Body Armor for Preppers: Should you?

May 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

ciras
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Often on the Prepper Boards, Forums, etc. in the more machismo world of guns and fighting off the Mongolian Hordes come TEOTWAWKI the subject of Body Armor always comes up, quickly after is a discussion of what to get, where to buy it, etc.

However I want to broach the subject of SHOULD YOU even buy it?

What is Body Armor/PPE

Now a quick rundown of Body armor is needed.

There are three components to Body Armor

The Vest:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

These can vary from just a cloth shell to one replete with pouches and MOLLE straps to put various other pouches onto

The Inserts:

ballistic insert

These are the actual kevlar weave pieces that go inside the “shell” and provide the ballistic protection.  These can be separate pieces that can be removed or sometimes they are one in part of the vest and sewn in.

Protection levels:

II- Will stop 9mm 124 Gr. FMJ(5″ barrel/1175 fps) to 375 Magnum 158 gr. (6″ barrel, 1395 fps)

IIIA- Will stop 9mm 124 Gr. FMJ (16″ Barrel/1400 fps) to 44 Magnum 140 gr. (6″ barrel, 1400 fps)

 

Ceramic/Steel Plates:

sapi plate

Now this is where the price gets relatively expensive, however this is also where you get maximum ballistic protection.  These are Steel or Ceramic Plates that are slid into a pouch on the front and back of the vest itself.  As far as Steel vs. Ceramic goes, its a personal choice.  Steel has a lower profile, however rounds can fragment and hit you while the ceramic doesn’t have this problem.

Protection Levels:

III- Will stop a 148 gr.  7.62x51mm NATO M80  BALL @ 2780 fps

IV- Will stop 166 gr. 30-06 Springfield M2 AP @2880 fps

 

When you buy a set of body armor you will look at all three components and these will dictate the price, the best thing to look at first is how do you envision yourself using this, what are the likely set of scenarios you will face.

In my opinion getting something like what I have is not necessary for a realistic scenario, that is the all in one tactical vest, I own the Eagle MARCIRAS vest, that has the ballistic inserts as well as Level IV plates.

Now why is that a bad idea? and why do I have it then!

I have it because I purchased my own vest when i was contracting and spent a pretty penny on it, but I wanted the best gear for the job I was doing, which IS NOT what the average prepper or ANYONE will face in a collapse scenario most likely.

You will not be assaulting positions or rolling around waiting for a fight and need to have this all in one package, now I understand there is a small possibility that might happen, so there is a middle road to do this and  will offer you all the same protection but will also give you the ability to dress “up” and “down” depending on the situation.

I would look into getting a vest that is made to be wore underneath clothing, more for police, that has a very slim fitting ballistic inserts with simple velcro straps to hold it clsoe to you, that also has the pockets to put in the ceramic/steel plates.  This way you can wear the whole package without looking to bulky and definitely without looking like you are itching for a fight.

If you have to go to Defcon 1 status you can always throw on a padded web belt with magazine pouches as well as a chest rig, you can have that laying in your vehicle to grab and put on if needed during a collapse scenario, but this way you can still have the protection without anyone every knowing you have it on.

I would recommend this type of load-out for all preppers, since most of us are on tight budgets and cant afford to buy multiple sets of body armor.

IMPORTANT

It is vital that you understand this, many people will just buy a set of ceramic plates with a small “plate carrier” that can go under the clothing.  This works very well for concealment. HOWEVER one of the reasons that the military has plates ON TOP of soft armor is that even though the plates can stop 7.62x51mm, etc. the round will still have a large amount of force that will go into your body.  The round will be stopped which is the main lifesaver, however the force of the round has to go somewhere, much of it is dissipated into the plate, but without soft armor underneath this will go into your body and the soft tissue which can cause internal bleeding and worse.  In a combat scenario in the military this is considered “ok” as you can be medivac’d relatively quickly and will be able to receive proper medical treatment, but in a collapse scenario this could spell death for you.  Never just wear plates unless you have no other option, i.e. you don’t have soft armor, in that case plates are better than a 7.62 to the chest.

A Few Reason’s you SHOULD

Now there are a hundred, thousand, million different scenarios we can think of in a collapse, partial collapse scenario where It may be smart to have some personal protective equipment (PPE) or Body armor is it known colloquially.

What if the security situation has gotten worse, but things are still operating halfway normally, the stores are still open but gangs and miscreants have realized that food and the staples are worth more than rims, cars and gold watches.  You are coming back to your car with the groceries, and someone approaches you with a gun, you pull yours and you both get a shot off, now both of you are on the ground, however you get up and now you have a big bruise and some broken food items, but no real injuries, they have some REAL injuries, you live to fight another day.

This is a very real scenario in that type of collapse.   And there are, like a said millions of different scenarios where this could matter.  The Stereotypical prepper fiction tale of  some large group assaulting your home you are fighting back going from one side of the house to another holding them off, if you have PPE it could mean that stray round DOESN’T kill you, etc.

The reasons why it would be helpful are clear, if you are in a shoot out it could save your life, unless you are shot in the head, arms or legs, or they are using a large caliber bullet, like a 30-06 or 7mm Hunting round w/out Level IV Ceramic plates (side note, also why I find some of gun control debate laughable, when they talk about “armor piercing rounds” for AR’s, etc.  Any large caliber hunting round will destroy a set of body armor w.out Level IV Body Armor which most cops if any carry…)

WHY NOT?

This is a harder case to make, but there are reasons NOT to buy PPE/Body Armor.

One reason is that it is expensive, not so much the Second Chance vest/Police Vest style of vests, those can be pretty cheap, but buying the Ceramic Plates to counter Smaller caliber Rifle rounds.

