Occupying Your Neighborhood- Part 1, by B.S.C.

Let’s face it folks, this past decade has been chalk full of so many major disasters affecting the world, that it’s hard to keep up. From one day to the next, we are bombarded by stories about hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorists, radiation, shootings, market turmoil, droughts, wildfires, tornados, meteors, and you name it! Throw in government corruption and nonsensical rules encroaching on your family’s well-being and freedom, and you’ve got the recipe for a well-founded case of narcissism or worse!

Why do we worry so much about all these events that not only can we not control but don’t even directly affect us at all or just causes minor inconveniences at the most?

For many people, like myself, folks had been on the edge of their seats in anticipation of “something” that might affect their family for a long time after 9/11. Those events were just so shocking and traumatic that it really made you start thinking about personal survival here in the United States. The illusion of a safe and secure cocoon had been shattered, and we realized the government wasn’t as able to protect us as many assumed.

Years later, I would be hesitant to turn on the news, but was drawn to it like an addiction. I kept looking for little clues that I could possibly piece together to be one step ahead in my planning and preparation. Even if it amounted to mere minutes, then hopefully those would’ve been the precious few that I needed to beat traffic home before the story really broke out and I instead found myself stranded on the great highway-parking lot.

Many preppers have experienced a trigger in their lives; Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were my wake-up calls. Hurricane Katrina once again confirmed that the government was powerless, and then I found myself affected by Rita. Today, I wanted to tell you about a certain mindset that I’ve developed after recounting a personal experience.

I First Made A Mistake, And Then I Made Some More

Yes, let’s start by talking about my first mistake. This is how I learned that it is better to rely on a group than yourself, it’s better to remain in familiar surroundings until you’re forced out, and it’s better to be disciplined in your approach by following a plan than to follow a haphazard path of fear of the unknown, like I did previously.

It was Wednesday afternoon, September 7, 2005, in Houston, when I got off work. The radio announcer was talking about how Hurricane Ike was going to hit the city just as hard as Katrina hit New Orleans two weeks before. I noticed cars were lining up at the pumps at every station I passed. I thought about getting gas, but I had a little more than a half tank and just wanted to get home. There was no way I was going to sit and wait for 15-20 minutes to top off. I thought, “I’m good” and kept on driving.

That evening, I sat on my back porch in the Southwest side of Houston smoking a cigarette. A stream of ambulances and fire trucks were headed out of the city in convoy on the road behind my house, and I stopped counting when I reached 100 vehicles. Images of Katrina were flashing across the television screen on the news, and that’s when I started thinking that maybe we should evacuate. My wife agreed when I told

her about what I saw. That was my first mistake. I created tension in the house and unnecessarily added to the fear. We were not in a designated evacuation zone; we were 100’ above sea level and probably a hundred miles from the coast.

Stop, think for yourself, and do not trust your gut, because the only thing your gut knows is fight or flight, which is an animal instinct. You are not an animal. You are a logical, rational, human being capable of doing a risk assessment and weighing the big picture. For that matter, I am not saying that you should trust the government blindly either. There will always be those who stand patiently in line for their turn in the gas chamber, and that is not what I am saying you should do. People who blindly follow orders are not people; they’re sheeple headed to the slaughter!

What am I saying? I’m saying you should always think about staying put first. It’s going to be the easiest thing to do anyway. Your last choice should be to leave.

Our alarm clocks woke us up at 3 a.m. on Thursday, September 8. The truck was already packed the night before and ready to go. We turned the corner out of our neighborhood and immediately got in line on the highway, joining the entire coast of Texas trying to get out, all driven by fear.

We sat. It was pitch black, and my wife turned on some children’s songs. The kids were perfectly happy in the back singing along. It was like any other happy outing. Hours later, the sun began to rise, and we sat. We had moved a couple hundred feet, so at least we were making progress. I needed to smoke, so I got out of the truck. I finally realized that while the lane we were sitting in on the two-lane highway was full, the oncoming lane was wide-open and each side of the shoulders were open. What a waste of space, I thought!

