We all know some dangerous wilderness survival myths that can get you killed – cutting a snakebite open and sucking the venom out, for example. That’s terrible advice – all you’re doing is inflicting a painful and potentially lethal wound on someone who’s already having a bad day.
Drinking your own urine to survive? No, your body got rid of it for a reason and drinking it will just dehydrate you even more.
These myths are all about wilderness survival, though.
Related: 5 Wilderness Survival “Rules” That Are Actually Myths
Are there more general myths that people – even some preppers – might take as useful advice, but really just put their lives in danger? Yes, there are. Here are five of them.
You Need to Bug Out if the SHTF
Almost all preppers have a bug-out bag. Many have a bug-out location in mind, or perhaps already prepared and stocked.
Bugging out can be a great idea. You might even have no alternative – if a wildfire is bearing down on your home, staying there probably shouldn’t be in your To Do List.
On the other hand, bugging out can also be a terrible idea. Generally, if your home is secure and not in immediate danger you’re likely better off staying there.
If you stay at home you’ll still have all the stuff in your bug-out bag, and all your other stuff. You’ll have more food, more clothes, even power and water for as long as they keep working.
Your home provides shelter – from the weather, animals and other people. It’s usually easier to defend a house than a camp in the woods.
Bugging out should always be an option you’re prepared to take, but it shouldn’t be the automatic response to any crisis.
When the big one hits a lot of preppers are going to find themselves in trouble because they bugged out when they should have stayed right where they were.
You Can Always Live off the Land
A lot of people think that, if worse comes to worst, they can live off the land by hunting, trapping and foraging. Well, maybe they can – and maybe they can’t.
The problem is it’s not just about your wilderness skills. Other things can come into play too.
Related: 12 Pioneer Skills We Can’t Afford to Lose
Your ability to live off the land depends a lot on what season it is. In late summer and fall there are plenty fruits to gather, and animals are fattening themselves up for winter. It’s usually not too hard to gather food then, and anyone with basic outdoor skills should be able to keep themselves alive.
When the cold weather settles in, though, it’s very different. Fruit, fungi and even most edible greenery disappear.
Some animals hibernate; others are losing weight. A lot of wild animals starve to death in winter, and they’re adapted to life outdoors; if even they can’t do it, most humans will struggle.
You can live off the land in winter, but it’s a lot harder – and most people aren’t going to manage.
You Can Rely on MREs and Emergency Rations
There’s no doubt, MREs or dehydrated emergency rations are a convenient way to store food. They’re robust, easy to prepare and have a long shelf life. But can you rely on them long term?
Sadly the answer to that is no, not really. The US Army says MREs are designed to be eaten for up to 21 days, and even then they try to give troops at least one proper cooked meal a day.
They’re loaded with calories, sodium and all the other things your body needs to keep going for a couple of weeks of intense effort, but as a long-term balanced diet they lack a certain something – in fact, quite a lot of certain somethings. Live on nothing but MREs for as little as a week and your digestive system will start to get unhappy.
What about the dehydrated food sold as emergency supplies? Well, they’re no better than MREs – and in fact they’re often worse. Makers are also notorious for overstating how many meals you can get out of them.
A 30-day emergency bucket might only last a week if you make portions large enough to supply all the energy you need. In 2019 Wise Company settled a lawsuit after it turned out some of their meal kits provided just 453 calories a day – nowhere near enough to keep you alive.
MREs and emergency rations are a great solution if you have to spend two weeks in a fallout shelter, but for long-term survival you need real food. It’s tinned food and dried staples that will keep you alive until the crisis ends or your crops are ready, not another pallet of MREs.
You Can’t Miss with a Shotgun
I’m a huge fan of shotguns as survival firearms, to the point where I’d say that if you only have one gun it should be a pump-action 12-gauge. Shotguns are powerful, legal almost everywhere, relatively easy to use and as versatile as a gun can be.
On the other hand, to use a shotgun effectively you still need to be able to shoot.
A lot of people have the idea, probably from watching too many movies, that if you just point a shotgun in the general direction of the targets the spread of pellets will ensure a hit. This is very, very wrong.
If you’re using a shotgun for home defense, it’s probably going to be close range – 20 feet or less. At that range the shot pattern will be less than six inches across even with an unchoked barrel. A shot that would miss with a rifle is almost certainly going to miss with a shotgun, too.
Yes, shotguns are great – but they won’t make up for a lack of skill. You still need to get out there and practice.
You’re Better off as a Lone Wolf Prepper
Survival is much easier if you only have yourself to take care of, right? Wrong.
Related: Are you a Community Member or a Lone Wolf Survivalist?
If you’re on your own you’ll quickly find yourself short of time; just staying alive will eat it all up. Where a group can divide up tasks and get more done, you’re doing it all yourself. The chances are you’ll find yourself at a bare subsistence level.
There’s also security to think of. If you’re on your own, you’ll have no protection from dangerous animals – or people – while you sleep.
Even two people can manage round-the-clock security, although it’ll be tiring. On your own, you’re always at risk of something finding you while you sleep.
Lone wolf status is something you want to avoid. If a real wolf is on its own, it’s looking for a mate so it can form a pack; if it doesn’t find one it will probably die. If being a lone wolf doesn’t even work for wolves, why would it work for people?
Those are five of the most dangerous myths I sometimes hear from preppers. Got any more? Let us know in the comments!
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ar15 pistol make a better home defense weapon then a shotgun.
I respectfully, and somewhat, differ with you. The AR platform projectiles travel much further and thru many more walls, possible injuring innocents. I keep a minimum barrel length and overall length 12GA pump by my bed with turkey shot in it.
Your skill level with an AR pistol will make all the difference in the world. You are probable the skilled exception… most people with such a capable weapon are not.
sorta the smaller projectile tends to frag up more in drywall and you can get different style rounds for a variety of different enivorments as well.
Ar p[istol vs pistol is that the short barrel ar is a lot easier to train people on and use for accuracy its a simple system and with mag capacity going in the 30 to 100 rounds its a nice option for hd
i like shotguns but haven’t found one other then the ksg that would work for me.
Personally use both , well MORE than both ?, for home defense.
I also use high brass turkey shot in the 12 gauge , well 1st shell anyhow, if they’re dumb enough to get up after that one….
But I also use an AR 15 as well, only exception is I make sure the home defense ready is hollow point, not traditional ball. Hollow point will mushroom IN the target , greatly reducing the chance of a through and through with a secondary hit. Well in all actuality all home defense firearms, minus shotguns, are hollow points for this exact reason.
An AR-15 pistol is nothing more than a toy; it’s a terrible choice for a defensive weapon. A short-barreled rifle, on the other hand, could be a great choice.
I think, though, the shotgun is a better choice in most cases. It’s easily controlled and reasonable capacity with many holding up to 8 rounds.
There’s a good argument for AR platform rifles for home invasion scenarios for the high capacity. Maybe an AR close by is a good choice but a high-capacity semi-automatic pistol might be just as good for multiple invaders. The one good case for an AR rifle is 5 to 6 or even more attackers where the difference between 30 rounds versus only 16 to 18 rounds in a handgun could mean life or death. Keep in mind that in stress shootings, hit rates go way down; you need more rounds and, in the multi-attacker home invasion, round count is critical.
The NYPD averages 30% hit rate when there is no return fire and 18% hit rate when under return fire.
Mr. Dale, there is a lot of wisdom in your statement.
The most compelling fact is hit rate – particularly under duress. The majority of individuals seem to under estimate the ability to function in high stress situations.
Target practice is one thing, but when you have bad actors bearing down on you – well, that is a whole different situation. Thank you for the sanity check.
Exodus20, you misunderstand the hollow point in the AR round. Its purpose is for improving ballistic stability. It’s not going to mushroom in the same way that you would expect a hollow point handgun round to expand. A soft point will give you better expansion in an AR round.
