Deflation and Central Bank Delusions. – G.C.
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Food Stamp Beneficiaries Exceed 46,000,000 for 38 Straight Months. – B.B.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
The Great Obamacare-Medicaid Bait ‘n’ Switch
Japan Plans Record Budget to Help Economy Struck by Recession
U.K. Prime Minister Wants to Ban Encrypted Messaging. – J.C.
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Biometrics coming to a cash register near you… just check this out. – RBS
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More from the country of “Men without chests” – Teenage boy finds shotguns and ‘15,000 bullets’ while playing with metal detector in wasteland near his home. – JBG
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CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Calls Charlie Hebdo Terrorists “Activists”. – T.P.
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SurvivalBlog reader S.D. let us know that many items needed for storage, later use, or even barter can be found on the end caps for 88 cents at Walmart. Items included 4oz Tussin, Mucous Relief, Triple Antibiotic ointment, 2 pack Chap Ice, Sleep Aid, Acetomeniphen, Ibuprophen, Anti Diarrea tabs, Muscle Rub, Pregnancy test kits, wrist-knee-and hand support wraps, aspirin, childrens 81mg aspirin, laxatives, enemas, band-aids, hydrocortisone cream, and many more items you will want to keep at home or in the car and especially for SHTF possible futures.
“No pain is too small if it hurts, but any pain is too big if it’s cherished.” ? Edward St. Aubyn
Today, we present another entry for Round 56 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 56 ends on January 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.
I would love to never have to work for an employer ever again. I am 30 years into working for other people, with the exception of a total of five years during various time periods that I worked for myself as a consultant. I have run more than one small business from home over the years. Each time that I was working as a consultant, I loved making my own hours and answering only to myself, because I am far more demanding than any employer has ever been in regards to delivering excellence. The part about working for myself that I hated was the marketing/advertising, bookkeeping, and fighting for a work space at home. The part that I loved was the freedom to creatively problem solve without the interference of the corporate hierarchy and politics. The problem that I have is none of my skills are applicable in a “The End Of The World As We Know It” (TEOTWAWKI) scenario.
Working for yourself is a prime goal of survivalist-minded persons. I want to figure out how to live on the land and become as self-sufficient as possible. The skills I have are those learned in the high tech industry (and very much in demand), so I lack in the basic survival skills needed to “live on the land”. I’ve done a few things, mind you, like learned to grow an organic garden; perfected canning various fruits, vegetables, and meats; learned to cook from scratch, using healthy and organic foods; and learned to make soap and how to replace household cleaning and personal products with just a few simple supplies. I know how to sew and mend, and I can build a fire pretty well. I’ve revived the knowledge I learned from my parents and grandparents, in regards to frugality. I’ve spent years researching, so there’s a lot of knowledge crammed in my brain that might be useful, but there is not much hands-on experience. That’s all I’ve got, and I know it’s not near enough to survive without modern conveniences. I haven’t had the time to tackle much else around the demanding 60 hour per week job. I realize that in a SHTF scenario, I won’t have much to offer. I have reviewed various types of work that might be in demand when SHTF, but I just can’t see myself learning how to fix a tractor from spare auto parts. About the best I can offer is how to filter water from the stream to make it safe enough to drink. I guess that could be helpful, but I don’t want the simple title “Water Girl”. I want to be useful, self-sufficient, and in the position to help others.
I decided to get serious and make the move to self-sufficiency within a year or so. Part of that plan is to cash out and move to the Redoubt. I’m not going to take too big of a risk at first, so I will hang onto my job as long as is possible, until I am well established. I realize I am very fortunate in that I have a telecommute job where I work from home and use the computer and phone to do my work. I can work anywhere, as long as I can get to the Internet with reasonable response times. I even talked to my boss about the possibility of moving to another area and he said, “You can live wherever you want as long as you don’t ask for more money.” I had to laugh. No, I don’t want more money; I just want to live differently. My husband has agreed that we can move to the country, although he thinks I’m a little off my rocker. He’s retired, so where we live won’t matter to him, as long as the weather isn’t harsh and we are not too far from civilization, since he’s a rather social person. Got it. We are looking at areas that meet both our requirements.
