B.B. mentioned this: Jim Cramer: ‘We Are in DEFCON 3, Two Stages Away from a Financial Collapse So Huge …’
Some charming news, by way of SurvivalBlog’s G.G.: Bond Dealers See Fed Buying $545 Billion of Home-Loan Debt in Third Easing
Also from G.G.: John Williams: Hyperinflation Warning, Preserve Value with Gold
And another: 10 reasons the crisis isn’t over
Yet another: States face bleak economic forecast, report says
Items from The Economatrix:
Stocks Soar On Big Shopping Weekend, Europe
Another perspective on an important news item that I’ve already covered in SurvivalBlog: ‘Russian’ hackers seize control of U.S. public water system by remotely destroying pump. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)
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K.A.F. flagged this one: Feds want secrecy on ICE facility for Wake County
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R.B.S. sent this: Cursive writing becoming a font memory in Idaho.
“The New Testament tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to deal with them in terms of God’s law. We owe them such fair dealing.” – Dr. Gary North
Today we present another two entries for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) 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, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.)A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
First a little background: I am an Army Medic with combat experience. I have been a prepper since before I knew what prepping was. I teach wilderness survival and self reliance to the youth in my community as well as hunt, smith and homebrew. This is my personal take on the medical supply situation on a thirty six to seventy two hour bag basis. I have noticed that there have been several articles not just on this site but just about every other site I frequent about first aid kits and the ideal supply list. First off I have to say that many Americans may not be able to afford, let alone use 90% of some of the things I have seen listed. Now, granted, a band aid is a band aid and Neosporin is a cultural must in most American homes, but the addition of a c-collar or a NPA can be downright dangerous in the hands of a mall ninja. Secondly, some of these items are mostly hard to get and expensive. A collapsible liter is an item that I have seen recently, they can run you more than $100 apiece. C collars that are high quality can be $45-$50 dollars or more, and Lidocaine is something that you have to have a prescription for in most places. My third and final point is that a well stocked first aid kit is going to weigh in at upwards to 45-to-55 pounds… trust me I know. (I carried one for a total of 26 months in the desert.)
Now that I have gotten the rant out of my system, I will get down to brass tacks. Statistics show that in a disaster situation the three most common injuries are orthopedic injuries to long bone and small joints, lacerations to face, head and hands, and hypothermia. Once you get out beyond thirty six hours there will be infections, dehydration and stomach illness to worry about. So, in a nutshell I have eliminated most of the supplies that you would think to put into your gargantuan bugout bag.
The title of this article is “Gauze and Water.” This is an old medic’s [half-joking] guideline when packing for short jaunts into hostile fire territory. It eliminates the need to carry all the superfluous gear that we would normally take with us and it helps movement by lightening the medic’s load into something that is tolerable. For example, my jump bag has very few things that would be considered “advanced” first aid gear. My list is as follows:
With this kit I can treat up to five seriously injured patients to include airway and C-spine consideration. As most statistics show, combat wounds these days are primarily gunshot and shrapnel type wounds that cause severe blood loss. This method of injury causes the body to go into Hypovolemic shock and can kill in a matter of minutes if not seconds. Secondary injuries are long bone and digital injuries from blasts and vehicular damage that translates into bodily injury. Hypothermia comes in the later stages of shock and also as we all know is a big killer. Mostly we can treat any bugout situation as a combat situation in that your life is more than likely on the line.
For the seventy two hour period we can add in some Neosporin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Vagisil, and some Loperamide to treat about ninety nine percent of the small injuries and illnesses that may occur. Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be taken together as they are processed through different organs in the body but do the same thing, they alleviate pain and ease damaging inflammation. Ranger cocktails are 625 mg Tylenol and 800 mg ibuprofen every 6-8 hours. This combo can bring pain relief to most injuries that may occur. Neosporin or Bacitracin can be used to prevent and to treat some minor wound infections. The Vagisil is for fungal infections, such as athletes foot, jock itch and yes, vaginal yeast infection. Loperamide is a medication that is used to treat diarrhea. Again, please keep in mind that I am a medic and not a doctor so please do not let this serve as medical advice, this is just to inform you of treatments that are used for minor upsets and illnesses.