I was also getting down to below half a tank, and I decided that I wasn’t going to wait in this line any more. I got back in, and started driving down the right-side shoulder. People were not happy, and they were throwing things out of the window at us. I saw in the rear-view mirror that other cars began to peel off out of line and follow us. Before you knew it, cars began to peel off onto the shoulder in front of us and then into the oncoming lane when they saw me approaching in their mirror and weren’t able to cut onto the right shoulder because cars behind them were already there, led by yours truly.

Watch a flock of pigeons sitting on a telephone wire sometime. For whatever reason, one pigeon will take off. It could be that he feels bad, the wind hit him a little differently on his tail feathers, he heard a different noise or just woke up from a bad cat dream, or whatever. Within seconds, the entire flock will take off, even though they were all perfectly content and had no reason to fly before they saw another pigeon freak out for some reason. I was the first pigeon to make a break, and before I knew it chaos instantly ensued all over the place.

The right side shoulder quickly became congested ahead of us. I was frustrated because the cars heading onto oncoming traffic were moving, so I tried to cut across from the right-shoulder through the right-side lane. I cut in front of the wrong guy as this big truck pushed up and trapped me. A big, bald-headed guy got out with a baseball bat. He had tattoos all over his arms, neck, and face. He was yelling and waving the bat all around when he approached my window and not in the least bit cordially asked me to get out of my vehicle. I politely asked him to quit cussing because I had kids in the back. He told me to get out and make him. Nothing good was going to come out of this situation, and I had no weapon to speak of. Luckily for me, his girlfriend got out of the truck, yelled at him, and chilled him out enough to get him back inside. I seized the opportunity to get into the oncoming, high-speed, low-drag, contra-flow lane. We almost went a whole mile.

Then, there was nowhere else to go. There were no little, side roads. There were no more shoulders and no more contra-flow. There was a deep, water-filled ditch on each side of the road and a barbed wire fence above it. As we sat on Hwy 90, the sun kept rising in the sky, and the gas tank continued to dwindle with the A/C on. I turned the engine off. All the cars on the road had their engines off. Little kids and babies were crying in the cars around us with our windows open. The temperature gauge read 116 degrees Fahrenheit as we sat on the blacktop. In between the cries, you could hear grasshoppers flying free in the fields. Women got out of the cars ahead of us and urinated in the middle of the road. Some men were taking empty water bottles to adjacent homes on the side of the road to fill them up with garden hoses. Up ahead, the heat coming off of the asphalt made everything blurry. Still, we sat, and then we sat some more.

At 3 p.m., we reached a little town called Eagle Lake. By some miracle, we had gone 38 miles in 12 hours on a half of a tank of gas. Don’t laugh! It was truly divine intervention that we made it that far and did so safely. We made it to a gas station and then spent the weekend at Marble Falls at my wife’s uncle’s house. On Sunday, we drove back. The hurricane had turned way up north towards Port Arthur at the last minute, and Houston was not affected at all. We came home to chirping birds and the lush green lawns of our subdivision, like nothing even happened. That’s because nothing did!

There are only two choices, when you are faced with a potential character-building event: fight or flight. If you allow fear to enter your body, you will make mistakes. Sometimes they will be forgiven, but most times they won’t be. In a survival situation, even the smallest mistake could become a life-threatening ordeal. So, when your adrenaline is pumping and you just want to run away is not the time to be making big mistakes. Fear and hesitation gets you killed; so, I will fight and defend what is mine. That is the decision I make today for tomorrow, and it’s not driven by adrenaline today.

I was lucky that I didn’t get my skull fractured by a baseball bat that day on the highway, but that scenario had never occurred to me when I was getting all rallied up by the evening news about the “impending doom”. So, what does it mean to choose to fight in practice? It doesn’t mean running with a bigger baseball bat than the other rats who might be running in the same direction!