Back to me now. What are my current skills that I could put to use in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, and what are skills that I could reasonably develop in a short period of time, if I put my mind to it? I’ve spent a lot of time reading about various types of businesses and skills that could be useful in becoming self-sufficient or for bartering. One of things I always did when managing folks is understand what their best attributes were and putting them in a position to succeed, rather than forcing him or her into a project or set of tasks they were not good at. Happy employees make for a successful business. I want to be a happy and fulfilled survivor, not a miserable, uninformed, aching loser. One of the questions I would ask employees, after sharing the goals of the corporation and of our department, is “What part of this would you enjoy doing?” Then I would listen. We would then discuss options for creating a job that would be most satisfying and discuss how to get accomplished the “dirty work”, because there are always things we have to do that we don’t like. I would do this with each team member. At the end of that process, I would get the team together and we would discuss openly what each person wanted to do, how the “dirty work” would be accomplished, and what was left over. It was very surprising and interesting to find that the collaboration was very high when each person felt they would be assigned to fulfilling work, and it was also interesting to find that each person was more than happy to assist one another with the “dirty work”. Not to say that my teams were always well adjusted and happy. There were occasional crisis to referee and very seldom, hard decisions to make when a team member just didn’t fit in or have applicable skills. Overall, success in management was made enjoyable by this strategy. I consider my management ability to be a strong skill, which could be applied to other scenarios.
Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, the team consists of the two of us. We have been able to hire help when we couldn’t do a particular task, and I can see that continuing if we play our cards right. We have a large family, and each person has different skills and interests. I have considered how each one could become a part of the team, and we’ve had a few discussions, should SHTF. For the most part, our grown children don’t feel the same earnestness that we do about getting out of Dodge, but I’ve noticed them following my example in becoming more self-sufficient. Several have developed skills in self-defense, homemaking, and stocking up. That’s a good start. I’ve told them about our plans and stressed that we will have a place for everyone. A few of them think I’m off my rocker, but for the most part I feel some admiration. As for my husband and myself, I have looked at what each of us loves to do and tried to figure out how we could turn that into a home-based business, if/when SHTF.
Some of the ideas that I’ve come up with are simple, and with a little assistance we could surely do them together. First, we must find the right location that is congruent with our skills and lack of them. We are looking for a medium-sized home in good condition on at least an acre of land that is already developed. This means the land has a good well and irrigation and is near a stream or lake. It must also be on septic that’s in good condition. The land must be well fenced, partially landscaped for lawn and gardening, fairly flat, on the outskirts of a small town, and within an hour or two of a major medical facility for health crisis and major shopping outlets for stocking up. It must also be in an area where the weather is not too harsh and there is plenty of sunshine for a long growing season. Since we aren’t handy people, we need the small town atmosphere in a mostly agricultural area so that we can hire the help we need. We have no delusions about our inabilities.
Once the location is decided, we know that we can raise chickens for eggs; that’s not hard to do. We are good with gardening. We realize that raising other animals for food would be out of our league. However, I did meet with a woman who had a similar background to me (an engineer), and she had successfully gardened, raised chickens, honey bees, and dwarf goats. She gave me a tour of her property (about an acre) and showed me how she accomplished each task. She learned to milk her goats, drink goat milk, and make cheese. She learned to breed and sell goats. She learned to develop several beehives and sells honey. I figured, if she could do it, so could I. Additionally, she still worked in her field of expertise. My husband thought raising goats was a smelly business, and he wasn’t willing to go in that direction. I thought I could graduate to raising chickens for meat after talking to a few friends who had done it, but that’s where I got stuck. What kind of business could I do should SHTF and I wasn’t able to work in my field?
Then it hit me. We have a love for German Shepherd dogs and have owned many over the years. Three of my friends are GSD breeders. Two of my friends specialize in the East German lines. These dogs are used in police work, search and rescue, and home protection. This could be something that I could do financially and physically; I could breed GSDs trained for home protection. You would be surprised how much work and money goes into these dogs, not to mention the training and certifications they must achieve. This is something that I could devote myself to and love it, and it would be useful and important in a SHTF scenario. A beautifully-trained and titled GSD is worth thousands upon thousands of dollars and could be sold or used for barter. One of the hardest things, I think, in breeding GSDs, is letting one of them go. You have to find the right buyer– someone who will give the dog respect and love as a family member deserves. These dogs are truly man’s best friend. They’re intelligent, responsive, powerful, loving, eager to please, and fiercely loyal. These dogs are bred for temperament and ability; they’re not something you would find at the local pound or on Craigslist. A good GSD is worth its weight in gold. The initial investment for breeding this type of dog is in the tens of thousands, and it takes years to develop a solid breeding program. My husband absolutely adores the dogs and is very capable of running the training aspect of their development. In fact, our GSDs follow him wherever he goes. This idea could work for both of us. I could start now and pray that S doesn’t HTF for a few years.