Off all the equipment in the list so far, the most challenging things to acquire and utilize will be the IV kit, and the Combitube airway. These are advanced interventions and as such , it would be best if you took a course to teach you the proper methods and indications for use. As for everything else there is nothing there that does not belong in a basic first aid class. With it you can stabilize most any patient, whether it be yourself or a loved one in a bugout situation. Special consideration must also be taken for anyone in your family or group that may take sustainment medications, such as High Blood Pressure meds, Diabetes meds, Neurological disorder medications or even contraceptives. Most of these medications can lead to a serious health issue or even death if the patient does not take them. Also consider that if you are taking anti anxiety medication or anti depressants and you aren’t taking them during this high stress bugout situation then you may experience a nervous breakdown at the wrong time or perhaps a psychotic break. Either way it will not be pretty or beneficial to the situation.
Now that I have outlined a more practical…. let’s say, concise, first aid kit. I want to relate a story about some of the injuries that have been treated with this very same “Jump Kit”. On patrol in Iraq, my unit was hit with RPG fire and a small arms ambush from about two hundred meters away. As you would expect, there was more than enough chaos without hearing “Doc!” coming from three different directions. As I made my way around our position I noticed that there were a total of four men hit. Two were serious head and facial trauma from the RPG blast, one was a bullet wound to the leg and the other had impaled his right forearm on a piece of rebar. Because I was more concerned with the soldiers with head and facial wounds I threw my tourniquets at the soldiers tending the bullet wound and the impalement so that they could perform the task of stopping serious blood loss from occurring.
Upon reaching the two soldiers that were injured in the blast I saw that one was conscious and the other, not. Since the one that was conscious could still talk, one must assume that his airway was fine so I moved on to the unconscious soldier. He had severe lacerations to his head with some bruising around his left temple as well as a large chunk of flesh from his lower jaw was missing. I immediately secured his airway with the combitube and applied a Kerlix to stop the bleeding from the jaw wound. With a little help from a ventilation bag, we kept the patient alive while I dressed his wounds and the other head trauma patient. Once that was done I assessed the other injured soldiers and used the S.A.M. splints to secure and pad the impalement and used one of my Israeli dressings and my last Kerlix to dress the gunshot wound. Once the dust had settled and we were ready to evac, I used one of my Mylar blankets to ensure that the soldier that was intubated was covered and warm. I still had not used up a few of my supplies and I didn’t have to drain the evac crews supply when they resupplied me.
Hopefully I have shown you that there is no need to go out and buy everything and the kitchen sink to stock a great first aid kit. Don’t concern yourself with band aids, the uses of kerlix are amazing and with the silk tape with the kerlix you can make miles of band aids of any size and configuration. The minor upsets that may plague you can be no greater than what you have prepared for with the few meds you will have to carry. And with all that space saved you can carry extra water and socks, and perhaps a small flask of scotch to sit back and relax with… or sterilize a wound with. So now, go out and prepare for your personal disaster and be prosperous. Think logically, and do not let prepping become all consuming, you still have a life to live.
I have lived in the UK for the last 25 years, but the first 25 years of my life I spent in what is now called an ex-Soviet block country, so I have a view from both sides.
In the Eastern Europe people would generally be more interdependent, for the simple reason that the society was less commercialized. In the West you can usually buy anything you need, so the biggest issue is to have money to purchase goods and services. In the East there was more reliance on the informal means, especially when times got tougher. Younger people, who have less money, by necessity would use these methods more. If the society were to simplify itself and our relationships became more local and reciprocal, then those interpersonal skills would become more important than they are now.
Over the years I found that it is useful to know WHO to help. Helping others should be a two-way street. Unfortunately some people will use your help without appreciating your effort and they would not help you back if or when you need it. This note is about how to identify those who are not like that.
LIMITATIONS. I need to mention that there will be people you would always want to help without asking for anything in return – either because they are important to you or you know that they are in absolute need. Alternatively you are helping because you think that an idea or an organisation needs supporting. Or you are interested in the work itself and want to gain experience. This essay is not about those cases.
