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Two Letters Re: Firearms Training and Subsequent Practice

Jim:
A question for your readers: If our possession of firearms in the US is such a fundamental right that we should be closely guarding as a privilege that could be revoked at any time, why do so many of us take it for granted and how many of us are merely owning fine weapons as a ‘talisman,’ as I once heard Mas Ayoob put it, with no intention of ever using them, hoping that merely possessing weapons will ward off all evil? Why do we own them if we aren’t going to figure out how to use them effectively?
I read a few days ago on one of your posts that you were getting in shape to take a four day firearms course at Front Sight. Good for you. I figured you all have had lots of firearms training since you and your family are pretty much ahead of the curve in being prepared for living in a troubled and perhaps difficult future. My family and I live in the east and it would be very difficult for us in our current situation to block out a week or more to head west at this time, as I am sure many may be thinking when they hear of Front Sight, Gunsite, Thunder Ranch and other fine shooting schools, mostly in the western USA. [JWR Adds: See my comments below on other training organizations and training opportunities.] I was glad to hear as busy as you and your family are raising your sons, making a living and serving your church in your local community, you are
taking the time to become familiar with your guns and gear and get the training to keep your skills sharp for when they may be needed.
If I may digress briefly – when I was single and in my late twenties, I would spend my one week vacation from my job driving to Ray Chapman’s Chapman Academy learning some fundamentals about pistol shooting, sleeping in my car on the way up and back, coming home tired and with no loaded ammo left. After that I also got to take a couple of Mas Ayoob’s LFI pistol classes over a couple of more vacations, learning a bit more each time, including the legal side if one has to shoot someone in the gravest extreme, to borrow a phrase. When my work load got more serious and I advanced in my career, I stopped going to shooting schools and shot locally. Over 20 years passed and I got married and settled down, built a house, started a farm in the rural east still wishing I could go back to classes at a good shooting school. Not much chance of that, until about three years ago when I found out about one well known world-class shooting master who travels the US and even overseas on occasion to bring his expertise to folks who cannot make the yearly trips to Texas, Arizona, or Oregon, among the better known areas for civilian shooter training. I was stunned to know that this shooting master had been coming to my area of the east coast for over 15 years, and teaches yearly at a gun club/range a thirty minute drive from my home. How can one pass such good fortune up? This will be the third year in a row I have been back to classes in tactical carbine, pistol 1 & 2 and this year in shotgun and refresher handgun. After the first year I got my wife to go. After an iffy first day of class she gained confidence in her shooting ability with her Glock, and we are now building on our overlapping skills from there as a team at home. She and I will be taking a shotgun course together (on opposite ends of the line, of course as required by the instructor) later this year and we are looking forward to it.
My roundabout point is that folks should get out there and learn to shoot NOW, looking for shooting instructors that travel to teach if enough folks are interested in having them come there if you cannot go to an established brick and mortar school in the west….also, check for shooting schools that you may not know are within a reasonable driving distance, either on the internet or through one of your local shooting clubs or state organizations. Time is short, as we all know, and shooting is a noisy and sometimes costly business. You all might also keep an eye out for the traveling Appleseed Rifleman shoots that are traveling the USA this year for the second year courtesy of the RWVA (Revolutionary War Veterans Association). I have been to their shoots and they are excellent for getting you into the rifleman category but you have to put out the effort to practice. Just my $.02 to all you folks sitting on a mountain of freeze-dried food and ammunition somewhere.
You are responsible for your own safety and security. Regards, – Redclay

Mr. Rawles,
Regarding firearms, we are all aware of the need for practice. It does little good to have top-of-the-line equipment if one is not skilled and practiced in using it. However, I have heard some in the preparedness-minded community recommending thousands of rounds worth of practice per year. I understand that when it comes to practice, usually more is better. However, firearms and ammunition are not cheap. Practice obviously expends ammunition, which must be replaced, causes wear and tear on the firearms (which must be repaired and eventually replaced just like a car with X miles on the odometer), and there are range fees and even the expense of cleaning supplies to consider. My question is, where is the balance? Is there a “sweet spot” where adequate skill can be maintained, without excessive expenditures in equipment and materiel? The concern is that there is other prepping that must be done – this requires money also. Any dollar not needlessly wasted on excessive firearms usage or maintenance can be invested in other things.