Letter Re: Vehicle Fences

HJL,

A caution to readers about the fences found between roadways. Some are under tremendous tension, and cutting them can lead to catastrophic consequences. I am a professional firefighter and have had some experience with accidents involving these fences. I would HIGHLY caution against cutting, unless you know what you are dealing with. – BR

Economics and Investing:

Interest Rates and the Debt Saturated Global Economy – A.L.

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Hewlett-Packard to Cut Up to 30,000 More Jobs in Restructuring – GJM

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

This Is Why Americans Will Pay More For Gasoline If U.S Export Ban Is Lifted – Interesting article

Price Tag of Bernie Sanders’ Proposals: $18 Trillion – For some comic relief… Suppose if he wasn’t serious

Why the Fed Is Likely to Stand Pat This Week – It boggles my mind how these folks don’t know (or pretend to not) that the entirety of the global “recovery” is built on ZIRP (zero percent interest rate policy) and expansion of debt and to take that away is to take the “recovery” away…

Trichet to Fed: Ignore the IMF, World Bank – Again no one is surprised, the Fed has bantered about raising rates for over a year… The issue isn’t surprise, it’s that the entire recovery is built on ZIRP and increased debt.. Take away the punch bowl and raise the cost to service the ginormous amount of debt and the party is over… This isn’t rocket science…

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Books

As ships at sea represent a majority of the attributes of a Bugout, Offgrid Retreat, long-term self-sufficient vessel we all aspire to mimic day to day, I thought it prudent to pass along one of the required shipboard medical books all large ships carry.
The Ships Captain Medical Guide – C.H.

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Long Knife by James Alexander Thom. It is a story of a relatively unknown American hero, George Rogers Clark. He led expeditions against the allied British and Indians in the Northwest Territory during the American Revolution. His force of less than 200 recruits conquered vast areas in Kentucky and neighboring territories. – G.S.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Worth A Thousand Words… Satellite image of Russian troops and hardware in Syria Proxy Wars: 25% less-filling than declared wars with the same levels of casualties. – GJM

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Obama Issues Executive Order for Use of Behavioral Data – G.P.

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The Caliphate Growing at the Feet of Obama – MtH [Warning: – disturbing photo]

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SCOTUS Justice Breyer likes to rely on the laws of other countries – G.P.

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Marine General actually said: “Whichever way you stand on the Second Amendment“? One can’t help but wonder what Jeff Cooper, Joe Foss, and Carlos Hathcock might have to say concerning a MARINE Lt. General unwilling to verbally side with the 2nd amendment. – T.P.

HJL adds: This would be one of the primary reasons why I am very hesitant about arming military personnel on our home soil. As I’ve stated before: Arm them to the teeth when on foreign soil but not at home. This is a long standing tradition with deep roots by people who understand that it never works out well for freedom when the military is armed on the home soil.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I have thought that a man of tolerable abilities may work great changes if he first forms a good plan and makes the execution of that same plan his whole study and business.” – Benjamin Franklin

Notes for Tuesday – September 15, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  4. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 Lifestraws (a $200 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 60 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Sources of Vitamin C in a Post-SHTF World, by Okie Ranch Wife

Let me start by saying that I am not a medical doctor or a nutritionist. Any suggestions in this article are based upon my personal experience and should not be considered medical advice.

There will be many health concerns for people in a post-SHTF world, for people who have prepared as well as those who have not, including but not limited to the lack of life-sustaining prescription medicines, limited food, reduced caloric intake, and limited access to life-saving antibiotics. There will be a resurgence of diseases, such as cholera and TB to name just two, that were eradicated in the U.S. There will be a resurgence of deficiency diseases caused by a lack of vitamins and nutrients in the post-SHTF diet. This could be remedied by stockpiling a vast amount of multi-vitamins and supplements before the event, and hopefully people will have some in their stockpile. However, if the worst case scenario happens and happens quickly or the collapse and its after-effects last long term, the vitamins and stockpiles may run out, especially if there are multiple families at your location.