PURPOSE. This essay is purely on how to test your acquaintances to find people who are perceptive to sharing and helping. It also saves time and is fun to do. You want to identify those who appreciate the effort others expanded for their benefit and who are willing to pay back in a way they can.
STEP 1. ASK FOR HELP.
The fastest and easiest method is to ask somebody for help. It should be something small, that is well within their capability to do, but not something they think they have to do for you. You want them to exercise their judgment. If they do it – you thank them, reciprocate at a later date and they get onto your mental list of helpful people.
Unfortunately I found it quite hard, as I am not good at asking for help, so I haven’t developed the techniques in this area.
STEP 2. SET-UP AN EXPERIMENT.
This step is of limited use, but it still can give you an insight into how people operate. It is to set-up an disguised experiment, testing if people reciprocate. You set up a common resource and tell people that they are free to use it, but they should replenish what they have used. Then you discretely observe it over a prolonged time and make a mental note who replenished the used resource. You might find (as I did) that very few people will. While they would always pay back the money they borrowed, they don’t think of a common good the same way.
Example – some months ago I set up an informal scheme at work, where I put some chocolate on one of the cupboards and invited people to help themselves. I told them that if they think they have eaten a whole slab, they should buy a new one and replace it. This was running for several months. Many ate the chocolate, few replaced it, so you could be forgiven in thinking that the experiment was a failure. But it had some other benefits: it provided a nice atmosphere, nobody (but me) would take the last piece (which shows some appreciation) and if I identified some people who would have a communal spirit, that would be a bonus.
Another method would be to notice who buys drinks in a pub and if people buy their share. This is less likely to be meaningful, because there are relatively strict social rules about it (at least in the UK), and you want to test peoples’ hearts, not their adherence to the rules.
NB. This experiment is not worth doing unless the participants are all local – if they live far away, their helpfulness is of limited use if conditions deteriorate.
The following steps are dealing with what to do when somebody you know asks you for help and you are in a position to exercise choice; you are not obliged to help them. If your acquaintances know you as a practical person, you probably will be asked to help them quite often. When you are – this opens an opportunity for a new experiment.
STEP 3. ASK A ‘MAGIC QUESTION’.
When you are asked for help, say that you will help them, but first that person has to do something small to facilitate it. Usually there are some things that have to be done in preparation for the main work. Note that the person’s effort you are asking for can be small in comparison to the bulk of work required.
There are two reasons for this approach: first is to weed-out people who ask you to help them because they can’t be bothered to do it themselves and are too stingy to pay somebody else to do it as a part of their job. Secondly, if it is important to them, you want to help them.
You will be surprised how many people give up at this stage. If they do give up, it shows that they just wanted to use you as a source of free labour; you gain this new information and save yourself time and effort. Also people in this frame of mind don’t appreciate the efforts of others, so helping them would not be an investment either.
If they jump through this hoop, you know that the project is important to them (because they were prepared to invest some effort in it), so your work is more likely to be noticed.
Example 1:
Q: Could I borrow your wallpaper stripper, please?
A: Sure, but would you ring me tonight and remind me to put it in the boot of my car? Otherwise I will forget. My memory is pretty bad.
Example 2:
Q: Could you come to my house and put-up some shelves, please?
A: Sure, can you write which tools of (xxx type) you have? Also you will need to buy (screws, ….. –list here). Let me know when you are ready.
Example 3:
Q: Could you set-up my web-site, please?
A: Sure, I think the best approach would be if you designed it on a piece of paper, together with its functionality. If you need any patterns or pictures, would you collect those in one folder too? Let me know when you are ready.
Example 4:
(At a campsite)
Q: Would you be so kind and darn my socks, please?
A: Sure, but only if they are clean.
Note that in each of those cases you come out as a really helpful guy, even if that person doesn’t take you up on the offer. This is a ‘magic question’.