This would especially be a concern in an actual long-term or permanent SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation where the ammo and firearms could not be replaced at ANY cost.

Also, is there much point in practice without prior training? (this does not include basic safe handling and operation, which is a given). The concern is that practice without training may simply reinforce bad habits thru repetition, incurring cost while realizing little (if any) benefit. Thank you for any feedback you can offer. – B.R.

JWR Replies: The amount you shoot will depend on your level of of proficiency, the required intensity of training, and your ammo budget. I’m fairly proficient with guns, so on average I now shoot only about 1,000 rounds a year. (All calibers, combined–of which about half is .22 rimfire) But at an upcoming defensive handgun course at Front Sight, the Memsahib and I will each shoot 800 rounds of .45 ACP in just a four day period. My sons, who are just learning, shoot about 400 to 500 rounds each per month in good weather. (Mostly .22 LR rimfire.) I only expect that figure to increase, since all there of them will soon be in their teenage years. One of my good friends, “Fred the Valmet-meister” regularly shoots more than 1,000 rounds per month. He is absolutely awesome with a pistol, and also a fine shot with a rifle. He did his best to wear out one of his SIG P220 .45s, but he just installed a new set of springs and it is still going strong.

Yes, you need to strike a balance between proficiency and your budget, as well as considering wear and tear on your guns. But I’ve seen AR-15s that have been fired 20,000 rounds with their original barrels that are still going strong, and still shooting quite accurately. I ‘ve also heard of Glocks that have been shot literally hundreds of thousands of rounds without a failure. There is a lot more to preparedness than just shooting proficiency. I recommend that people dedicate just as much time to leaning first aid, learning how to home can foods, tend a garden, raise small livestock, operate a CB or shortwave, and so forth.

You are also right that practicing without prior training is a bad idea. It does reinforce bad habits. Get the best training that you can afford, and then pass along what you’ve learned to your family and friends. I mention Front Sight a lot here on the blog, since I can vouch for the quality of their training. However, there are lots of other great facilities out there, such as Gunsite and Thunder Ranch. There are also smaller scale schools and personal trainers all over the country like John Farnam (of DTI), Gabe Suarez, Ken Hackathorn, Jim Crews, Rob Haught, Dave Saffir, Mas Ayoob, Dave Schleicher (of Eagle Personal Protection), and Louis Awerbuck. Also, don’t overlook the essentially free or at-cost training that is offered by the NRA and groups like The Appleseed Project. I’m not familiar with many tactical firearms training facilities overseas that cater to civilians, but one that stands out is Condor, in Israel.

One important proviso: Always wear proper eye and ear protection when shooting. I’m a big believer in wearing both earplugs and ear muffs. Hearing loss is progressive and irreversible!

Letter Re: Sources for Greenhouses and Coal Stoves

Jim:

First, I have no interest in either of the following mentioned companies other than that I’m a satisfied user. I recently got a bigger greenhouse for my birthday and have used it for this years garden plants. A little over 200 plants so far. They have two models on sale right now. I do recommend completely caulking every panel with adhesive caulk. The large one took 30 tubes.

I have ordered this stove to heat my greenhouse in cool weather and through the winter. I keep two tons of coal for the house coal stove anyway.

This combo will be much better than my old greenhouse system. With them, it is cheaper to heat and I have more available space. With a lot of stored heirloom seed and canning from three gardens we will have plenty of food. – D.M.

JWR Replies: Those are both good suggestions. I can vouch for Northern Tool & Equipment as a reputable dealer, (as I’ve done business with them for many years and they are one of our affiliate advertisers), but be forewarned that a fair portion of their merchandise is made in mainland China.

