You Are At Your Retreat — What Now?, by D.H.

Many of us have plans to get our family and friends to a retreat once the Schumer hits the fan (SHTF). Many of us have written down plans that tell us what things to grab before we leave (so we don’t forget something important), but how many of you have written down plans for what to do once you’re there, at your retreat? Why write them down? Well, because even though you may know everything you’re going to do once there, maybe the others don’t. For some unforeseen reason, you may not even make it there. Will your family know what to do with all the supplies you have stored? Will they know the best way to defend your particular location? For that matter, will you remember everything, given the fact that things will be stressful and maybe even chaotic once you get there? Hopefully this article will give you some idea of how to put a plan together. The plan should be printed out and stored at your retreat.

When I put my plan together, I made it like a short book, including using a title, preface, table of contents. This is to make it easier to find information on subjects, rather than reading a single long document.

The sections I chose were – Food and Water, Health & Hygiene, Security and Defense, Energy, Politics, Humanity, and Documentation. Obviously you can choose your own section titles. I try to visualize that my wife and I don’t make it to the retreat, and our teenage children do. Although I have tried to educate them on the preparedness mindset, they might have little clue of what to do in an extreme SHTF scenario. So I write to that level. As if they know very little and need a lot of guidance to survive at the retreat. I’ll now explain some of the information I try to include in those chapters.

Food and Water –

If you have stored water and access to fresh water, then describe what water to use first, and why. How to get and store more water (yes, preparedness must continue). Different ways to make water safe to drink. How to conserve water (especially if you have limited access to more).

Instructions for Food are similar. What stored foods to use first, and why. I recommend that if the scenario appears that it will be prolonged, then we should begin using the bulk storage foods (wheat, rice, beans, etc.) right away. This will save some of the more portable, easy to cook foods (like canned chili, stew, or freeze dried and MRE type meals) for times when there may not be an opportunity to cook (lack of fuel, long hours of work, bugging-out, etc.), or to take with you in the event you need to abandon your retreat. Yes, you may even have to bug out of your retreat at some point.

Describe how to get more food (hunting, trapping, gathering, gardening, etc.). If you are able to get fresh food right away, then definitely use that before any stored food. Talk about different ways to store new food for use later (by canning, drying, etc.). Discuss conserving the food and getting the most use out of what you get. Things like boiling heads and other parts of animals, even if just to get the fatty oil to surface so you can use it. How about, if you have lots of blackberries, but have no way to preserve them, then eat as many as you can without becoming ill. Like a bear, getting fattened up now for the lean months ahead might mean the difference between living and dying.

Talk about how to cook, to conserve energy and to minimize the signs of your presence. You may not want a smoke signal being sent up in the middle of a clear day. A better way might be to cook when it gets dark, and to use solar to cook on the clear days. At least be aware of your choices and potential consequences.

Heath and Hygiene –

In this section you will want to discuss nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and mental well being. Talk about eating enough, eating for proper nutrition, and staying hydrated. Talk about proper sanitation (including proper food care, staying clean and dealing with garbage and human waste). Discuss using extra care to prevent work-related injuries. If an extra set of hands can prevent an injury (like cutting yourself or hurting your back), then ask for help. Use protective equipment such as gloves and goggles. Staying safe and healthy is easier than combating an illness or injury.

Talk about the proper ways to cook and handle foods to nobody gets food-born illnesses or diseases. This is no time to become careless about something so simple.

Describe the planned method of doing laundry at your retreat. Wearing clean underwear or pajamas to bed can help reduce the amount of time needed to wash bedding. Even if you normally take a morning shower, it may make more sense to take a shower in the evening, after your work day is done.

Discuss sexually active couples and the risks of getting pregnant during the stressful conditions you are in.

There may be some “down time”. Especially in the evening when there may not be television and movies for everyone to watch. This is a great time for everyone (and I mean everyone) to learn as much as they can, from your stash of medical books, about first aid and advanced medical care. You don’t know who will end up being the injured person and who will be the “doctor”.

Mental health is another consideration. Everyone should read books you have stored, including the Bible. Keep up on your prayers too. Listen to the radio to try to keep up on what’s going on in the world, and maybe listening to a little music (quietly) might help. If you have the ability to watch stored DVD movies, then that may help too.

Discuss keeping each other informed about any significant changes in any aspect of your group’s well-being. Being informed and avoiding surprises is important to everyone’s safety and mental stability. All of this can help keep your group from going crazy.

Of course you should talk about triage and what to do if dead bodies are encountered (either from your group, or from an enemy). Being prepared mentally for these potentially intense events can go a long way to help.

Security and Defense –

This section you should discuss your planned method of deterring and combating any enemies. How will you be alerted that potential enemies are near (people on watch, electronic alarms, dogs)? How will you determine who is an enemy? How will you determine which ones to confront and which ones to run from? Discuss the advantage of going un-noticed first and then [, failing that,] looking like an unattractive target. If you have look-out posts, who will man them? When will shifts be rotated? Where will the posts be located?

How do you secure your buildings? Talk about light and noise management. How do you communicate, and what signals or codes will you use? How will your group train for these events?

When a threat is encountered, what level of force will you use, and what tools do you have that can accomplish the task. Not every threat is a deadly force situation (either at the beginning, or even throughout the incident).

Who will carry firearms? Which firearms will they use? Do they understand when it’s appropriate to shoot?

Does everyone understand how to communicate that there is a threat? How do the lookouts communicate with others? What codes or signs will be given? If you have radio communications, do you have codes to use so someone monitoring it might not know who exactly is talking?

You should address what tactics to use during a battle. What protective gear to wear, how you would deal with a wounded companion, and areas of responsibility are important to address too.

Address fire danger and how to fight fires.

Talk about the importance of knowing your enemy. Can you can gather information about your enemies in advance? What are their numbers, their skills, and their weapons? Is an attack imminent? If so, can you plan a preemptive strike? When do you attack and when is it wise to retreat? (Have those Bug-Out-Bags ready, even once you’re at the retreat.)

Talk about the use of force multipliers. Things such as barriers, alarms, decoys, and improvised explosives. Developing good relationships with nearby neighbors can help too.

Energy –

Energy for heat and work. Mainly stored energy, like wood, gas, and batteries. Address how you will conserve the energy you have and make more (by cutting wood, solar charging batteries, etc.).

Heat will be used mainly for keeping you warm during cold weather, and also for cooking food. It may also be used to boil water to drink, heat water for showers, re-hydrating food, and drying clothes during cold weather.

Most work might be done by manual labor, but some things require electricity. Your individual situation will dictate the instructions you give for electrical use. Maybe you can have a television playing a DVD all day, or maybe all you can only allow electricity to be used for is the occasional radio communication or flashlight use.

Describe the importance of using solar energy, whenever possible, for cooking, heating water, drying clothes and food, etc.

Politics –

One of the important things to address is the political makeup of your group. Who is in charge? How will important decisions be decided? Who is allowed to be part of the group? (There will always be unexpected people who want to join.) Who will be assigned what chores [or duties]? What behavior can get someone banished from the retreat? Address the importance of “pulling your own weight” and getting along with each other. Not everyone has the same skills or strength, but almost everyone has something to contribute.

Explain how triage will be conducted in health care [and veterinary care]. How there is a limited amount of skill and supplies.