Dale….I’ll have to respectfully disagree. All the research I’ve done since reading your comment, supports my thought process.
Although in all fairness, alot suggest the boattail on the h.p as opposed to the tapered end in ball ammo improves accuracy over long distances.
But in retrospect, we ARE discussing home defense as opposed to game hunting, or anything else. And unless anyone has a 500 yard long hallway….
I would qualify that.
An AR15 in pistol caliber with a red dot, light and laser. But, only if you practice with it.
Alternatives are a Glock or Springfield XD Pistol using a CAA Micro Conversion Kit. That way, you can separate the pistol from the MCK for the best of both worlds. But again, practice.
As for Shotgun. I prefer a 410 lever action shotgun. Very easy to manipulate, much more intuitive to cycle than a pump action. Lower recoil, especially if my wife is using it, and easier to top off as needed.
Ed: I’m an old fatman and ‘kids’ tend to look on us with contempt. At least till they see a little girly Leinad aimed at their belly. niio
Close quarters I prefer 45LC /.410 pistol. DO NOT USE SHOT! Use either 45LC or 000 buck. Additional advantage is .410 shotgun hulls are very simple to reload (even by hand) and will fire basically anything that will fit down the barrel if need be. Reloading brass cartridges is more difficult and requires good tools to do it safely. Shotguns are desired for the same reasons and can use shot for hunting or slugs for hunting and defense. Keep the long rifled guns to shoot things and people if need be, before they ever see you.
AR will make smaller holes in your wall but will penetrate more walls than a shot gun, maybe even your neighbors walls. At the end of the day the gun that kills the bad guy is the best option
Personally, I find The Judge a good home defence weapon, with other firepower options always in reserve.
paul harrel had a interesting demo of the judge…… wasn’t very good other then killing snakes.
Let’s pump a few 410 slugs into you and see if it will kill a human.
To supplement Mr. Mason’s comment about just pointing a shotgun, a widespread pattern which is what folks contemplate when they talk about just pointing the shotgun, in a close encounter in a home, hitting your opponent with one or two pellets of double O buckshot will certainly not take a dedicated opponent out. Double ought buckshot is approximately .32 caliber. The .32 caliber pistol is derided by almost every self defense expert today. Yes, in decades gone by the .32 was carried by police officers and military officers. Today folks are much bigger than they were 50 or 100 years ago. During WWII the average height for a soldier was 5’8″. I don’t know what the average height today is but I am positive it is taller than 5’8″. My father was 6 feet tall when he played center for his PA National Guard basketball team. He was considered a tall man for the times. At 6 feet tall, if you are not extremely quick, you won’t even make the team as a guard. Typically the 6 foot player is the shortest man on the team’s roster.
I can assure you, one or two .32 caliber pellets will not stop a 6’+, drugged up, drunk home invader. You want all nine or 11 pellets center mass. Even a turkey load is ???. Yes, if the mass of the shot column impacts the torso it will inflict a really nasty looking wound and may temporarily stun the recipient, but birdshot, even turkey load pellets soon lose their velocity and often times don’t penetrate a large bodied male with sensory inhibiting substances circulating in his body sufficiently to case quick demise.
While Raven is correct that a .224 round does disintegrate is sheetrock whereas an 11-pellet double ought buckshot round will penetrate sheetrock quite easily, he is not talking about the most popular .224 round, the 62-grain, green tip 5.56 round which will penetrate sheetrock quite nicely. He is talking about the 55 grain round. That round, was supposed to tumble upon impacting human flesh. The aim of military shoulder weapons is not to kill the target but to wound the target. The .55 grain fmj round did inflict nasty looking short range wounds. It frequently was not fatal with a single wound and it inflicted those wounds on underfed, small stature folk. I haven’t read any literature of testing on larger mammals. While it is true that the .224 is legal to use on big game in the U.S. it is also true that it is illegal to use on big game in equally as many states in the U.S. One of the arguments put forth by the pro-gun crowd is despite talk by the anti-gunners about the terribly deadly .224 round, it really isn’t that significant a round.
Will Dabbs, MD who is a frequent contributor to various firearms related periodicals served at least two tours in sandbox countries as a battlefield surgeon. It is his stated opinion that if given a choice of which firearm he would prefer to be shot with, he would pick the 5.56 (.224) round over the 7.62×39 round from various ComBloc firearms. He stated that based on his experience treating GSWs from both rounds, the 7.62 round created a nastier, harder to repair wound far more frequently than the smaller .224 bullet.
Raven also overlooks the sad fact that the pistol .224 firearm is illegal to own in multiple states whereas, as pointed out in Mr. Mason’s article, the shotgun is legal in, to the best of my knowledge, every state. In fact, in some states, the shotgun is mandated for hunting large game in lieu of a rifle. While Raven and others recommends leaving those restrictive states, I would suggest that many of us are currently residents of those states left over from times when the demonic party did not control the state legislatures and leaving is not an option for us due to circumstances beyond our control, so that advice is really gratuitous and annoying. It indicates a lack of forethought and understanding on the part of the utterer.
LLC, thank you for pointing out that body mass is much larger these days. It makes a huge difference in considering home defense. Interestingly, what I am seeing in the 20-something group, is that the females are often much larger than the males. They often have stronger personalities too. For the men who are used to looking upon women as those to protect and not the ones forcing their way in the door, I would wonder if this new generation and their different thinking style will change that.
Sagebrush, Lol I think that’s only true for the ones that are Registered democraps.
Lin: Sitting in the local mall watching the folks pass by makes me feel like Gulliver when he reached the land of the giants. The FBI deems 12 inches of penetration satisfactory performance in a defensive handgun round. Twelve inches is necessary in the view of the ballisticians at the FBI in order to reach vital organs. Think about that. Twelve inches of flesh penetration to reach vital organs. It would be one thing if all of our vital organs were lined up against our backbone, but they are not. Twelve inches is basically HALF WAY through the current human body in the U.S. That’s on average. That means there are a lot of folk in whom 12 inches is not quite half way through. Yes, there are some where 12 inches is less, but we can’t count on always having small, skinny bad guys. We have to be prepared for the worst. That means 12 inches of penetration might just reach the end of the outer layer of fat. That is especially true with expanding bullets. That’s why modern bullet manufacturers are constantly striving to improve both expansion AND penetration. A bigger, deeper hole is always better than a shallow, narrow hole.
LOL, you just called out the Millennial Beta Males!
L.c.c.
I understood most 7.62 firearms to NOT be rifled, but 5.56 would be. Causing a tumbling projectile, which WOULD cause more damage , as opposed to the bullet spiraling like a football out of a 5.56.
But I really haven’t touched a civilian version 7.62 so they could be different.
Exodus 20: I had two ComBloc shoulder mounted firearms in 7.62 x 39. Both of those firearms were rifled. I also had two ComBloc firearms in 7.62 x 54R and both of those also had rifled barrels. My brother had ComBloc rifles and those are rifled. I don’t know where you got the idea that ComBloc shoulder firearms are not rifled. As a matter of fact, I just finished reading an article by a noted author who tested the Dragunov 7.62x54R rifle which is used by many different countries as a sniper rifle. It was used as such by the Russians with great effect against opposing Nazi forces during WWII. An unrifled shoulder arm would be useless as a sniper rifle. There are many factors that cause a bullet to tumble. Lack of rifling is one, but that means the bullet will tumble almost immediately upon leaving the muzzle. That has a significant affect on accuracy and range. Tumbling can be accomplished by any number of means upon reaching a target. Bullet weight is one factor. Twist rate of the barrel is another. Bullet configuration is another.
The Brits used a 200 grain bullet in their .38 caliber Webleys which was designed to tumble upon impact. They stopped using it when the Germans complained that it was a dum-dum bullet verboten under Geneva Conventions. It was very effective at bad breath distances. The round sucked at 25 yards.
