Low-Budget TEOTWAWKI Preps – Part 2, By E.J.H.

So let’s go into some improvised methods for each of the prongs listed earlier.

Improvised Methods for Detering Invaders

You should get a loud dog. I have a golden retriever, who, even though he would probably just lick an invader’s boots, sounds like a dog three times his size when he barks, and he sounds very deadly. He is not effective for defense, but he could definitely deter a potential looter. A good dog would be a German Shepard, Pit Bull, or Bullmastiff to deter robbers/raiders even before the world ends. I know I would not like to even risk going near a house with a dog like that. However, you should know, never get such a dog unless it is meticulously trained how to properly behave, especially if you have small children. A mean Mastiff, Rottweiler, or German Shepard could easily kill a child, and if a bad dog starts attacking its owners, it may be too late to stop it before it causes irreparable damage. Dogs such as these are definitely not family dogs, and don’t take well to abuse or annoyance by little kids.

Improvised Methods to Trap Invaders

Some good trap ideas might be something like a tripwire activated to drop small rocks or pans on the unlucky activator’s head, or a hidden, large hole that makes one incapable of escaping. Traps require much creativity and engineering to work, so they can be difficult for the average person. The easiest trap is the classic tiger trap from Swiss Family Robinson. Dig a hole, cover it up with leaves, don’t step in it.

Improvised Methods for An Invader Alert

Depending on where you live, this will be extremely varied. If you live in the woods, you are going to have different alert systems than those who live in the city. I will tell you some generally good items that work well for both the urban and the country prepper. The first is your early warning system. If you have a good perimeter defense dog, such as a Great Pyrenees, you already have this function. Let’s face it, you really need a dog. Living in the city, you can rightly justify having one, unlike swinging logs or giant pitfall traps. Beyond a dog, you need other measures of alerting you of the assailant’s presence, such as tripwire activated bell alarms (remember the pirate alarms?) or camouflaged windchimes hanging on your porch. You could also consider hanging a ton of junk from your porch (after the world ends, of course) so they either hit their heads and make sound on it, drop it, and make sounds with it, trip over it, and hopefully get hurt real bad and then make sounds. I think you get the point. Finally, you should set up something so you know where they are, if they break in. Once again, the little jingle bells you buy at the hobby craft store will work just fine when strung with string or wire across a doorway. To get even more noise, put two cooking pots or other heavy metal object across the opening, raised a bit giving it room to fall to the floor. When they trigger it, crash. It all goes on the floor with an extravagantly loud smash.

Improvised Non-lethal Methods to Defend Against An Invader

This is the final stand. If they made it this far, kudos to them. Now they are going to feel a lot of pain. I should not have to remind you again, but if I do, I will tell you that this is about the non-lethal side of defense.

So your first line of defense is to fortify your home. You can greatly increase your safety by simply getting new doors. Get doors with steel on the outside, or steel core doors. This is also practical in everyday life, as these kinds of doors prevent burglars from kicking it in. Also consider getting kick-in stops for your doors. Another thing you need is some light blockers. These will stop light from escaping your windows so raiders will not target you. You can use pretty much anything for these. A good thing is to use some of the giant black landscaping trash bags, and just duct tape them on your windows at night. You may need multiple bags based on the amount of light coming out. After you are done fortifying, you need to be prepared for the possibility of looters breaching your walls. That is where part two of defense comes in– confrontation. There are a lot of people who just cannot and will not use lethal force to defend themselves, more than you may think. If you are one of them, or you just do not have access to practical items of deadly nature, then less lethal is your only other option apart from total surrender. We know that is not an option. If it was, why prepare in the first place? Now, I think for defense you should have at least one of these things, if not more.

Now remember, there is a whole slew of self defense tools out there, and some that were not even originally invented for it. If you are opposed to using real guns, get a high-powered paintball gun with extra CO2 and ammo. If you nail someone good enough with one of those, they will quit eventually. [Editor’s Note: These last two items are likely to get you killed. A paint ball gun may deter someone who is only interested in an easy mark, but if someone wants what you have and they realize that you are only armed with a paintball gun, you will lose. If you truly cannot bring yourself to utilize lethal means to protect yourself, you are better off pairing up with someone who will use it. In the same line of thinking, if you are going to carry a weapon that looks like a real weapon, it better be a real weapon and you better know how to use it.]