Even among these tough times and trying decisions, the importance of keeping and promoting a good attitude needs to be emphasized. Attitude is contagious, whether it is a good one or a bad one.

Humanity –

This section will address how you will want to continue to be law-abiding and civil. And by doing so, you will help maintain your sanity, dignity, and humanity. Continue to educate each other, learning new skills, and helping each other. If children are there, start home-schooling them. And pray, as a group and individually.

Arrange for some relaxation time for everyone. A time of rest and play will benefit everyone. Be charitable and social with your neighbors. (But, of course, don’t reveal your storage supplies or your tactics to them.) Charity might only be in the form of labor, if that’s all you’ve got to give, but at least it’s something.

Keep clean. Staying clean and healthy helps your attitude and makes you feel “human”.

Documentation –

Talk about keeping a journal or log of the events that occur. There should be daily entries describing what you did, what you were thinking, what the weather was doing, etc. Any conflicts or deaths must be documented.

The journal can be very important if it is needed in court several months or years from now. It will also be a valuable item to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Another form of documentation is photographs. Especially if there is a death. Take lots of photos (if you can), as if it were a crime scene.

Try to keep track of the date (at minimum, it will be nice to celebrate birthdays). Try to keep up to date medical records on each person. And, try to keep an accurate inventory of all supplies. This will help predict your needs for the future.

I hope this information about creating a plan will help. This should be a living document. It will change as your supplies, equipment, and personnel change. I always put the edited date on the front. Just putting your retreat planning document together might make you think of things you need to do or acquire.

Basic Rifle Marksmanship–Is It That Basic?

To be the best at something we must start out at the basics.  But in marksmanship, what are the basics?  The basics don’t start when we put the magazine in our rifle.  The basics start well before we fire the first shot.  We don’t want our first marksmanship test to be when we absolutely have to fire a shot in defense or necessity.  Marksmanship is something that many don’t come by naturally.  It must be worked on.  For those who it comes naturally to, practice makes perfect and some things need to be discovered in practice before they are discovered too late to correct or save your own life.

The first thing in rifle marksmanship is knowing the weapon that you are using.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a bolt action, a semi-auto, or any other type of action.  In this article we will focus on one of the more popular weapons and in my opinion one that is extremely user friendly.  We will focus on the AR-15, M16, M4, “Black Rifle”, or whatever name you want to call.  I use a Bushmaster in 6.8 SPC for a little more power than compared to the 5.56 mm.  Caliber really isn’t a huge issue when it comes to marksmanship because even a well placed shot from a .22 LR will do enough damage to stop someone or something.  We don’t need to cover the components of the rifle with their proper name, but we must know how the rifle functions.  We must sit down with our rifle and become 100% comfortable with its feel, action, and handling. 

Everyone knows how to walk around their own home or apartment.  We feel comfortable with the situation if anyone comes into my domain, I will be at an advantage because I know the terrain.  Walking around the house with no weapon in hand, not worrying about being harmed, and at our leisure is much different than holding a rifle while trying to protect ourselves as the defender, and protecting anyone that we reside with.  It is much like a vehicle, we must know how to handle our weapon in a vehicle with a seat belt on, opening the door, and exiting the vehicle.  Our homes are no different than dismounting a vehicle without knowing how to get our rifle out with a seat belt on. 

I have walked around my house with my rifle in hand clearing the stairway, a bedroom, etc. It is just like urban combat, but we are in our own home, not a war zone or a shoot house.  My house looks entirely different with a rifle held at the ready, I know most people would feel the same way.  A few dry runs may seem ridiculous at the time, but when it comes to a time when your life is at stake, feeling comfortable with your rifle and your domain is a very important part of marksmanship.

Moving on, we get to see the function and actual handling of our rifle to our own body.  We will focus on magazine changes, malfunctions, and overall non-live fire procedures.  Lets start at the sling.  There are all types of slings on the market, there are one point slings, two point slings, and even three point slings.  The one point sling is practical with a chest rig or body armor, but isn’t the best when wearing just a T-shirt or a jacket.  A three point sling is the least practical because the sling itself passes in by functioning parts of the rifle, the bolt release, the magazine release, and the charging handle.  The two point sling is preferred and one that adjusts is the best option.  A two point sling that adjusts by pulling on part of the sling to lengthen or shorten the overall length of the sling. 

The magazine change is an important part of marksmanship because running out of ammunition and not being able to effectively reload puts the shooter at a very big disadvantage.  A magazine change should be simple, quick, and effective.  When ammunition is getting low or completely gone the first thing to do is raise your rifle up at an angle where the magazine well is at eye level and the barrel is putting towards the sky.  Using the trigger finger to press the magazine release and grab the magazine with the non-firing hand.  Place the empty magazine in a pocket or a drop pouch and grab a full magazine with the same hand.  While keeping your eyes on your target, or down range, looking past the magazine well, place the magazine in the magazine well until it seats with a click.  Press the bolt release and allow the bolt to slam the next round into the chamber.  Immediately raise your rifle to firing position which should be a quick movement because your eyes should have never left your target.  The key to effective magazine changes is not looking at your magazines, but continuing to look at your target so you can adjust your next shots and never lose sight of your target.

Malfunctions are a fact of life.  No matter what rifle you are firing, someday you will have a malfunction.  Clearing a malfunction is much like a magazine change.  Your actions need to be smooth, quick, and once again effective.  By knowing your rifle’s action you will know when the recoil or any thing else is not normal for your rifle.  When your AR type rifle malfunctions it is a simple fix, in most cases.  Simply leave the rifle on your shoulder while maintaining a grip with your firing hand.  Quickly reach back with your non-firing hand and charge the weapon several times.  The expended brass should be ejected and rounds should be fed into the chamber of your rifle.  If there is a double feed, or a feed when two rounds or more try to enter the chamber at once, you must drop the magazine, allow the rounds to drop from the magazine well, replace the magazine and continue firing.  Clearing a malfunction is possible without ever having to take your eyes off of your intended target.  Practicing with dummy rounds (fired rounds with a bullet replaced) will make clearing a malfunction second nature and quite possibly save your life, or the life’s of your loved ones.

As stated before, marksmanship begins before any live round is fired from a weapon.  With a magazine placed in your weapon get into a steady firing position.  Feet shoulder width apart, dominant leg slightly forward.  Keep your back straight, but bend slightly forward to help control the recoil of your weapon.  You should raise the rifle to your head, not put your head to your rifle.  Your non-firing hand needs to be as far out on the rifle as you can safely hold.  Holding your rifle this way eliminates the “wobble” zone between your two hands.  No matter what position you start in, prone, kneeling, or standing, your rifle and eyes are always on the target.  When going from standing to prone, you should squat, place your non firing hand flat on the ground and quickly kick both legs behind you simultaneously. Grab your rifle with your non-firing hand, as far out as you can.  Your non firing elbow, magazine, and firing elbow should all be on the ground while in the prone position.  Getting to your feet is the exact same thing you did to get prone, but in reverse order.  Remember, your eyes and rifle will always be pointed towards your target.  For kneeling, the basic premise is that you do not want your elbow on your knee, or bone to bone.  You want to place your non firing elbow into the thigh of your non-firing leg.  By doing this, you reduce even more “wobble” in your firing position.