Farming, gardening, and foraging for wild plants will probably be in almost every prepper’s plan for their family’s survival. Most of the gardening zones of the United States are not conducive to growing the citrus crops that today are the most commonly recognized source of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. I live in zone 7, so I don’t have lime, lemon, or orange trees in my backyard.

A deficiency of vitamin C causes the painful disease known as scurvy. Earliest texts describe the symptoms circ 1500 BC. Aristotle described it in 450BC as a lack of energy, tooth decay, and bleeding problems. Symptoms of scurvy are rotting gums, tooth loss, painful jaws, swollen legs, general aches and pains, easy bruising, and open sores on the skin. In extreme cases, scurvy is fatal. It was not known by 19th century doctors that vitamin C is responsible for making collagen– the protein needed to maintain healthy connective tissue in the skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels and for the healing of wounds. Vitamin C has also been connected to eye health and mental acuity. Vitamin C has been touted as the cure for the common cold. Many studies have been conducted. Equal numbers say it does help, and equal numbers say it doesn’t help. Vitamin C does appear to help boost the immune system, and it supports adrenal function in stressful situations. For that reason alone, in my opinion, it should have a place on a prepper’s supply list.

Only about 10 mg of C is needed to avoid the disease. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women as proposed by the U.S. government committee on Dietary Allowances by the Food and Nutrition Board. Pregnant mothers should get 85 mg, while lactating mothers should consume 120 mg, since much of their vitamin goes to their breast milk. However, 250 to 500 mg or even higher doses are recommended as a more realistic and optimum dosage. The elderly, people under stress, whether emotionally or environmentally, and diabetics will require a higher daily dose. Wound healing is a major concern for diabetics. Some nutritionists have used the “bowel effect” as an indication of enough vitamin C. In other words, when you have loose bowels to the point of diarrhea, you have a little too much vitamin C because it works as a laxative. It’s my opinion that in a SHTF event, this would not be a good yardstick. You would also be losing water from your body, which is not good in that situation.

My ancestors came from Northern Eastern Europe, which is another area where citrus crops do not grow. Yes, they could trade for some, but life on a farm in that area didn’t lend itself to have enough to do much trading for exotics. They knew what they needed in their diet, and that’s what they produced from their soil to stay healthy in order to continue to work their farm and provide for their families.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is stable in raw foods. However, cooking vitamin C-rich foods will cause it to be lost or greatly reduced. Vitamin C is also reduced when foods are picked and allowed to sit at room temperature for several hours. Fortunately C-rich foods are comprised mostly from vegetable sources. Animal protein has almost no vitamin C content. Nutritional studies have shown that vitamin C is used by the body in about two hours and is eliminated from the body within about four hours. Normal situational use of supplemental vitamin C should be taken every four hours or as a time-release tablet. For people in SHTF and getting their daily dose of C through their meals, this schedule coincides nicely with normal mealtimes.

Vegetable sources of vitamin C include:

Herbs are a great source of vitamin C that you can add to any prepared dish, and they are super easy to grow even in the kitchen on a southern exposure window sill. The herbs include:

Other fruit sources of vitamin C are:

Seed and beans, except kidney, which should not be sprouted, when eaten as sprouts are also high in vitamin C; however, a better use of those would be planting for another crop.

Since vitamin C is water soluble, any excess will be eliminated daily from the body. Having even more during a stressful time, like a SHTF situation, would be good. Vitamin C is also used up very quickly when there is an infection present in the body. To keep the highest content possible of vitamin C, you should eat the vegetable raw or lightly steamed.