Dr. Dabbs commented in his article about bullet destructiveness, that it was the larger diameter bullet with more bullet weight that contributed to the damage he attempted to repair while engaged in battlefront surgery. The heavier bullet penetrated more deeply destroying more tissue in its travels through the human body. Much along the lines of my discussion in my first post. A bullet that tumbles, while causing more significant surface damage quickly loses its velocity and doesn’t travel as deeply into the body reaching vital organs that cause quick demise. It serves the military purposes to cause an horrific appearing wound that doesn’t kill. It takes at least two men out of combat to haul a wounded comrade to the rear for needed medical treatment. Also, the psychological impact of viewing an horrific surface wound upon other members of the group can be significant.
While the .224 is a fun gun to shoot and can be almost as cheap to reload as shooting .22LR, even the Army is coming to realize that it really is an insufficient round for military purposes. .25 or .26 caliber seems to be the cartridge that the U.S. forces are going to for a shoulder mounted firearm, vindicating all of us who said that for military purposes the .22 was not suitable for man sized mammals. I don’t care how many prairie dogs you kill with a .22, that doesn’t translate to 200 pound mammals, especially if they are wearing body armor.
why wouldn’t they be rifled……
the 556 at 3200 fps will not really tumble on flesh but create a massive wound caviety that is really hard to walk away from.. Rifle rounds are superior because of the speed and wound channel effects… Hense a lot of people survive a pistol shots but not as many from rifle.
The common handgun rounds do not have the speed necessary to create the wound cavity and unless you nail a vital organ …. its not going to be a ending shot right away
Where do you find an example of a 7.62 rifle in which the barrel is not rifled? I wouldn’t claim that there are none but I surely have not heard of an un-rifled rifle.
No idea where you would get the idea that most 7.62 firearms are not rifled. The only firearms not rifled are shotguns. And even some of them are rifled.
The 30.06, 308 (aka 7.62×51 NATO), 300 Balckout/AAC, 7.62×39, 30/30 are all rifle calibers and the barrels are rifled. Otherwise, you wouldn’t hit jack crap with them. The rifling is what gives them the rotation to insure accuracy.
LCC
the svd dragon wasn’t even in WW2 it was a mid 50s to 60’s as the first purpose built DMR rifle. Excellent rifle and with a marksmen you could easy shoot 600 meters all day long hitting man size targets. Which was double the effective range of a ak47 at the time.
The myth that the m16 or “to wound or not kill is just not the truth” its a old wives tale. The 556 within about 400 meters from a 20 inch barrel. Will have over 2200 fps impact and that alone is enough to create a massive wound channel. So massive that the tissue tears and isn’t able to just seal back up Its a lethal caliber and very effective or we wouldn’t of been using it for the last 60 years. What they couldn’t of predicted was the “combative’s using drugs like cot or pcp” which shuts down the pain receptors.
556 has killed and done a excellent job but they sadly got a lot bad rumors from the nam era vets and it shows. currently i would use a DMR AR15 and engage human targets out to 800 meters. You won’t have the massive wound effect due to the speed drop off but…. getting shot with a bullet is a bad day no matter what. The only reason you see so many people live through it is due to modern medicine.
The guy now claims a smooth bore ak47 ? yeah its a ak shotgun dude.
Ravencraft…..
Pro 12:15 TS2009 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who listens to advice is wise.
The time you spent trying to belittle someone for what they know and what they researched you could have spent looking it up yourself.
If you don’t believe me fine go on whatever search engine you use and listen for the pop when you pull your head out of your 5th point of contact.
belittle ? nobody belittled anyone buddy,
After looking up the smoothbore ak… Well its made for Russians citizens so they can get certified for a rifle. They must be smooth bore qualified for 5 years so they can get the permission to shoot with a rifle. The basic’s of one rare model and one purpose isn’t exactly this a normal rifle. As far as pointing out the myths of the 556…. sure whats the problem with giving out facts .
the m16/ar15 myths are pretty common but we need to make sure the facts are given. What you do with the information given is up to you.
i always enjoyed Psalms as well… 144:1 Blessed be Elohim my rock, Who is teaching my hands for fighting, My fingers for Battle Or Psalms 18:34 Teaching my hands for battle, So that my arms shall bend a bow of bronze. (the modern bow is the ar15)
i find the scriptures to be a more accurate translation. Nobody is here boasting and just sharing facts. We are here to help each other out and get people ready for the end.
We were one of the last Army Basic Training groups to use the 7.62 M-14 rifle. I was with that wonderful firearm from Basic through Infantry training at Fort Polk, LA. I will guarantee you that each and every Military M-14 was rifled without any doubt. All civilian M-1A’s are rifled, go to any gun store and ask to see one. Open the bolt, lock it back and look down the barrel. I can’t imagine any 7.62, (to include the 7.62 X 39 AK/SKS series), are rifled. Please advise as to where you saw or heard of an unrifled 7.62.
All of this is great stuff assuming you only plan to shoot the intruder one time with your shot gun. Closer they get the more accurate your shot will be thus the more holes you will inflect in your target on 2nd and 3rd shot. Chest shots from a 12ga will instantly stop any size man “dead” in his tracks fat or otherwise. I would be much more worried about what the perpetrator is shooting back at you with than the size gun you are firing at him. Without defensive movement training it will be a 50/50 confrontation at best.
At ease everyone.
For those who don’t wanna take the word from the guy who’s been there done that on the smoothbore AK-47… Go ahead and do a quick Google search. Plenty come up .
Remember just bc you haven’t seen something personally , does not negate it’s existence.
Ravencraft,
The smoothbore AK was also used by Soviet special forces or Russian whatever you want to call him now and these days whatever Rose by any other name is still a rose right…..
Beyond that I asked you read from the scriptures 2009? I think it’s wonderful Moon people realize since the letter J wasn’t even invented until roughly 600 years ago that there’s no way whatsoever our creator kind of use that initial in his name or even the fact that since they were Hebrew not English they wouldn’t have been speaking American English.
You may appreciate this one I know it’s one of my favorites….1Ki 20:11 TS2009 And the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl answered and said, “Speak, ‘Him who girds on his armour should not boast like him who lays it down.’ ”
LCC: Day before yesterday going thru the small berg north of Tucson, I saw something missing for a few years, a farm stand that was selling ammo along with the benas, fruit and lettuce. It is Arizona 🙂 Nah, I didn’t stop. I have all the tomatoes we need 🙂 Aside from that, I was broke–blew some bucks on a new apple tree. If he’s still there tomorrow, I might stop to buy a few things. It’s nice that despite the creepy people in congress, some things are back to normal. niio
But probably selling that ammo at an outrageous price.
Dale: In Indian Country? Sorry, I should have clarified: There’s a feed store close by and in the other direction a Cabelas. Man, you can buy canning wax pretty cheap in Indian Country. Nana (granny) likes to coat her cases of ammo with it before she buries it in a nail keg for a future need. niio
LLC: How are you? niio
Ever hear of Readers Digest Condensed Books? I never read your thesis type diatribes. After a few thousand words I get bored.
I use dehydrated food at work. I keep some in my locker. If I am stranded at work I at least have something and even some for other people.
My preferred EOTW emergency rations are Cliff Bars. They are calorie dense, require absolutely no prep other than tearing the wrapper off and last long past the Best By date. I wrote an article a while back about consuming a quantity of Cliff Bars that were eight years past the Best By date and had been sitting, wrapped in newsprint to insulate them while stored in my Ody van. They were drier than fresh Cliff Bars. I don’t know how their calorie count held up but I ate, over a period of time about 24 bars that were seriously out of date. I finished the last of them up a couple of weeks ago. So far I haven’t suffered any noticeable side effects. I have kept Cliff Bars in my car ever since my long distance bike riding days back in the last decade of the 20th century and partway through the first decade of the 21st century.