Firing from cover from any position is also very simple and uses the same fundamentals as any other firing position.  If using a wall or any type of barrier, there are things to do that can steady your shot and make you much more effective.  No matter what position you are in, you simply place your non firing hand on the barrier.  Make a “C” with your thumb and fore finger.  Your remaining three fingers should be flat against the barrier.  Grip your rifle with your “C” and get behind your rifle like you are in any other firing position.  By using the barrier, your hand, and a steady firing position your rounds are extremely effective.

The hard parts of marksmanship are the ones that take the most conscious effort:  Breathing control and trigger squeeze.  Mastering these two can make a world of difference in how well a person shoots.  Breathing control is the hardest of the two.  You must exhale and inhale normally while concentrating on doing it.  Sounds a little strange, but try to control your breathing with a conscience effort and you begin to hold your breath too long or not long enough.  You want to fire on your normal pause between an exhale and an inhale.  That slight pause is the most effective time to fire a round in.  If you hold your breath too long, your body will begin to shake, which makes firing effectively extremely difficult.  If you can control your breathing you are on your way to becoming effective with your rifle. 

The next thing is trigger squeeze.  The operative word is squeeze, don’t pull.  By squeezing the trigger you apply constant pressure backwards until the trigger breaks and the round lets go. [The following is true for most semi-autos:] Do not release the trigger all the way back to the front!  By doing this you reset the trigger and must take the time to pull the slack out of it again.  Slowly release the trigger until there is a definite click, then stop.  Your trigger pull will be significantly shorter if the trigger does not completely reset.  This requires constant attention, but is easily mastered.  A shortened trigger squeeze will save precious milliseconds and will make a substantial difference in your shooting.

Finally we get to the good stuff.  Making ourselves effective shooters using live rounds.  This is sometimes a time consuming, ammo consuming, but fun and exciting experience.  I love getting behind a rifle and firing live rounds.  I don’t fire the old school 3 rounds, adjust, 3 round adjust, 3 rounds, Done.  I fire strings of 5 rounds, observe, 5 rounds, observe, 5 rounds adjust.  Start out at 100 meters or yards it really doesn’t make a difference.  Get in a good prone firing position and fire your first 5 rounds while aiming center mass or at the bull’s eye of the target.  Walk to your target and observe your group.  If it is tight (within an inch or so) you are good, if it’s loose, don’t worry, 5 more rounds and we will see.  Fire 5 more rounds. Observe your target.  We want our rifle to be zeroed at 200 meters so at 100 meters your rounds will be 1 inch high above the bulls eye or the center of your target.  If your group is acceptable to you (that’s your call) you can move your target out to 200 meters or yards.  The process repeats itself over and over again until you as the shooter feel comfortable with your firing.  I have seen people I have trained need over 250 rounds to get good at 200 meters.  What is acceptable to you is your call, but at 200 meters a group should be under 2 inches in diameter.  Since our point of aim is center mass, our point of impact is going to be center mass.  Point of Aim/Point of Impact.  After this is complete you can move onto bigger and better things.  A great exercise that I found to be fun and helpful is an easy one to accomplish.  While standing at 25 meters, fire a shot.  If it hits move back to 50, then 100, 150, 200, keep moving to backward until you miss a shot.  It’s a fun way to test your standing shot ability.  Another exercise is to move between two barriers at a rapid pace while engaging different targets at different ranges.

You may say this all good if you have open spaces, but what about a person who is confined to an indoor range?  The same principles and fundamentals apply to a person inside or outside.  Every indoor range I have used has allowed prone firing.  Move the target as far back and possible and execute the fundamentals and fire.  The same goes for those who do not want to spend the money on the amount of ammunition needed to train effectively.  Go through the dry fire exercises I’ve mentioned and when you go to the range with a few rounds you will be comfortable with your abilities and will be effective on that day.  Every little bit of practice makes a difference when it comes to being effective behind a rifle.

In closing, a little about myself: I was an United States Army Infantryman for seven years.  For two of those years I was an Infantry Drill Sergeant at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  I spent countless hours on and off a range teaching soldiers how to shoot effectively.  I have been trained by the Asymmetrical Warfare Group’s Combat Application Course, and my company was the pilot company for integrating that block of instruction into basic training throughout the Army.  I cannot tell you how many rounds I have fired on a range, but every one has been “a blast.”  Hopefully this article will help you understand the importance of being effective in every aspect of your weapon. 

Review of Self-Reliance Expo, Denver, Colorado by L.K.O.

I recently spent a day at at the Denver Self-Reliance Expo. It was held September 16-17, 2011. The expo showcased a variety of friendly and enthusiastic survival, self-reliance and preparedness vendors and presenters. Several of the companies there are loyal SurvivalBlog advertisers. It was great meeting many of them in person for the first time. Just one example was meeting Dave Duffy of Backwoods Home Magazine. I had been reading his columns for many years, so it was about time!

In the arena of weapons and security, vendors included 5280 Armory, Hilltop Safes, Smart Product Technology (underground security pods), On Sight F.A.S.T. (FireArms & Survival Training), and Blue Line Security.

Alternate Energy exhibitors included UVpaqLite (featuring Tooblite reusable glow sticks and flat packages that provide sheets of light after exposure to daylight or even significant artificial light), Solar City (a full service solar provider in a similar market as CitizenRe), Peak Candle, 4EverLight, Humless (compact portable pure sine inverters with a generous assortment of output connectors), Solar Gadgets USA (iPhone and phone chargers, flashlights), Emergency Prep, JMI Wind Energy (2KW 6-blade 3-phase generator with super-strong magnets) and HVAC companies like Cooper Heating & Cooling, Costco, AccuTemp Heating & Air, Mountain View Mechanical, and Lennox.

Food storage vendors were represented by Ark Ready, Shelf Reliance, Vital Food Storage, Down To Earth Seeds (non-hybrid, open pollinated, GMO free, heirloom seeds), Grandma’s Country Foods, Daily Bread, The Honey People, Soup For Supper, Amanda’s Salsa, G & R Foods Inc., Simply Canning, and Grab N Go Food Storage. All the (generous) samples were remarkably tasty considering their intended extended shelf life.

Berkey Water / New Millennium Concepts, Tanks 4 Less, AquaPail, and Free Water Systems were the featured water storage exhibitors. Kitchen and food storage equipment vendors included the vibrant new company Pantry Paratus, as well as Tattler Reusable Canning Lids, and Daily Kneads (bread-making classes)

Stoves and oven vendors included Eco Zoom, StoveTec, Volcano Grills tri-fuel (propane, charcoal, wood) portable stove/grill, Can Cooker and veteran solar cooker Sun Oven with a live demo outside in the sunlight in addition to their indoor booth.

In the Health and Herbalism department, there was Dr. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing, EnerHealth Botanicals (cocoa, coconut milk, meal powder, etc.), dTERRA Essential Oils, and Life Sprouts (sprouters with a diverse assortment of sprouting seeds.) On the other end of the prevention–cure spectrum, FalloutX featured three different products for mitigating the effects of minor, moderate and acute radiation exposure.

LPC Survival, Forge Survival Supply, and Farris Survival filled the Store/Distributor category. Denver Tent and Trek Light Gear‘s comfy hammocks provided outdoor gear. HayWireKlamper offers a handy strong wire-binding system and My Healthy and Clean Solutions demonstrated anti–microbial (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral) sanitizers; an interesting approach to sanitizing without VOCs, alcohol, etc.)