Because both stoves and greenhouse have high shipping weights, I recommend that readers shop around and try to find a good price in their local area before resorting to mail order. My favorite mail order stove dealer is Lehman’s, headquartered in Kidron, Ohio. They have a fascinating line of traditional non-electric merchandise, originally developed to service a primarily Old Order Amish clientele.

OBTW, for anyone that wants to place an order with Northern Tool & Equipment, please use our Northern link so that SurvivalBlog will get a modest affiliate commission. Thanks!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared a state sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness that starts this week. If Bush were a realist, .308 Ball would have been on the tax exempt list.

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News from England of a possible H5N1 cover-up.

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Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke: ‘Pretty Clear’ Housing Market Cooling, But Should Land Softly Why am I less confident than Helicopter Ben of a soft landing for the U.S. housing market?

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When on a drive into town yesterday, a fellow motorist was in such an all-fired hurry that she passed us on a blind curve, across a double yellow line. Fortunately, she survived this feat of stupidity. As the Memsahib is fond of saying: “The nice thing about the gene pool is that it’s self-correcting.”

Note from JWR:

Get your entries in soon for Round 4 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up up to $2,000!) The deadline for entries for Round 4 is May 31, 2006. Please e-mail your entries before May 31st.

Two Letters Re: Advice on Firearms Caching

James:
You mentioned using sonobuoy shipping containers for caching. I used to work as an engineer at a company that built sonobuoys. We would routinely reject fairly large numbers of these tubes for either mold defects or physical damage that would result in a leak. At one point, I and another guy in my group went to the plant (after getting the necessary paperwork) and carried off a large truck load of them. All had to be repaired, but they were usable. Just be sure to check them carefully and be prepared to do some patching if needed.

As an aside, if you have a sharp eye, you’ll see those same sonobuoy containers used as props in sci-fi movies (they were in one of the Star Trek movies). – Stephen

JWR Replies: You are right. Orion tubes are indeed ubiquitous sci-fi TV “cargo deck” props in the later Star Trek TV shows. Usually painted gold…
The thin spots and other flaws that you mentioned are typical for any blow-molded plastic parts. This is less common with spin-molded pieces, which tend to have more uniform wall thickness.

 