A Cliff Bar contains about the same calories as one of Wise’s “servings”. I wondered why they had changed their product description from meals to servings. I wrote a letter to Wise complaining about their patently false advertising. The answer I got back was that you were supposed to supplement their “meals” with veggies, bread, dessert and beverage. I wrote back that was ridiculous. When I read “meal” in terms of emergency rations, I assumed that “meal” provided all the nutrition I needed for a meal, approximately 700 calories including protein, not 225 calories of carbs only. Chicken flavored soup is bouillon with noodles, not chicken soup in my lexicon.
Make sure you look at the calorie count of the freeze dried food you have. Look for its protein content. Cup O Noodles is okay for a quick lunch once in a while but if you are hiking home some distance over a few days, it is not going to sustain you in a significant expenditure of energy. Even Mountain House, supposedly the cadillac of freeze dried packaged foods fudges on calorie count. Their “day of meals” comes up a little short at about 1800 calories. The average daily caloric intake of the average America according to the FDA is 2,000 calories per day. Caloric intake varies widely depending upon whether you are a male in late teens to late 20s engaged in vigorous physical activity or a 75 year old woman whose main activity for the day is taking a shower and preparing meals. 2,000 calories a day is a benchmark. It may be more than you need in rare circumstances but may not be nearly enough in others. C-rations used to run between 3300 and 3600 calories per day depending on the elements in the day’s ration. That presupposed the the soldier or Marine consumed all the contents of the day’s ration. MRE also run in that same calorie count. Both rations contain more than the daily requirement for protein. Many civilian rations, while high on calories, are totally lacking or have scant protein. Protein is more expensive than pasta. You might have noticed that if you shop for groceries. A pound of hamburger costs significantly more than a pound of rice or pasta. However, when engaged in strenuous activity (trying to reach home by shank’s mare while dodging hostiles) you seriously need protein in addition to carbs. If your bug-out location is 250 miles by foot carrying your supplies, you are also going to need a good shot of fat each day,
Jay – Right on! I keep a 22” bug-in-bag right next to my bug-out bag under my desk at work. All the comforts of home for a few days if home is not doable. For gourmet dinning, I tuck in a few cans of sardines and a bag of nuts figuring I’ll need the extra protein they provide in any emergency situation. For ambiance, a few tea lights help set the table for an enjoyable evening in.
I keep a box of cliff bars, several cams of chunky style soup, coffee, and brink mix powder in the side locker on my tool box. This is in case it snows down here in the HotLanta area. I have been asked to work through both of the blizzard that hit during the Teens. I had grub available and was not inconvenienced terribly. I also keep a bug out bag in the trunk including a sleeping bag and water filter. This is because I am a drilling guardsman in my state and subject to recall in Emergency times.
A Shotgun is great for home defense but not as a survival weapon…I have lived out of a rucksack before where every ounce counts. Shotgun shells are big and heavy in comparison You can carry many more centerfire rifle rounds and many many more 22 Long Rifle rimfire rounds. Shotguns have limited range, get in a firefight with someone hundreds of yards away with a centerfire rifle and you with a shotgun will lose. I have weighed loaded 556 magazines and 7.62 magazines and 308 magazines you have to decide on what is the weight you can carry versus the most effective round. I love my 458 Winchester bolt action rifle but it is not a weapon I would carry for survival. This is only for a rucksack or bug out bag survival if you have a stockpiled perimeter then having multiple weapons and ammo makes sense. Thanks for another Great Article !
PH: Each of us have preferred firearms. I would suggest that as an all around firearm, the shotgun has many virtues. If you are engaging me at 100 yards with a rifle and all I have is a shogun with slugs, I would suggest that in the hands of a skilled shooter, experienced in his firearm, at 100 yards the rifleman would be in as much danger as the shotgunner firing slugs. At 300 yards, I would say, why are you engaging? At 300 yards, your chances of escape and evasion are better than attempting to engage in a shootout at 300 yards no matter what you are carrying. I wouldn’t want to be standing 300 yards from somebody who was shooting at me with a shotgun loaded with slugs. He or she might get lucky while I was getting extremely unlucky. I don’t know how far a slug will carry but the old packages of .22LR used to carry a warning that the .22LR was dangerous to one mile.
In an EOTW situation engaging in a firefight is fraught with untold dangers. The simple flesh wound in an EOTW situation could well prove to be fatal after infection sets in. That is another reason why smaller caliber firearms were effective 100 years ago. There were no antibiotics. If you had a deeply penetrating gut wound even surgery was equally fraught with danger. Most times you faced a death from peritonitis which was a lingering, painful death. It might even be that a .32 wound channel was more fatal eventually than a .45 caliber wound channel. With more primitive compared to today, medical techniques available it might be that a .45 caliber wound channel could be irrigated more easily than the .32 caliber wound channel which closed up more quickly. It would be interesting to get an old time doctor’s opinion about that posit. Unfortunately, doctors who were practicing in 1921 are rare. There must be a website that talks about the efficacy of treating bullet wounds in the early years of the 20th century before antibiotics. There certainly were a plethora of them during WWI with hundreds of thousands of wounded and many of them gut shots. I would have to look the figure sup for the First Battle of the Marne but I know when I first read them I was astounded. Just hauling that many wounded back to the first available aid station was a major chore. I won’t quote what my recollection is because it is so high that at first thought I would think I was wrong.
Doves and other fowl will be a staple of our diet in an EOTW situation. Try taking a dove with your .223/5.56. It is hard enough to get them with a 12 ga loaded with over a hundred #8 shot. Sure, you might get lucky, but how much meat will be left after your hollow point .55 grain .224 bullet tears through the dove? What is left will be mostly blood-shot and while edible, definitely not appetizing. Although after it is stewed, you might not be able to tell.
Excellent points made. I have a three point rule when it comes to gunfights:
1. Run like hell if possible.
2. Find cover that will protect you.
3. Shoot back and don’t waste your ammo.
Ok, I’ll add one…. Gunfights are great on TV! Not in real life! Ask that liberal idiot Alec Baldwin.
Left Coast Chuck as one that knew many poachers over the years I can tell you plenty of fowl-small game are taken with the humble 22 rifle or pistol. 22 shorts in a carbine were preferred as I’ve used them to quietly stop a marauding squirrel in my garden with dog walkers nearby none the wiser (unless they wonder why their dog jumped).
My springer air rifle is much louder.
It’s that old saying of a “Sitting Duck” as poachers would take them on the ground with a rifle.
Also I know way too many simple traps to gain ownership of live birds for my dinner with out wasting a shot NOR having to waste my SHTF “Spare time” hunting them. That way any extra can be kept for tomorrows dinner. 🙂 Most of those traps can be made with willow twigs and easily baited with found bird snacks.
In house defense I’ve trained plenty of dependent wives in the Army how to use a 20 gauge pump shotgun with a cylinder bore 20 inch barrel. My unit armorer was willing to help in shortening stock sporting barrels to this legal length.
I trained them to load high brass #6 lead shot for them and AIM for the groin-thigh. In the largest homes I’ve visited none had a interior range long enough to reduce the nastiness of that loading. No body armor there unless your wearing high threat Marine grade Body armor. As a surgical sort I can assure you even the Meth-heads will do poorly if you blow their leg-groin away. Way too many major arteries in that area. Major blood loss RIGHT NOW.
Also I used to build simulated home walls with 2X4’s and drywall. Some of that #6 would get through but most stopped. The Second simulated wall stopped that so less chance to kill your kid in the house. Misses in high stress events occur. Even with highly trained police and soldiers. That helped get the wives interested in the 20 gauge as they were afraid of killing a neighbor with missed bullets.
Interesting about 55 grain .223 or 5.56mm X 45 mm and drywall. Every time I tested various pistols and AR style weapons on my simulated walls they BLEW THROUGH both walls quite well with some keyholing in the SECOND WALL.