In the education, books, and media category, we saw weAreChangeColorado.org (giving away informative sample DVDs such as Experts Speak Out), Chelsea Green Publishing (books on sustainable politics and living), justly popular Backwoods Home Magazine, International Institute of Natural Wellness Education, The Prepper Podcast Network, Prep Simple, DoctorPrepper / PreparednessRadioNetwork, the American Red Cross, the PathFinder School, Sierra School of Survival, Project Appleseed, Jack Spirko’s SurvivalPodcast, and stations KHNC, KLZ and BYUtv. National Geographic had a film crew there interviewing exhibitors and presenters presumably for a “Doomsday Preppers” episode for their network programming.

Vehicles (quads, ATVs, including side-by-side models) were represented by Sun Enterprises and Quality Silver Bullion appeared to be the lone precious metal/coinage entry.

Other vendors included Handy Sharp (knife sharpening), Home Depot and broker Ullrich Insurance. All in all ,the expo was a small but well-rounded trade show with something for everyone.

By the way, the next scheduled Self Reliance Expo will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 7th & 8th. Anyone that lives within driving distance shouldn’t miss it.

– L.K.O. (SurvivalBlog’s Central Rockies Regional Editor)

Economics and Investing:

I noticed over at The Daily Bell: EU – Britain Wants Out?

Rolling Sovereign Debt Defaults and Euro Break-Up Ahead?

Veteran content contributor K.A.F. sent this: J.C. Penney to Close Stores, Exit Catalog Business

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Rally On Hopes For Fed Stimulus Measures

August Home Building Fell 5%, Slide Continues

Oil Rising on Expectations of Fed Stimulus

Eight Arrested as Third Day of Wall Street “Rage” Protests Clog NYC Sidewalks

Odds ‘n Sods:

K.T. mentioned a piece over in the new Survival and Prosperity blog about Nanny State Massachusetts: Boston Businesses May Soon Need A License To Sell Knives

   o o o

Drew W. spotted this: How to Survive a Gunshot Wound

   o o o

Nathan A. suggested this: Life After An EMP Attack: No Power, No Food, No Transportation, No Banking And No Internet

   o o o

Nichole R. mentioned this: Infographic: How Big a Backyard Would You Need to Live Off the Land?

   o o o

Secret recordings raise new questions in ATF ‘Gunwalker’ operation

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 36 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.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 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, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 36 ends on September 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.

Everyday Carry Items, by J.C.R.

As I watched this past weekend several different television shows chronicling the events of September 11, 2001, a thought crossed my mind.  Sometimes events happen so fast in our lives that we don’t have any time at all to prepare and all you are left with is what you have on you and what you know.  Most often that “event” is not life-threatening but more of an inconvenience than anything else.  There have been lots of times when having something as simple as a safety pin would have made all the difference in the world.

As I watched people not only pouring out of the World Trade Center’s but also those that we already on the streets of New York that day with only what was in their pockets or purses I began to wonder what would be some of the minimal necessities.   

Let’s start with the men only because I can relate to them better…I am one.  Our options are really limited to what is in our pockets, in our wallets, on our wrist, or on our waist.  If you had to get yourself to safety or just take care of some minor emergency, we had better choose wisely considering size and weight.  If some gadget you have chosen is too heavy or bulky, you are not likely to have it on you all the time.  For instance, I am a typical accountant and it would look so out of place for me to be walking around with a multi-tool hung off of my belt.  However, it you were an IT professional, it might just blend in with your normal attire and thus give you many more options.  I’ll list out the items in order of importance should the need arise.

The first thing that ever man should consider and choose wisely is a good pocket knife.  I am not talking about a cheap knife that just will not hold an edge but neither am I talking about some type of collectible either.  Personally I have been carrying the Victorinox Executive.  This is of the Swiss Army variety.  The knife is about 3” long, ¾” wide and only 3/8” thick.  I have switched back and forth between this knife and just about every other brand and type on the market.  Because of its size though, I always go back to this knife within a couple of days.  Wenger also makes a good brand and I would recommend you stick with either one of these brands.

The Victorinox Executive comes with both a 2” blade as well as a 1-½” blade.  They are razor sharp right out of the box and are easy to sharpen when that time comes.  You couldn’t skin an elephant but it will tackle most everyday task you’ll run across.  It also has a 2” nail file, a set of scissors, tweezers, and a toothpick.  In addition to that, it has a unique blade to Victorinox that they say is an orange peeler.  In over twenty years, I have never peeled and orange with it, but I have used it a miniature saw and it works wonders on light stuff.  The point of the file can be used for Philips head screws and the point of the orange peeler can be used as a flat-head screwdriver.  Without a doubt the scissors get used the most in my urban environment.  I can tell you this though; I feel in love with this knife when I watched a guy work on the carburetor of his lawn mower and then file and gap the spark plug using the nail file.  Obviously he used something else to get the spark plug out, but I was hooked for life.  I have personally used the orange peeling blade to “knife” open a janitors closest to get toilet tissue and then the file to open the toilet paper dispenser in the restrooms at church.  It was way easier to just go that route than to hunt down the janitor.  The uses for this little knife are limitless.  As with any pocket knife never use it to pry anything open as you will more than likely snap the blade into two pieces.  I know what some of you knife guys are thinking…I carry a big this or that with a pocket clip that I’d rather have for the tight spots.  Don’t get me wrong, when I am in the woods or out in the yard, I carry a different blade as well.  What I am talking about here is our everyday carry knife that you will forget it is there until you need it.  Swiss Army knives have gotten a bad rap for all of the cheap knock-offs that we all see at guns shows and hardware stores for a couple of bucks.  But you will not regret carrying either of these brands and you too will find hundreds of uses.

The next item you should always carry is some extra emergency cash.  Make sure it is not all in either small bills or large bills…mix it up a bit based on how much you want to carry and how thick you can stand your wallet.  We do have to sit on it all day you know.  Lots of things can be had and small conveniences can be purchased with cash.  Maybe as a general rule, you should carry enough to file the gas tank up plus a quick meal.  The trick here is to hide it your wallet, never forgetting it is there but not looking at is as mad money when the next “deal” comes around.  Never let anyone know you have it or friends all over the office will be hitting you up for a few bucks here and there.  If you do spend it, put it back as quickly as you possibly can.  It would really suck if you found yourself in a situation that a few extra bucks would ease the stress a hundred fold and your wallet was empty.

My next critical item is a fully charged cell phone.  I have placed this below just below the emergency cash for a reason.  With extra cash, you could buy a few minutes of cell time from a co-worker or even a stranger.  You could have a trunk full of cell phones but you can’t trade that for a bottle of water or gas in the car.  With this you can let loved ones know you are okay or headed to the hospital.  In the time of a crisis, information will be critical…both getting it and giving it.  Cell phones have all kinds of extra features that may help you.  The greatest one is the contact list.  About a year ago I was faced with a situation that could have been life threatening and I was shocked at how hard it was to dial 911 in the midst of the crisis.  I can’t imagine trying to remember an out-of-state contact person for a regional emergency, so store all your numbers there.  Also remember that you can almost always get a text message to go through before you can get an actual phone call to work.  We just experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on the East Coast and we were a state away and the cell phone circuits were jammed from all of the traffic, but my text to the house made it fine.