This is just a few different ways to set up defenses, and there are still almost infinite amounts of others. Remember, if someone wants to take you or your family’s lives, you have every right to remove them from the earth. You have every right to shoot them with a paintball gun, too.

Overlooked Uses For Everyday Items

Every day, you throw out stuff, useful stuff like 2-liter pop bottles. “Have an empty 2-liter pop bottle? Don’t throw it out! “I can make a raft with that!” That is the kind of mindset you need to have in order to survive TEOTWAWKI. I am going to give a quick list for uses for just a few overlooked items that may help you survive.

  • Soup cans– Yes, they are good for holding paintbrushes, but their uses go way beyond that.
    • Make coultrops by cutting them up and forming them with pliers.
    • Make a hobo stove.
    • Cook food in them.
    • Soup cans can be pretty useful, especially if you have a handyman around or someone good with fabrication.
  • 2-liter bottles – It’s that annoying thing you told your kid to throw away and stop fighting with it.
    • Store water longer than in milk jugs.
    • Make a raft by attaching a bunch to a frame.
    • Make a greenhouse.
    • Use for target practice.
    • Bottles can be a very useful item, if your family drinks soda.
  • Paper
    • Write messages.
    • Write journals.
    • Start fires with it.
    • Cover wounds by mushing it down and packing it on top, as a last resort.
    • Paper is a valuable asset most people take for granted.

This is just a very short list to get your creative juices flowing, so use your imagination and think up uses for thrown out items that may one day save your life.

Practical items to stock up on

In the end, you will be desperate for things you wasted just a year ago. Stock up on these items, as you will probably need them, or you could barter them off to someone else. Everybody knows they’ll need things like food, ammo, et cetera, but people often don’t really think about things like bug spray and the socks on their feet.

  • Bug Spray. After about two months without it, people will be hurting real bad for the relief from the bugs. Also consider bug bite treatment salve or liquids.
  • Bath Tissue. After everyone runs out, people will try to kill over your last roll of Charmin ultra soft, and it’s value will be incredible.
  • Soap. There’s not all that much to explain, really. Who wants to go a year without soap? Not me.
  • Toothpaste. Most people don’t know how to make their own, and nobody wants their teeth to rot out.
  • Socks. With how many people ruin their socks all the time, people will for sure need extras.
  • Petty Medical Supplies. I’m serious. Band-Aids, Neosporin, hydrogen peroxide, and similar items will be pretty valuable in barter when the world ends.
  • High-SPF Sunscreen. Nobody wants sunburn. This will be a useful item to have on hand.
  • Hand Tools. Little garden trowel, small shovel hoes, and rakes are all useful items that we sometimes don’t give any thought about. However, they could be worth a lot to the right person.
  • Cigarettes. I hate smoking, but not everyone does. When you need a smoke, you will be willing to give a lot to get it.
  • Alcohol. Almost everyone needs a bottle of beer or a glass of wine every now and again. If you buy bulk or brew your own and store it in a root cellar, you can get a fine amount of goods for it.

I hope you can draw some useful knowledge and skills from this paper. I enjoyed writing this very much and send you my best wishes for TEOTWAWKI.

Keep your powder dry, brothers and sisters.

Letters Re: Cold Steel’s SurvivalBlog Voyager Knife

JWR,

Just a note to thank you for the input on the new knife design: WOW!—

I’m pretty cheap on knives but was recently chastised by a client and retired police officer to always conceal carry (we were at a police qualifying range so “thought” I didn’t need to there) and have a large folding knife in my pocket—ALWAYS!

He was very adamant, which woke me up in a good way. So seeing the JWR knife with all the key features that I felt were excellent, I ordered this knife to meet the retired officer’s recommendations; I’m very impressed!! – M.G.

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Dear Hugh,

I received it via UPS today. It is a very impressive knife and certainly is “as advertised!” I am very pleased with this purchase and will purchase another as a gift. Convey to JWR that this piece is AWESOME! – M.R.