Now, here’s more on sauerkraut. Dr. Jonathan Lamb, professor at Vanderbilt University, recounts that CPT James Cook took 7,860 pounds of sauerkraut on his voyage to the South Seas and not one of his sailors died of scurvy while they were gone. While Cook used the fermented vegetable to keep his crew healthy during the long sea voyages, he was not the first explorer to do so. Some researchers believe that fermented foods came into Eastern Europe because of the raids of Genghis Khan. Asian peoples eat kimchi. Many service members have been introduced to this dish while serving overseas in Korea. I make a very simple version that does not have the pungent aroma found in more ethnic versions. Historical records have shown that the workers building the Great Wall of China ate fermented cabbage during the cold seasons when fruit was not available. Talk about a stressful and intense work environment, that would have been it.

Levels of vitamin C in fermented sauerkraut range from 57 to 700 mg per cup. Now, before you go running out to buy multiple flats of canned sauerkraut, remember that heat decreases the level of vitamin C in veggies. The type of sauerkraut I’m talking about here is the lacto-fermented kind that uses no heat in the process. Raw cabbage has a moderate amount of C in it, about 30 mgs, but the level spikes when lacto-fermentation is done. Red lacto-fermented cabbage has been found to have the highest C values, at around 700 mg per cup. This type of sauerkraut has the fiber and the probiotics that improve digestion and maintain bowel health and protects against many diseases of the digestive tract. Traditionally, lacto-fermented sauerkraut has been used in studies in Europe as an aid to cure stomach ulcers.

Lacto-fermentation of the cabbage is not a fast process. It occurs over days and weeks. The cabbage is sliced thin and layered with water and salt, left at room temperature with a weight to press down the cabbage and keep it under water. A breakdown of the sugars happen, and then the process of growing the probiotics occurs. It is then packaged into jars in its own brine solution, and it can then be refrigerated to preserve the vitamins and enzymes. The Lehman’s Non-electric catalog from Kirdron, Ohio has sauerkraut crocks and various books on making and storing sauerkraut. Note that it is not only cabbage that can be fermented. Other vegetables, such as red beets, turnips, red peppers, daikon radish, and carrots all have vitamin C levels raised when fermented in the traditional way.

As I stated earlier, it only takes about 10 mg to keep scurvy at bay; however, you will need considerably more in your diet to function at the optimum level needed in a SHTF scenario. Whether you get it from multi-vitamins, supplements, or in your daily food, you should have a plan for it.

References:

Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

Staying Healthy with Nutrition, Elson M. Haus

Staying Healthy with Seasons, Elson M. Haus

Vitamin C, David Zieve

Weston Price Foundation

Letter: Vehicle Fences

1

Hi HJL,

I do a fair amount of traveling in the snowy states and have noticed a trend that I think is interesting. On both major highways and interstates I’ve seen more and more of the “crash cable” fences being erected between opposing lanes. While I’m sure the initial reason for the fences is to prevent a vehicle from slipping on ice and sliding into oncoming traffic, I can’t help but see an alternate “extra” use. The fences I’ve seen are constructed with 3 to 6 strands of 3/4 to 1 inch thick galvanized steel cable. The strands are fixed to substantial sized “H” beam posts that are cemented into the ground. These fences are 3 to 4 feet tall and go on uninterrupted for many miles. The only openings are for the occasional emergency vehicle turn around. I know of no highway vehicles that could traverse them or crash through them.

In the event of a “situation”, these fences would easily serve as a convenient vehicle containment barrier. While it was merely inconvenient last year when I got corralled behind a large accident for hours and couldn’t turn around, it would be much more concerning if I was in my vehicle on the way out of town to the BOL and some alphabet agency decided to block the highway. There’s no turning around in the median and no driving cross country.

My solution was to add two types of tools to my vehicle. The first was a good quality hack saw with quality metal cutting blades; the second was a heavy cable cutter. Keep in mind that even the largest bolt cutters will usually only open to 1/2 inch wide. A hack saw (and a strong arm), or a higher-end cable cutter, will cut through over one inch of steel. These both have many uses, but cutting my way through a barrier could be very valuable. Of course it goes without saying that damaging government property is still a crime, but in the right situation it may not matter much. – T.T.