Dear Jim,
I have a few supplemental ideas on the caching weapons thread.
First, plan to carry all non-weapon gear separately. It’s unlikely a government will ban bandages, food, or maps. People should be in revolt long before it gets that far. A smaller cache is a lighter cache.
To improve longevity and preservation, I’d strip any plastic off (such as AR furniture) and vacuum seal it separately to avoid chemical damage. Then dunk the weapon in cosmoline or a home-made equivalent. It lasts literally decades on many military arms stored in damp places. Then, vacuum seal the weapon and ammo separately. Do this inside with the humidifier off or the air conditioner going, to have as little humidity as possible. Give thought to double tubes in case of age or weather cracking.
Before sealing, add dessicant as you suggested, and also a moisture and oxygen displacing gas. If you get with friends, liquid nitrogen isn’t that expensive. Be sure it doesn’t damage anything as it pours in, and insulate the pouring tube well–that condensation dripping off it is LOX [liquid oxygen]. If liquid nitrogen isn’t handy, several chunks of dry ice will work. [JWR Adds: Just be sure that the dry ice is completely sublimated (“melted”) before you seal the container–otherwise you’ll inadvertently be making a dry ice bomb!] Bottom of the list is a good, non corrosive refrigerant. The goal is to displace oxygen and moisture, and slightly overpressure the container to keep it out.
IMMEDIATELY seal, tightly. Use teflon tape on threads. Then I’d cover the outside of the lid with PVC glue or epoxy. This provides additional airtight sealing, and can be filed or chipped off without destroying the tube, so it can be reused, if one checks the cache periodically, or needs to re cache a weapon after use.
I heard of a gentleman whose cache is now buried under a massive fill pile from a construction company. Pick an area unlikely to be built without notice. I agree that scrap metal in the area is a good idea, to reduce the sensor image.
For storage at home, oil and vac seal weapons, then remove drywall on the house’s wet wall–where all the plumbing already is, and reseal. A few blows with a hammer or even a fist will give access in a hurry, and metal detectors expect to find iron near a toilet. The bathroom is also often a good storm shelter and lacks windows, so it’s a good emergency retreat, short term. If the plastic bag is notched, one good rip can yield a loaded revolver or pistol. For people fearing crime who live in no-weapon zones, this allows the opportunity to be judged by twelve instead of carried by six, with very low risk of discovery beforehand.
I believe it was AR15.com where a gentleman showed a beautiful M4gery, with loaded magazines, spare parts and batteries, vacuum sealed in thick poly for the trunk of his car. If you’re where weapons are legal to transport, this is a great idea. Should you be on the road during a Katrina-like disaster, stuck in traffic and roving gangs or other threats are present, you can quickly have clean, potent firepower that stops the debate before it starts. It can stay stored for months or years with periodic checks for leakage.
As far as acquiring weapons, I would of course recommend reliable antiques, or weapons purchased from a private party so there is no record.
I’ve seen mention of defacing numbers. DON’T! Doing so simply makes it obvious that the weapon is contraband, and is prima facie evidence the possessor committed a felony under federal law and most state laws. Also, I’ve done acid lifts of defaced numbers, even after a complete Dremeling was used to remove it. Without drilling holes through the receiver (Bad idea) or welding over them (also bad, unless you know how to re-heat treat and refinish a receiver), stamped numbers are legible to fairly low tech–PVC etchant, X-ray, or magnaflux. Caching weapons is not illegal yet. However, association with a defaced weapon will legally terminate your right to possess them, end of story.
There are two ways to reduce public awareness of one’s weapons before caching. The first is to keep utterly silent and not let anyone know one is armed. The other is to be fairly open, an emissary of RKBA, as it were, and have enough weapons that only close associates really know how many you have. In which case, one or more missing from a dozen or more is not something anyone is likely to be able to document with clarity. – Michael Z. Williamson

Four Letters Re: Letter Re: Feeding Your Dog in Hard Times

James:

If you enter “pet food recipe” into your search engine, you get more free recipes and e-books than you can use. It is a good idea to try them out on your furry friends before TSHTF.- Doc at www.bigsecrets.cc

 

Mr. and Mrs. Rawles,
Greetings and hope things are well with you and yours. I felt you that you might might find these threads interesting.
Survival Forum Thread 1
Survival Forum Thread 2

Lord bless you all. – C.K.

 

Hi Again Jim,
Just my take on the dog food issue. I have a female Rat Terrier about 10 pounds that is a real patrol dog and barker. We live in a urban environment and a large dog is just not practical because of food cost, liability, and sanitation issues. I store her dry kibble in 5 gallon pails in the garage where the cat lives most of the time. I have had no problems with mice or rats for over 8 years. I agree metal cans are superior. I spoke with our veterinarian about rice, potatoes and other vegetables mixed with canned dog food and/or table scraps of meat. No onions for dogs by the way. She told me the dog should have no problems but not to feed the cat so much rice and mashed potatoes leftovers. I think cats require more meat protein in their diet. My wife is Vietnamese and we buy 50 lb. bags of jasmine rice for about 15 dollars at the Asian market and always have about 10 bags in reserve stored in either the bags or in 5gal buckets that we vacuum seal for longer storage. The rice cooker is always going,haha. I mix about two big scoops of rice with a small 6oz. can of dog food and mash it together with a spoon very well for the dog and about one spoon of rice mixed with 1?2 can of 6oz cat food for the cat. I think this a very economical and practical way to extend the use of canned food and table scraps while providing a nutritious and tasty meal for my two favorite animals. – DC