Economics and Investing:

World shipping slump deepens as China retreats – G.G.

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Venezuela’s currency is now so worthless that people are using it as napkins – G.P.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Why Gas Prices Are Rising Despite Oil’s Plunge – I for sure have been wondering this. I’m making an assumption that this is true, but who knows.

Abe Aide Says Japan Needs 3.5-Trillion Yen Economic Package

Renting in America Has Never Been This Expensive

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” – Tom Clancy, American author (1947-2013)

Notes for Tuesday – August 18, 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.

Low-Budget TEOTWAWKI Preps – Part 1, By E.J.H.

I am here to teach you some practical tips for preparing and surviving the end of the world without fancy preps or high-dollar retreats. I will also share some practical uses I have found for everyday items.

As much as I would like everyone in America to be able to afford nice, expensive things for their preps, that just cannot be. Let’s face it, Mr. James, not everyone has enough money, time, or space for prepping, or maybe it is just not a big aspect of their life. Yes, I would love to have a multi-million dollar retreat, but some people are just not blessed like that. It is kind of sad to see people who don’t care about prepping and who waste their time saving the trees and whales. These people just think everything will be fine and that nothing can happen to them, but some do care. To those who do, read on, and I hope you can learn a bit from this.

Disclaimer

First, I am going to say that I am in no way telling you to use these methods over conventional and practical methods and equipment, nor am I advertising for any specific product or brand. I simply mean to present an informative and useful guide for when any of the conventional methods fail or become unavailable. Also, it might be handy to take a few notes, as there is a ton of information in here.

Duct Tape

Now I know you’re probably thinking “Not another of these Beaver Dam duct tape idiots.” That is not what I am about to say here. Duct tape does a lot of things, and while you may think it is just one of those prepper fads and that it is not all it’s cracked up to be, duct tape can save your life. Think about Apollo 13! When stuff breaks, duct tape fixes it. In WWII, when it was first officially invented, the soldiers soon discovered more applications for it than sealing ammo cans. The bottom line is that you need duct tape. It can be, will be, and will always be a valuable resource before, during, and after TEOTWAWKI. So I am going to give you a list and helpful guide to things to use it for.

Wrist splint

One of its many uses is making an improvised splint for sprains and breaks. Once again, I advise you not to use this as opposed to a real splint. It is simply a substitute until medical help can be found. Also, never use this if there is protruding bone. This design works best for wrist injuries, as a leg splint will require a lot more duct tape and sticks. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Gather some sticks. (Thin ones work the best.) Gather sticks that are longer than how long the splint needs to be. Too long is better than too short. You can always cut them down a bit.
  2. Make the splint for flat sides of arm (the sides facing up if the palm is up and down accordingly). Take a strip of tape long enough to go about halfway down their forearm. Place the sticks close together on the sticky part of the tape. Make sure you put the sticks very close, as it needs to be stiff. Cover with another piece of tape on the other side and make sure no sticks are protruding. You may need to tape the sides, if it is too thick for the tape. You will need to make two of these.
  3. Now do basically the same thing for the other part of the arm except it will have to be about half as thick.
  4. Wrap the patient’s wrist and forearm tight with tape, sticky side facing up so it does not stick to them. Then stick the splint parts on the tape. Wrap the parts as tight as you can without it being uncomfortable for the patient with tape above the spots where the first tape was to keep the splint tight.

This method will also work for full arm splints, but for leg splints it is better to get some thick, long, and flat pieces and tape them in place.

One of the best things about duct tape is how inexpensive it is. Another great thing is how easy it is to tell the quality of the tape. The different tiers of quality dictate how you can use it. I use a 1-5 scale with three criteria:

  1. Strength. This is how much stress the tape itself can take.
  2. Adhesive. This is how strong the glue is and how well it sticks.
  3. Ease of use. This is how easy the tape is to wrap, bend, and stick to unusually shaped objects, and it’s how easy it is to work with.

So for Gorilla brand tape, I rate it

Strength: 5
Adhesive: 5
Ease of use: 3

The gorilla brand tape is exceptionally strong, but it is so thick it is very hard to wrap around oddly shaped items, and it’s hard to get perfectly flat.