The beauty of the ‘magic question’ approach is that it doesn’t only apply to voluntary arrangements – it can also be used at work or in any other interpersonal exchanges: (Does the client really need this project to be done so quickly? Does my child really want that toy so badly? Does my wife really want that wall painted?).
The ‘magic question’ technique should be practiced whenever the opportunity arises, then it becomes a second nature. Children are perfect test subjects for practising the skill, because they ask for help a lot. They will also enjoy helping with the execution.
STEP 4. DO THE WORK TOGETHER.
Once that person jumped through the first hoop, it is time to do some work. This becomes more job-specific, but the general rules are:
You want to avoid the situation that you work on your own over several week-ends and the recipient complains that the project took so long, they would be better off going to a professional and pay for it. This may well be the case – why didn’t they?
STEP 5. APPRECIATION.
For some time after the work is done (some weeks) tune into some signs of appreciation – a nice chat, a ‘Thank you’ note, or a mention of the results of the project and how well it works. A thoughtful and appreciative person would make a gesture showing that. If you lent something to somebody, the equipment should come back promptly in a state not worse than it was lent. It should be brought to your house, rather than you having to go somewhere to collect it.
STEP 6. RECIPROCATION.
Some time after the project is finished (weeks or months), ask the person for some (small) help. This should be something that is well within their capabilities. This could be running a small errand for you, or picking your children from school one day. Infirm people could be keepers of spare keys to your house or have a parcel delivered to their address when you are at work. Most helpful people would be delighted to reciprocate.
Perhaps they can’t help you for good reasons – then they would normally say why they can’t help; it would be very specific and followed by an offer to do something else. But if they give you a feeble excuse (like ‘I don’t have time’ coming from a person with no children and no job), then you know they are just parasites and don’t help them again.
SUMMARY.
The techniques described above lead to more knowledge of the people around you, which you may have to rely on in hard circumstances. The usefulness of this approach is that it gives you the information about how helpful your neighbours and friends are, while building better relationships with the ones you want to keep. It also saves you a lot of time and effort, as vast majority of people are not willing to help themselves. If executed well it builds good will and the people around you don’t notice that you are testing them.
The technique (especially the ‘magic question’) should be practiced as often as possible, in as many unrelated environments and relationships as you can. Eventually it becomes a second nature. It allows you to concentrate your efforts on the tasks that are really wanted, rather than dissipate your energy, because the person you are helping can’t be bothered to do it for themselves.
This better focus and knowledge about the people around you should help you choose a stronger group of friends who have helped you in the past.
James,
They are now blocking SurvivalBlog along with Zero Hedge and I Hate The Media from work where I work. Yes I’m on a government network. I assume that more of the alternative media sites are going to be blocked, shortly. I’ll send you updates as they are blocked. Thanks for your time. – C. in Northern Virginia.
Sir:
I am a full-time National Guardsman. (Sorta a rarity.) I just discovered a change when I tried to look at SurvivalBlog, as usual, on my lunch hour. It is now a blocked [by name] on our or computer network . I suspect that is because it has “blog” in its [domain] name. I was glad to read that your announcement that you are setting up a server offshore, and that you will also have a number of mirror sites with “dotted quad” addresses, available for alternatives.
I fear that some sort of crackdown on non-mainstream web sites is coming soon, in America. (You probably heard that there were another 150 sites blocked on Monday.) Thanks for setting up multiple ways to access [your blog]. My advice to fellow readers: Bookmark the dotted quad addresses of all your favorite news outlets and discussion forums, ASAP. Be vigilant. – The Non-Captain Kirk
Dear Jim,
To add to Pat Cascio’s comments on AR rifle construction, I thought I’d share the following:
This document explains the criteria.
This chart puts them all together
One of the very critical components is the buffer tube on carbines. The aftermarket tubes are of 6061 aluminum, versus 7075, and are milled, rather than being hammer-extruded. They are about half as strong as mil-spec, and have less gripping surface on the threads. This is probably one of the most critical areas of failure on the rifle.
Please note that Knight’s Armament is not mentioned on this chart, but they will happily detail the internal redesign they’ve made that from all tests and reports is superior to the standard design and materials. However, it is also much more expensive.