Another key item comes in the form of two key pieces, a paracord keychain with an attached Photon II Beta light.  This serves a couple of purposes.  I have some cordage if I ever need it but also don’t send out any “alarms” from others as you leave your keys lying around.  The Photon II Beta light is of the button variety about the size of a quarter.  Be sure and get the one with the locking one switch because sometimes you need both hands.  You can lock it on and lay it down.  You’d be surprised at how much light these little buggers put out in the pitch black dark.  You never know when the power will go out but you can calm down a lot of folks just by providing a little light.

The next item is something that I am sure almost everyone wears every day.  That is a belt.  It could serve as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding or something to secure a splint with.  Let’s not forget that keeping your pants up while you run for cover in mission critical.

A watch is another invaluable item and one most of us wear every day.  Most cell phones have a clock feature but imagine talking to the 911 dispatcher on you cell phone while attending to a woman in labor.  It is so much easier when you can look down at your watch.  In the event of a disaster, there will be all kinds of reasons to monitor the time and you’ll want to save your cell phone battery for more important tasks.  In a real bad situation, you may not want anyone around you knowing that you have a working cell phone, but no one will question your watch.

Lastly for men, I carry a Fresnel Magnifier in my wallet.  It is the same size of the credit cards and you will forget it is even there.  This is good for seeing small splinters in children’s hands, reading small print, or starting fires.  Doesn’t take up much space but provides lots of opportunities.  Once could also carry a miniature BIC lighter for fire starting.  I have one in the desk drawer and one in the car and choose not to carry one in my pockets.  I want to be prepared but not over-burdened every single second of the day.  One last item that I see older men carrying that us younger guys is a handkerchief.  This would be a handy item as many of the folks running away from ground zero were covering their mouths.  Wet it and it keeps out smaller particles and might help you escape a smoky room.  It could be used as a quick bandage or something to use for signaling.  This is another item that has so many uses it is hard to list them but you’d be glad you had one.

While these ten or so items may not be what actually saves your life or the lives of others, they will in fact form the basics of any survival kit you put together.  It will give some comfort in knowing that you have these items on you at all times.  Ask around at how many men you meet that don’t even carry a pocket knife…it will surprise you.

Now for the women.  We have saved the best for last because they have so many more options.  I am obviously not a woman and really look forward to reading their responses as it could help to better dress out my own wife’s purse. 

The very first item to consider is the pocket book or purse itself.  If it is too big, then you are not as likely to carry it or keep it with you as best you can.  If it is too small, it will not serve much of a purpose.  I will acknowledge that there are several instances when a huge pocket book will not work and something slim is more befitting the circumstance.  But again, we are talking your everyday run-of-the mill purse.  After you decided to carry what you like, let’s put a few helpful items in it.

I will still stick to the pocket knife as being your number one item to add, only because of its usefulness.  My wife also carries the same pocket knife mention above in her purse.  It is big enough to handle all we ask of it but not big enough to have her flagged as someone to be worried about.  Both of those brands mentioned above also have pocket knives in all kinds of colors, so you may want to choose the pick one for Breast Cancer Awareness.  Then if you have to pull it out, you’ll also earn bonus points for caring, as you should.

Just as stated above, extra emergency cash should be our second item again for all those same reasons.

Add to the pocket knife and extra cash would be thirdly the fully charged cell phone.  I can’t say enough about being able to get info in and out for everyone involved in a tense situation.

We’ll also stick with the Paracord key chain and attached Photon II Beta light.  You’ll need to be able all of the goodies in your miniature BOB.  I noticed at the last gun show we attended that there was a booth that had all sorts of items made from paracord.  And guess what they had…key chains made with the same pink colors as that used in Breast Cancer Awareness products.  Bonus points again for caring while maintaining OPSEC.

This is where we’ll mix it up a little since we have a little more room to work with.  I would add a very small first aid kit.  What I have in mind here is something along the lines of the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .3 or .5 kits.  I think one is around $9 and the other around $15 or so.  You could put together a similar kit for a lot less so it comes down to convenience.  Either way though, is very familiar with what is in the kit so you’ll know if you have whatever item you’d be looking for.  If you use a band-aid out of it, be sure to replace it as soon as possible.  To this first aid kit, I would add several safety pins of various sizes.  In either of the Adventure kits, they’d be enough room.

Separately but in the same location I’d add a very small sewing kit, such as those often given away by hotels.  This will not be a life saver but could very well save you from some embarrassing moments if something breaks and you are stuck with it for a while. 

Now we are down to the miscellaneous items.  As in the above section, a watch is something we take for granted until we don’t have it.  I would also be sure to throw in a miniature BIC lighter and either a handkerchief or small packet of tissues.  To round out this very basic kit you could toss in one of those flat ACR whistles that’s US Coast Guard approved.  Let me tell you those things are loud.  Most women already carry some Blistex or some other type of lip balm.  Top this off with several pieces of hard candy for comfort and you have the makings of a miniature BOB that will take care of most minor emergencies as well as possibly get you from point A to point B with a little less stress.

Making Your Water Filter Last, by F.J.B.

Making Your Water Filter Last, by F.J.B.

When my four boys were young, we did a lot of backcountry hiking. Usually the trip was only a day or two and didn’t require a lot of gear to pack. Each of us carried our own water. I remember one hike we took in the middle of August. It was a two-day trip with daytime temperatures nearing 110 degrees. We were out surveying on a huge western ranch.

My wife was concerned about our having enough water (in the high desert). To address her understandable concerns, I took along an Indian water-tank back pack. This is similar to the 5-gallon, 90G Indian Pump Fire Extinguishers  that backcountry fire crews use.

It weighed 40 pounds full and had an ineffective baffle that allowed constant sloshing. It was a good thing we weren’t climbing any goat trails, or I would have been lost by having fallen over the edge due to the pull of the water in the tank. As it was, I couldn’t walk a straight line, and anyone who might have seen us would have wondered what that drunk guy was doing out in the sun with those nice boys. 

My first experience with a pocket water filter was much later. One of our sons wanted to hike the Grand Canyon with some of his friends on their Christmas break from college. They had it all figured out: what to take, the route, the timing. As I was told, “It’s all good, Dad.”

I was not going to be tagging along but still needed to be sure they were thinking straight. The day they dropped over the rim for their 7-day hike, we first had to get their backcountry permit.

The ranger asked how much water each man was carrying and made sure they knew that water was not available on the route they were taking. Upon hearing this, I knew they didn’t have enough. A park outfitter had just opened that morning, and I dragged all of them over to it while I went inside.

The only water filter they had was as pricey as it could be at the rim of the Grand Canyon at the last minute. I think I paid $350 for the kit, which was about three times what it would have cost anywhere else. It was a MSR filter kit. I gave it to my son and asked him to pack it. He reluctantly did, and they started on their trip. It was dark and snowing as they dropped over the canyon rim.

Seven days later it was still dark and snowing when I met them all back at the top. It was clear they were pretty well spent. I had forgotten about the water filter until one of the group said to me, “I can’t thank you enough for giving us that water filter before we left. It may have saved our lives. We were out of water on the second day, and the only water we could find was from muddy puddles in rock crevasses.” Needless to say, I was very happy to have sent it with them, too.

