely to be maintained and in running condition through normal use when you need to press it into service as a generator. It just depends on your power plan. If you’re running a full power plant, then multiple generators are a better way to go. If you’re using a generator to just run lights and a pump, then a self-powered welder would provide both a tool and an alternate source of power.
I still own the 20 gauge 870 that originally belonged to your Memsahib. It has never failed to impress anyone who’s shot it. Everyone that shoots it asks if I’ll sell it to them. Training is the most important thing with the shotgun. While hunting in some areas will help with shotgun use, combat shotgunning is very different than hunting with one, and unlike the semi-auto rifle, most people don’t have a background with the shotty in the military. Most people that have been in the Army/USMC can handle a semi-auto rifle decently, but unless they’ve used a shotgun in their service, it’s a whole new thing. As with anything, training is far more important than which shotgun, or what you have mounted on it. If you can afford a cheap shotgun and a combat shotgun class, you’ll be far better armed than buying an expensive shotgun and no training. There isn’t a three-gun match I go to that pumpgun users will short stroke [the action], or have various other problems. The auto guys rarely have a problem. In classes, it’s the same thing. One class a buddy of mine went to had to divide the scoring between autos and pumps because all the pump
guys were scoring so low. There was a visible dividing line between the performance of the autos and pumps. This was in a class where most people had minimal training and experience with a shotgun. What I’m getting at is I don’t agree that the pumpgun is more reliable because the key reliability factor is the user. Now, I’ve seen shooters that are highly trained with a pump go against the autos just fine. To be able to do that though requires a lot of trigger time, and a lot of slugs and pellets down range. Yeah, it sounds so easy that all you need to do is rack the pumpgun, but reality is different than concept. [JWR adds: Especially when shooting prone!] Go to any tactical match that has a shotgun stage and watch the people operating under the stress of the match. Short stroking is pretty common with the pump even when the user has experience. The most important thing is to get training. The pump isn’t more reliable in the hands of a novice. Don’t get sucked into the pattern that many newbie survivalists do and buy guns and gear to make up for lack of skill.That doesn’t work. You are better off buying a used Sears shotgun from a newspaper ad and paying for a training class, than buying a fancy Bennelli and thinking that you are all set. It’s not what you use, it’s how you use it. – “Doug Carlton”