I gave you the above example because I believe that you can find something that you can do that would be a solid business on the home front in a SHTF scenario. It’s important to start now, so that whatever program or business you create has a chance for the kinks to work out. A friend recently having moved to the Redoubt, bought a few hundred acres and has decided to go into the lumber business, treeing the land and selling the trees. He has done the research and is developing the land now. His lifetime career gave him skills that he can use in a completely different kind of lifestyle. If you can identify your core skills and then start thinking about how you can apply them to a different type of business, you have a good chance at becoming successful. My skills assessment (what I’m good at) is project management, people management, creative problem solving, loving and understanding animals, food and cooking, and gardening. If I can apply my project and people management skills, along with my creative problem-solving skills to my love and understanding of animals, food, and gardening, then I can devise a way to run a home-based business, whether that’s raising chickens for meat, goats for milk and cheese, bees for honey, and/or breeding GSDs. Should the Internet survive a SHTF scenario, I can still apply my technical and professional skills in security and privacy, as much as is possible.
I think the trick in moving to a more self-sufficient lifestyle is to understand yourself first. Understand your partner or any other team member that will be involved. Understand what you can and can’t do. One of the biggest mistakes people do is wear rose-colored glasses when planning a retreat escape. Hey, if you can’t cut wood, you better figure out where you are going to get it from and if you can pay for it. If you can’t shovel through six feet of snow, don’t move where that’s necessary. If you aren’t good at home repairs, don’t buy a fixer upper. If the country life bores you silly, don’t fool yourself into believing you will fall in love with it. We shall see, but in the meantime I can put together the business plan for the breeding program and get it all on paper while we prepare for our move to the country.
Good morning:
I wonder if any survival blog readers would know what to have on hand as far as medication for a “scratched eye.” (corneal abrasion) We have had several of these over the years, and none of those have happened in a situation where you would have had “protective eyewear” on. I would hate to be without medication should this happen when SHTF. Any suggestions? Thanks, – MB
Cynthia J. Koelker, MD Responds: What if gritty dirt blows in your eyes? Or you scratch your cornea with a fingernail? Or you’re working under your car and debris falls in your face?
And what if afterward your eye won’t stop tearing, and is bothered by light, and hurts almost more than you can stand?
And what if there’s no doctor to help? Will you suffer permanent damage; will you go blind? How long can you stand the pain?
Corneal abrasions are common, and you need to know how to handle them and what to expect if and when you’re on your own.
The cornea overlies the iris (the colored part of the eye), and unlike the sclera (the white part of the eye), the cornea is exquisitely sensitive when damaged. Pain is generally what drives people to the doctor.
If you’ve experienced the above symptoms, you’ve likely suffered a corneal abrasion. Just remember, not everything that acts like a corneal abrasion is one. Instead you may have a foreign body in your eye. Or, perhaps, you have an infection that you’re blaming on dust in your eyes. Or maybe you’ve worn your contacts too long and have irritated your eyes.
Then there are people who believe they have something in their eyes when actually they have a corneal abrasion instead. This scenario is fairly common.
Therefore, the first challenge is to make the correct diagnosis. Whenever anyone suffers an eye injury, the eye should be inspected for visible damage, bleeding, or foreign bodies. Signs of serious damage also include unequal pupils, fluid leaking from the eyeball, or penetration into the eyeball. Anyone with these symptoms should see an eye specialist (ophthalmologist), if at all possible. Fortunately these injuries are rare.
It’s also vital to check the vision; you’d be surprised how often this is omitted when a patient presents to a doctor with eye symptoms. Before any intervention (and afterward as well) vision should be tested (and documented). Any significant loss of vision should be evaluated by a specialist.
As a general rule, before a doctor checks for a corneal abrasion, he or she inspects the eye for a foreign body. Foreign bodies are fairly common, and often can be flushed out with clean water or saline solution, or gently removed with a soft Kleenex or cloth. If possible, the upper eyelid should be gently everted (turned inside out) to check for hidden debris. Embedded objects, which won’t remove easily, should also be treated by a professional. A doctor with a steady hand may remove such an object with the tip of a needle, using a tangential approach (that is, not poking toward the eye at all). This should not be attempted by the layman and is almost impossible to do without first numbing the eye. Embedded metal objects may leave a rust ring, which should only be treated by a professional as well.
Much more common is a scratch of the cornea. Corneal abrasions are usually not visible to the naked eye, but occasionally you may be able to see a rough looking area instead of the glassy smoothness of an intact cornea. Even a small abrasion of only a few millimeters can hurt like crazy but may only be visible with special staining. Corneal abrasions are usually visualized using fluorescein dye and a cobalt blue light. Some doctors numb the eye before staining, but it is possible to do so without topical anesthetic, though the fluorescein burns a little. The orange dye stains damaged tissue and appears a greenish-yellow color under the cobalt blue light. The dye should be rinsed from the eye afterwards.
Corneas damaged from prolonged contact lens wear may show similar fluorescent staining as well, as may flash burns and herpes infection of the eye. A damaged cornea with no history of trauma raises the question of infection; these patients should be referred to an ophthalmologist, if available.
