The Power of Steam – Part 1, by A.Y.

You have bullets, beans, band-aids, bibles, bullion, and everything else you can imagine for when the cataclysmic end of society as we know it arrives. You bug out to your retreat and have everything ready to weather the storm of looters, power hungry officials, and no infrastructure, but have you considered an alternative way to pump water? What about an alternative way to power electric generators? An alternative way to power machinery? An alternative way to move heavy equipment place to place? A way to help rebuild your community, using some clean water and anything that will burn? I am referring to the 200+ year old technology of the steam engine. In this article, I will discuss what comprises a steam engine, types of engines, what it takes to run and maintain them, benefits of operation, some dangers, and where to find them and information about them.

Using steam for power can be traced back a few thousand years, but it did not become practical until the 1700’s, when steam was harnessed to pump water out of mines and strapped to wheeled carriages to make the first locomotives. Since then, steam power grew exponentially. It is the reason for the Industrial Revolution, as it provided power where water wheels could not. To be technical, it is an external combustion design where the steam heated in a pressurized boiler must be piped somehow to the engine, which either by reciprocation with pistons or steam turbines energy is turned into useful work. These engines, though labor intensive, brought forth the modern era and rushed many blossoming countries to become industrial powerhouses. While the “golden age of steam” vanished in the 1950s, doing away with most railroad locomotives, tractors, and the like, steam has kept up with technology and is still a large part of infrastructure today. Super high-pressure boilers in nuclear power plants, coal and gas power plants, and industrial facilities turn out energy in fantastic amounts. For our purposes, the nineteenth and twentieth century older brothers are the best choices.

An older model steam engine comprises of two main parts, the first of which is the boiler. There are two main types of boilers: Firetube and watertube. A firetube boiler is a large hollow cylinder with a firebox at one end and a smokebox at the other, with flues or firetubes passing through the boiler to connect the two. The flues carry the extremely hot gases from the firebox through the boiler, into the smokebox, and finally out the smokestack. Surrounding the firebox and flues is water, which heats up from the gases and creates steam. Firetube boilers can handle moderate pressure and varying demands of steam. The other type is a watertube boiler, which has the fire underneath the flues and water flowing through the flues or watertubes, creating pressure. These boilers can handle high amounts of pressure, but they do not handle varying steam amounts on demand. Most of the engines you will run into will have a firetube boiler.

The choices of older engines most appropriate to our needs fall into the three categories of

  • stationary engines
  • traction engines and portables, and
  • railroad locomotives.

First, a stationary engine is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a boiler supported on a concrete pad that never moves, and steam is piped to the engine or turbines that are located elsewhere. These are the most stable type of boiler and engine, as they never move over ground or rails and therefore don’t have the added stresses of moving over uneven ground. The water inside is always level, making them somewhat easier to control. They are often used where large machinery is set up to provide power; an example could be an electrical generator. Some advantages of stationary steam engines are that boiler size can be increased. Since it doesn’t have to move, the boiler can be set up to power multiple machines, and permanent defenses and shielding can be constructed around them to protect them from marauders. However, they cannot move, and thus are useless to transport items or if work is needed to be done longer distances away.

Traction engines and portables fall into the most useful category, as these engines are able to move to where the work is located. Engines called portables are just boilers and engines with a flywheel PTO mounted on a wagon frame with wheels, allowing it to be towed to the work site. While these are useful, they are limited to the amount of work they can do because they can’t move themselves; they must always be pulled by another piece of machinery or draft animals. Traction engines, however, not only have the ability to power machinery with a flywheel and belts, but they can pull themselves and other things around via gearing to the wheels and having steering mechanisms. This type of engine is the best to have at a retreat or community, as it can perform work at one location, say a sawmill, then haul the cut lumber to the building site, then go pump water, or power generators or whatever else it needs to do. However, to be able to power itself for movement, size and therefore power is usually somewhat restricted.

Third on the list are railroad steam locomotives. They are what most people think of when they hear the term “steam engine”. They are boilers and engines mounted on steel frames with steel wheels running on steel tracks, with the pistons powering the wheels directly, weighing anywhere from a few tons to over one million pounds. There are a few models still in existence that have pistons that turn driveshafts to power the wheels (Shays, Climaxes, Heislers, and Willamettes), and these are the most valuable to a community with rail access. These smaller locomotives have the unique ability to negotiate poorly maintained or horribly laid track smoothly and climb steep grades, up to 10 percent. While several people would question the usefulness of such a locomotive, when society is rebuilding at a faster pace and communities want to trade bulk goods with each other, no better machine can be found, assuming there are railroad tracks that join the places wishing to do business. While the primary job of these locomotives is to move up and down the rails, they can also act as stationary steam engines with steam transfer pipes fitted or as air compressors, as they use air to stop their trains.