The filter stayed in my son’s pack for years before I came across it again. It hadn’t been touched since the day their trip had ended. This meant, of course, that it hadn’t been cleaned either. So, I took it down and cleaned it up but, I got a good look at the filter when I did. It was completely covered with thick dried mud and a greenish dried algae of some sort. They really did have a water emergency while on their trip.

We have all read the incredible things our water filters can do. They are truly a great accomplishment of modern man. The instructions on my Katadyn Micro filter state, “ Suitable for turbid and extremely turbid surface water. Makes the water clear (particles will be removed). Suitable for questionable tap water. Suitable for safe tap water (drinking water quality).“

I am certain that all of these statements are true.  All of the instructions for my other various countertop gravity water filters were the same or similar.

Lake water, river water, water from a creek, rain water, water from a small puddle in a depression in a rock; all are acceptable sources for drinking water through our filters.

It was nearly 10 years ago that I first purchased a Berkey countertop gravity-feed water filter. At the time, I had no practical experience nor idea as to how long the filters would last. Knowing that at some time I would indeed need to replace them, I went ahead and ordered extra candle filters. We have used our countertop water filter daily over 10 years, feeding it only tap water. I have cleaned the filters several times (it is amazing to me how filthy tap water is) but am not really any closer to needing the replacement filters.

This may lead us to conclude that if we filter only clean, or clear water, our filters should last a good long while.

But seriously, once the Schumer hits the fan (SHTF) we may not be able to replace our filters. This means we should take care to only feed our water filters clear water, or at least water that is less turbid. Even though the filter can accept a wet mucking mess and render unto us life’s elixir (drinking water), we need to respect our investments better. Putting anything other than clear water through our water filters will have us cleaning and sanding them down too often and greatly reduce their life.

There are several precautions we should take.

First, we can take care when filling a bucket in the lake or river. Don’t kick or stir up any sediment and try to just skim the surface for water. Getting water from a clear mountain spring would help as well. Our goal is to harvest the clearest possible water we can find to run through our water filter.

Sometimes this may  be difficult to achieve. Without a stable environment to store unfiltered water in, we are subject to the stirred up sediment that rain, wind, and other local activity can produce. In order to keep a continuous supply of relatively clear water to run through our filter we need to have stable water storage.

This can be accomplished easily with the use of 5 gallon pails. After carefully filling a pail, let it sit undisturbed overnight before running it through the filter. This will allow heavy sediment in the water to settle to the bottom of the bucket.

Inspect the water in the top half of the pail. You might decide to let the water sit another day to allow any additional sediment to settle. 

This process may take days if the lake or river water is high in turbidity. This may be due to a recent rain or just be the natural state of the water source. Having a series of 5-gallon pails would keep you from running out of clear water in this case. I keep seven pails set aside for just this purpose. As each pail meets your “eyeball” standard of clarity, it can then be either filtered (from the top of the pail) or added to a larger unfiltered storage container such as a 55 gallon barrel.

After filling the 55 gallon barrel and allowing the additional settling of any sediment, water can then be gently scooped or ladled out off the top.

In the old west it was common for the cowboy to knock the side of the water barrel before using the ladle to quench his thirst. Some folks thought this was for good luck but in reality it was to make the pollywogs dive for the bottom of the barrel before he used the ladle. Keep your water barrel protected from mice, frogs, and pollywogs. 

At our retreat, we do not yet have a well and use water from a spring on our property. We do not filter water that is used for bathing, or washing clothes.

Reserving your filter for water which is intended for cooking, drinking or medical use, will also help extend its life.

I now have some practical experience with water filters. We have used our Berkey for many years and have had no issues with it. Several years ago I bought an Aqua Rain counter-top model for our in-town house to filter our tap water for drinking and coffee. The candle filters have held up fine but the stainless steel tank is not a good quality. Ours actually developed a stress crack from use and has split down the side. At $300 we had hoped for a bit better quality and Aqua Rain does not stand by the product either. I ended up replacing it with another Berkey.
As for pocket water filters nothing comes close to the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter. It has a 20 year warranty and can filter up to 13,000 gallons of water. All in a compact size for your BOB.

So remember, having good gear, planning ahead, and having extra food-grade buckets and drums along with our water filters will have us all staying clean and enjoying a glass of cool, clear, and hopefully pollywog-free, water through TEOTWAWKI.

Two Letters Re: Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Hygiene

Mr. Rawles,
 Another comment on home made laundry soap. There is a difference between Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate and using the wrong one will make a difference in the quality/effectiveness of your product. If you are having difficulty locating Sodium Carbonate you may want to consider checking with your local swimming pool supply store. Soda Ash (sodium carbonate) is a commonly used chemical to raise the pH in swimming pools. – W.V. Willard

Mr. Rawles:
There are several easy solutions, and a few economical difficult ones. I make my laundry soap out of grated Ivory bars, Borax, generic Oxy-Clean, and baking soda. My laundry soap works way better than the store bought detergent, is cheaper, and takes less per load. There will come a day when those ingredients are not available. I’ll probably then just use homemade lye soap and boil the clothes after scrubbing them on my passed down washboard.
 
The solution to toilet paper is to use fabric rags and re-wash them (in my homemade laundry soap). It’s a fairly easy solution. I have a dispenser in my bathroom where I have big rags and little rags in two separate compartments. I have a little canister with a lid, into which I put the soiled rags. I like it better than toilet paper.
 
Instead of paper towels, I use fabric towels. Again, these solutions are boringly old fashioned, but amazingly foreign to our present culture.
 
For soap, I use old fashioned lye soap, made my yours truly. I use store bought lye at this point in time, but later, when we will be heating with wood, I will take the ashes and run rain water over them to make lye. I use the lye soap to wash my skin and my hair.
 
For shampoo, I use this mixture right now:
Step 1: Wet hair. Use a tiny amount of dandruff shampoo, scrub into scalp. Wash out.
Step 2: In an empty shampoo bottle, fill it up with water, and squeeze some (only 2 squeezes) of your favorite shampoo into bottle. I use generic Pantene moisturizing shampoo. Shake up. Squeeze a little bit onto your hair. Lather. Rinse.
Step 3: Take a bar of lye soap. Rub in hair. Lather. Rinse.
Step 4: In an empty conditioner bottle, fill it up with water, and squeeze some (I’m talking 2 squeezes) of your favorite conditioner into bottle. I use generic Pantene moisturizing conditioner. Shake up. Squeeze a little bit onto your hair. Lather. Rinse.
Step 5. In an empty spray bottle, put about 1/4 of bottle in vinegar, fill up with water. Spray all over your hair.
 
I have long, thick hair to my waist, but I use very little shampoo or conditioner. The key is to use a lot of water. The shampoo is actually damaging to your hair. All shampoos contain several strippers; that’s what makes hair tangly and dry. The lye soap contains glycerine, a natural by product of the chemical change that happens in the soap making process. Glycerine is very good for hair and skin. Few store-bought soaps that I know of contain the glycerine. The vinegar is also very good for the hair. Someday I will make some vinegar. From what I read, it’s fairly easy to make if you have the apples.
 