Another good brand is Duck brand tape. It works well for average jobs.

Strength: 3
Adhesive: 5
Ease of use: 5

It has very strong adhesive and is very easy to work with. It is slightly thin, making it very useful for odd items. It’s only downside is that the coating over the cloth mesh on the inside will wear down quickly, if it is used on surfaces getting a high amount of friction and impact.

A few other tried and true uses for duct tape are to:

  • Repair a ripped tent,
  • Make a butterfly bandage,
  • Keep those inexpensive band-aids that never stick correctly on tight,
  • Tie down that loony who is trying to raid you,
  • Fix your shoes temporarily, and
  • Wax your chest (probably a dumb idea).

Even if you despise the thought of duct tape being used in practical survival, you should still stock up on it, as nutcases like me will want to buy or trade for it in the end if we don’t have any.

I have really bad OCD, so I can go on and on and on about duct tape rating scales, loonies, and Jerry rigged CO2 scrubbers, but I know by now you are probably ripping out your eyeballs with boredom, so I will move on.

Improvised Security Systems

In a post-TEOTWAWKI America, you will need to develop a few early-warning systems to prevent people from sneaking up on you, especially if you do not have enough people for exhaustive security routines or if you are against the prospect of taking a person’s life in defense. This is actually more common than you might think. I am not against taking a life to save yours or your family’s, but a lot of people are. My mentality is that by taking his life, I am:

  1. Saving the lives of others he will likely kill, and
  2. Preserving my life so I can assist others. If he kills me and loots my things, I will not be around to share, and he will most certainly not share them.

Of course, that is your decision to make, and I am not here to change that. I just wish to inform you. So I recommend a four-pronged system called D.T.A.D (Dee-Tad), which goes like this:

Deter: Make them not want to come in. This might be a fence, sandbag walls, Concertina wire, or something else. Whatever you put, it should deter and protect from them, but don’t rely on them alone. There will be lots of desperate, hungry people willing to cross it for a bite of your food.

Make sure you have at least two layers of this prong of defense, such as fence, followed by wire, followed by sandbags. That would work well.

Trap: Make them have second thoughts about raiding you. Tripwire, disguised holes placed at random, or fishing line strung between trees (to get the Saran Wrap effect; there’s more about this later) will get their attention and maybe make them think twice about you. I believe things like Punji stakes to be fairly brutal and inhumane, as you will have to execute the victim or they will die of a raging infection and be in unbelievable agony from the stakes. You also run the severe risk of stepping in them yourself, and that could be crippling to your family’s survival chances. All in all, Punji stakes are a really bad idea and so I do not recommend using them.

Alert: Make it known that the enemy is there. You can use bells, airhorns, or even wind chimes, and pans or anything that makes enough noise so you know someone is at you property. Use these by your door and by any tactical points or easy entry points, such as gates.

Defend: This is the last prong; if they get through your gauntlet of security, kudos to them. This is commonly broken into two divisions: lethal and non-lethal. I will explore the non-lethal area, as all people using lethal options already know how to use them. There are many options for less lethal weapons. You can use real guns loaded with rubber bullets, pepper spray, or even wooden spoons. There is one goal of defense, and that is to make the attacker stop. Less lethal options use to modes to accomplish that. The first is pain. This involves making them stop by hurting them or incapacitating them. The other way is intimidation, which involves making them soil themselves either by sheer force or by making them think you can/will kill them. The point of less lethal methods is to not kill/maim/permanently hurt your assailant. You want to stop them, so that you can take them prisoner or make them get the heck outta’ your way and also tell their buddies something to the effect of “Those people down there are complete lunatics! Stay away from them.”

Letter Re: Tails for MacBook Users

HJL,

Regarding “Tails for MacBook Users: Anonymity for the Survivalist, by Losttribe”, almost every Mac made, since around 2006, has been Intel-based. From a name perspective, the products were renamed with the shift.

about_this_mac

Earlier product names were PowerMac, iBook, or PowerBook.

Intel-based product names are: Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, et cetera.

The only two devices that didn’t get a name shift were the Mac Mini and the iMac. You can see full details at these wikipedia links, and to figure out which mac you have, you can go under the Apple Menu to “About this Mac” and it will tell you (see attached image) both the model as well as the processor type. – J.A.