News From The American Redoubt:

CCS Investigates Muslim Refugees in Idaho – RBS

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Prayer conference in Sandpoint, Idaho – Sept 18-20 – C.B.

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Received from a SurvivalBlog Reader:

Dear Friends,

In case you don’t know it, we lost our barn and home here in Idaho to a wildfire one month ago. We moved into it in December and I was just finishing up the bath tile and had not put the metal siding on yet. We were not insured and people have been asking for a way to donate to help us rebuild. So, we set up an account at gofundme.

Fifty-seven homes were lost as well as several hundred out buildings. This disaster has really brought the community together. There is a cold front moving in and damper weather ahead, so the fires seem to be pretty much behind us. It is time to clean-up, mitigate for erosion, and start on the road to recovery and rebuilding. Our loss has been a setback, but many blessings are coming from it. We are thankful for all the prayers and support. – Blessings, Jay & Pearl Maxner

Folks: Please donate if you feel convicted to do so. If you’d rather not mention your name with your donation, then please just tag it “Another SurvivalBlog Reader.” Many Thanks, – JWR

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Feds: Sage grouse face decline if wildfires can’t be stopped

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Wyoming: Two climbers die in Wind River Range accident

Economics and Investing:

Understanding Why Budgets Fail May Help Us Succeed: 5 Big Reasons Budgets Fail – A.L.

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Could the Fed Implement a “Carry” Tax on Physical Cash? by Phoenix Capital – D.S.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

USA Drops to 16th on ‘Economic Freedom’ List… – While it may be a stretch to say the U.K. has more economic freedom than some of these other countries, it is definitely indicative to the direction we have been heading for quite some time.

US Interest Rate Rise Could Trigger Global Debt Crisis – We are all aware of this fact, but what is always most interesting to me is the supposed warning from the BIS. Almost like they are setting up to take credit and pose as the savior.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I generally shy away from conspiracy theory videos, but I found this one fascinating, for several reasons:

9/11 Experiments: The Great Thermate Debate– JWR

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Perhaps a bit off-topic, but SurvivalBlog readers should be alerted that via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a ban on the interstate transfer of elephant ivory–even so-called “old ivory” –will be going into effect in the States on September 29th. Buy any Ivory pieces that you want for your guns or knives, NOW! – JWR

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Video: Food riots turn deadly in Somalia – C.L.

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California’s Sierra Nevada snowpack estimated at 500-year low – G.P.

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Great, more rioters; they’ll fit right in… Baltimore Prepares To Accept More Syrian Refugees

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“It’s no accident that capitalism has brought with it progress, not merely in production but also in knowledge. Egoism and competition are, alas, stronger forces than public spirit and sense of duty.” – Albert Einstein

Notes for Monday – September 14, 2015

On this day in 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division lands on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men. Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. MacArthur invaded the Philippines without need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai.

Pat Cascio’s Product Review – SIG Sauer P320 .45ACP

It’s hard not to like any handgun chambered in .45ACP, with a few exceptions. I cut my teeth on a 1911 .45ACP and have owned hundreds over the years. There are some I really regret selling or trading, too. While on the Illinois National Guard Rifle and Pistol Team, back in the early 1970s, I was issued a match grade M-14, as well as a match grade 1911with all the ammo I wanted. (You’d better believe I took full advantage of that, too.) I had .50 caliber ammo cans stacked high in my bedroom. However, most of the matches we competed in were only high-powered rifle matches. Very few were handgun matches. I’m the first to admit that back then I wasn’t the best pistol shot, but I still loved the grand ol’ 1911.

One thing that surprises me is that many gun companies come out with new handgun designs in 9mm and .40S&W long before they do one in .45ACP, and everyone I talk to wants a new handgun design in .45ACP. Then again, none of the gun companies consulted me. Additionally, many gun companies come out with full-sized guns when the buying public wants smaller, more concealable handguns. Once again, none of the gun companies asked for my input on this.