It is very confusing to me to understand the thinking behind the large stores of stuff (paper, etc) that people talk about having. What will happen when they run out of those stores? Why not learn to cope without them now? Is it really self-sufficiency to just go buy everything in large quantity? I don’t know, maybe it works for some people, it just doesn’t make sense to me. I understand that I will probably still have to buy some things, but I want to be producing or have non-perishable things for most of what I need. – Mrs. A.L.

Economics and Investing:

Reader Larry W. recommended this commentary from Howard Gold: Lehman Brothers II crisis is coming soon

John R. sent us several links to some recent Zero Hedge articles:

Interactive Infographic of the Doomed European Financial System
 
DSK Says Greece Is Done
 
Is September 20 Greek Default Day?
 

Items from The Economatrix:

Is China Ready To Pull The Plug?

Is Revolution Hitting US Streets Tomorrow?

The Economic Collapse – Part 1

Mayor Bloomberg Predicts Riots In The Streets If Economy Does Not Create More Jobs

Odds ‘n Sods:

Gail H. recommended this over at The Art of Manliness: How To Shave Like Your Grandpa

   o o o

Jonathan B. was the first of several readers to send this: Farmers flee as world’s deadliest volcano rumbles

   o o o

Another sign of the times: Father and daughter burned in alleged electrical theft.

   o o o

F.G. sent this: Smoking Bans Are No Match For New Yorkers

   o o o

Jasper recommended some practical advice over at Lew Rockwell’s site: Journey to the U-Pull…

The Home Medical Kit Revisited, by Dr. Bob

Medical supplies are an essential part of survival and planning can really save you some headaches. You cannot have too much gauze nor too many Band-Aids. Seriously, if you have the room then keep buying them. Sterile gauze is worth having a small amount of, and non-sterile a much larger amount of. band-Aids of all shapes are recommended, I really like the Nextcare tattoo type because they stick so well and help with blister protection as well as all sorts of small cuts. I am not really a big band-Aid person as I like blood and scars, but to each his own. If you feel the need to stop bleeding, nothing beats good old fashioned pressure.  There is an old saying in medicine:  “all bleeding stops eventually”s.  I guess it is supposed to be partly humorous but also is meant to calm those that tend to freak out dramatically at the site of blood.  Pressure on wound for a good two minutes stops the majority of bleeding wounds from knives, sharp edges, and puncturing.  Holding pressure directly is the best way to approach bleeding, then after it slows or stops, then wrapping it with a nice tight bandage with gauze between will stop 95% of non-horrific injuries.

Ace wrap is great to have for a large variety of reasons, including holding together splints, wrapping larger injuries, and making a sling. It can be rewashed and used over and over until its springiness is lost. Getting a variety of sizes from 1 inch to 6 inch is the best idea, with more of the middle sizes like 2 and 3 inch. Chemical ice packs are really a good idea if there is no grid and therefore no ice. How many is a guess, most of the time if you had access to cool or cold water from creeks or springs that would eliminate most of your need for an ice pack. If you won’t have access to these cooling sources, then you need to make room for more chemical ice packs than someone with a nice cold creek or spring on their property. Splints are as simple as 2 sticks wrapped with duct tape, to fancy and expensive blowup units. My favorite are the simple moldable foam splints available at any medical supply store.

To close small wounds, super glue gel or steri-strips are good for largely non-mobile skin like the forehead or mid arm, leg, etc. If it doesn’t bend much, it’s non-mobile skin. For mobile skin, sutures might help, but if you don’t or can’t get them, then gauze and pressure is your best bet. Super glue gel is easier to control than the watery stuff and doesn’t stick you to the person you are trying to help as much.  If the wound bleeds then the gel will just run all over and do absolutely no good.  If the bleeding from a wound just keeps oozing slowly, you have to use sutures or steri-strips to stop it and close up the wound.  Even steri-strips are very tricky with bleeding as they won’t stick to blood.  You have a solid 8 hours to repair any injury, so the key to wound closure is SLOW DOWN and relax unless you see pumping blood shooting out of you or your pal.  Sometimes, wrapping a wound and coming back to it an hour later makes all the difference in the world.

Besides having the supplies to repair and care for these flesh wounds, you need to have a person available with a stomach for the job. Someone in your small tribal society will be the medical person, so make sure they know how to use the supplies and that they are available.  The “Mary Gray” of your group (see Jim’s novel “Patriots”) needs to train another secondary person to be an assistant or a primary medical person if the 1st choice is missing or gone.  There is nothing worse than everyone freaking out because of blood and the person with the stuff and stomach being a long way away. Don’t wrap any bandages or gauze over super glue wounds for a couple hours, of course. Sutures are nice, but you need the little pliers or needle driver to use them, don’t forget that. Same with a curved needle and thread, it has to either be big enough for your hotdog fingers or get a pliers or driver. The little pliers needed for this is different than the mighty pliers listed in non-medical supplies for pulling teeth, they will not be interchangeable.

So, to sum up, get a good-sized bag for all these supplies as you may need to move it to a person rather than the person to your supplies.  Pack it in order of importance, when you run out of room keep the remaining supplies on the shelves in your prepper area with the food and ammo in a cool, dry place.  Gauze, band-Aids, Ace wrap, chemical ice packs, splints, tape, steri-strips, super glue gel, sutures or curved needles, pliers or needle driver all go into the bag.  The bag necessary for these items is really not that big and will not be that heavy.  Keep two ice packs in the bag and lots of backups on the shelves.  Keep one splint in the bag, a variety of band-Aids, a variety of gauze and ace wraps, and a “set” of supplies for wound repair with backups for all these items on your shelves.  There are certainly many more items that others recommend and that may be fine for some folks, this is a basic non-medical layperson recommendation.  With a skilled, proficient medical person in your group your needs may be much more sophisticated, expensive, and extensive.  Most people are not going to be performing surgery and pulling off blood-typing and transfusions.  For those of you out there that will comfort and pray over the GSW victim WTSHTF, these recommendations will work.  Questions and comments are always welcome. Stay strong.

JWR Adds: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.

An Overview of Handloading .45 ACP by Pat Cascio

I’ve had numerous requests from SurvivalBlog readers for some articles on reloading, and in particular, on how to reload. It is beyond the scope of any single article to teach anyone how to reload in several easy steps. There are many videos and reloading manuals available that can teach you, step-by-step, how to reload. There are also some on-line courses you can take to teach you how to reload. There isn’t anything magical about reloading, it’s really pretty simple and enjoyable – I’ve been reloading for more than 40 years now, and I personally find it a relaxing way to spend my time.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to get started in reloading, either. You can get a simple, single-stage reloading press, powder scale, reloading dies, etc. for about $100 – add a couple good reloading manuals, primers, powder, brass and bullets and you’re ready to get going. One of the best things about reloading is the savings you’ll get by rolling your own ammo – you can reload most ammo less expensively than you can purchase it off your sporting goods dealer shelves. Plus, you can tailor loads to your own particular guns if you want the absolute best accuracy from a particular gun.

If you’re serious about survival, or serious about firearms, then you owe it to yourself to get involved in reloading. I make no claims as to being any sort of expert when it comes to reloading. My good friend, John Taffin, who is also a gun writer, is one of the best when it comes to reloading, and I often consult him when I have a question about reloading a particular round. I had a magazine editor offer me a regular column on reloading not long ago, however, I turned him down. As I said, I’m no expert when it comes to reloading. I do it because I enjoy it and find it very relaxing.