News From The American Redoubt:

Monday storm sparks 35 new fires in northern Idaho

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Over at the excellent Paratus Familia blog,”Enola Gay” comments on the many lightning-sparked forest fires now burning in The American Redoubt: In The Line Of Fire.

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This new listing at our SurvivalRealty spin-off site caught my eye: Bomb Shelter for 65 – Paradise Valley, MT – $179,500.

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For those considering a move to the American Redoubt, Pastor Harry Sheppard of Mountain View Baptist Church has let us know about himself and his congregation:

“We are a brand new church plant in the Sandpoint area and will be holding our first service on October 4th. I am a firm believer in the Redoubt concept and the need for Bible believing Christians to coalesce. So much so in fact, that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the blessing of our home church, my family and I relocated to north Idaho from Texas with the goal of evangelizing the lost and discipling the saved both, in this area and beyond.”

You can view their website or call them at 208-610-7975.

He is also asking for SurvivalBlog readers to pray for his ministry – That they would be used of God to be a light in a quickly darkening world.

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The current status of wildfires can be tracked at InciWeb – DCB

Economics and Investing:

This Alarming Indicator Is Back At A Level Last Seen Before The Bear Stearns Collapse

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THE U.S. EMPIRE INVESTMENT STRATEGY: Export All Of It’s Gold… The Barbarous Relic

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

8 Reasons Why The Telegraph Thinks The Market Doomsday Clock Is One Minute To Midnight

Is The ‘Dumb’ Money Doing Something Smart?

Ron Paul: China’s Woes Give Fed Cover on Rates – Of course they won’t raise rates unless they are ready to pull the plug, because that is exactly what would happen if they did. Letting the market determine the price of money is what should happen, but that would bring about a painful correction that the economy needs but the Fed is not interested at all in a free market system because the Fed, by its very nature, is anti-free market.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I have the same mixture of excitement and terror you get when the roller coaster car is a-l-m-o-s-t to the top to begin the drop! I believe that as we follow Jesus into this adventure we will see Him do amazing things, we will be used by God in amazing ways, and we will grow closer to Him than ever before. “…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom. 5:20) As the darkness falls His light within us grows brighter. We will not be alone. Though we should be preparing now for all we’re worth, His hand of Providence will be our best defense. Trust Him. There is great joy ahead, even in the midst of the sorrows. And beyond it all – and maybe sooner than we think – the Presence of the One for whom we have so long sought. – ShepherdFarmerGeek

Notes for Monday – August 17, 2015

While salmon fishing near the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory on August 17th, 1896, George Carmack reportedly spotted nuggets of gold in a creek bed. His lucky discovery sparked the last great gold rush in the American West. His two companions later agreed that Skookum, Jim–Carmack’s brother-in-law, actually made the discovery.

Scot’s Product Review: Liberty Suppressors Mystic X

I am unsure when the term “force multiplier” came into use, but unlike many trendy phrases I think it is a good one. The concept is a military one, but it is useful in any endeavor. The basic idea is that we find something that makes us more effective than our competition whether in business, sports or combat. A force multiplier can be having more knowledge, better tools, strategy, or tactics or the ability to deceive. Another term for force multiplication might be competitive edge. A force multiplier can allow an apparently weaker opponent to triumph in the end over a larger force.

As preppers, we should always be looking for force multipliers. They allow us to leverage scanty resources in the event that things take a wrong turn. The concept also asks us to consider how we spend resources as we prep. We should ask, before making any purchase, whether the item in question provides an advantage and, if so, how much of one.

As I looked at my preps, I concluded that there were three things we didn’t have that would enhance our abilities. The first was body armor. Body armor can allow you to stay in the fight longer which could be decisive and certainly magnifies our abilities.

Next came night vision. Improved awareness is a tremendous force multiplier. It can enable us to hunt at night, when animals such as hogs are very active. It can keep us from being surprised by enemies. Night vision was a critical tool in many U.S. military victories over the last 25 years and led U.S. commanders to prefer fighting and moving in the dark when our opponents were blind.