While these three main types of engines have their own advantages and weaknesses, if you look carefully at communities in the last two centuries you will find more often than not all three working together to accomplish work. A traction engine would haul logs down to a mill powered by a stationary engine, then the cut lumber loaded onto a train powered by a railroad locomotive. While it would be incredibly advantageous to have all three types, limited budgets and practicability must force a choice of one, or perhaps two. For example of price, I was privy to a recent traction engine sale. The engine and boiler had been recently restored and certified, and it went for $30,000. While that’s quite a large sum of money for most people, it is not completely unattainable. It could be a large group purchase, for example.

Before rushing out and purchasing your favorite choice of steam engine, it is extremely important to understand how it works, what is needed to make it work, some dangers of operation, where to find extra support and information, and to know that it is NOT a toy. This article is just a basic introduction, as it takes years of experience and knowledge to be proficient at operating and maintaining one of these engines. So, first we will take a look at the basic items a steam engine needs in order to run.

The first and most important thing a steam engine needs is water. A firetube boiler, as discussed before, is a large hollow cylinder with a firebox at one end and a smokebox at the other, with firetubes or flues running in between. The top of the firebox is roughly two thirds of the height of the boiler and is surrounded by water. The heat from the fire and gases pass from the firebox, through the flues, and out the stack, heating water as they move. The water ABSOLUTELY MUST stay above the top of the firebox, which is called the crown sheet. If it does, everything goes well and the engine operates like it should. If the water drops below the crown sheet and exposes the top of it to steam, the extreme heat from the fire will begin to melt the steel top of the crown sheet. When the steel finally gives way, all that hot water in the boiler (far hotter than boiling temperature) will instantly turn into steam when depressurized and blow the boiler up into the air and into little pieces, taking the crew with it. This is called a boiler explosion, and the most important thing to take away from this is once again: Do NOT EVER let the water drop below the top of the crown sheet.

Letter Re: A Story of Caution in Today’s Police State, by Lebannen

Jim and editor:

Regarding this post, I’d like to comment if I may.

A reply to Lebannen’s posting regarding caution towards police: I’m encouraging conservatives to join Law Enforcement!

Lebannen has my respect. He has values and sticks to them. However, I’m replying to encourage a slightly different point of view in order that good men and women will not stay out of law enforcement but, rather, will apply in increasing rates. My thoughts are simple. While I respect Lebannen’s commitment to the Constitution and willingness to set aside a career path to stick to his principles, I think perhaps he’s missing something. That would be diplomacy. I don’t know the details other than what he wrote, but I’m wondering if it wouldn’t have been better to keep his mouth shut or say something like “the courts would uphold it” rather than saying what we, as SurvivalBlog readers, are likely thinking– “that is unconstitutional.” By speaking his mind, (again, my perception after reading his article) he now can not positively influence the profession or act as a watchman for others or be that cop who let someone go based on officer discretion. He possibly left the position for the next jack booted thug to fill.

I joined LE about the same time Lebannen did, in terms of joining in my early 30s. I was set in my conservative ways and hated compromise. I had a tendency to say what I thought, which I checked at the door the second I applied for the agency. Okay, I tried, but while I thought I bit my tongue, I was still known as one who spoke my mind too much. I thought if the Sgt asked if there were any opinions that he might actually mean it; apparently not. I was hired, went to the academy, and was one of only three cadets who had even read the U.S. Constitution, even once! I did very well and went on to work for a rural Sheriff’s office and now a rural police department. I’m not a super cop, but I have had my share of experiences, despite being in rural America. I have never made an arrest that was unconstitutional or been forced to violate the Constitution. I don’t write many tickets, and I believe in Micah 6:8, which includes “to love mercy”. My point is, I’m principled and managed to make it in LE without violating my principles. Perhaps I wouldn’t make it in the notoriously corrupt Baton Rouge PD or Boston PD, but that is just speculation.

My summary in all this is to encourage conservatives to join LE. It’s harder and harder to find people who don’t do drugs, who tell the truth, and don’t get drunk every night or have not been arrested, so you have an advantage in applying. This position offers several benefits to your community and country. First, you can make a difference. No, I haven’t been able to change the world, but I have kept a person from being arrested when they didn’t deserve it, I have saved lives, and I have followed a person home who didn’t have taillights instead of writing a $150 ticket. I have helped write policy, have changed other cops’ minds about the Constitution and gun rights, and I even witnessed to many of them. I have made a difference. You will learn more about yourself under stress, which given the way our country is headed, is a good thing. You will have access to information that might give you that “early warning” you would need in the future. I know this is a harsh comparison, but what would 1,200 Jews say if you told them it was wrong [for Schindler] to be a member of the Nazi party? Now, I’m not comparing cops to Nazis, but it’s an analogy meant to say that sometimes good can only be done from within. We’ll never get enough votes to re-work our policing system in America, but we can get a good Sheriff elected who understands the scope of his/her authority and duties to limit or eliminate corruption by officers in that agency. It’s a start. Don’t give up. The system is broken, yes. However, it won’t get fixed by abandoning it. – PPPP

Odds ‘n Sods:

PROOF that the US peaked during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. – S.B.

o o o

Australian Parents Will Lose $11K For Every Child They Don’t Vaccinate. – H.L.

o o o

The One Item an Expert Hunting Guide Says You Must Always Carry With You. – K.C.

o o o

Alachua County’s armored vehicle makes traffic stop after driver flips the bird. – T.P.

o o o

“Gun Free Zones” Fail Again in NC. College Employee Cornered, Murdered. – D.S.

Notes for Monday – April 13, 2015

April 13, 1743 was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. (He died on July 4, 1826, just a few hours before the death of John Adams. How patriotic of both of them to pass away on the Fourth of July.)

Book Review: “The Art of the Rifle” by Jeff Cooper, by J.S.

I recently finished reading Jeff Cooper’s The Art of the Rifle and thought it would be good to share the relevant points with the readers here.

Reviewer’s Note: I’m fully aware the author was a retired Marine Colonel, and as one who served as a Marine myself I know that it would be proper, when referring to the author, to include his rank. However, Cooper does not emphasize his military service in the book, and there on the cover in bold white letters it reads “Jeff Cooper”, so I will refer to him in this manner. There is no offense or slight meant.

My one-sentence overview, for the very busy folks or those who just want to scroll down to the Odds ‘n Sods: Get a centerfire rifle of moderate power (.308/.30-06 class) that is easy to handle, and practice with it until you can reliably and quickly hit man or game-sized targets at unknown distances out to at least 300 yards, if not more.

What It Isn’t

This is not a book crammed with tables, data, and studies on the most effective gear and techniques. If it were, a more appropriate title would have been The Science of the Rifle. It is not objective in the slightest. Cooper had a philosophy on riflecraft that he honed through years of personal and anecdotal experience; one reads the book to obtain a sliver of his experiences and thoughts, and also to read about real ways to improve one’s ability to shoot a rifle. It is not a book that talks much about gear and equipment. In this way it is fairly timeless; as long as there are shouldered weapons that project aerodynamic bits at high speed that are affected by wind, gravity, and other factors, this book will remain relevant. The book can help a strictly range/target shooter, but it is intended for the field shooter, whether a hunter of game or of men. It is not, however, intended for the high magnification, ultra-long range crowd specifically.

What It Is

The book is actually quite short– not quite 100 pages– and was written in 1997. I am not aware of any newer versions, and as the author passed in 2006 this book will remain unchanged. As noted above it is more about Cooper’s personal philosophy and not a living document on the very best and latest in rifle shooting. It does cover the essential elements of rifle shooting, and Cooper makes it very clear that few completely master the basics. It is not the author’s analogy, but riflecraft is simple, like hitting a baseball with a wooden bat is simple, though very, very few get to the level of Ted Williams, Pete Rose, Derek Jeter, et cetera.

Chapter Summaries:

Reviewer’s Note: These summaries are not intended to act as Cliff Notes or condensed versions of the chapters themselves. In no way should anyone believe they have read Jeff Cooper’s book in shorthand by reading these summaries! If you want to actually obtain anything relevant, buy the book and read it yourself.

  1. The Queen

    Overview of Cooper’s philosophy: the decline in interest in accurate field shooting, pragmatism (rifles are amoral instruments), and a short history.

    Good quote: “If the shooter does not cherish his weapon and feel sensual pleasure in handling it, it is unlikely he will ever make it perform as efficiently as it can” (Page 2). Meaning, you should care about your rifle! Take care of your tools and you know the rest.

  2. Why?

    “Why do you want to learn how to shoot a rifle?” In Cooper’s view, a rifle is a tool of power that a skilled wielder can bring to bear upon his environment. “Who is a good shot?” To Cooper, consistency and being able to perform on demand are what matters. One great shot doesn’t make one a good shooter. This is simple logic and applies in just about every area. Any schlub can head out to the local golf course and hole-in-one the very first par 3 with simple dumb luck on his side; it does not make him ready for the PGA. (This, again, is my analogy, not the author’s.) Cooper’s example was of Billy Dixon, who shot a man in battle with a “buffalo rifle” at over 1,300 yards in 1874. Even Dixon called it a lucky one-off shot, but he is still honored as one of the finest rifle shooters in history.

  3. The Instrument

    Here Cooper does write a bit about what, in his mind, constitutes a proper rifle. He feels that nearly all rifles are more accurate than their shooters. He discounts entirely the smaller calibers, especially the .223 that was popular then and is even more so today. His starting point is the .30-06/.308. He advocates a repeater, especially a bolt-action, and does not feel a semi-automatic rifle’s advantages (faster firing) overcome its disadvantages (added weight and complexity). To Cooper, a skilled rifle shooter should be able to fire, keep the rifle in the shoulder, work the bolt, and bring the rifle back down on target just as fast as a semi-auto.

    Reviewer’s Note: This may be one area where the book is a bit dated. Cooper was absolutely familiar with the top .30-06/.308 semi-automatic rifles of his time: the M14/M1A, the G3/HK91, the FAL, and especially the M1 Garand (which is on the cover of the book, BTW). All are heavier than a medium-barreled, sporter stocked bolt action rifle, by a lot, and all have ergonomic shortcomings as well (sorry fans, they just do). I have personally shot an AR10 pattern .308 that, without a scope or magazine was in the sub-eight pound range and, fitted with a muzzle brake, kicked less than an AR15 in 5.56mm. One could get on the next target extremely quickly with this rifle. It was, of course, very loud; this is the trade-off. No, it’s not as light as a short-barreled bolt action, but it is reliable and has twenty shots on hand. YMMV.

    Cooper also writes about optics, very briefly, and recommends one in the two to four power range. He leaves newer (in 1997) devices like red dots, reflex sights, and NV scopes as “to be considered when they have proven themselves.” Most of the chapter, though, is taken up by ergonomics, specifically weight and stock length of pull. Then, as now, shooters tote around rifles that are too heavy far more often than ones that are too light. He also speaks about having a good trigger (more about this in another chapter summary).

  4. Gun Handling Cooper’s four rules:
    1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
    2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
    3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 80 percent of firearms mishaps.
    4. Be sure of your target. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

    Cooper also writes about how to care for a stored or cased rifle. He is also a proponent of carrying a rifle, in most cases, loaded with an empty chamber (Condition 3). Much can be debated about this approach, but he makes a strong, reasoned case here. Other important points: Don’t leave your weapon unattended, keep the muzzle out of the dirt, don’t overclean your rifle, never depend on the safety (see the Four Rules).

  5. Sighting and Aiming

    Here, he covers far more about practical field use than target range shooting. He includes the use of different types of iron sights and the low magnification scopes Cooper preferred. He is clearly not a proponent of field doping– mechanically changing the point of impact of sights or scopes based on elevation, wind, or range. Cooper is far more concerned about accounting for vertical drop by simply moving the reticle or aiming point. Most of the chapter focuses on precisely where to aim to achieve maximum effect, especially on game animals.

    Good quote: “Where to aim is fully as important as how to aim.” (Page 25)

  6. Trajectory

    Here Cooper dispels some common myths about bullet trajectory and also admits this bleeds more into the realm of science than art.

    Good quote: “High average velocity, with accompanying flat trajectory, is desirable, but no trajectory can ever be flat enough to compensate for bad marksmanship.” (Page 28)

  7. The Firing Positions

    This is probably the longest chapter in the book, with the most photos. He describes the prone, sitting, kneeling, and standing/offhand positions and also compels a sportsman to get as close and as steady as possible to the target.

  8. The Rest Positions

    Not, as one might initially believe, shooting from a bench rest, but this is about how to properly rest a rifle in field conditions. In short, don’t rest the weapon itself on anything other than your own hand; the hand always goes between the rest (tree, rock, or whatever) and the rifle. Here, he also covers proper bipod use, but Cooper discounts its actual use in field shooting.

  9. The Hand and the Finger

    Here Cooper writes about how to actually hold the rifle and a lot about what constitutes a quality trigger (single, two stage, or set). Cooper prefers the two-stage style.

  10. The Eye

    Cooper goes into greater detail on some topics from Chapter 5, specifically iron sights and also scopes. Surprisingly, he does not specifically describe the “scout scope” concept that he is well known for. His requirements for a properly mounted scope are no farther back than the trigger guard, which is farther forward than some might prefer but certainly not a true “scout” mount. Throughout the book, however, there are photos of rifles with the scope mounted in the forward “scout” position. His technique for proper scope use is to get on target with your usual unaided binocular vision, then to quickly transition to the scope and make a clean shot. This guards against trying to follow game through the narrow field of view a scope offers. Cooper also writes about field awareness– actually looking for game/targets. It doesn’t matter how good a shot you are if you never actually identify a target.

  11. The Shooting Sling

    Here Cooper writes about a lost art– using a sling to support accuracy, not just to tote the rifle around. As he is writing about practical field use, most of the chapter is how to quickly get into a proper shooting sling. He writes at length about the “Ching Sling”. As most rifles do not have the swivels to mount this particular flavor of sling, it would take modifying an existing rifle to use this sling and technique. It is very fast, however.

  12. Breathing

    This is a very short chapter on proper breathing for field shooting.