Pistols with Hollow point bullets often plug with drywall as discovered digging out the spent slugs from the range earth backstop. They did not expand but acted like FMJ Hardball. Stray Buckshot will penetrate just like pistol bullets. No interior walls will stop them.
Two in the hips-groin and one in the lips the Meth-Head will stop.
I don’t underestimate the power of a semi-auto 22 long rifle carbine. I was called one too many times as EMS to a home shooting to see the results on a wife beater when the lady dumped a tube full of 22 into the attacker. Not my choice for self defense but I have made killing shots at a measured 125 yards on a coyote going after my chickens.
Against a Meth-Head a full dump of 22 long rifle into the groin would be my choice. More than a fair chance to get a central nervous system hit, excellent chance to cripple both legs until the massive blood loss does the job.
left-coast, I think you’re correct about EOTW firefights. You could have dozens of AR rifles, thousands of rounds pre-staged in hundreds of magazines and get killed in the first firefight. Even if you’re good, surviving firefight after firefight after firefight just is not likely, I don’t think. Maybe some of those who have survived real firefights might tell us more but I don’t have their experience or training. My plan is to avoid them at any possible cost.
City pigeons will be more useful than doves, a little more meat on the bone.
All the talk of bullet wounds, I’ve read a lot of the personal accounts soldiers write about their war experiences, descriptions of .276 wounds from the AK by Vietnam vets are really something, those big high energy rounds travel a long way in the body, like entering the calf, turning up to wreck the knee joint before exiting and re-entering in the thigh or abdomen. In Blackhawk Down Bowden writes that a lot of the troops were using teflon coated .556 to defeat body armor, but the only armor the Somalis had was their ribs and the rounds would drill little .556 holes passing through their bodies with no stopping power.
I am a simple old man with degenerative shoulders and very happy with the Winchester .375 ol Santy Claus brought me years ago. Deer and feral hog, that’s good eating, God help us if we ever have to live off pigeons, varmints, and weeds.
LCC, in an EOTWAWTI those that survive will be those that successfully observe, assess, and adapt. I would not depend on hunting with a rifle or shotgun as my primary source for meat & poultry, instead I would attempt to trap and snare birds and small game, at least until the human population had stabilized and the wildlife had recovered enough to make hunting for food a feasible option. Doves, pigeons, crows, rabbits, squirrels, rats, and such can be caught with properly set snares.
LLC, Thanks for taking the work for me. Having your 48 hour survival food is what we have all prepared for. But correctly we’re not eating that shit for long. You have to have a longer term plan ready. As for your weapon of choice, it’s just that, your choice. We tend to run down the alley screaming every time this kind of topic comes up. I got my weapons, and you have yours, and for many reasons. First you have to survive the night and have something to eat to stay sharp, otherwise in 24 hours, you’re going to make a mistake and all this conversation will be for naught.
Rick: I agree. We need sufficient calories to maintain our faculties, especially our mental faculties which will mean the difference between life and death.
My grand daughter once asked me if I believed in zombies. I told her I didn’t believe that zombies were walking dead but I believed after an end of the world event we might see folks who strongly resembled zombies. Their blank stares and shuffling gait would be indicative of serious prolonged calorie deprivation. Their unkempt appearance was dictated by scarcity of water and lack of energy to keep up one’s personal hygiene. Loss of teeth might well be due to scurvy because of lack of fresh meat or vitamin C fruit. Their raggedy, dirty clothing, again would be indicative of not enough energy to care about their personal hygiene , including clean clothing. Their apparent hunger for human flesh, well in an EOTW situation, sadly, cannibalism will rear its ugly head. First it will start with folks who are already dead. Once started it will graduate to folks who are almost but not quite dead and finally full blown to where humans are actively hunting other humans to eat.
I know folks will disclaim that they would never indulge in such fare. Before you make such a declarative statement, consider this: Your three kiddies have kwashiorkor because they haven’t eaten regularly for quite a few months now. Aunt Matilda’s heart has finally given out and she is still slightly warm. Your kiddies are listless and barely able to talk because they are so weakened by hunger. There is Aunt Matilda. You know why she died. She wasn’t wracked with some wasting disease. Your kiddies are so weakened they can’t even swat the flies that swarm around their eyes, nose and mouth. Their poor bellies look like they are 14 months pregnant. There is Aunt Matilda. You know deep inside you that without some immediate nourishment your kiddies are going to be joining Aunt Matilda. To channel Karl Malden, What will you do? What will you do?
I don’t need an answer. I know what you will do. You will save your kiddies. How much further you will go is the only question that is up for debate.
Too many people are afraid to die. I don’t want to die but I’m not afraid of death. When things turn so bad that the choice is eating each other, I will gather my family together, in each others arms, and we will die together.
I feel sorry for those who are so afraid of death and dying that their survival plan is to become a zombie and to kill others only so that they can survive. What a sorrowful and hopeless life they must live.
LCC: Yo!
niio
I told 3 kids (poking fun at me being an old man) holding 50-cal pistols one time I would rather hit an intruder with my .17 HMR than miss him with your 50-cal. Didn’t go over very well. LOL
No man is an island. niio
true but then again watching the rambo people justify how they will survive is just interesting. Doing a 21 day cold weather course with 7 days in the field alone. you come to the conclusion that you can’t do it all and you need a team.
The comment about being alone, yes it much harder not that being alone can’t be done. Knowing and preparing a head of time can help. A moose will circle back with there noses into the wind before bedding down so any predator has to come with there scent in the wind. Although, going up against a human threat is and can be a whole lot different the basic principle given us by the moose is not much different. If you have to sleep and your are alone try to fine a secure quiet location seemingly one with a one way entrance and possible escape route. Simple signal or booby traps alerts with flares or sound set up on a trail or via an approach to your location can save your life and add in your escape. Pinterest has some great ideas and photos for setting up boogy traps. The game of survival is as much thinking and planning as it is skill and defense. However, as the article mentions, if one can link up with others try to do so because your better off in a group. There’s safety in numbers.
The idea of a group is as dangerous as it gets. Groups will always be run by the bullies with the weaker within the group left to die or even intentionally killed. Perhaps religious-based or family-based groups would keep a bit of their humanity and caring for all but most groups I read about on the Internet are more skills-based. Some wannabe leader finds a doctor or nurse, a trapper, a woodsman, a carpenter, and whatever other skills they need to have in their group and excludes the elderly, the weak, or anyone without critical skills on their list.
Groups will be inherently socialist or even communist. Those who have prepared well will turn over their own preps to the group to be distributed to those who prepared poorly but have some skill this new government prefers. Yes, groups are a government of their own.
I’ll go it alone, thank you.
spoken like someone who isn’t going to do much but rant and bitch. Look without a group you die. You can’t hunt/shelter build and do everything all alone. Getting hurt or injured would kill you. Sorry but your lone wolf idea is just really dumb and you should rethink a plan. Just because you’re the issue with joining groups and can’t play nice. Doesn’t mean you need to give terrible advice.
A group doesn’t always need a leader and a group of about 12 people can make a lot of work easier. I didn’t even touch on security which is vital… i suppose rambo here doesn’t need to sleep and his idea would be running around the woods with a buck skin and a knife too.
Best of luck with your terrible ideas and hopefully you don’t have go through a painful death..
Man, a group is what a group makes it to be. Keep it American and you’ll run more or less smoothly with 1 war/defence leader voted in my the group, and all adults in the group as council. this is how things were run for thousands of years in the Americas and Europe. In the Americas, we never fell for inherited rights like kings. Ifd any goof tried that, he was invited to lead the charge–unarmed–in the next battle we had. Study the mountain men. they either partnered or died very young, and often badly by way of going insane.