Another item on my agenda is sound suppression for firearms. There are a lot of reasons to use suppressors on guns, and please note that I write “suppressors” not silencers. They reduce noise, but they cannot eliminate it, particularly for the supersonic ammunition used in centerfire rifles and many handguns.

Dramatically reducing noise, which a good suppressor can do, makes us less obvious. This is important for many purposes. First, it protects our hearing and senses are vital. Next, it can allow us to practice shooting in areas we could not otherwise use due to noise. For hunting, it is less likely to spook game or attract undesired attention from someone who might wish to steal from us. For self-defense, it can help us keep our position concealed and allow us to operate with surprise.

There are some disadvantages to suppressors, of course, as there are to any tool. They are still illegal in some states, and they are controlled by the National Firearm Act and may only be sold by Class III dealers. Paperwork must be filed with the federal government, and you must buy a $200 tax stamp for each suppressor.

Before filing the federal papers, you have to obtain approval from a local chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) or establish a legal entity to own one. Since many CLEO’s will not approve of the unwashed masses owning such devices, the most popular method these days it setting up a gun trust to own the suppressor. A trust does not require a CLEO signature. You could also establish a corporation, but this is more complex legally and may have tax ramifications. Either approach, in my view, is best done with the help of an attorney who is familiar with the process. There are many who advertise gun trusts online and the costs run from $100 to $200 for a basic trust. I would seek one I could meet in person. A trust can be established on the spot in less than an hour.

Once you have a trust, corporation, or agreeable CLEO, you have to decide which suppressor to buy before filing the paperwork for the purchase. The tax stamp is specific to that one suppressor. The first course of action is lots of Internet research to narrow the field down. Suppressors come in a bewildering number of variations from many makers. Caliber is obviously critical, as putting a .45 through a .22 suppressor won’t work well. The suppressor has to have the capacity and strength to handle the amount of gas coming from the muzzle. One meant for a .22 long rifle will have issues if you put it on a .223. Some suppressors can handle multiple rounds. Usually one meant for a more powerful and larger cartridge can work acceptably with a smaller one. Many people, for example, who buy one for a .308 Winchester also use it on their .223 rifles. The one for the .308 will have to be bigger and heavier, but since these things are expensive and painful to obtain, versatility is good.

There are different ways to mount them. Some simply screw onto the end of a threaded barrel or you can attach a quick detachable mount (QD) to your weapons so you can move it from one to another. Thread sizes vary, and you have to know which ones your guns use.

There are different types of construction and material choices that affect weight and size as well as durability. Steel is heavy, so many suppressors use titanium or aluminum along with some steel components.

Some suppressors can be disassembled for cleaning. The industry consensus is that suppressors only used with centerfire rifles never need to be taken apart, while those used with handguns and rimfires need frequent cleaning as their ammo is dirtier, and they don’t develop enough pressure and gas to flush the grime out.

The $799 MSRP Mystic X piqued my interest, as it seemed to be one of the most versatile suppressors on the market. It can handle more than 50 cartridges that include .223, .300 Blackout, and 7.62x39mm, as well as .22 long rifle and virtually all handguns up to 9mm or .357 in caliber.

The mount system is interchangeable, which allows it to be adapted to most weapons. It can be used with the recoil boosters required to make most semi-auto pistols work with suppressors. Liberty is willing to make custom mounts and also has an adapter that allows it to work with an assortment of QD mounts that will attach to flash hiders or muzzle brakes. All of this adaptability does come at additional cost, as you have to pay extra for the mounts, but if you can only afford one suppressor it can certainly help.

The fixed barrel adapters cost $95 while the recoil booster used with semi-auto handguns runs $155. You can use a pistol with a fixed barrel adapter as long as the threads are right, but it probably won’t function reliably.

The final adapter is the Highly Adaptive Taper Engagement (HATE) Ring that allows the Mystic X to be screwed onto a Silencerco Multiple Accessory Attachment Device (MAAD) QD mount. These run about $300 and allow the suppressor to be easily and quickly attached to a muzzle device, such as a flash hider or muzzle brake. There are four variants of the MAAD adapter, and each works with a specific brand of muzzle device. This is a slick system, since you don’t have to take anything off to mount the suppressor. Further, I really like having a flash hider when shooting without a suppressor, and this makes it easy to keep one in place. Unfortunately, this is the most expensive route, as the HATE ring runs $90 and you still need a flash hider and the MAAD mount. Compatible flash hiders and muzzle brakes run around $90.