Once the diagnosis is established, treatment should be aimed at prevention of infection and pain control. Although the benefit of topical antibiotics is debatable for mild cases, traditionally they are still prescribed for all corneal abrasions, especially those due to trauma, foreign bodies, or contaminated debris. Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment is soothing and probably my favorite, though others are available. Ciprofloxacin is a better choice for contact lens wears, as their eyes are commonly colonized with Pseudomonas. (A potentially infected contact lens must be discarded and lens wear should be avoided until the eye is well.) When available, a topical eye antibiotic should be applied about four times daily, until symptoms have been resolved for about 24 hours.
However, for a TEOTWAWKI situation, it is unlikely that you will have access to topical eye antibiotics, and your doctor is unlikely to prescribe them “just in case.” Oral antibiotics for 2–4 days would be a second choice; an erythromycin antibiotic should be used for most people, or ciprofloxacin may be used by contact lens wearers.
Regarding pain, if you happen to have topical eye anesthetic, DO NOT use it more than once (for diagnosis or foreign body removal) as this may slow healing and hide worsening symptoms. OTC anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin) are helpful, though patients often receive more relief from narcotics. A corneal abrasion is a good time to “sleep it off.” Since you’ll likely not have strong pain medication available, taking an OTC sleep aid may help you through the first 24 hours, when pain is at its worst. Doxylamine is one of the most sedating OTC antihistamines (found in Nyquil). Doctors sometimes prescribe eye drops for pain, but again access to these is unlikely. Lubricating drops may be of some benefit.
Although patching of the scratched eye has long been part of standard care and seems a logical thing to do, a review of the medical literature has shown that patching the eye is not beneficial in terms of rate of healing or pain relief. However, if a patient is more comfortable wearing a patch, that’s still okay, but the eye should be re-checked daily until healed, which should not be longer than about 48 hours. Some children or the elderly may find it difficult to walk with the lack of depth perception eye patching causes. Anyone who is prone to rubbing the eyes may also benefit from patching.
Regarding healing, many corneal abrasions resolve within 24 hours and most within 48 hours. If symptoms are not nearly gone or at least significantly better after two days, something else may be going on. Again, hopefully you’ll have access to an eye specialist. (There should still be a few at TEOTWAWKI, and they’re not likely to be filling their days performing laser surgery.)
If properly cared for, it is rare that a corneal abrasion leads to permanent eye damage. Without proper care, however, infection may invade, leading to permanent scarring, partial vision loss, or even blindness.
Below is a summary of needed supplies to treat a suspected corneal abrasion, These will stand you in good stead should you happen to scratch your cornea when no doctor is available:
Cynthia J. Koelker, MD is the Medical Editor for SurvivalBlog and Author of Armageddon Medicine, at www.ArmageddonMedicine.net.
Nampa Idaho woman finds her paid-for burial plot occupied – RBS
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Idaho Guard hopes ticket sales will carry inauguration costs. – RBS
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This is a classic example of how the “system” cannot handle change or resist taxing the crap out of everyone. Two Uber drivers cited since Boise cease-and-desist order. – RBS
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Website helps get lost or stolen valuables back to owners
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Novel New Law Prompts Towns to Rescind Gun Control. – H.L.
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SurvivalBlog reader P.M. sent an interesting read over on the Survivalistboards.com on Survival Camouflage.
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“Cassandra C.” Speaks Out On Her Forced Chemotherapy . So many this seems to be happening to. It’s frightening that a child can be taken, even many very small children, just for seeking a second opinion or not agreeing with a doctor. She could have an abortion without parents even knowing. How twisted “medical” care is becoming. – D.S.
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The FBI Is Now Fully Integrated Into The NSA Surveillance Grid. – T.F.
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Fifty Terror Plots Foiled Since 9/11: The Homegrown Threat and the Long War on Terrorism. – P.M.
“We need to be fit and ready for anything that might come our way.” ? Aaron B. Powell, Doomsday Diaries
The SurvivalBlog techs have hit a few snags with the production of the 2014 Archive DVD. While painful to fix, they are not insurmountable, but the Archive will be delayed until February 15th.
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Ready Made Resources is offering SurvivalBlog readers a special deal on the Yeti 1250. In addition to the standard 30 watt panels, two more 100 watt panels along with the necessary cabling are included along with the shipping for only $1849.00
Traditionally, survival medical advice has sounded something like this: “Have a medical first aid kit and make sure your dental work is up to date.” This is very good advice. However, I believe the advice should instead be, “Make sure your medical and dental needs are up to date and you have a comprehensive first aid kit.” No comprehensive first aid kit is complete without critical, dental medicaments and instruments. What happens when there is a dental need without a dentist or a functioning dental office anywhere around? Is your first aid kit complete with the necessary materials for such a problem? This article focuses on answering three main questions: (1) Why should I focus on dental health? (2) What dental supplies should I include in my kit? and (3) Where can I find a high-quality, dentist-grade supply kit?