I don’t have to hunt, build, or do anything alone. While you’re busy doing the real ranting and bitching on the Internet, I have already built and I have the means in place to support myself and my family for the rest of my life. Can I defend it? Come try to take it and find out.
If you think your group can defend you from marauders you’re wrong. As soon as a larger group comes, you’re dead. Or as soon as a smarter group and they pick you off one-by-one. If you want to be on the move, armed, and looking for gunfights, you’ll find them. I’m not looking for that life and, you might be right that some group will come and kill me. There’s nothing that you or I can do to guarantee we’re going to live through every emergency or every attack. You choose for you and quit judging others who choose differently.
You’re the wannabe Rambo, thinking you’re going to play warfare out in the woods. The only way you could possibly hope to feed yourself is to become the zombies I’ll be picking off.
I’ll be just fine; don’t worry about me and don’t make assumptions on what possible world situations I prepare for.
Michael: Yes, I have read that more people die from .22 bullets than any other caliber. I also read an article about an older Indian woman in the wilds of Canada who hunted moose and bear with an old pump action .22 that had a broken stock. She used the simple (easier said than done) expedient of getting very close to her prey and being very accurate with the gun that she had been using for years and years (beware the man—or woman— with only one gun). I would be extremely reluctant to hunt either animal with a .22 rifle, even if the stock were whole and assuming I had developed the woods skills to enable me to creep up on the animal to some extremely short distance.
I agree with you about a groin/pelvis shot. I have personal knowledge of two recipients of center mass shots to the upper torso. Both survived very nicely and the only treatment they received was a bandaid front and rear. Both shots hit dead center. The one dead smack on the breastbone with a .45 acp round from a military 1911 pistol. The round glanced off the breastbone and traveled around the shootee’s torso between the ribs and skin, exiting from his back close to his armpit. He walked to sickbay where the corpsman applied a bandaid fore and aft.
The other involved a .38 which entered about an inch over the left nipple, and proceeded straight through to exit slightly under the left scapula. Again, on-scene medics applied a bandaid fore and aft and that sailer returned to duty.
Even assumong that you miss your intended target and hit a little higher, while I don’t have first hand knowledge, I understand that a gut shot is debilitatingly painful, so even if you don’t manage to hit one of the major blood vessels running through that area, it is quite likely that the gut shot aggressor will have a sudden loss of aggression as he attempts to deal with the pain.
The first shooting case I handled involved a Marine getting shot in the buttocks with a .45 acp military round. His buddies all thought it was funny until they noticed that he was bleeding an awful lot. By the time the medics arrived with the ambulance he had bled out. That was a big shock to me. First case and what I always assumed was just a painful but certainly not fatal wound. There was no autopsy as the investigation wasn’t really interested in the details of the manner of death. It was obvious. Lots of witnesses to a drunken grab-ass session with fatal results. That he bled to death was obvious from the very large pool of blood. That was a surprise too, how much blood is involved in an exsanguination. That was my very first one, so there were a lot of surprises for me.
The only real experience I have with a gut shot is a hog I once shot. He was standing still at right angles to me, dead in front of me. Unfortunately, just as I released the shot he lurched forward and my shoulder shot went into his gut. He dropped immediately and I dispatched him with a pistol shot to his ear. He lay still as I approached. That is unusual conduct for wild pigs as they will usually run some distance if the shot isn’t instantly fatal. I have heard of other gut shot animals running off so vigorously that they are never found.
I worked on another case where the shootee grabbed a 20 ga. shotgun barrel and unfortunately for him, the shooter had the single shot shotgun cocked and his finger was on the trigger. The act of grabbing the barrel end of the shotgun pulled the shotgun holder’s finger against the trigger. The shootee was gut shot with the shot column shattering his liver. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy said that if the shootee had fallen on the gurney in a fully equipped operating theater with the surgical team standing by, they couldn’t have saved him because the damage to his internal organs was so massive it would have been impossible to overcome the damage before death ensued.
However in that case, the shootee was a young man who was somewhat on the slim side to the extent that a bullet capable of penetrating 12 inches would have been a through and through wound.
I have seen some stout bad guys who were so stout I wondered if the shot column would have even penetrated the layers of fat that surround the internal organs. The abdominal fat pad was so thick even a 12 gauge with four ought buck might have trouble penetrating.
Then we have the deputy sheriffs’ shooting in this county that I recounted in an earlier article where the shootee was first hit with, I think, 4 “non-fatal” shotgun rounds followed by several hits with 9 mm pistol rounds at dangerously close distances to the officers before he fell dead. You can read that article in the archives if you want. I think it is called “The Anatomy of a Shooting.” It contains extensive sections from the District Attorney’s very thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. I think quite a few readers got a good education about the dynamics of the shooting which was over in just a few short minutes from the time the first deputy arrived on scene and when the shootee fell over dead. I think the full DA’s investigative report should be required reading by everyone who asks the question, “Why didn’t they do XXX?” With the shootee advancing on the deputies with the knife in his hand they barely had time to present their firearms and commence fire.
Left Coast Chuck, I continue to be amazed at folks thinking massive lard butt people are somehow “Armored” against centerfire ammo.
The REASON the FBI was demanding 12 inches of penetration for a pistol round was bone, muscle and the often odd angles the target shows the shooter.
Fat stops nearly nothing rolling in at 900 FPS or higher. I’ve been involved in literally 100’s of surgeries on shooting victims in the two decades I have worked Level 1 Trauma Centers.
I have NEVER picked out a bullet out of an obese persons fat. Never. I’ve picked out of a morbidly fat woman a pair of flattened 36 grain bulk HP 22 bullets flattened out against the pelvic girdle and spend over 4 hours sewing up many, many holes in her bowels, Uterus and bladder. She was lucky no major blood vessels or CNS was hit.
Same reports about buckshot and any centerfire ammo except “Perhaps” the 25ACP. So many 25 ACP ammo is very low powered because the manufacturers know cheap crappy little guns use them. When John Browning created the 25 ACP it was a MUCH HOTTER Load.
An grossly Obese person vs a load of #6 lead shot at home defense ranges *Might* not get deep enough damage BUT if you AIM at the Groin-Thigh I can assure you they will not waddle you down and sit on you.
Now knives and clubs a massively fat person has “some” protection but really aside from a Sumo Wrestler how many morbidly fat people can out fight even this old man?
Michael: Being a lard butt I can agree 100% with you 🙂 But, you never want to get in reach of a smiling fat man. Hauling around all that blubber means iron muscles and very often lightning reflexes. If you know any Choctaw, watch them. They aren’t called people of the bear for nothing. niio
Michael – Thank you for what you choose to do. From your post here, it’s obvious that you stepped in and helped folks who can not only not help themselves, but who for one reason or another, find themselves in the worst possible situation in life imaginable. Lots of talk here about being prepared, but the best way to do that in my humble opinion is to be well educated, well trained, and highly skilled in life saving measures. Knowing what to do helps one make good decisions in
all life situations especially where moments count.
I think the biggest mistake a Prepper can make is being convinced the collapse of civilization (or return of Jesus) is right around the corner. It’s not. I prepare for a long term event, it is a scary world, if the Indians get into it with the Chinese or Pakis,if Israel nukes Iran, if China attacks Taiwan, NOKO attacks SOKO, or NATO and the Russkies get in a big fight over some backward Godforsaken land of fools and idiots, I say worry. I lived through such a scenario, the Cuban Missile Crisis, when that handsome philandering slobbering idiot JFK almost destroyed Western Civ, so I am always prepared for a bad situation. But a lot of what I read makes me think some Preppers ruin their happiness with visions of impending Doom. We’re in America, and we can live really fine happy lives and still be ready. It’s fun to learn about firearms, gardening, pickling foods, wilderness camping, hunting. I gave up city life in 1985 and highly recommend country living, I am not a survivalist homesteader but am way ahead of most people. I chose my way of life because I like it. I hope people aren’t neglecting long term fulfillment because they have Apocalyptic visions.