The biggest questions about suppressors are how quiet are they and how much does the bulk and weight affect the handling of your firearm? Let’s deal with the easier second question first. The Mystic X weighs 10.5 ounces and is 8 inches long and 1.375 inches in diameter. The Mystic is a very light suppressor, thanks to its titanium shell, and that helps handling. I was surprised at how little it bothered me when mounted on an AR15. It was, however, very apparent on a Glock. I suspect a steel framed pistol, like a 1911, would balance better, as there is more weight in the frame to counterbalance the mass at the end of the barrel, but it will still be very muzzle heavy. It isn’t practical, however, to use it with a holster, certainly not one for concealment. Another handgun issue is that it will block standard sights. You can get taller sights, but then the pistol is somewhat compromised for normal use in a concealment holster.

The quiet question is complicated. There is the issue of how much sound pressure is generated when one fires a gun and how much noise the suppressor can get rid of. How the sound is measured matters. Sounds come in a wide range of frequencies, and to meaningfully measure it we need to do so with an instrument that hears similarly to the human ear. Suppressors may be more effective in some frequency ranges than others, and if the meter doesn’t measure the ones we hear the way we hear them, you could have one that meters well but still sounds loud.

Meters that accurately measure gunfire sounds are expensive and complicated to use properly. The standard is to place a microphone one meter from the rifle, perpendicular to the barrel and even with the muzzle. The surroundings will affect the reading. A hard surface will reflect more sound than an absorbent one. Air temperatures can affect readings as can moisture. To accurately compare two suppressors, all of the variables must the same.

Sound level is given in Decibels (dB), a unit of measure for sound among other things. The curious thing to me is that it is logarithmic. That means going from 50 to 100 does not double the sound. Instead, going from 1 to 10 doubles the apparent sound level to most listeners. In theory, we should be able to hear a sound of around 1 dB. Normal conversation is around 60 dB while a whisper is 30 dB at six feet away. Sounds of over 90 dB begin to endanger our hearing with sustained exposure. Gun fire is bad stuff and well over the pain level of 125 dB. Permanent damage can be done with a short-term exposure of 140 dB, and that is what a .22 long rifle can produce. A .223 makes twice as much noise at 150 dB, and a .30-06 or .308 can double it again to over 160 dB.

Some suppressor companies rate their products for how many dB’s they remove, while others give a sound level for various calibers. Take these readings with a grain of salt when you make comparisons. The manufacturer is probably giving the straight poop according to their measurements, but the next guy might be using a different meter and be shooting in a rock quarry while the first guy is using a padded sound chamber. Their measurements will probably be consistent across their own product line but often can’t fairly be compared to someone else’s.

Liberty is in the how much does it take away camp and says the Mystic reduces sound by about 33-38 dB across the various platforms you can hang it on. That appears to be a very respectable performance when compared to other suppressors.

Yet another quiet issue is that each suppressor has its own sound quality. One may remove more of the low frequencies, while the next cuts out more of the high frequencies. Where you shoot and the state of your hearing can affect how quiet they sound. If you shoot in a very reflective environment for high frequencies, the one that cuts those better might sound quieter. If you blew your high frequency hearing away before you learned about hearing protection, then the one that cuts the low frequencies may sound better since you can’t even hear the high ones. The best bet, if you can, is to shoot multiple suppressors before making your choice; see which one sounds best to you in your likely environment using your weapon.

A final issue is subsonic vs. supersonic ammunition. Suppressors only deal with the sound that comes out of the muzzle. Supersonic bullets make a crack as they go by, and it is loud. Subsonic bullets don’t, and they are remarkably quieter than supersonic ones.

Down range sound is seldom measured, and it is important if one wishes to avoid spooking game or not bothering others. I noticed a difference just in being beside the weapon vs. shooting it. It was distinctly louder on the side.