 

Jim,
  You suggested raising other livestock and using some for your pets. If you use any kind of fowl remember the eggs are also a good supplement. One thing to remember is that sometimes you get eggs that are cracked. I use to crack them out and put them in plastic butter tub, freeze them and give to my dog later. If you can’t freeze them then a little treat as they happen. – Merlin

Odds ‘n Sods:

Brett Arends comments on the new Wile E. Coyote (“Falling Off a Cliff”) Markets

   o o o

The global economic crisis, from the French perspective

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The bad news on H5N1 from North Sumatra. Meanwhile, The Lancet released a sobering opinion piece. A tip of the hat to Geri Guidetti of The Ark Institute, who alerted me to these two articles.

   o o o

There is a great thread in progress over at the Gold Is Money Forums, inspired by an article by David Andrews at Safehaven.com.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The Qualities of a good intelligence officer:
* Be perceptive about people
* Be able to work well with others under difficult conditions
* Be able to distinguish between fact and fiction
* Be able to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials
* Possess inquisitiveness
* Have a large amount of ingenuity
* Pay appropriate attention to detail
* Be able to express ideas clearly, briefly and very important interestingly
* Learn when to keep you mouth shut
* Understanding for other points of view, other ways of thinking and behaving, even if they are quite foreign to his own.
* Rigidity and close-mindedness are qualities that do not spell a good future in Intelligence
* Must not be over ambitious or anxious for personal reward
and the most important quality: What motivates a man to devote himself to the craft of intelligence?
– Allen Dulles, "The Craft of Intelligence"

Letter Re: Content of Gold Bullion Coins and Numismatic Gold Coins

 

Dear Jim,
Regarding the metal content of gold bullion tokens: Gold Eagles are 22 karat, as are Krugerrands–the respondent in the old mail you quoted had that point wrong, too. (Where he claimed Eagles were less accepted than “pure gold” kruggerands (sic).)
British Sovereigns are also 22 karat, with four coins equaling not quite one ounce of gold. Canadian Gold Maple Leafs, PAMP and Credit Suisse bars, and hallmarked bars and coins with .999 or .9999 are as close to pure as one can find.
However, since it’s the gold content that is being traded, and that content is stated in grams or troy ounces, the alloying metal isn’t that significant. What matters is the taker’s confidence in the hallmarks on the coin or bar. Even if the US government should collapse tomorrow, a Gold Eagle is a known ounce of gold in coin form, with some copper to alloy it, whereas a Joe’s Discount Mint One Ouncer may in fact be .9999 gold, but how can one be sure?
This is why such mundane items as worn out pre-1965 dimes have an intrinsic value. They contain a known quantity of precious metal, that was assayed and certified by a government [that was once] willing to back its exchanges with that metal. – Michael Z. Williamson

JWR Replies: Thanks for that advice. I generally prefer bullion coins rather than fractional gold coins such as Sovereigns and $20 gold pieces. The latter sell for numismatic premiums, which is disadvantageous. And because they have fractional weights, determining their value on any given day is more difficult. For the same reason they will probably be less accepted in post-collapse barter transactions. (Although as I’ve stated repeatedly, silver is best for barter coinage because gold is too compact a form of wealth!)

Readers are warned: If you buy gold bars or ingots, buy only serialized bars and have them assayed. Beware of faked gold coins. This is typically done with Chinese Pandas that are sans a milled rim. Any coin with a milled edge is hard to fake, since that is where the “mold line” of a cast fake would be. (A mold line can be easily polished off of a coin with a smooth rim, but it is far more difficult to do on a milled edge.) My general advice is to buy widely recognized gold bullion coins such as U.S. Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, South African Krugerrands, or Australian Kookaburras.

Buy whatever variety of gold coin is at present the most widely recognized gold coin in your country. Here in the U.S., that means the U.S. Gold Eagle or the Krugerrand–not $20 Double Eagle gold pieces. (I’m no expert, but I suspect that in England that would mean the gold Sovereign. In France the “Rooster” gold franc. In Switzerland, the “Vrenelli” gold franc.)