When the new SIG Sauer new P320 came out, the first model was a full-sized version, and it was in 9mm. I sat back and waited and waited for one to come out in .45ACP. All the printed gun magazines featured the 9mm P320 on the front cover of their publications. It helps sell guns when your new product is on the front of a magazine. Boy, does it ever sell guns! Still, I waited….

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I placed an order for the SIG P320 in .45ACP, and I wanted the “Carry” model. What I received was the full-sized gun. (Sigh!) Still, I was happy that it was in .45ACP! The SIG Sauer P320 is the company’s first try at a striker-fired handgun. SIG seems to be late to the game with a striker-fired pistol. However, they aren’t about to be outdone. A quick look at the P320 in .45ACP is in order. The gun weighs 29.4 ounces because of the polymer frame, so it is fairly light weight for a full-sized, duty handgun. The barrel is 4.7 inches long. The overall length is 8.0 inches and height is 5.5 inches. The slide is stainless steel; however it has the SIG Nitro coating on it in flat black, which is very tactical looking. My model had the contrast sights instead of night sights. Night sights can be ordered, if you want them. Two 10-rd magazines came with the gun, and they were easy to load, too. That is nice! The trigger pull is 5.5-lbs to 6.5-lbs, and it is double action only (DAO). (I’ll talk more on this in a moment.) There is also a Picatinny rail on the frame for attaching lights or lasers. I would like to see SIG offer the P320 without this option, for those of us who don’t attach things to our handguns.

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The grip frame is polymer with a great feel to it. My sample came with the medium grip frame that fit my hand perfectly. However, you can order a larger grip frame or a smaller one to fit your hand, and you do not have to go through an FFL dealer to order a new grip frame. Here’s the thing with the P320 line-up; the trigger control group is easily removed from the grip frame. Simply field-strip the gun and then push out the take-down lever. You pull the trigger control group out of the grip frame, and it is this stainless steel trigger control group that is the actual “firearm”. It has the serial number on it. So, if you want to convert your P320 to a smaller version– the Carry or Subcompact– all you have to do is order the grip frame you want directly from SIG for $40. You put the trigger control group into the new grip frame, and it is a drop-in affair with no fitting required!

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You can also order a shorter slide and barrel. Again, you can order directly from SIG without going through an FFL dealer for this. The combinations would seem to be endless. From one trigger control group you can convert your P320 to fit your needs, whether it’s a full-sized duty gun, carry gun, sub-compact, and different sized grip frames to fit your hand; it all seemed too easy to my way of thinking, but it works. I read several articles on the removal of the trigger control group, and many writers said that everything stayed together. It was not so with my sample. The first time I removed the trigger control group, a pin fell out. I figured out where it went; it is the trigger stop pin that stops over-travel of the trigger. The pin just kind of “floats” in the hole where it goes. I did some checking on the ‘net and found that many P320 owners had the same problem; the trigger stop pin fell out. That’s not good! I found a very easy solution. I installed the trigger stop pin, and then I placed an “E” clip on it; the pin no longer fell out. I don’t know how SIG missed this problem, and I understand the trigger stop pin doesn’t fall out of all the guns. It’s just some of them. Plus, the gun will function just fine without the trigger stop pin, but you will have some trigger over-travel.

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The DAO trigger pull is probably the best on the market today. If it’s not the best, it is very close to being the best. The trigger pull is short and crisp. It’s hard to describe, but you have to experience it to appreciate it. My trigger pull came in right at 5.5 lbs. Many DAO handguns have a long and/or mushy trigger pull, and you can’t get the best accuracy out of a pistol no matter how hard you might try. SIG might be a little late coming to the DAO game, but they didn’t follow everyone else. Yes, I’m aware that SIG came out with their P250, which was a double action only handgun. However, it was hammer-fired, and the P320 is striker-fired. I’m not at all sure how the magicians at SIG managed to come up with this trigger pull on the P320, but they did. I closely examined the trigger control group outside of the gun, and it just appears very simple in the way it operates. In my experience, simple is always better. I ran the P320 side-by-side with some other handguns, in particular, a couple of 1911s, and the SIG held its own in the accuracy department, even beating one of my favorite 1911s in the accuracy department. I was more than a little impressed.