Most of my reloading is limited to only a few calibers these days. I reload the .45 ACP, .30-06 and .300 Winchester Magnum – that’s about it! I probably shoot the .45 ACP round more than any other caliber, so I’m only going to cover this round in this article – besides, it’s one of my favorite rounds. That’s not to say I don’t reload other calibers, but the above three are the calibers I’ve reloaded the most.

I don’t own a reloading library, instead, I have a couple good reloading manuals I consult, and my favorite is the Speer reloading manual #13, and one of these days, I’ll get #14. I also use the Nosler Reloading Guide, (5th edition). There is also a wealth of reloading information you can find on-line from a number of bullet, brass and powder companies – and it’s free information, too.

The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) has been around since 1905 – that’s a good long time, and it has developed a solid following as a fight-stopping round. John Browning chose a 230 grain bullet at 850-feet per second for his 1911 handgun, and this is pretty much the “standard” for this round. Oh, to be sure, there are many ammo companies, like Black Hills Ammunition and Buffalo Bore Ammunition that produce some outstanding +P loads for the .45 ACP. However, I’ve never loaded my own .45 ACP ammo to anything except standard velocities.

Tim Sundles, who owns and operates Buffalo Bore Ammunition, turned me on to Rim Rock Bullets which is owned and operated by Frank Brown. Frank also manufactures the hard cast lead bullets that Buffalo Bore Ammunition uses in their rounds that use hard cast lead bullets. So right off the bat, I had a lot of respect for Rim Rock Bullets – if Buffalo Bore is using ’em in their ammo – then I knew they would be good.

Much of my own reloading for the .45 ACP has been either 230 grain FMJ, 200 grain SWC, 185 grain SWC and 185 grain JHP bullets. For shooting pleasure and target practice, it’s hard to beat the 185 grain SWC and 200 grain SWC lead bullets. My only complaint about using lead bullets in the past have been they were soft lead, and they really get a gun dirty and the barrel needs extra time to clean it – and I don’t enjoy spending a lot of time cleaning my guns – I’d rather be out shooting.

The Rim Rock 200 grain SWC bullet is lead, hard cast, so there is no excessive leading in your barrel – what’s not to like here? I wish I had discovered Rim Rock’s hard cast bullets long ago. And, truth be told, the hard cast bullets aren’t very much more money than soft lead bullets are. You can get 500 hard cast lead bullets from Rim Rock for $76.50 and that’s cheap enough if you ask me.

Okay, when reloading any semiauto handgun round, you need to put a taper crimp on the bullet – not a roll crimp. I’m not gonna go into great detail here, but most semi-auto rounds, like the .45 ACP headspace on the rim of the case. So the case mouth can’t be rolled over the bullet’s groove, like you can do on [straight-case] rimmed rounds. (Such as the .38 Special that headspace on the rim of the brass.) And it takes special care to get just the right amount of taper on the brass/bullet so the rounds will headspace properly. It’s a trial and error sort of thing, that you’ll learn as you get into reloading for semi-auto handguns.

Most of my life, I’ve only used single-stage reloading presses. This means you can only perform one reloading step at a time. You need to de-prime your old brass, then re-prime it, add your powder and then your bullet and seat it. It takes time to do each step. Usually what I’ll do is take about 500 pieces of brass and punch out all the old primers, then I’ll use a hand primer to seat new primers – at some point, down the road, when I’m ready to start loading the brass – and this could be months down the road – I’ll get my reloading dies all set and adjusted and start measuring and pouring powder in my empty brass, then seat the bullets. Like I said, I’m not gonna try to teach you to reload in this article. There’s more to it than this – and one step is to get a case tumbler to clean your old brass and make it nice and shiny before reloading it.

I like a single-stage press as I feel they give me more control and I can precisely load each round exactly the way I want it. I have several single-stage reloading presses, but the one I use most was given to me by a friend from Alaska (now deceased) and it’s an ancient single-stage press made by Pacific. I use this press because it works best for me, and there is the nostalgia there – it was given to me by a good friend. I also have several Lee brand single-stage reloading presses as well. The only time I used a progressive reloading press was when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate – he loved shooting .38 Special rounds and it was my chore to keep the good Colonel well-supplied in this caliber. Still, I prefer single-stage reloading presses for my own use. Sure, you can pump out hundreds or thousands of rounds faster on a progressive press. However, as I mentioned, I find reloading very relaxing and I’m never in a hurry to reload.

There are any number of good reloading powders you can find for rolling your own .45 ACP rounds, however, I’ve found that the ol’ standby of “Unique” to take care of a lot of my reloading chores – it’s been around forever and it’s, well…”unique” in that it is very versatile. The .45 ACP doesn’t have to be loaded to high velocities to get the job done all the time. For sheer shooting pleasure, I like to keep the 200 grain SWC load under 800 f.p.s.. I’ve found that with the hard cast 200 grain SWC bullets from Rim Rock, and 5.4 grains of Unique, I can keep these bullets moving along at slightly under 800 f.p.s.. Remember, when working up any new load, to reduce your starting load by about 10% and work your way up to the desired velocity you want – and keep an eye out for excessive pressure – one way is to look at your empty brass for flattened primers. Of course, this isn’t the only sign of over-pressured rounds. You’ll learn as you go along.

The Rim Rock 200 grain SWC is not only a good bullet for target practice, it’s also a good round for self defense and small to medium game out in the field. You don’t always need super-hot rounds in a .45 ACP to get the job done. Remember, you are already starting out with a bullet that is almost half an inch in diameter to start with – so it’s gonna make a big hole going in. The Rim Rock hard cast lead bullet is gonna give you some good penetration and it’s gonna hold together for you and not easily deform when hitting bone, either. I did some non-scientific testing on the Rim Rock bullets, shooting them into water-filled milk jugs, and it easily penetrated through three milk jugs – I ran out of milk jugs for more testing after several tests of penetration.  However, all the Rim Rock bullets looked as if they could have been cleaned-up and reloaded once again. (Tough bullets, to be sure!)

For target shooting, you can load the 200 grain SWC Rim Rock bullet down a bit, by using 4.9 grains of Unique powder, which will have that bullet traveling at slightly more than 700 f.p.s. and it’s a very accurate round for punching holes in paper and “killing” rocks and other targets of opportunity out in the field.

I tested the Rim Rock 200 grain SWC hard cast bullets in several different M1911s and there were no feeding problems – the rounds slid out of the magazines and into the chambers without any problems – not something I can say of soft lead SWC bullets at times.

I knew from the start, that these bullets would be good ones, if Buffalo Bore is using ’em in their ammo, then I knew they’d be good stuff. Frank Brown, at Rim Rock Bullets, is one of the good guys. Check out his web site, and I’m sure you’ll find some bullets you’ll want for your own reloading projects. Frank Brown deserves your business. As I said at the start of this article, I’m not “expert” when it comes to reloading, but I’ve been at it for more than 40 years, and I know quality bullets when I see ’em – the Rim Rock 200 grain SWC samples I had are high-quality in every respect. And, if you buy in large quantities, shipping is only $15 for up to 70 pounds of bullets – that’s a deal!