The AR bolt carrier group is easily replaceable, but it’s worth the extra money for the stronger components of tougher alloys to increase operating life. In addition, I differ from most and always recommend the hard chrome finish on the bolt carrier group. While on active duty in the 1980s, I got to handle both parkerized and chromed groups side by side, and there was no comparison. The Army went away from the chrome for several reasons, one of which was cost, but I believe this was a huge error on their part. The chrome finish is tougher, more durable, has greater natural lubricity. Heat treated and parkerized steel has a static coefficient of friction of about .8 (1.0 is the baseline). Hard chrome has a coefficient of .05. It actually performs better with minimal lube, as the surface tension of the liquid increases drag.
I will disagree with Pat on one point: It is certainly possible to get a very accurate and functionally reliable AR in the $600 range, but it cannot be as durable in the long term as one built with better materials, which will always raise the price. I would advocate an inexpensive rifle over none, but when opportunity presents, it should be assigned practice, range and backup duties, with better rifles taking the SHTF role. – SurvivalBlog Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson
John R. suggested a piece by Paul Craig Roberts: Bankers have seized Europe: Goldman Sachs Has Taken Over
Euro Meltdown: This One European Country Can Bring Down The Entire EU
Courtesy of J.B.G.: Italy Is Closer To Collapse Than Anyone Realized, And So Is The World
Also from J.B.G.: Should the Fed save Europe from disaster?
Items from The Economatrix:
Occupy Wall Street’s Latest Plan: Refuse To Repay Student Debt
Hungary’s Debt Downgraded By Moody’s To Junk
J.K. in Colorado mentioned: Another Family Lost In The Woods.
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Time to Stock Up on Lightbulbs. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)
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G.G. flagged this: Guns Better Investment Than Gold?
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News from The American Redoubt: Historic Eastern Oregon hotel going to auction. (A hat tip to loyal content contributor R.B.S. for the link. His comments: “Union is cattle and natural resource area. Yes, it would not be an easy go but if you don’t bring a Hollywood mentality with you to this part of the world, and are resourceful, someone with the right attitude might just make a go of it. It is probably a much better investment than Bruce Willis’ house that is for sale in Sun Valley for a mere $15 million.”
"The disciplined warrior, made irrelevant by by mechanized war, disdained and abandoned by the high-tech culture, is fading in American men. The fading of the warrior contributes to the collapse of society. A man who cannot defend his own space cannot defend women and children. The poisoned warriors called drug lords prey primarily for recruits on kingless, warriorless boys." – Robert Bly in Iron John, 1990
Over the past several months, I have been asked by many SurvivalBlog readers which AR-style rifle is the best. And, many readers mistakenly believe that some civilian brands of ARs are 100% “mil-spec.” When I explain to them that their civilian ARs, no matter who made them, are NOT mil-spec, and the facts to reinforce my argument, I don’t hear back from them.
So, let me explain why civilian ARs are not 100% mil-spec. Some AR makers mistakenly (intentionally?) advertise their ARs as being mil-spec, when in fact, they are only partially made up of mil-spec parts. Even Colt, who makes the M4 for the military, doesn’t produce a totally mil-spec AR-style gun for civilian use. One point of my argument is that, mil-spec guns are made to be select-fire, whereas, civilian M4gerys are semi-auto only. Secondly, mil-spec guns of the M4 variety usually have a 14.5″ barrel, and civilian guns, must by law, have at least a 16″ barrel. Additionally, if you look at the bolt carrier in most civilian ARs, they are not of the full-auto design, nor is the fire-control group. I could go on and on, but I don’t wish to receive hundreds of e-mails from readers wishing to debate this topic.
I’ve also heard from SurvivalBlog readers, who claim that only ARs made by the big-name gun companies are worth having, and the smaller, no-name ARs aren’t worth having – that they’ll blow-up in your hands, or they’ll fail when you need ’em the most. I’ll not argue that some ARs are better made than others, I concede that fact. However, just because your no-name AR only cost you $600, as compared to someone who has a similar Colt that easily cost twice that much, doesn’t mean they have a “better” AR than you have. Also please note, when I use the term “AR or AR-15” I’m using it as a generic term – everyone calls their AR-style guns by different names..
Most folks are shocked to learn, that most big name gun companies simply don’t manufacture every part they use in their guns – they contract many parts out. And, when it comes to ARs, and their parts, almost all of the AR makers have many of their parts made by someone else – who is also selling the same parts to a competitor down the road, or to a no-name AR maker. So, odds are, some of the parts in your brand-name AR, are from the same vendor that sold the same parts to the no-name AR maker. Once again, I’m not saying there aren’t better parts in some guns, or that some barrels are more accurate than others. Sometimes you get what you pay for, other times, you are over-paying simply because of the big name gun company selling a similar AR.
Over the years, I’ve probably owned more no-name ARs than those made by the well-known makers of ARs, and that’s a fact. I can only recall having a problem with one AR that I’ve owned over the years. This gun was made by Olympic Arms – however, someone put a different bolt/bolt carrier in the gun – they assumed, as do many folks, that it was simply a drop-in affair – it’s not! The after-market bolt and bolt carrier were over-sized and caused functioning problems. This was not the fault of the Oly Arms, it was the fault of the idiot who just dropped the parts in. I finally got the parts fitted properly, and the gun was 100% reliable after that.
I decided to do a mini torture test, on an no-name AR that I recently purchased at my local gun shop. This gun was manufactured by Superior Arms, and I had to do some research on the company. They’ve only been in business a few short years, but most of the reports I read on their guns were very favorable. This gun was used when I got it, well-used. The only thing I did to the gun was clean it and lube it, and check the orientation of the gas rings on the tail of the bolt – everything looked great.
I contacted long-time bud, Jeff Hoffman, who runs Black Hills Ammunition and requested 1,000 rounds of his 5.56 mm NATO factory seconds ammo, 55-gr FMJ. This ammo normally isn’t available for sale to the public. What we have with the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds are reloaded rounds, and the cases might have tiny dents, or are discolored for whatever reason – they were picked out of the final inspection and classified as “seconds.” To be honest, you’d have to look very closely at a lot of the rounds to see why they were pulled during the final inspection process – which is a testament to how well Black Hills Ammunition inspects their finished products.
The reason I specifically requested the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds was that I wanted to see if the Superior Arms AR would be up to the task of shooting this ammo. I figured if there were gonna be any problems, the factory seconds would cause them. Before heading out to do my mini torture test, I loaded thirty, 30 round magazines, which gave me 900 rounds of ammo to burn through, without having to reload more mags. Yeah, I know, I had 1,000-rds of ammo, but I just plain ol’ got tired of loading magazines, my thumb was sore!
Instead of going out to one of my usual shooting sports near my home, I headed deep into the Cascade Mountains – far from where people could hear my shooting. I didn’t want someone calling the local sheriff and reporting there was a shooting war going on near their houses. So, I was at least 15-miles from the nearest house for my testing.
The Superior Arms AR was clean and lubed at the start of my testing and no further cleaning or lube was done during my testing. I started out burning through the first couple of mags firing as fast as I could. I knew I couldn’t keep-up this pace for long – unless there was a Zombie hoard coming my way. So, I slowed down my pace, and towards the end of my 900 round test, my trigger finger was pretty tired, to say the least. It took me about an hour and 15-minutes to burn through all those magazines – maybe a little longer. Like I said, towards the end of the shooting, my trigger finger was tired, and the gun was extremely hot – even the trigger.
During my testing, there was not a single malfunction or failure with the Superior Arms AR, and no problems with the Black Hills Ammunition factory seconds that I was using. Every round went off when the trigger was pulled, and every round sounded the same – no dudes or any problems of any kind. So, what did I learn in my mini torture test? Well, that it’s a lot more work than I thought it would be – starting with loading all those magazines, and then shooting all those rounds in one shooting session. I thought the gun might malfunction or have some kind of problem when it got extremely hot – but there were no problems to report with gun or ammo.