I also wanted to comment on the sights. They are large enough, with the white dots, that my aged eyes had no problems seeing the sights; that is great! SIG also provides a polymer hip holster that comes in the nice plastic carrying case the P320 comes in. One thing that really irks me is having a new gun come on the market and then not being able to find a proper fitted holster. In that case, you have to resort to using a generic ballistic nylon holster that doesn’t fit properly. Way to go, SIG!

The only operating controls on the P320 is the slide stop, trigger, and take-down lever. There are no external safeties, so you have to rely on the one between your ears. The front of the slide is tapered for easier re-holstering, too. There are grasping grooves on the front and rear of the slide on either side of it for easy chambering of rounds, too. Overall, the gun is slick. There’s nothing to catch or snag on anything.

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Seeing that the P320 was a new design, I really gave it a work out. I don’t normally compare one gun to another in my articles, as there will always be one I like better than the others; it’s just human nature. I mentioned that I shot the P320 against some of my 1911s just to see how the SIG would hold up in the accuracy department against a single-action semiauto handgun, and that’s as far as I went. I really shouldn’t have been concerned about this aspect. SIG is famous for making extremely accurate handguns and rifles.

Over the course of a couple of weeks, I gave the P320 a good work out. We’ve had several heat waves in our part of Oregon with temps rising above 100 degrees, and I don’t tolerate that kind of heat. So, I was out numerous times, early in the morning to do my shooting. In all, I fired over 600 rds through the SIG, and there was not a single malfunction of any type. From Black Hills Ammunition I had their 230-g FMJ, 185-gr Barnes all-copper hollow point TAC-XP +P , 230-gr JHP, 185-gr JHP, and their 200-gr Match Semi-Wad Cutter loads. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition I had their 185-gr FMJ FN low recoil load, 255-gr Hard Cast +P load, 230-gr FMJ FN +P, 160 and 186-gr Barnes all-copper hollow point +P loads. The P320 gobbled up everything without a hint of a malfunction. What’s not to like about this on any out-of-the-box handgun?

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For my accuracy testing, I rested the SIG on a sleeping bag over the hood of my pick-up, and the target was 25 yards down range. Not a single load exceeded three inches, so long as I did my part. I had a couple called flyers. It was my bad, not the gun’s fault. The Buffalo Bore 255-gr Hard Cast +P Outdoorsman load was pretty consist with groups hovering slightly over two inches. The overall winner though was the Black Hills 200-gr Match Semi Wad Cutter load. As long as I was on my game, I was getting groups of 1 3/4 inches. I couldn’t do it all the time, though. Again, it was my fault and not the gun or the ammo. All other loads were in the two to three inch group, and that is nothing to complain about at all. The Buffalo Bore 185-gr Barnes all-copper hollow point +P load would be a great self-defense load, as would the same load from Black Hills. For hiking in the boonies, where you might encounter dangerous game, the Buffalo Bore 255-gr Hard Cast +P Outdoorsman load is the way to go. For everyday paper punching, the Black Hills 230-gr FMJ load is a great round to use; it never has let me down. It can shoot better than I can hold the gun.

I usually try to quote full retail prices on guns and knives, however, since the P320 is so new, prices are all over the place. I think you can probably find one in the $500 – $550 price range, if you shop around. Some places are charging a lot more, though, because it is a new model and samples are few and far between.

I honestly couldn’t find anything to complain about with my P320 sample, other than the trigger stop pin incident, and it was an easy fix with an “E” clip. Other than that, the P320 in .45ACP is a real winner in my humble opinion. I may, just may, get a P320 in 9mm, just because!

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio