Letter Re: Bison Water Pump

Hello, I’m also one who has a Bison Pump in my basement. My well surface level is low enough that I can pump water into my basement, if needed. Like the other author said, all I have to do is turn two valves.

I’m in the process of selling my house, so I have a document written up for the new buyer explaining our water system. I’m attaching a word document detailing the Bison Pump side of it.

A few months after we moved in– seven years ago– a massive wind storm took down trees and power lines in our area. We were without power for almost a week. No power also meant no running water. Fortunately, it was fall, so temperatures weren’t an issue. However, we decided we needed to do something in the event this happened again so that we’d have water. My wife did some research and found Bison Pumps. We checked our well surface level, and since our basement is technically downhill from our well and underground, there’s a good chance we could even siphon water if we needed to, so this pump was a good choice for us.

Bison Pumps builds the pump to your specifications. If space is an issue, they can have the handle at a 90 degree angle to the spigot. We chose to keep it at 180 degrees. Initially, I had the pump facing the opposite direction; however, most people in the house are right handed, so it made more sense for the handle to be on the right side.

The platform is a simple piece of hardwood that I bought at Home Depot. Yes, hardware is more expensive. However, I expected to have this for a long time and possibly have it add to the resale value of the house (if the right buyer finds it!). I wanted it to look as good 10 years later as it did when I put it in, so I spent the few extra bucks for hardware.

Under the platform are two, large, 3-hole elbow braces. I used a stud finder to locate the studs behind the wall to mount them. Hooking up the pump required basic plumbing skills and really was not difficult at all.

bisonpump1

In the event the power goes out for an extended period of time, you can use the hand pump to get water from the well.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, there are two warnings you must know about up front!

  1. The pump is not designed to hold and pump pressurized water. Make sure the appropriate valves are closed from the house side of the water system before opening the valve to the hand pump!
  2. Do not attempt to pump when the valve below the pump is closed or when the cover to the spigot is on.

To safely use the hand pump, close the valve to the house water supply,

bisonpump2

and open the similar valve to the hand pump.

bisonpump3

Remove the cap on the spigot from the hand pump. There may be some water in there. You might want to keep a small towel on the wooden platform on which the pump is mounted. At this point you should be able to pump water.

bisonpump4

Note that the spigot is threaded to a standard “garden hose” size, so you can attach a small hose to it. Also note that normal garden hoses are not intended to have consumable water go through them. With that in mind, I made my own little hose with adapters that won’t pollute my water with nasty chemicals. The picture shown here is after my filtration system, so I can easily refill my 5-gallon water bottles.

bisonpump5

There may be water in the hose from last time it was used; I suggest having towels handy/appropriately placed.

You *may* be able to attach the hose directly from the hand pump to the spigot after the filtration system to pump water directly into the house. If you’re going to try this, make sure the valve on the last filter is set to “off”, so that it can’t pump backwards into the system. Also make sure there isn’t any water pressure left on the house side. Theoretically, you may be able to get enough water into the line to be able to flush toilets; however, you may also damage the hand pump in the process. I’ve never tried this, and I don’t suggest you do either!

Odds ‘n Sods:

ISIS Releases City ‘Kill List’: Most Towns Included Make Sense to No One. – H.L.

o o o

Obama’s Petulant Revenge: US Declassifies Intel Report on Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Program. – H.L.

o o o

Police Raid Small Family Farm, Charge Family, Seize Animals Because they were Free Range. – T.P.

o o o

Woman Throws Molotov Cocktail At Pro-Life Activists. – T.P.

o o o

Fears of martial law as special ops set to swarm Southwest and operate undetected among civilians who’ve been deemed HOSTILE in massive military exercise

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Regular running or run for your life running?” asked Amy “What do you think,” the Doctor replied.” ? Dan Abnett, Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By

Notes for Thursday – March 26, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. 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,
  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. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 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 57 ends on March 31st, 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.

“Lay Up” Before Being “Laid Up”, by Wandering Will

Lately, I have seen a growing number of articles stressing that everyone needs to get prepared NOW! They stress that this may very well be your last chance to get prepped up. Is this true? I don’t know, but like many of my friends I do feel that in many areas things are rapidly accelerating. Am I going to give a prediction on when the bottom will drop out? Not a chance. I do, however, feel it’s not a question of “if” but rather one of “when”.

Waking Up

When did it happen for me? I have always been a “preparedness” type, but my first big commitment came when the Y2K scare came along. I thought about it, reasoned that a world without electricity would not be a good place, and promptly shelled out “mucho dinero” for a six-month supply of storage food for my family. Y2K came and went, without a single catastrophe. I have no doubt that the family members I had tried to convince to get prepared were not so quietly snickering about the crazy old man who tried to get them to waste their money. Undeterred, I hauled the food through two house moves and to a storage locker, and yes the majority of the food is still good; we continue to consume it. About four years ago, we linked up with some very intelligent folks who really opened our eyes to what was going on. My wife and I were so impressed with the way these people were walking the talk that we made major changes in our life. We watched as our friends took all the steps– finding land, stocking up, building a garden (only slightly smaller than Connecticut), and acquiring livestock. Oh, their efforts also included employing a very large, four-footed, security guard to watch over the operation.

The Changes

My wife and I were retired, so the changes were not life-shattering, but they were certainly life-changing. We moved to a different state and bought a house close to our friends. Thereafter, we jumped in with both feet and began serious prepping. Only by the efforts of my chief financial officer (the wife) were we slowly able to acquire, on a pensioner’s income, the necessary preps and eliminate as much debt as possible. Although it took years, we achieved a reasonable level of preparedness. We had the stuff, so what now? Well, we decided we had better see if the stuff works. Like many writers suggest, we decided to do a blackout drill. The rules were pretty simple for the next ____ (fill in the amount of time you wish to drill). We would have no electricity, no running water, and no egress from the house. We would have to make do with what we had acquired. Thankfully, we completed the drill in the winter time, with very few problems. However, the lessons learned were many.

One of the most important lessons I learned was that, depending on the type of stove you use, one can make two different kinds of coffee. On the first day, I broke out the small sterno stove, filled the camp coffee pot with all the required ingredients, put the pot on the stove, and sat back to await the aroma of coffee in the air. Well, as it turns out, the coffee you get from a sterno stove is “ice coffee”. The temperature in the house was approximately 53 degrees, and I was pretty sure the coffee would freeze before it boiled. I left the pot on the sterno stove long enough to grow a beard, and then gave up. “No problem,” I thought, “I’ll go to plan B.” Out came the sterno stove and in comes the propane camp stove. I transferred the coffee pot to the propane stove, turned up the flame, and turned my back on the stove. This is when I discovered the propane stove will make “volcano coffee”! In a short period of time, the pot was boiling up, out, and all over the kitchen. Ah yes, learning new things is truly enlightening. A few more pearls of wisdom acquired were that we used much more water than we predicted and head lamps are the greatest thing since “sliced bread”.

Drill Time to Chill Time

Less than a month after completing the drill, we would be put to the test but with one huge complicating factor thrown in. I suddenly learned that I needed immediate surgery. Okay, we can do this. The surgery was successful, but it left me basically bedridden for a period. Then I was unable to lift anything substantial for an extended period of time. As if on cue, a major storm dumped record snowfall on our area, and that’s when the two chills fell on me. First, it was the chill of the plunging temperature, which went down to over 20 degrees below zero, and the second was the chill of realizing that snow plus a plunging thermometer almost certainly meant a power failure. There I was, as useless as a Washington politician. At this point, you discover you hadn’t really factored in being laid up during an emergency into your many scenarios. It is a horrible feeling to think that you cannot assist during a crisis or even worse that you might not be able to protect your family. What did I do?

I only had one choice– turn to my wife. The CFO/nutritionist/caregiver was about to expand her resume even further. With so much snow in the driveway that we could not get our small car out and with another storm inbound, my wife added snow shoveling to her list of many talents. After working all day, the driveway was clear and we would be able to make it to the doctor’s appointment scheduled for two days later. One day later, the doctor’s office calls and wants to reschedule my appointment. I said, “Excuse me? I am supposed to get my staples removed. Could delaying that cause a problem?” There was a long pause. Then the receptionist said, “Let me check. Can you come in early tomorrow?” I answered, “Yes, I will be there.” Immediately, I begin to wonder what happens if the next predicted storm arrives early or the doctor decides to cancel appointments? Will the incision become infected if the staples stay in too long? Could my wife remove them if necessary? At once, I have visions of my wife handing me a bottle of whiskey and saying drink this while I find the needle-nose pliers.

After successfully repressing my medical fears, we settled in for the evening and the power went out. A call to the power company assured us the power would be back on in two hours. Right; kind of like your call is important to us so please stay on the line until you pass out from exhaustion. As they say, we knew the drill, crank up the alternate heat source, monitor the smoke and CO2 alarms, and pile on the blankets. When the sun came up the next morning, we made coffee (perfect this time), cooked breakfast, and waited for the power to come back on. A short time later, the power was restored, and we were off to see the doctor. As I prepared to have the staples removed, the CFO/nutritionist/caregiver/snow shoveler/intelligence operative went to work. In her best southern drawl, she said, “Doctor, I’m very interested in how staples work. May I observe?” “Sure!, the doctor replied, and he talked her through the process. When the procedure was complete, the doctor left the room. When the nurse entered the room, my wife was examining the instrument used to remove the staples and noted that the package stated that the instrument was for one time use only. “Gee, if you all are going to throw it out anyway, could I have it as a souvenir?” she asked. “I guess so,” said the nurse. BINGO! That’s my girl. Now, I can take my needle nose pliers out of hiding.

What lesson can be learned from this experience?

Have a Succession Plan

If you are the leader of your respective group, establish a clear chain of command as to who takes over if something happens to you. Write it down. A recent article on survival blog, Your Brain on Paper by MR, talked about the importance of written procedures and instructions. This is very good advice. All that knowledge in your head is useless if others in the group don’t have access to it. Rethink your supplies and transport methods. That 90-pound, comprehensive survival kit is really neat, but can your 120-pound wife load it into the car, if you are out of commission? Train and practice. Make sure everyone in your group knows the location of all the equipment as well as how to operate it.

Conclusion

In the introduction, I posed the question, “When is the deadline for prepping?” In my opinion, the deadline was yesterday. It took us years to reach our present level, and it all paid off in the span of ten days. I can easily envision the day when some government panel decides I am too old to qualify for some type of care and my family or friends will have to take over. It could be anything from a weather emergency to a full blown disaster. So, in spite of what the main stream media tells you, being prepared does not make you a nut job; it makes you self-sufficient. So get busy! Lay up food, supplies, training, and knowledge, and stay as healthy as possible.

Letter Re: Water Issues

I have some trepidations about water wells and altering those wells.

After reading the comments about Water Issues, I wanted to provide some additional thoughts.

A pitless adapter in a well is used to support the submersible pump and allow for the top of the well casing to be terminated below the surface of the ground. The pitless is not just a plumbing fitting but an engineered piece of well hardware that is fitted to the well casing.

Altering the well head by installing new well casing above, or over, the original casing will require that the well head be engineered to support the below-grade well components and protect against surface contaminates, which may leak into the water source through, or around the well casing modifications. This protection cannot be overstated. Sealing the well head should be viewed as an integral part of any well development strategy.

Many states and municipalities require certain minimum requirements for potable water wells; so a call or two to the servicing public health professionals may prove useful.

Changing a water well constructed to use a submersible pump is doable, but an appreciable amount of thought should go into the alterations.

The homeowner may be served best by retaining the services of a competent well driller to make changes in any potable water well.

Caution should be taken in any attempt to raise, remove, or otherwise lift an installed pitless adapter. The weight supported by the pitless adapter, along with the supply piping, cables, electrical wires, and submersible pump and the column of water it supports should not be dismissed. Companies that service wells usually have a rather sturdy A-frame they use to lift submersible pumps for service or replacement.

Also, some have discovered a tough lesson about the costs of having a well driller retrieve the internal well components, which once freed suddenly disappeared down the black hole! – D

Hugh responds: That’s wise advice. While servicing your well can be done (I service mine), it is important to know what the specifics are. I do know of a person who attempted to service his submersible pump. He didn’t realize that the well was 900 feet deep or that the combined weight of the pump, pipe stack, and contained water greatly exceeded the capabilities of the simple rig he was using to pull the well. The result was a destroyed rig, broken arm, and the humiliation of having to pay someone to fish the pump and pipe out of the well as well as the for the service that originally started the project. It was an expensive mistake.

Most wells in the U.S. are under 250 feet deep, which can easily be serviced with simple homemade equipment. Wells as deep as 500 feet can generally be serviced with rented equipment. Anything deeper usually requires specialized equipment and is best left to those with the experience and access to the equipment.

Economics and Investing:

Philip Haslam: When Money Destroys NationsUnderstanding how currencies collapse. – G.G.

o o o

Michelle Obama travel expense update: Your tax dollars at work by Andrew Malcolm. – B.B.

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

The Middle Class is Getting Smaller

Price of Ground Beef Hits Record in February- Second straight record month

Peter Schiff: Give’em the Old Razzle Dazzle

How Cold Was It This Winter? So Cold That New Home Sales Hit A 7 Year Record! – This is an interesting break into the housing numbers.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Growing up in a cathedral precinct, what did I know of the absurdities of communism, of how brave man and women in bleak and remote penal colonies were reduced to thinking day by day of nothing else beyond their own survival?” ? Ian McEwan, Sweet Tooth

Notes for Wednesday – March 25, 2015

March 25th National Medal of Honor day is officially observed on March 25th of each year.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three 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 then 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 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) 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 pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. 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,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. 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,
  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. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

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,
  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 Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 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 57 ends on March 31st, 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.

Choices, Choices, Choices – Part 2, by K.C.

Rifles

Continuing with my previous article, I started to think about rifles. There are so many choices out there, and each has their fanboys who clutter the Internet daily with their endless debates—none of which gets anyone anywhere.

As I said in the other article, I dabbled a bit in 3-gun. I’m also former military, with combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m also a gun enthusiast, so I’ve owned or played with a wide variety of guns. I’m also a husband and a father, so I needed to consider what the wife and kids, along with the other people in my group, will wind up having to use in a SHTF scenario.

So, I went through rifle ergonomics and caliber considerations almost simultaneously, but I’ll deal with caliber first. I’m immediately discounting several rounds like .30-06, .45-70, .30-30, 6.8 SPC, .300 AAC Blackout, et cetera, because they are either rounds more appropriate for hunting or special purposes, or they are rounds not in widespread use.

So, will it be .308, .223 (along with their NATO counterparts– the 7.62 and 5.56), 7.62×39, or 5.45×45? I am a believer in the .308’s superiority to the .223. It shoots longer and more accurately, and it delivers much more at the terminal end. In a perfect world, it’s the right round.

However, I’m also a realist. It is unlikely my wife and kids will be able to carry a .308 rifle for any length of time for several years. It is also unlikely my wife and kids will be able to build up the endurance to withstand the recoil of a .308. The same is likely true of many people in my group, who are not experienced shooters (yet). I am also of the firm opinion that setting a dual standard for primary arms is a bad idea. The people who are the “odd men out” will find themselves behind the power curve, if push ever came to shove in a serious social situation.

Setting aside the .308, I’m left with the “intermediate” calibers. I deleted the 7.62×39 and the 5.45×45 next, because the geopolitical environment can rapidly shut down inexpensive and plentiful access to the ammunition. American-made ammunition for former Soviet rifles in prepper quantities is generally much more expensive. Additionally, much of the bulk ammo for these calibers is Berdan-primed and steel-cased, making it difficult to reload.

That left me with the .223. The ammo is ubiquitous in America for decent prices (during “non-crazy” times), and it shoots relatively softly. It’s also easy to reload. (Just watch out for the military crimp in surplus cases though.)

Turning to the rifle part of the equation, I’m going to discuss all of the rifles in the calibers I considered, simply to go over the ergonomics and why I arrived at the decision I made. Some may disagree with my decisions, and that’s fine. Do what works for you.

I owned an M1A for several years, and it was my “zombie rifle”. I outfitted it with a ***AMAZONamazon.com/Troy-Modular-Chassis-Flat-Earth/dp/B004YKZQO2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427234386&sr=8-1&keywords=Troy+Modular+Chassis***Troy Modular Chassis and mounted AR accessories on it. I liked shooting it…a lot. The detractors for the M1A in its base configuration are:

  • the cost of accessories to put optics on it (quality scope bases are at least a couple hundred dollars),
  • the magazine release (it’s SLOW), and
  • the safety configuration (you have to stick your finger into the trigger guard to turn it off).

In the configuration I had, it was even heavier to carry and slower to load. (Seating magazines is difficult in the Chassis without much adjustment to the rifle.) The charging handle is reciprocating, which means you can use it as a forward assist to ensure the bolt is in battery. However, it’s on the right side of the rifle, which means most people are going to hit it with their shooting hand. The M1A is also relatively expensive, as new rifles are in the $1400-$2000 range. I eventually traded this rifle away with some cash for an FN SCAR, which is even more expensive.

I owned a CETME for a couple of years, which is roughly analogous to the HK G3. (A debate exists as to which came first.) I liked the off-hand charging handle very much. I do not care for the safety (which is in the wrong position for me to sweep easily) or the magazine release (which has a paddle similar to the M1A that makes it somewhat slow to reload). The biggest issue I had with it was the fact that it scored my brass pretty severely, making me question whether it was safe to reuse. I have never found a satisfactory answer to this, but it’s something you should probably note if you consider this rifle. I also do not know whether the HK G3 does this to the fired brass.

I have not owned an FN/FAL and have only handled and fired one on one occasion. While it appears to be a decent rifle, the magazine release is also a paddle. (You may have noticed a theme—I don’t care for paddle releases. This is mostly because it makes the rifle slower to reload, because you generally have to grasp the magazine with your off hand and rock it forward as you hit the release. Yeah, there are high-speed reloads where you use the new magazine to hit the paddle and strip the old magazine, but that’s going to take a lot of time to master subconsciously.)

I have also not owned an AR-10 pattern rifle, which is the .308 AR. When I’ve handled them, I’ve often found that the bolt release and magazine release are in spots just different enough from the AR-15 rifle to throw me off. Your mileage may vary.

I briefly considered the AK-pattern rifle, as I considered their “normal” cartridges. Spares are generally not an issue with this rifle, because there are a large number of U.S. manufacturers of parts to get around import restrictions. My issues with the AK series have to do mostly with:

  • accuracy (accurate rifles are difficult to find without paying large dollars),
  • the safety (it’s a large stamped piece of steel on the right side of the gun, which you have to activate with your shooting hand), and
  • the charging handle (while it’s reciprocating and acts as a forward assist, it’s also on the right side of the gun and requires you to use your shooting hand to manipulate it).

Former Soviet and Warsaw Pact guns are generally of mediocre quality, and you’ll pay just as much for a quality foreign-built AK with U.S. parts as you will for an AR, and you’ll pay more these days, actually, thanks to Obama.

Although I purchased a SCAR, I do not expect to outfit everyone in my group with one, as they are expensive; the lowest price I’ve seen on a new one is north of $2100. The same applies to other .223 rifles, like the AUG, SIG, Tavor, and FN 2000. I also dislike three of these four, as bullpup rifles are ergonomically complicated, and the ability to quickly change magazines is important to me (as you may have noticed).

In the end, I decided on the AR-15. It’s relatively inexpensive (S&W M&P-15 rifles are less than $700, in many places), and spare parts and accessories are plentiful and can be found at good prices. Spending around $100 for a stripped lower receiver (even after FFL transfer fees) can get you a full rifle for around $600, if you’re willing to put in the work, and maybe less, if you scout for your own parts. You can put together a “better-than-MILSPEC” rifle for much less than buying the high-end rifles from places like Black Rain or Adams Arms.

Ammunition is easy to get, and if you buy a chamber built for 5.56 ammunition, you can fire either military surplus or commercial .223 ammunition through it. Magazines are once again cheap and plentiful. There is little difference between magazines; the aluminum MILSPEC magazines work fine, if you switch out the followers.

Depending on your ammunition choice, you can use the AR-15 for hunting most game. If your preference is for heavier bullets, get a National Match magazine, so you can single load longer and heavier bullets.

In coming up with specifications for the group rifle builds, I’ve mandated a barrel length no less than 16” and a non-competition trigger and bolt carrier group. (I’ve found people can sometimes have issues with light triggers or with triggers designed for non-MILSPEC ammunition. Competition bolt carriers can wind up being too light to reliably seat the bolt, especially when the rifle gets dirty.) All rifles must have a muzzle brake or flash suppressor and a collapsible stock (to easily exchange rifles between members). All guns must also have iron sights available.

All other options are truly optional to the rifle’s builder or buyer, including optics, handguards, grips, sight configuration, et cetera. I want the primary users to be comfortable with their rigs and be able to optimize them for their personal use.

Again, this is not meant to be taken as the end-all/be-all in the caliber debate or the rifle debate. Everyone has their preferences and prejudices, and we all (for the moment) have the freedom to choose what we want to buy and shoot. However, I did go through a somewhat lengthy and deliberate process when making these decisions and felt it was worth sharing. I tried to eliminate bias and look at my personal situation rationally. I hope this provides a basis of discussion for you and yours.

Letter: Spokane Training Company

Hugh,

Recently our preparedness group near Spokane hired Owen Burt, with Stone Shepherd Shooting, for a two-hour defensive tactics fundamentals class. Every person’s comments afterwards were extremely positive, and Owen sent everyone home with information they could put into practice immediately and a lot of new ideas to consider and implement. He is a recent Army Ranger, Green Beret, and military contractor with years of experience in the Middle East. I have seen both of his DD 214s. Best of all, he’s a committed Christian who speaks “prepper” and fully understands the potential for crisis ahead.

He gave our group a Firearm Skills Inventory and based his customized classroom time on the needs he identified. Who else could cover firearm safety (some of the folks in our group are beginners with firearms), malfunction drills, marksmanship basics, home defense tactics (including rings of security, bug outs, rally points, and caching), and finish up with basics of trauma care for gunshot wounds? Our group has had a lot of training over the years, but this was the first time that someone could speak authoritatively to the sensitive issues around using firearms for self and home defense. We’ll be following up with more classroom time and hands-on training with our own firearms in an actual “tactical” setting (versus “range” setting).

Information about Stone Shepherd Shooting can be found on Owen’s fledgling website http://www.stoneshepherdshooting.com/index.html and his new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stoneshepherdshooting/info?tab=page_info. He offers individual instruction, group classes (a great way to save money!), and will customize his training for any needs. My wife and I hired him for an hour to walk through our property, front to back, to survey our security vulnerabilities, and he gave us a half dozen great ideas that we’ve begun to implement. In all, I’ve spent nearly 11 hours with Owen in the last month or so and have come to trust him implicitly for his ability to fully respect our confidentiality as well as trust that he deeply knows his stuff about firearms, security, and related issues.

If you live in the Spokane region, give Owen a call or email (info on his website) and take advantage of this fantastic prepping resource at a very reasonable price!

Trust God. Be Prepared. The time is now! – ShepherdFarmerGeek

Economics and Investing:

Looking for a job near home? Good luck, it’s getting harder. – G.P.

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Video: David Stockman “Sooner Or Later We’ve Got To Get Off The Monetary Heroin

C’mon Angela, Let Them Greexit

Video: Peter Schiff won’t back down – ‘The dollar is going to crash, buy Gold’

Video: Fed Fisher Say’s Market is “hyper overpriced,”see’s a Major Correction – This is an interesting interview with Fmr Dallas Fed President.