It may surprise some, but until the last two generations most people have needed all of their teeth extracted during their lifetime. In England few dentitions remained intact much after age 40.1 Even George Washington was toothless; it hit all social classes. The main reasons for this were lack of proper hygiene, unbalanced diet, and few ways to fix and keep teeth. Modern dentistry has provided many ways to preserve, fix, and even replace teeth, as well as maintain systems for preserving dentition. All of this is available, even in the face of modern diets that have a dramatically more negative effect on tooth lifespan than generations ago. So, what would a combination of generally poorer diets and lack of modern dentistry mean? The answer is that there will be dramatically more tooth decay than even in the 19th century!
Dental medicaments and instruments are unique in their function and critical to maintaining not only one’s teeth but also, in some circumstances, one’s life! Deaths from dental abscesses today are so rare that it is difficult to fathom that only 200 years ago this was a leading cause of death. 2 What would life be like in a SHTF scenarios? Would daily living be similar to 200 years ago? It’s very likely indeed. We be involved in bartering, growing our own food, being self-sufficient, and, yes, suffering from toothaches, some of which can lead to death!
Search “dental abscess death” in your search engine, and you’ll find a myriad of recent, tragic, deadly stories. The most alarming part is that these deaths are avoidable through modern dentistry. The problem is, how modern will dentistry be if you don’t have access to its modernity?
If things couldn’t get worse, two of the main causes of tooth loss– periodontal (gum) disease and trauma– are likely to be a greater risk in a SHTF scenario. With regular cleanings unavailable under such circumstances, periodontal disease will dramatically worsen. With changing environments, more exposure to the elements, and more manual labor necessary, trauma will also spike in prevalence. With the case clear that there will be dental needs when SHTF, what do we do about it?
In the U.S., there is only one dentist per 1,597 people.3 In large cities, they are a dime a dozen, while in rural areas they are few and far between. When you take away the efficiencies of modern practice and the just-in-time supply chain of materials (limiting inventory of medicaments and tools in a dental office) in a prolonged calamity, dentists will be in high demand. In addition, many will have their practices ravaged, ruined, or destroyed by those stripping dental offices of all supplies and equipment. During a sustained event, if you, anyone in your group, or anyone around you is going to have dental care available, it will be because you have the necessary equipment, tools, and medicaments as part of your emergency kit to allow a trained professional to care for you.
Lest you think physicians, nurses, or other medical professionals will be able to fill in the gap, these professionals get no training in human tooth extraction and nearly no training regarding the oral cavity. Emergency room doctors routinely consult dentists regarding where to place the needle to deliver local anesthetic inside the mouth, because they do not get it in their training even though tooth pain is one of the fastest growing reasons for ER visits. It’s not that tooth extraction couldn’t be learned by non-dentists, but it would take training and practice, and currently these things are serious crimes under the law, where irreversible processes and potentially life-threatening complications are possible.
Dentists will still be around when SHTF as much as anybody, but the supplies to perform their tasks will not. They will disappear just as fast as any medicine, bottle of liquor, or box of ammo. You will need to have the supplies to provide for you and yours, if you have a hope of having that toothache dealt with.
The first group of essential supplies are basic dental hygiene supplies– toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste. These products are readily available or can be homemade many different ways. Proper oral hygiene will do more than anything to prevent tooth problems.
After the basic hygiene supplies, it gets far more challenging, because we move into professional supplies with specific indications based on diagnosis as well as supplies used exclusively by dentists. However, having the correct, temporary restorative materials, dental cements, materials, and matrixes to make intermediate restorations are all essential to preserving dentition.
Next, it is essential to have the proper instrumentation. First, you need professional hygiene supplies– you know, the instruments the hygienists use when you get your teeth cleaned. These valuable tools not only help keep teeth clean but prevent periodontal disease (tooth abscess) and dental cavities. They are critical. Second, it’s crucial to have the proper assortment of instruments and forceps for tooth extraction. The correct instruments are essential. You do not want to have an infected, broken root that doesn’t come out, because that doesn’t solve the problem but rather likely makes it worse. Having the proper instruments, used by someone who knows what they are doing, could ultimately mean the difference between life and death. Up to this point, all the materials and instruments are available and can be performed under most circumstances. Worthwhile materials and instruments can be expensive but are within most people’s budget and can be legally purchased. If you have to use these instruments, you may lose a few teeth, but the tragedy of death due to tooth abscess will most likely be avoided. More involved and complex dentistry, such as making crowns, doing implants, bonding, and root canals all will require significantly more materials, dramatic increases in cost, and a controlled environment.