As an aside, the area I was shooting in, was about a 35-minute drive from my house – and the gun’s barrel was still very warm when I got home – so that hummer really got hot during my testing. Needless to say, it took quite a while for me to get the gun clean after that shooting session. Everything inside the gun looked good to go, for another shooting session, too. Oh yeah, I’ve gotta get back out to the area where I was shooting and police-up all that empty brass – one of these days. I suspect it’ll still be there when I get to it.
So, what did I learn? Well, this was only one gun, from a no-name AR company – so I can’t speak for all the other no-name ARs that are out there, as to if they’ll hold up to this sort of mini torture test – but I’m betting they will – assuming you start with a clean gun, that is properly lubed and in proper working order. I’ve gone out and shot 200-to-300 rounds at a time through an AR in the past – and that was fun. However, this shooting session was work, and it just killed me to “waste” all that Black Hills Ammunition .223 ammo, too. Jeff Hoffman has been supplying my ammo needs for 20-yrs now and always fills my requests when I tell him I’m just gonna “waste” ammo. Black Hills Ammunition are good people to give your business to.
My Superior Arms AR has the 11″ barrel on it, with a permanently attached 5.5″ flash suppressor on it. On a good day, I can hold about a 3″ group with this shorty barrel. And, a couple days after my shooting session, I tested for accuracy again, and it was still about a 3″ group gun – which is about as good as you’ll get with the shorter barrel. I just happen to like the look of this set-up with the shorter barrel and longer flash suppressor on it. I also know that it reduces the effectiveness of the .223 round much beyond the 150 – 200 yard mark, too.
So, if you are on a limited budget, don’t think you have to settle for second best when you look at buying a no-name AR. Check the gun over carefully – take it apart – and if a gun shop won’t let you do that – take your business some place else. Try the charging handle – see if it operates smoothly, and try the trigger-pull as well – not that most ARs are known for outstanding trigger pulls. Don’t be afraid to buy a no-name AR just because your best buddy has a $2,500 AR of some type that he is always hyping. Odds are, when you go out shooting with your buddy, your no-name AR will shoot just as well as his expensive AR does – if not better.
There’s nothing “wrong” with ARs made by the big name gun companies – and I’ve owned quite a few spendy ARs over the years – some shoot better than others – but not a whole lot better. Sometimes it depends on the ammo you’re using – many guns will shoot one brand of ammo better than another – so don’t be afraid to experiment if you aren’t getting the accuracy you’d hope for. I want to give an example of a big name AR maker – I recently purchased one of the Carbon-15 ARs that is made by Bushmaster – I liked the look of the gun and the light-weight. However, this gun simply would not group – it was more like a shotgun – it “patterned” instead of grouping. I traded the gun back to my local gun shop the next day and told them about the gun. They sold it at a gun show, and told the new owner, that the gun didn’t group well – he still bought it!
The only ARs I tend to shy away from are the parts gun -you know the ones I’m talking about. Someone bought an upper receiver parts kit, and then a lower receiver and put it all together themselves – those guns scare me at times – I’ve owned a few – they worked, but I still wasn’t 100% sure they would keep working, or had any knowledge of the person who assembled the gun – if they knew anything about how ARs work.
So, if you’re on a budget, take a look at the no-name AR that might be half the price of the big-name AR next to it – you might be surprised how well-made the no-name AR is, and how well it shoots, too. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio
James,
I recently read an article at Zero Hedge about a bank run in Latvia. The run was apparently brought on by accusations of embezzlement, document forgery, accounting fraud, and abuse of authority by two shareholders. (Honestly, this is not about the US Congress emptying the Social Security Trust Fund, or Congressional insider trading) The information on the bank’s web site refers specifically to Jon Corzine and MF Global! “Kinda like Jon Corzine, if not by the actual authorities, then by everybody else. And just like in the US where the lack of confidence in the system following the MF filing, so in Latvia the people have decided to hit the ATMs first and ask questions later. “
The pictures just by themselves make the article worth taking a look. Coming soon to a bank near you? – S.M.