The bottom line: Buy only from reputable dealers, never buy gold Pandas, and if it is a bullion coin, only buy coins with milled edges!

Letter Re: Feeding Your Dog in Hard Times

Jim,
I was feeding my dogs last night when it hit me; what am I going to do for them if I were in a situation where I could no longer acquire more dog food? I know they love scraps from our food, but I try to keep that at a minimum for various, obvious reasons to us dog owners. As for a substitute to commercially obtained kibble, what sort of foods are best used to feed man’s best friend?
I thought about this a bit, and figured jerked meats mixed with dried grains to cover the basics. As for nutrients, I thought that cooked liver from any animal used for meat would suffice. Are my thoughts going in the right direction? Please advise when convenient.
Thanks in advance, – Steve G.

JWR Replies: Yes, you are on the right track. A few brief points: Dry kibble stores longer that other dry dog food, since it is low in fat. (It is the fat in dog food that causes it to go rancid, shortening its useful shelf life.) Supplementing kibble with table scraps–such as beef trimmings and chicken skin–will compensate for the fat deficiency. Consider raising extra small livestock (such as rabbits or chickens) and setting aside some chest freezer space to provide fodder for your dogs. [The Memsahib adds: We plan to put our traps from Buckshot’s Camp to good use, in part to feed our little lap warmers. The plan is to follow the example of some Alaskans that we know and boil carcases in an outdoor cauldron.]

Store commercial dog food in newly-made galvanized steel trash cans. (If you store it in the original paper sacks you will end up feeding mice, rats, and squirrels instead of your dog.) Rotate your stored dog food consistently through use, just like your other storage food, to insure freshness.

Lastly, prepare yourself psychologically for the absolute worst case, when you might end up starving and have to euthanize your dog(s). Turning a dog loose to fend for itself is cruel and will only serve to build the inevitable packs of feral dogs in the event of a worst case collapse.

Odds ‘n Sods:

There has been much talk about Iran’s new Euro-denominated oil bourse. Presidente Hugo Chavez now says that he might start pricing oil in Euros, too. And President Putin of Russia wants to trade oil and natural gas in rubles. Are they all trying to tell us something about the once-almighty U.S. Dollar?

   o o o

BBC News Economics Editor Steve Schifferes comments on why the dollar is sinking so rapidly.

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The high price of platinum is boosting palladium, as an alternative for jewelry making

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth. For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer." – Patrick Henry

David in Israel Re: Buckshot’s Survival Attitude Versus the “Commando” Survival Attitude

James
Every time I see an article by Buckshot [such as “The Basics of Stocking a Retreat For One Year”, posted May 19th], I am most impressed that he expresses the distilled wisdom of a true survivor. I don’t believe I have ever see him recommend a battle rifle as an primary part of a survivor’s arsenal. A military type rifle in the hands of someone without a realistic idea of combat gives a sense of super hero power. Sadly in a generation of video games where the “Hero” is able to take down whole rogue military installations a subtle psychological training shift takes place. I don’t so much fear the fake violence as much as the ludicrous expectation that the weapon makes the commando. More than anything what really makes a special team is combat practice several times a week, blitzkrieg tactics which make the opposing force play to your rules, and massive expended firepower giving your adversary sensory overload.
My recommendation is to play the mouse and hide using your .30-30 to bag meat and defend yourself until you have squared yourself away in the more important departments. For most people the heavy arsenal is an strong temptation to be the local super cop, an unpopular and very dangerous decision. The nail that sticks up (in a scary “black rifle” way) is the first to be hammered down by any new regional emergency authorities. Even worse are the temptations to use your heavy weapons to supply your family because you failed to do any other preparations.
Remember in a survival situation you are not the U.S. military expeditionary force. Please adjust your survival plans accordingly. – David