  13. The Snapshot

    Up to this point, most of the book has covered shooting with time, a few seconds at least, to prepare for the shot, where one has time to get into a good, solid position, work the action, line up the rifle with the target, take it off safe, and pull the trigger smoothly. Here, Cooper writes about the quick shot, especially in tight cover and/or against dangerous game. He advocates a three count, where the shooter gets the rifle to the shoulder (while taking it off safe and placing the finger on the trigger), confirms the target, and presses the trigger.

  14. Wind

    A surprisingly short chapter on accounting for wind in field shooting. As expected, Cooper does not describe how to properly change your scope’s POI (point of impact) using the turrets or fancy reticles. He does point out that heavier bullets are better for long range shooting, and lighter, faster bullets are typically better at closer ranges. Heavy bullets have more arc, but they carry better and drop less at longer ranges.

    Reviewer’s Note: In 1997, this would have been revelatory to a lot of people. Since then, the focus has definitely been on longer range shooting, which has led to an emphasis on progressively heavier and heavier bullets in the common calibers. The 150ish grain .308 has fallen way out of favor for the 168 and 175 grain projectiles, and in .223 most of the development has been with 75+ grain bullets.

  15. Zeroing

    Some quick points about this chapter: You should zero your own rifle. You should zero it first from a steady bench rest (and at different known ranges), but then also from a typical firing position.

  16. Reloading and Readiness

    Cooper reiterates his stance on Condition 3 carrying and goes into greater detail about how to quickly reload your rifle. Since his emphasis is on manual repeaters throughout the book, nothing is mentioned of semi-autos here.

  17. The Mind of the Rifleman

    This includes some of Cooper’s thoughts about the psychology of shooting.

  18. The Mystique of the One-Shot Kill

    More anecdotal and philosophical musings are included in this chapter, specifically about wishing for but never expecting a one-shot kill. Always reload and expect to have to fire again. Observe your target, yes, but with a round in the chamber!

  19. Testing and Evaluation of Marksmanship

    These are practical tests that Cooper honed at Gunsite: Snapshot, the Rifle Ten, the Rifle Bounce. In the essence of not plagiarizing Cooper, I won’t describe them here, but they cover a series of known distance drills, for time, that he feels are good range tests of practical marksmanship.

Takeaways for the SurvivalBlog Reader

I should interject here with my own level of experience. I served as a Marine infantryman and was a ninety-fifth percentile rifle shooter and ninety-ninth percentile pistol shooter, which was good enough to take part in my unit’s shooting team but not good enough to take trophies or attain the rarefied air of the Marine Corps shooting team. I also served as a range coach for pistol, rifle, and machine guns. I am also a deer, elk, and bird hunter with a moderate level of experience, not nearly to Cooper’s extent. I have not attended the school Cooper founded, Gunsite (although I would love to). In short, within the four stages of ignorance (or competence, for you glass-half-full people), I am somewhere in between #2 and #3: I am just conscious enough to know that I have a lot to learn, and there are many, many people who are beyond me in skill and experience.

I feel this book is intended for people just like me. On the ten scale, with 1 being, “I have never shot a rifle…does the big end go on my shoulder?” and 10 being, “I am one of the hundred best rifle shooters in the world,” Jeff Cooper’s book is probably best suited for the 3-6 crowd– people who have some familiarity with rifle shooting and want to be better, fully understanding that a book alone will never get them to become a 9 or 10. The experienced 7+ people likely already are either doing what Cooper describes in his book or subscribe to another valid system that works for them.

I believe the book is perfectly suited to the preparedness mindset and the civilian rifleman concept. So much is written about military precision shooting, but as a sniper or designated marksman you are called on to be a specialist, and you’re not alone. As a civilian rifleman, whether hunting for meat to put on the dinner table or to defend home and family, you normally do not have either the freedom or the opportunity to specialize too greatly. Cooper’s idea of a general purpose rifle that can take down all common game animals, while also allowing someone to deal with human threats out to realistic first-shot distances, holds true for any of us in any survival scenario. We will also be faced with a conservation of ammunition issue and the ability to make accurate first shots to the vitals (hunting or combat) will be critical.

While firearms restrictions are unfortunate and by no means is this sour grapes, but the Cooper-type rifle is about as legal-friendly as can be. It even works with antique, pre-1899 rifles.

Cooper’s concepts allow us to have one good, general use rifle in a common, easy to find caliber that does not have to be particularly expensive. In the book he expounds upon the Krag rifle; sporterized, yet still useful, Krags can be found for $200 or less. Mosin-Nagants, while long and heavy, fit fine in Cooper’s requirements and are even less expensive. Unlike video games, one cannot realistically carry multiple long arms for all scenarios. Sure, a Barrett in .50 BMG will be able to deal with targets that a Cooper-type rifle will not, but it is a poor choice for general use. Few of us could fire one effectively without quite a bit of time to prepare a position, deploy the bipod, et cetera.

I personally found it interesting that the two most popular rifle platforms in America today– the AR15 and AK– do not meet Cooper’s requirements in any way. Neither fire a cartridge he would consider adequate (yes, even the better AR loadings like the 6.5 or 6.8). Both have terrible stock triggers; if you insist on one as your primary rifle, you MUST get a better trigger. They are very rarely slung; when I use my sling at the rifle range, in firing positions, others look at me as if I’m from Mars. It is not something solely used to carry your rifle around anymore than your head is solely used to carry a hat. As I mentioned in my note above, I believe a 16” barreled AR10 pattern rifle, built lightweight, ultra-reliable, with a solid A1-length stock, could meet the requirements.

Most of all, practice now! When things fall apart, it is too late to zero your rifle and ensure you can hit targets quickly. Reduce the variables as close as possible down to the rifle and ammunition itself. It does no good to have a ½ MOA rifle if you, the shooter, introduce 12 MOA of variation in point of impact through poor positioning, nervous shakes, poor breathing, and poor trigger use.

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Inter Ordnance “AK-47”

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As many SurvivalBlog readers will remember, I’ve reviewed several AK-47 type rifles in the past; some were better than others. To be sure, when we are talking about an AK-47 in civilian terms, we really aren’t discussing genuine AK-47s, rather we’re talking about a mixed bag of semiauto-only rifles that resemble the real McCoy, which is made in Russia.

I did have the opportunity to fire a genuine AK when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate. It was part of his collection of more than 20 select-fire weapons, from his more than 850-gun collection. As I recall, his AK was a Chinese clone, a souvenir that he brought back from a trip to Vietnam as an “advisor”. His AK was beat to death. It rattled if you even looked at it; that’s how loose it was. However, the darn thing went “bang” each time the trigger was pulled, and that’s what AKs are supposed to do. I was also able to fire some of his other unique firearms, including a genuine Tommy Gun, an H&K MP5, and a few others, not to mention many of his other guns from his collection. It was an honor to have worked for the late Colonel; he taught me a lot about firearms and knives, and it was at his insistence that I become a gun writer. When the Colonel told you to do something, you did it. Additionally, Applegate opened a lot of doors for me, many doors that I would have had to knocked on several times before they were opened to me. However, because of Applegate, those doors opened magically.

So, I do have a very limited experience with at least one select-fire AK, albeit made in China. However, I do have a LOT of trigger time behind semiauto versions of the AK, made by many different companies. Some are assembled from imported parts from various European countries; though the guns themselves can’t be imported, many of the parts can. Once here, they are assembled onto USA-made receivers, along with the requisite number of U.S.-made parts to make them legal. Some AKs are brought in with a single stack magazine well, and the mag well is opened up to accommodate the double stack magazines.

One of the biggest importers is Century Arms. With many of their AK-style of guns, it can be a hit or miss proposition, whether you get a “good” one. One of the most common complaints seems to be the front sight; it’s not aligned with the rear sight and usually canted quite a bit from center. This means you have to a adjust it for windage, moving the front sight from one side or the other. Quite often, there isn’t enough adjustment to zero the rifle. In all honesty, I’ve only had one “bad” AK from Century Arms, and it turned out to be a bent gas piston, which was an easy fix. However, I’ve had more than my share of their guns with the front sight canted off-center.

Enter IO Inc (Inter Ordnance) and their line of semiauto only AK-style of rifles. Some months ago, I picked up one of their AKM247 “AKs” at my local gun shop, since I’d heard nothing but good things about this company, their warranty, and their line of guns. However, I’m sad to say, my sample AKM247 was defective right out of the box. It started having problems; the gun would fire a couple of rounds, then the bolt would hang-up halfway through cycling, and I had to put it on the bumper of my rig in order to fully cycle the bolt. This happened numerous times. I took the gun back to my local gun shop and exchanged it for something different. That seemed like the end of the story, for me. My local gun shop made numerous attempts to contact IO Inc on the phone. Once they finally did get a real person to speak with, it was another THREE MONTHS before IO Inc gave them a return authorization so that they could return the defective rifle. It was about three weeks later that a replacement rifle was returned to my local dealer.

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It appears that the receiver was a bit out of spec on the gun I had, and the bolt/bolt carrier group was jumping out of the rails in the frame, seriously tying up the gun, which is not a good thing, to be sure. While I applaud IO Inc in their fast turnaround time, once they got the gun back in their hands, there is no excuse for putting off sending my dealer a return authorization number so they could return the rifle to them. I mean, really? Three months?

A month or so ago, my local gun shop received another IO Inc AKM247 in that was just like the one I had before. Needless to say, I hesitated for several days before actually buying the gun. I checked it out as closely as I could, and everything seemed fine. However, you don’t know if a gun is going to work until you actually fire it.

The IO Inc AKM247 model is totally made in the USA, which is good news! It is made from original Polish blueprints, and many claim that these are some of the best AKs in the world. Needless to say, IO Inc had to make the necessary modifications, so this rifle would be semiauto only. All of the furniture on the AKM247 is black polymer, which is very attractive and extremely tough stuff. I like it better than the wood furniture that comes on so many other AKs I’ve had. My rifle has a “tactical” pistol grip that I didn’t care for, so I swapped it out for a Hogue AK pistol grip, which is the best in my humble opinion. Front and rear sights are adjustable. The rear is adjustable for elevation only, and the front site is adjustable for windage and elevation. However, my sample was obviously sighted-in at IO Inc, and no adjustments were necessary, with the rear sight at the 100-yard/meter setting. The gun shot dead-on! Overall length of the AKM247 is 36-inches with a 16.25-inch Bbl, and the gun weighs in at 7-lbs. It’s actually very fast handling. The finish on some of the metal parts is manganese phosphate, parkerized!

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The barrel, inside and out, is Nitrated– very though stuff. Many AKs come with a chrome-lined barrel, and some insist that chromed barrels aren’t as accurate as non-chromed barrels. I don’t know if I buy into that. However, I know that Nitrated barrels are very resistant to rusting, and the coating lasts a very long time. We also have a recoil buffer on the recoil spring. Some AK users swear by their little polymer blocks, claiming they reduce felt recoil and help extend the life of a gun. Again, I’m not buying that. However, the recoil buffer is there. We also have a bolt hold-open milled into the safety. Now, the bolt won’t automatically hold open after the last shot, if fired; instead, you need to manually draw the bolt back with one hand, while pushing up on the safety with the other hand, getting that little milled groove in the safety pushed up into the bolt handle. That’s not something I’d normally use, but it’s there if you need it.

The trigger pull on my AKM247 sample is, without a doubt, the absolute best I’ve ever felt on any AK; take-up isn’t nearly as long as found on other AK types of rifles, and it is a very smooth trigger pull, letting off at 3 1/2-lbs. We are talking one super-sweet trigger pull, and there is no trigger backlash, either. (Trigger backlash is where the trigger can slap your trigger finger.) Nice!

The AKM247 also has a standard AK muzzle brake, as well as a bayonet lug, but no bayonet is included. There is also a cleaning rod that is extremely tight and hard to get out from under the barrel. That’s not a bad thing; it doesn’t rattle as many cleaning rods do on other AKs. The butt stock has sling swivel, and the gas block has another sling attachment point on it but no sling was included.

IO Inc claims that they can get 1.5-inch groups from their AKs. Maybe they can, but I couldn’t. At best, all I could get was groups slightly over 2-inches, if I was on my game all of the time, using the sights on the gun and no scope. Perhaps, with a scope I could get inch and a half groups. However, there is no scope rail mount on this AK. I used a variety of 7.62X39 ammo in my testing, and all seemed to shoot about the same. There was nothing to complain about here. The polymer mag that is included from IO Inc is of their own design, and it is a “waffle” pattern mag. I’ve used their mags before and have found them to be some of the best around. However, my 30-rd mag would only hold 28-rds of ammo, not the 30-rds it should have held. I left the mag loaded for days and tried to squeeze in two more rounds; it wasn’t going to happen. Strange.

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I did have one serious malfunction, and it was NOT the fault of the rifle. I had a bunch of loose 7.62X39 rounds in a small cardboard box, and I was loading the mag from that box. The first round fired, the second round fired, and the third round, well, sounded like a dud! The bolt was almost frozen on the empty brass in the chamber. I finally was able to get the bolt opened, but the brass (steel case) was stuck fast in the chamber. I had to get out my trusted multi-tool and pry the empty out of the chamber. When I took a close look at it, it turned out to be a .223 round. It had fired the bullet, but the brass expanded and split in the chamber. I examined the gun, and everything was fine. I continued shooting, in all, more than 500-rds without any problems. I can’t fault the gun for getting tied-up with that .223 shell. Either I or someone else dropped a loaded .223 round into my box of 7.62X39 ammo.

With the supply lines cut from Russia, we may never see any more AKs from that country, due to the import restrictions this Administration has placed against Russia over the Crimea thing. However, I have had AKs from Russia (semiauto only AKs), and while they were the genuine thing this IO Inc AKM247 is better made, has tighter tolerances, and is more nicely finished and just the best AK I’ve run across. Also, believe me, I’ve paid a lot more for other AKs, which didn’t come close to this IO Inc AKM247!

To date, this IO Inc AMK247 is hands down the absolute best “AK” I’ve run across. It’s totally reliable, has factory zeroed sights, is made in the USA with tough, real tough, polymer furniture, and is fast handling, as well as more than accurate for an AK. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least, if this gun can shoot inch and a half groups, with a scope mounted on it.

You’ll need to shop around for prices, as they vary so much from dealer-to-dealer. However, I paid $559 for my sample, and I think it was a heck of a bargain. I’m waiting for my local gun shop to get in another identical IO Inc AK, so I can buy it, too. So, if you’re in the market for a new or another AK to add to your collection, check out the IO Inc line-up. They make several different versions, too.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week: Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes, by OkieRanchWife

I saw this recipe on an episode of The Drs. several weeks ago. Usually “healthy” breakfast alternatives taste like wet cardboard, but I thought I’d try them for Easter morning breakfast. I did double the spices listed in the original recipe, and I added turmeric. I have been taking supplements of it. It has helped me with inflammation and has given me more energy. These healthy pancakes really do taste great! They also didn’t give me the pancake bloat or the sugar dump after eating them, due to the oat flour. They are very pantry/emergency cooking friendly, also.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • dash of sea salt or Kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree (You can used canned; I used frozen, cooked pumpkin from my garden last year.)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cooking oil spray

Directions:

  1. In a blender, grind the oats into a flour; add the baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and salt. Pulse to blend.
  2. Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
  3. Heat a large skillet. (I use cast iron, on medium heat.) Coat with the cooking oil spray.
  4. Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake into the pan.
  5. Cook on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
  6. Flip and cook other side.
  7. Serve with butter, maple syrup, or apple sauce.

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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

  • You might check out OkieRanchWife’s blog at reddirtcooking.com if you like cast iron cooking!

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlogreaders? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letter Re: Regarding Massive Solar Events/Power Generation

HJL,

Working for 35 years as a field engineer for a major oil company, then five years as an engineer for the Cat dealer in KY, I was in and out of almost every industry in the U.S. In 2008 I was tasked with making a presentation to the Kentucky Association of Hospital Engineers on the subject of Emergency Diesel Generators. My research for the session included calling on all of the fuel terminals and most of the fuel distributors, as well as studying the fuel requirements of the various major hospitals in the Louisville area. At one major hospital complex there were/are five diesel gensets pulling diesel fuel from one 4,000-gal above-ground fuel tank. In the event of a “lights-out” event, with all five generators running, the complex would also be “lights-out” in 26 hours without on-going JIT fuel deliveries. Backing up the “fuel chain”, none of the local fuel distributors (the folks who actually run the trucks and deliver the fuel) had any emergency generators to run the pumps that fill their trucks. Further back up the “fuel chain”, none of the five fuel terminals had any emergency generators to move the fuel from storage tanks into the distributors’ trucks. One of the distributors claimed that they could/would jury-rig the pumps on their trucks to fill trucks and deliver fuel, but all five fuel terminals were hard-piped (to insure all gallons went through meters and could be billed), with almost no capability to improvise.

After the presentation, one of the attending engineers advised me that in the event of another “Madris Fault”, all hospital operations between the epicenter and a radius out to Louisville/Elizabethtown, KY, would be pretty much destroyed.

While nuclear plants have much larger fuel storage, they do have a major problem with genset requirements– their specifications require that gensets be able to go from start-up to full load in 10 seconds. Looking at cracked heads, failed crankshafts, cracked blocks, spun bearings on crankshafts and connecting rods, cooked turbocharger bearings, et cetera on EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, SACM (French) engines and other makes, in several nuc plants, it becomes apparent that while these engines can withstand fast-starts for a while, the enormous rapid thermal stresses will eventually produce a failure, just when emergency power in required. Interesting times, I’d say. – DH somewhere in IA

Odds ‘n Sods:

*Update* Game Changer OR Paradigm Shift ? – Walter Scott Shooting: Enhanced Video Shows Officer Slager With Taser Darts… – T.P.

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Interesting pictures from Israel as the Passover ends.

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Life insurance discount comes with a high price for your privacy. – D.S.

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In a cameras-everywhere culture, science fiction becomes reality. – D.S.

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More Than 10 Things You Can Start Doing Now to Prepare to ‘Survive,’ According to Delta Force Sgt. Major (Ret.). – G.L.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“They had taken to the movement unlike anything he had ever seen, and he thought that should this venture of the Jews prove successful, the new state would be filled with dancers and musicians, but especially dancers, for dancing like nothing else says: I am still alive.” ? Mark Helprin, Refiner’s Fire

Notes for Sunday – April 12, 2015

April 12th is the birthday of the late novelist Tom Clancy (born 1947, died October 1, 2013). It was Clancy who almost single-handedly created the modern techno-thriller genre. Coincidentally, Tom Clancy’s first literary agent was JWR’s agent, Robert Gottlieb.