There are thousands of makes and models of dental instruments and even more manufacturers of dental materials. Even dentists can get confused over the differences between economy and professional lines, with numerous varieties of grades and styles, all with their own claims. The costs of these materials vary greatly, based on many factors. One suggestion is to talk to your dentist to see what they suggest, but because this is an often overlooked area of one’s medical kit there are few resources as to what might be included in the dental segment of the comprehensive kit. The book Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson is adequate for basic field triage dentistry for the untrained, but it does not address what materials ought to be had for real, predictable dentistry performed by trained professionals in calamitous situations.
There are a few dental kits available on the web, and a variety of selected instruments can be found on eBay. Until very recently, no kit has had the critical elements of required dental hygiene tools, assorted extraction instruments, and necessary materials, medicaments, and matrixes to place restorations. Those that are available are either completely lacking in proper supplies, or the manufacturers are either unknown or untrustworthy. Either way, every kit currently available is not complete.
However, there is a new, comprehensive dental kit available that fulfills this need in everyone’s medical first aid kit. Dental Essentials, LLC has recently developed a kit that fulfills each of the requirements necessary to professionally clean teeth, temporarily and intermediately restore teeth, extract broken and infected teeth, and treat oral trauma. This kit can be found at prepperdental.com. All instruments arrive in pre-sterilized pouches ready for use by a professional. The kit comes in a custom cordura nylon case, to house each material and instrument accordingly.
The last thing you want is to have the tools for a project and then find that they are of such poor quality that they do not work as they should. The kit bag and its primary line of essential instruments are all made in the USA of the highest quality and come with a lifetime warranty. The only thing this kit lacks is the anesthetic supplies, as they are regulated by the FDA. (In full disclosure, I am a consultant for the kit, and I chose the components because they are brands I use every day in my private dental practice.)
In summary, when prolonged calamity comes, daily proper oral hygiene will be the most crucial element in preventing dental problems. However, tooth problems will occur that cause significant pain and, in some cases, death. Having a complete dental kit gives you the peace of mind that you will have the materials necessary to avoid these tragedies and maintain your teeth through the difficulties. Having the proper dental materials and instruments is an essential component to any complete medical kit.
I have always had good results with Federal ammunition, in handguns, rifles, and shotguns. It is what I carry in my primary self-defense pistol, and it’s what resides in my home defense shotgun. I’m torn between one of their loads and a competitor’s for the AR platform. Federal offers a pretty complete line; while it doesn’t satisfy every niche of my needs, it gets most of them and does so with reliable, high quality, and consistent products. They have some lines that I think should be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers, for self-defense, hunting, and training.
The Fresh Fire line was introduced in 2013 and 2014 and includes .22 Long Rifle and two 5.56mm loads. What makes this ammunition of special note to preppers is how it is supplied– in pop top aluminum cans that resemble Vienna sausage containers on steroids. The packaging is sturdy, durable, and airtight, which has tremendous advantages for a prepper who is thinking of long-term storage under less than ideal circumstances. Adding to the appeal is that the cans are filled with nitrogen to further protect the contents. I was very happy to see pop tops that you can open without a tool and that they include a plastic lid to protect any ammo left in the can after opening it. Another nice touch is the Styrofoam donut inside the can to protect the bullet tips from clumsy handling. Federal isn’t the only company using this sort of packing, but I expect it to win a lot of the market, thanks to its name and wide distribution.
It’s the 5.56mm rounds I’m writing about today. Both are from the American Eagle line that is primarily intended for practice and volume shooting. The first is the XM193 with a 55 grain full metal jacket bullet. This was the original standard load for the M16 and M16A1 rifles of the Vietnam era. Federal rates it at 3,240 feet per second (FPS) at the muzzle.
The next is the XM855 which has a 62 grain projectile with a steel penetrator designed to improve the penetration of hard targets, specifically a NATO specification 3/8 inch mild steel plate. Note that mild steel is not armor plate, so this is not considered an armor piercing round. It was adopted for use in the M16A2 rifle which featured a 1/7 twist rate barrel. The earlier M16 variants had a slower twist rate and do not shoot these bullets well, though the newer rifles work fine with the M193 loads. The XM855 is rated at 3,020 FPS at the muzzle.