I shot the Mystic with .22 long rifle in an AR with a conversion kit from CMMG and used three cartridges– CCI Quiet, Aguila Subsonic, and American Eagle High Velocity. The supersonic American Eagle made a loud crack, but it was significantly quieter than unsuppressed. There were no failures with it, but I still wanted hearing protection. The CCI and Aguila were quiet enough to not need protection. They were soft enough to hear the action operating. The CCI would not fully cycle the action, however, which is normal in this rifle while the Aquila had a couple of malfunctions. I think with some tweaking, the Aguila could be made to work.

Next up was a Glock 9mm, and it was also quiet enough with subsonic loads to skip hearing protection.

The .223 was a different matter. While it was quieter with the Mystic than without it, my ears needed protection.

The most interesting rifle may have been the DRD Tactical in .300 AAC Blackout with subsonic ammunition. The noise of the bullet impact on the berm was louder than the gunshot. You could hear the action operate. There was still a gunshot sound, but it was very quiet and ear safe, at least for a few rounds, which brings up one of the issues of hearing protection. Exposing your ears to long-term loud noise of about 90 dB can produce hearing loss just as exposure to a single .223 shot can. The damage can accumulate, so you don’t want much exposure before giving your ears a chance to recover. If you are going to shoot a lot, you should probably wear protection with all but the quietest loads.

I mentioned down range noise. While surroundings and other factors have a huge impact on how sound travels, it falls off quickly as distance increases. Every time you double the distance, sound level is cut to a quarter of the original level. That means if one shoots a suppressed .22 subsonic load, it will be less than half the volume of a conversational voice by the time it travels a mile. Without the suppressor, it will be double the sound of your voice in normal conversation. That means if one were to carefully choose a practice location that muffled and contained sound, it would be possible to shoot without attracting attention from any but the closest people. Hunting could also be done without much notice. Even if one were to use noisier rounds, there would still be a drastic reduction of the radius in which you could be heard. Reducing your conspicuousness can only improve your situation.

One thing I wasn’t able to verify was how the Mystic affects accuracy. Suppressors sometimes help and sometimes hurt accuracy, and there seems to be some magic involved with how it turns out with any particular gun, cartridge, and suppressor. Only careful testing will determine the results. There is usually a point of impact change, which is often predictable and repeatable but sometimes not. If you can take it on and off and still hit the same spot every time, that’s a good thing, Sometimes it doesn’t happen. In that case, it is best to give in and either not use that weapon/suppressor combination or dedicate the two to be married. Liberty has a FAQ on the subject.

For all of the positives, there is a downside to owning a suppressor. It makes you more conspicuous, legally, when you file all of that paperwork. That is a serious concern, and it’s one I have mixed feeling about as I debate whether to go ahead with purchasing one. I’m pretty obvious by this point in time, but I suspect that owning a suppressor makes one more obvious.

There are storage issues, too. You have to restrict access to it. Only you, or if you set up a trust, those on the trust with you, can get to it. You can’t loan it to a friend for hunting or target practice. Violating these rules has very serious consequences. You will need to get a lockbox that only authorized personnel can open.

Then there is the time element. It is currently taking about four months to get back the paperwork that allows you to pick up your suppressor. In the meantime, you have probably paid for it, and it is sitting in the dealer’s safe. There may also be a deadline if you go the gun trust route. The government is considering requiring all purchasers of suppressors (and automatic weapons) get CLEO approval, which would negate the gun trust approach. They promise they will make up their minds in December. That means time is wasting if you want one and expect to beat the December decision. Many feel the government will probably blink, just as it did on the M855 ammunition panic. I have no clue. I doubt, however, they would go back and make all prior approved gun trusts get CLEO signatures, even if they do start requiring them for the future. Stranger things have happened, however.

I haven’t made up my mind on this one. I think a suppressor is an extremely valuable tool, but the financial costs and paperwork are giving me problems. Given the potential for regulatory changes, I think I should make my mind up quickly. I have at least decided on the Mystic X, if I make the purchase. Its only drawback for my purposes is it can’t do .45 ACP or .308 Winchester, but I wasn’t able to find one that could do everything and still be as light and compact as the Mystic.

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Eire