Mr. Rawles,
I’m writing this because there has to be a better way to prepare for everyone that feels the responsibility to do so without leaving type 1 diabetics behind. I’m hoping you or someone reading this may have answers or can help in the search. I had been prepping for a year or so in small but steady ways. We had covered a lot of ground, everything from food storage to medicine, woodstove, small solar, guns, gardens, you name it and we continued to punch away at our personal list. Then it happened, my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It’s hard to image a diagnoses requiring more dependency on medicine, especially for a family working to be as self-sufficient as possible. My son is 16 and until this diagnoses he had been healthy, even athletic. A total shock, and to make it even more stunning, one of his best friends, also an athletic child, had been diagnosed only six months earlier. These kids have grown up together and now lighting had struck twice in the same place, simply unbelievable. After a couple of months adjusting to our new life I went to work on prep. for the most important thing in our lives, the entire reason to prep. in the first place, my son and family. I’m doing those things that seem to be the low hanging fruit (not to be confused with being easy). We approached his doctor about having extra supplies on hand and were given a three month prescription versus monthly. I’m working on the alternative refrigeration, but have a plan to use a forgotten family spring house in a pinch. I’ll likely pull the trigger on a propane refrigeration system in the next few months (right after paying property taxes). I think it’s also likely we can obtain some prescriptions for additional out of pocket supplies from our son’s doctor and I’ll be proceeding with that once I’m certain we can store it properly. All this would help us in a short crisis, but I’m looking for a long term solution.
Have you or any of your subscribers read the very inspiring story of Victor and Eva Saxl? To make a long story short, during WWII Eva and Victor found themselves as refugees in China, and Eva a type 1 diabetic, was cut off from her supply of insulin. Victor refused to give in to the inevitable and using the book “Beckman’s Internal Medicine” and access to a friends “lab” was able to produce a insulin which kept Eva alive as well as several hundred other diabetics in the same situation. I’m not certain what would constitute a Chinese WWII era lab… The full story of Eva can be found on the Internet. I’ve tried in vain to find a copy of Beckman’s Internal Medicine or the exact formula and process used to make insulin the old way. Either the insulin made by Victor or the formula invented in the 1920s by Banting and Best. I’m sure this is something the drug manufactures and public safety officials do not want to be public knowledge. After all a person could likely do considerable harm to themselves attempting to use a homemade insulin, but in an extended emergency, knowledge for anything that a person is dependent on for life shouldn’t be a secret. If nothing else I would like to have this information available to provide to local health officials or those with resources, if it is ever needed. To find the book and formula/process I’ve scoured the Internet without success. I’ve also gone as far as contacting the Banting and Best Institute at the University of Toronto. Banting and Besting being the scientist that discovered and refined the process for animal insulin in the 1920s. Initially the professor I corresponded with seemed extremely excited about the Eva Saxl story and the Beckman’s Internal Medicine book. He had instructed his staff to see if a copy could be found in the Universities archives. However, after further inquires from him as to my interest in the book, his interest in sharing information chilled considerably. Again, I can’t blame him as the dangers and liability might be considerable, but I also can’t give up. I’ve also spoken to state health officials regarding the availability of insulin in a national or regional emergencies and while many hidden stockpiled emergency medicines would be available to some degree, those stockpiles to not including insulin.
A few weeks ago I heard my son and his friend talking on the phone. My concerns about a possible economic collapse aren’t any secret to my family. They are also smart kids and can watch the news same as anyone that pays attention. They were talking about what would happen to them and how they would get insulin. My heart nearly broke when my son told his friend not to worry, my Dad will find a way.
J.B.G. suggested this: Pictures From A Latvian Bank Run As MF Global Commingling Comes To Town
Also from J.B.G.: Deutsche Bank: If Merkel Doesn’t Budge, ‘Our Investment Advice Is To Dig A Hole In The Ground And Hide’
Clive Maund: Gold To Profit From Economic Uncertainty
From Wired: The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin
Items from The Economatrix:
17 Quotes About The Coming Global Financial Collapse That Will Make Your Hair Stand Up
Death of a Currency as Eurogeddon Approaches
Update On US Banks And The Euro Area–Things Are Looking Grim