There are some drawbacks to the design. Some military users have complained that it lacks stopping power (see the book Blackhawk Down along with countless Internet posts) compared to the M193 round. This has led to other designs being adopted by the military, particularly special operations units. A further issue is that accuracy tends to be less consistent. I’ve shot IMI and Privi Partizan as well as these Federal M855 loads, and I haven’t found any of them to group as well as loads without the penetrators, although these Federals were the best of the lot and quite acceptable for practice or service use, short of sniping. Some sources say the accuracy issues are due to the difficulty of positioning the steel penetrator in the same place in each bullet. Having every bullet be a little different can cause major problems. The M855A1 round– the new Army standard– addresses this with a new design that locks the penetrator more precisely and repeatably in the bullet. It is also a hotter load, which helps make it more lethal, but that might decrease the life of the carbines. Initial reports say it performs better in flesh, penetrates more, and handles intermediate barriers better than either of the earlier rounds.
I made myself popular at the range where I volunteer as an RSO, by distributing 180 rounds of the XM855 to three knowledgeable shooters who ran it through an assortment of weapons. including two Tavors, a couple of AR-15’s, and a SCAR-L. All of them were intrigued with the packaging.
The first shooter is a long-range bench rest competitor, who carefully shot some groups using his 16-inch barreled AR-15 and a 10 power scope. His best group was 1.75 inches and the worst was 3.25 with an average of 2.3 inches, which is quite acceptable for service grade ammunition. He says he can normally get one inch groups with his carbine with its favorite loads. He noted that the cases ejected into a neat pile to his rear, which indicates that they are loaded consistently. He measured overall length and found they were +/- .002 inches, which is pretty good. He had no malfunctions.
The second shooter decided to test the packaging and suspended it from a dock into salt water for a week. He reported some slight corrosion on the can and thought that a month or so would have been enough to eat through it. Salt water is pretty hard on aluminum, so I wasn’t surprised he got it to corrode a bit. I didn’t get to see the can, but I thought it was a pretty good test, and I was impressed that it had no issues afterwards. He ran 30 rounds through an AR and 30 more through a Tavor with no problems and said he liked the ammunition.
The third shooter put 30 of them through a SCAR-L and 30 more through a Tavor. He had no functioning issues but felt the accuracy wasn’t that good, particularly from the SCAR. He was using dot sights.
I shot it with an AR with a 16” M4 profile barrel and a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x 50mm scope and got groups that averaged 2.5 inches, again within my requirements for a service or practice load. There were no malfunctions.
I didn’t get to try any of the XM193 from the Fresh Fire packaging, but Federal says it is the same ammunition as the stuff I tested below on stripper clips.
Just as a point of information, 5.56mm rounds should not be used in rifles marked .223 Remington. While the cartridges look the same, 5.56mm is often loaded to higher pressures. Additionally, the 5.56mm chamber is slightly larger in some dimensions and can handle the extra pressure while a .223 rifle may be stressed by the 5.56mm ammunition. Although a lot of 5.56mm does get fired through .223 rifles, it is best to avoid the practice, if possible.
The XM855 has a suggested retail price of $20.95 for a 30 round can, while the XM193 is $18.95. I’ve seen both for about 20% less when shopping online.
If I were laying in a bunch of ammunition for storage, I would find the Fresh Fire packaging very appealing. I would probably get the XM193 in preference to the XM855 due to concerns about stopping power. A lot of ranges, particularly indoor ones, ban the use of penetrator ammunition, so that’s a factor too. I wish the cans were rectangular instead of round, however, for efficiency when storing them. I was chatting with some other shooters and we came up with the idea of a rectangular can that held 30 rounds on stripper clips sized to be packed in .50 caliber ammo cans. I might consider spraying the cans with a wax preservative or varnish to protect the cans, as I sometimes do with storage foods. This would be overkill if you are storing it in any sort of reasonable environment, unlike the guy who dropped it in the canal!
As well as the Fresh Fire packs, you can find American Eagle loaded on stripper clips in both M193 and M855 configurations. The advantage of stripper clips is that you can rapidly charge magazines using the GI guides you can get from Amazon . The StripLula that I’ve written about will also work with stripper clips as will the Thermold chargers. As noted above, this is a 55 grain full metal jacket round.
I shot this for groups and reliability. Reliability was 100% in everything I tried it in. I’ve used this ammunition in classes and for practice and trust it. Accuracy tests in the three AR’s I tried it in averaged groups of around two inches, which is slightly better than the XM855. The weapons have both light profile as well as M4 profile barrels.
This load is my go to one for testing .233/5.56mm rifles and carbines. As long as the rifling twist is appropriate for this weight bullet, I have yet to find anything that won’t shoot it well. I’m sure there are some rifles out there that won’t, but when I encounter it, I will be surprised. The projectile is the superb Sierra MatchKing boat tail hollow point bullet, which is prized by competitive target shooters for its extreme accuracy. All of my AR’s shoot it into one inch groups at 100 yards, which puts a smile on my face and reassures me that all is well on the range. If that doesn’t happen, I know something is wrong that day with the rifle, the sights, or the shooter.