Judge: Yep. Even if Jesus is coming soon, soon would be a minimum of 7 years after the collapse. WWI vets had it right, praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. niio
Better start counting.
I do agree many believe ‘the end is near’ or perhaps the Lord will rapture us out of the real trouble. I also agree that there could be terrible times coming that OFTEN happen in the unfolding of history. I do not agree that ‘we live in the US’ so it can’t happen to us. It has already happened in many cities in our country, with no punishments or concern from our govt. I lived two years off grid in Haiti; we returned in early 2019 due to my husband’s health issues, and saw that poor corrupt country implode. It is worse now after the assassination of their president and gangs taking control of everything. Kidnapping for ransom is the new industry. Our country is larger and has lived under rule of law for centuries, but it is seriously divided and like a powder keg with a fuse hanging out. Several groups are standing nearby with lit matches…. Things can get worse in a BIG hurry. Death will come to every one of us. I never thought it might come in a breakdown of our wonderful country, but it very well might.
O, he’s coming soon.
If you new the Bible, “you should no” when JESUS is coming back.
There will be so many lukewarm people. He will spit them out of his mouth.
My long term fulfilment is being in Heaven, not here on earth, O’ I mean in hell.
but to each his own. good luck. ?
if you KNEW the Bible, you’d know that you cannot know when Jesus is coming back. Just live your life.
Most of those who will perish on His coming will be those who spent their lives telling how much they knew about His coming or how much they believed or loved Him.
“sad” that you, don’t seek him all the days…
I would think, if you DO NOT seek him. Then those that DO NOT, “will” be the one’s that perish
Get to know the Bible and you to will see…
red ant, why would you judge me and make such a statement that I don’t seek Him? You know nothing at all about me. I would suggest that you read Matthew, Chapter 6. You can brag in public all you wish about your devotion to Jesus. It doesn’t mean a thing to me. I’ll keep my faith private.
Dale,
then why did you judge me, by saying what you said. ?
best that you do keep it private. I keep mine private.
keeping it private is your prayers to him. go in your closet.
“Spreading the great return of JESUS. Is Not predicting the second coming”. I’m just saying not predicting. (There is a diffrents).
It’s funny that one can say something about one but can’t say something about one. Do you know me.
That is the problem, Go forth and spread my Gosple. Most misinterpret the scripture when someone says something about it, as you predicting what will happen in time. No one knows. But if you read, it states very clearly what is and what will be.
Would you just let someone inject you with a VACCINE that you don’t no anything about. or would you research first and then see if you want to take it or you find out its a lie.?
Keep “spreading” not predicting, the Gospel. Research and then you can come back and Dog on me.
If it dose not mean anything to you, then why did you post about me.?
And if YOU knew the bible that well you would know that ” no man knoweth the day our Lord will return”
Red ant, you’re not spreading the gospel, you’re boasting and predicting that which cannot be predicted.
I’ll tell you what. You tell me just exactly when you think the Lord is coming and, assuming it’s in my life time, we’ll have a wager for 1000 dollars that he doesn’t come when you say he will. And I’m not asking for a date or time. Give me a decade. I’m good for the 2020s and the 2030s if the Lord wills it. Maybe even the 2040s and into the 2050s. Just tell me which of those your inside knowledge tells you he will come and we can make our wager.
AGAIN… How is spreading the Gospel, Bosting Or Predicting anything. ??? Come on man… You have to do better, if you want to dog on me…
NO, I did not give “YOU” or “any time in my life” have I ever give a prediction about the second coming of Christ.
But if “you” are so concerned about what I think. “You” have had time in “your life” to find “the truth” in the Bible. Haven’t “YOU”.
Let say this, You want to place a bet with me. I bet you that Jesus is coming back soon. We will let GOD decide, who is right or wrong about his returning.
As far as money to bet with over what is in the Bible “is not a good deal” and I personally, will not bet money.
Sad that even “you” would want to bet money on something that is ‘so true’ in the Bible.
‘Would you’ be just like the Roman soldiers, who was casting lots for his Garment.
Just look for your self, if you do not believe me. It’s in the BIBLE…
(Waste not your time or mine). LOOK for your self. Pray to GOD for him to open your eye’s.
Seek Him.
PS: I DID, long ago…
Come on, I know it is very Hard to believe in some things, BUT you surly have felt Him. YES… When you held your new born child, you were holding Him. YES…
Seek Him. He will answer all “your” questions.
and if you knew the bible. It say that there will be signs and yes, “I no not” that (day or hour). Plus I did not give a (day nor an hour), in my post.
Again there will be signs. They are in front of you when you know the Bible.
I see them all around…
People have been predicting the imminent return for 2000 years based on twisting world events to match the promised signs.
Just fallow the scripture.
It’s right there…
Well with isreal coming back as a country in the last 70 years and a few things like our global events and technology that would allow for a one world currency is a telling sign that’s its coming.
This is a most welcomed common sense article that is sure to bring a lot of folks back to reality.
Another big myth is that you can run to Alaska and live happily ever after. Most who harbor that fantasy know nothing of reality. We lived several years in the Interior. You cannot ‘live off the land’ unless you have years of experience, preferably generations of experience. The dream of wild game everywhere is a myth. The photos you see are of animals in National Parks etc most of the time. Where they are hunted, there are SCARCE. Intentionally so. Don’t try Alaska unless you are young and strong and VERY experienced; even then things are different there. Things you never expect. The sun does not travel the same path as in the Lower 48. Winter is very very cold. If you cannot deal with long dark winter nights without depression, don’t go. The alternative is going IF you are rich and have lots and lots of equipment and know how to use it; and quickly build a sturdy shelter/cabin that will withstand earthquakes/ cold/ overwhelming swarms of mosquitoes/ flooding when the snow melts, and again in August when the rivers flood from glacial melting/ lack of fats, carbs, etc which can result in death. Even the Native peoples of the Interior (Athabascans) often starved to death in many winters before the advent of Sam’s Club in Fairbanks and the snow machines/gasoline/freight barges/bush planes of today. Which can easily disappear in a day if an EMP or nuke attack occurs. Alaska is magnificent but merciless. And nowadays dependent on outside suppliers. Don’t believe the survival ‘reality’ shows. Then come to face with reality and death.
Alice – Don’t most Alaskans winter in Hawaii?
CC: Arizona 🙂 Maybe 20% of snowbirds in town are from Denver or places even closer to the north pole. we seem to be popular with folk from Montana, Canada, and Alaska. There was a family here from Washington St., but they went somewhere closer to home. something about drying out and crumbling from a lack of humidity. Montana and Alaskans usually head back home before the geese do. Like some told me, it ain’t winter till the snow covers the hubcaps on the pickup. niio
Perhaps the best survival idea is like the VC and NVA, go underground where no one can find you or go so remote no one can find you. Would it be difficult if not impossible just watch the TV show Alone. The problem is food, if you have a group of twenty to thirty people hopefully with different skill sets you need, then you can have perimeter guard duty 24/7 some on guard duty while others are working, planting crops, taking care of livestock, cutting firewood, bringing in water from a water source, hunting and fishing and foraging. Even then if attacked by the military or law enforcement you are toast, but that probably would not happen if society and the government collapses. Then you would just be attacked by roving groups of starving people, which probably would not be very large due to the small amount of food they would be finding. Stockpile, non hybrid seeds, medical supplies, hand tools, clothing, canned and freeze dried food, water purification units, firewood, firearms and ammo just to name a few. Will it be easy and guarantee your survival ,,,, no…
You’re actually describing the reason for and evolution of cities.