Federal says that this “… specialized deer bullet electrochemically joins pure copper to an extreme pressure-formed core to ensure optimum performance. The result is high terminal energy on impact that radiates lethal shock throughout the target.” Besides all that, I found it is pleasingly accurate in our AR-15’s, giving two inch groups at 100 yards. It was 100% reliable.
This roundalso groups at about two inches at 100 yards from the light barreled AR with a three power Nikon scope that my son used for hog hunting. I find this to be quite acceptable accuracy, and it is quite consistent. I suspect it would do better with my 3.5-10x Leupold scope, but I haven’t had a chance to try that yet due to not having much of it to shoot. The round uses the same 62 grain bonded bullet as the other Fusion load, but Federal says it is optimized for shorter barrels by using a different powder charge. I really didn’t notice much difference between the two.
My son used this load in an AR-15 to harvest a 200 pound feral hog. It was lying down, apparently trying to hide, as we went through some scrub land. He hit it once in the head and it got up and started to run. He put it down with a second shot to the head while it was on the move. I was pretty pleased with him. The bullets were not recovered. The range was about 15 yards.
This is the load that I am tempted to switch to for our self-defense purposes. The bonded bullet should perform well through intermediate barriers and is similar to some loads that get a lot of respect in law enforcement circles. I currently use M193 or a 75 grain open tip match load for self-defense. One of the factors in which I wind up settling on will be how closely the loads group with practice ammo I can create at home.
I used this round in a Savage Scout rifle on the same hunt. Mine was a 320 pound sow, also pretty close, at about 20 yards. My shot went a bit higher than I planned, going through the lungs rather than the heart. There was intervening brush, and I had trouble lining the shot up the way I wanted. I also think I incorrectly estimated how much I needed to hold over at that range. The bullet was recovered against the ribs on the opposite side of the sow from the entry. She ran about 15 yards before dropping. We put a shot into her head from the AR to finish her quickly, since she was still kicking on the ground. The .308 bullet mushroomed to .87 inches as it traversed about 24 plus inches of pig, and it retained 130 grains of weight. It folded outwards in four petals, with the lead clearly bonded to the jacket.
I had hoped it would have exited the pig, but it did a lot of damage and I can’t complain. I thought about taking a head shot, but I wanted to see what it would do on a body shot.
Again, Federal says this ammunition is optimized for short barreled rifles, such as the popular AR-10 carbines with 16 inch barrels. My Savage has a 20 inch one, and I doubt if that altered anything.
I got 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with this round using a 2.5 power Scout scope, which I found quite satisfying. The consistency was also pleasing.
While I thought this might be a better choice for use with a big hog, I chose to use the 150 grain load, as it was a lot more accurate in my Savage. I was getting five inch groups at 100 yards, which indicated my rifle didn’t like it. That doesn’t mean yours won’t. My Savage has, so far, shown a marked preference for lighter bullets, so this was no surprise.
I took a 75 pound piglet with this load with a shot to the heart. The piglet ran about 15 feet and dropped dead, which is pretty good performance in my book. The bullet was not recovered. This is a fairly old design round, but it is still considered effective in law enforcement circle, and it is what lives in my self-defense pistols. There are more modern loads, but I haven’t found one that shoots as well in my pistols, and it has been completely reliable.
This is my round of choice for 12 gauge self-defense shotguns. It has nine 00 pellets of copper-plated buckshot in a protective plastic wad. It patterns tightly in both of our shotguns– a Remington 11-87 and a Mossberg 500. I have used the load for classes and practice, and it has never malfunctioned in either gun. It is considered a light recoil load, which makes it much easier to control the weapon. I had some concerns about it working in the 11-87, which is a gas operated semi-auto, but there have been no issues. It has jammed with eight pellet light recoil rounds as well as the reduced recoil slugs but never with these.
Federal is not the only maker of quality ammunition, and I do use other brands. I could be pretty happy, though, if Federal were all I could get. I would like to see them make a few more loads in some cartridges though. Their line in .300 AAC, for example, is limited to a subsonic load, and I don’t see anything in 7.62x54R for the Mosin Nagant. I am also a big fan of CB caps, and I wasn’t able to find those either. Regardless, the ammunition they do make is worth a look and a try. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie
So it’s not terribly healthy, but it’s easy, hearty, filling, and delicious– wonderful winter fare. I had tried many a stroganoff recipe before the family decided this was the one, many a year ago. I like to serve it with some sort of winter salad for a complete meal.
Makes 4 servings.
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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlogreaders? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!