PH, with the ease of grow lights and methane digesters, I can see people doing that. Just go in and seal the unit for a year. But, better have a few million to drop on the project. The feds built a small city underground in Tenn, I think, in the 50s, then abandoned it. Apartments are there for every congressman, room for servants, and barracks for Marines. For that matter, there’s supposed to be several, all for government. niio
Interesting Comments. Main thought.. NO weapon choice.. none.. zero…nada.. nyet.. is worth crap…. if YOU haven’t trained to the point of proficiency. Then really, Any of them are fine. FACT: Opinions are like bosses and diapers… on your axx and full of shix! But they are yours.. so hold them… without smacking down someone else’s. I saw someone praising the virtues of the .556.. and that they could shoot out to 800 yds. and then good for you. I wouldn’t want to be you… when you come up against Mr .308 or Mr 300WM. it won’t be fair. Home defense? Male: Benelli M4, Beretta 92, and SBR AR platform. Female: The same… or whatever their personal frame size allows for PROFICIENCY.
Bugged Out? HK91 or AR10. and wherever whatever else may come.. make no mistake.. there will be a.22lr with a huge magazine nearby… I knows I know I know.. ha ha. he’s got a 22LR. but you know who isn’t laughing.. Ronald Reagan, James Bradey, and a few Secret Service guys.. all in what..4 seconds? Factoid: 1944ish..U.S. Army tests the 22LR for lethality. determines that a1/2″ piece of plywood is the same effort that it takes for the sad little 22 to penetrate the sternum.. and 4″ of tissue to reach the heart. sorry little shix round popped through it… at F O U R H U N D R E D
Y A R D S ! before you open your mouth and utter vehement revocations… you might want to you tube one Kirsten Joy Weiss. she shoots eggs…..eggs…. at 300 yards. EGGS. I killed a duck..7 shots to figure out my Kentucky Windage.. and I called him dead on the last shot..at 375 paces along a levy.. with witnesses…. but an EGG… ohhh oh. and she was STANDING!@!$##
not prone.. no bipod.. no bag nor bench. MARRIAGE MATERIAL! point to be taken, moral of the story… PROFICIENCY… That’s the word of the day.
Good luck with lobbing 22lr into anything at 400 yards. the long range 22lr Matches i partook in are fun and a good time. However it required some decent setup and the hold overs for a non setup rifle would be intense. The avg shooter isn’t going to be taking out people at 400 yards with 22lr.
556 vs 308 vs 300wm….. It wasn’t a point to have a stand off but then again…. You need to be in position and at a point to fight. this isn’t a movie and most of the people are to out of shape to even climb stairs. Let alone have the skills to fire a rifle at those ranges.
Quoth the Raven, I wonder if you have ever shot anything outside a measured range.
I’ve done Iron Ram shooting some years ago, was pretty good at it so long range shooting isn’t unknown to myself. We USED a Spotter and Spotting Scope. We ALREADY Knew where the targets were. I also have hunted woodchucks in ranchers fields. True pop up targets there. Not easy to see with out a spotting scope.
Unless the human is dressed in flame orange SEEING a “Target” at over 200 yards is quite the feat of observation. I am speaking both as a retired soldier and a Successful Yearly Deer Hunter who doesn’t use a deer stand, I find seeing a viable target past 200 yards is pretty unlikely.
BTW I have hit a 18 inch square target with a 22 long rifle @200 yards. Won a case of beer for that trick just before COVID shut things down. A few shots for windage as the 22 is very affected by wind then fire for effect. The drop on average for a rifle sighted in at 100 yards is 6 inches. So someone that knows how to shoot a 22 rifle can get effective fire on you at 200 yards.
But your the Raven Prepper Expert, tell us how things really work 🙂
I often shoot 600 yards with center fire rifles and a 18 inch target at 200 isn’t exactly hard with a 22
Exactly right! “If you cant hit a nail with a hammer, it doesn’t matter what kind or brand of hammer you have.”
Whatever you use for home defense… be practiced with it. Any gun just gives you a fighting chance, it’s not a guarantee of success. Practice makes perfect!
Great Comment Greg, Proficiency and Training and Mindset and Preparation are the name of the game. In regards to the 22 long rifle, can carry hundreds if not thousands of rounds and great for hunting small game.
I have multiple weapons, from 9mm to .300 blackout, and they will only be useful for home defense and hunting by my husband.
We will have to bug in, because I am homebound. At least as a retired nurse, I have skills that I can use for barter. Sarge is a retired cop, and we are both under 60 so we have lots of time left. My biggest concern is that something happens while he’s at work, and probably while he’s 100 miles away at his furthest restaurant. (Regional manager for a restaurant chain) If that’s how it happens, I have to hunker down and pray he’s able to get home.
We can only speculate what TEOTWAWKI looks like, and how others will react. It is distressing to see Patriots cutting each other verbally. I hope when it’s needed, we all pull together, respectful of our social and solitary members alike.
Peace is hoped for, war prepared for. And remember, novices talk tactics, professionals talk logistics.
Excellent comment!
Kathysedai, I hope your husband has a bicycle in his vehicle so he can get home if the vehicle is disabled (EMP, road blocks and so on). Beats walking at about 1-2 miles per hour.
Even with an inexpensive folding bicycle I can do an easy 10-12 miles per hour all day.
I’m over 60 and rode today in a rather brisk 36-40 degree day a bit over 40 miles this afternoon. Good exercise and I ride in rather hilly New England.
Always have two ways to get home besides walking.
I bought a cargo E-bike for a few reasons.
The first are my less than helpful legs.
Second for the exercise and fresh air.
Third, it is wonky and I am an old, instant nonthreat conversation.
Fourth, I have been places, even in the local neighborhood I have never been to before.
Fifth, it is fun and less annoying than my small dirtbikes.
While not strictly ‘survival stuff’ it has been money well spent for a change.
Chip could you please tell us the brand of e-bike you bought.
Blix, although RAD is very comparable with one less battery to maintain.
I have looked at the cargo bike concept for many years, and even talked to a few reverse trike owners I have come across.
When I lived in town (a mile from the liquor store/all the things shopping plaza) it would have been ideal.
I also purchased a 100# capacity trailer for it, as where I am now is ten miles out and 10 miles back.
If you want me to go on, please say so.
I have huntin’ peckered enough for this post.
Chip, Thank you for the reply, yes a little more details. I was looking at the Vika folder from Blix and wondered how well the company treated you, quality of bike and packaging, ease of assembly?
Also what brand of trailer did you get, same details 🙂
My spouse isn’t much into biking but a e-bike might get us home if things get stupid.
Ah, my reply from the Email updates got clipped.
The only mild complaint that I have had was the shipping time.
Ordered in June, received in late September.
Assembly was easy, instructions good, and Blix wants you to be one of the family.
English speaking(california)is available,help line etc.
Spares should be good, brakes are industry common for pad replacement.
The tires are an odd size, I should look into replacement availability long before needing them.
I did break the off attach on the seat post yesterday and ordered a straight as well as a pogo to try it out.
It is heavy at 70 lbs.
The 7-speed derailleur will move it along ok without assist. Not a cannondale.
Not most, but many. Those who have good jobs and can afford it. Alaska is VERY expensive and land is seldom available since it either belongs to the Fed Govt, The State Govt, or Tribal Corporations. Remote places like Bethel (only accessible by air or sea) offer hugs salaries to nurses, teachers etc. But when you weigh in the exorbitant costs of living there, it’s not much. Wayyy back in 2000 metal shipping containers were renting out at $800 per month as a place to live….
somebody started posting about smoothbore 7.62, followed by a lot of back and forth about if they actually exist, who uses them, where and why, etc. After all the banter just ask yourself, why would anyone that knew the difference between smoothbore and a rifled barrel ever waste the time and money to get a smoothbore 7.62? What type of ammo do you shoot through a smoothbore 7.62?
If you want a smoothbore firearm I recommend getting a reliable shotgun such as a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870.