A quick search of sites shows that each SAPI plate at Level III can run around $250 for a ceramic plate, which means you could be running $500 for a set or more, that combined with a decent IIIa concealed vest that will cost you around $500 you are looking at $1000 for a full set up, which is often out of the average preppers price range, and even if you can swing it….in my opinion there are better things for you to buy.

I know it is a common thread in prepper fiction and other talking points of a collapse, but the chance of you getting in a out and out shootout will be low and in one that you will have time to wear the vest (unless you just wear it all day everyday from first sign on out) is even slimmer.

This is not saying that its not a good thing to have, we prepare for any scenario, but in reality saving the $500 for plates and getting another 6 months plus of food will take you much farther.

There are so many different things you could buy with that money that will help you 99% of the time versus that 1% chance occurrence.

That being said, if you really feel you must and you can swing it, buy it AFTER you have the rest of your preps handled and are comfortable with the level you are at, if you don’t ever get any, don’t sweat it.  Yes it may seem easy for me to say, because i have some, but I will tell you this, even in combat zones you don’t get in shootouts every day (barring a few REAALLLLY high tempo units in some really crappy areas) and you don’t get shot every day either. So in a collapse scenario, as bad as that is, it wont be like Afghanistan or Iraq at the height of the insurgencies there, so perhaps it would be best to just save your money.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

Well if you are dead set on it, i can give you a few recommendations based on my own personal experience.

I own the EAGLE MARCIRAS vest, it is a High Profile Maritime version of their CIRAS vest, it has a pull cord that runs throughout the vest, one pull and it dumps off you.  Why is that? well in Maritime environments if you fell overboard it would drag you down, which is a bad thing.  In Iraq/Afghanistan I realized I wanted to keep this thing and allow my body to be easily looked at if i was injured so this would allow the Doc to do so without cutting it off.  it was also VERY comfortable and easily modded out to how i wanted it.  It runs around $500 without the armor.

I also own a Blackhawk Plate Carrier This is a no frils plate carrier that went over my soft armor, and when used in conjunction with the second chance vest and a Tactical Tailor padded Belt with my mag pouches (Link is to LApolicegear.com which you can get a discount from as a member!), i could conceal myself pretty well with a larger shirt and jacket.

Make sure you do a thorough review of the seller, and don’t waste your money on some cheap chinese knockoff from Ebay, if the price seems to good to be true it is, and you will not be getting what you paid for when it means the most.

Also know that Knives and sharp objects like icepicks or crossbows will go through soft armor easily, the kevlar weave is made to absorb the impact of the round and dissipate its force not allowing it to penetrate.  if you watch the videos in slow motion it looks like a pebble hitting a still pond, waves go out in all directions, so you will not have STAB protection with kevlar, a cheap option for that is just plain old phonebooks like inmates use, or shelling out cash for stab protection vests.

These are just a few suggestions and only based on what i have personally used, so if you find something that fits you better, go for it!


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Gold Confisication worries: Coins as “Jewelry”

April 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

american gold eagle pendant

 

One of the things many folks who look into precious metals worry about is “What if they confiscate the Gold and Silver”

Well for one, and I’ve posted on this before, please read it, but to reiterate briefly, whats worse? you buying it and having it confiscated, or you not buying it and its never confiscated and now YOU CANT USE IT!

One of the clauses that was in the disgusting, but toothless bill during the Depression (You know the one thats always pointed to and people say “Hey don’t buy it they’ll just take it like FDR did!”) was that jewelry and other things of that nature were exempted.  You couldn’t own say a Gold Coin, but you could own Gold Jewelry…or Gold Coins made into jewelry…as some people did to get around it.

Once again there were two groups of people in that ‘confiscation’

1) The honest citizens who obeyed and turned it in

and

2)Everyone Else who didn’t turn in anything.   Did they get arrested? NO there was ONE guy who was prosecuted, he tried to pull out a HUGE (5,000 ounces)amount of Gold coins from his bank after the bill went into effect (since they were currency at the time) and he got made and example of.  The prosecution failed and was dropped but he still lost his gold.

The government didn’t bust down doors and rip open grannies mattress, that never happened ok?

However that isn’t to say it is out of the realm of possibility, so one should be aware of it.

WHAT COULD I DO IF THEY DID CONFISCATE?

Like i just mentioned they did not confiscate Jewelry, so some smart individuals made them INTO jewelry.

One way would be to drill them and put a necklace through them, however i WOULD NOT DO THAT! Unless you had no other choice, personally I would rather sack them and bury them in the mountains first, but that is just me.

Another way, and a smarter one is to purchase Coin Pendant Holders like this one

 

In my opinion it would be a WASTE of money to do anything with your silver coins in this fashion, the cost is too high to make it worthwhile, however for your Gold or Platinum Coins, this would make perfect sense.

It would also work well for on the go and bugging out, you could wear your wealth around your neck on a leather strap or shoelace.  Have no other necklaces on, and chances are if you were robbed or stopped no one would look for anything valuable under your shirt on the end of a nasty old shoelace!

Often times when confiscations come, like they do with guns, they will usually follow old laws that have done them in the past to give them more cover or “historical precedent” I think that IF, and that’s a IF a metals confiscation came that’s what it would be like.

First of it would be voluntary and if you had a small amount, say less than 100k chances are you’ll be more than fine, unless you’ve drawn attention to yourself in other ways, like say gone on youtube flashing guns around and making threats.

You would be more than fine to just bury it and call it a day.  However if they did come you could at least make the big ticket stuff like gold eagles into jewelry, so at least you could hold onto them, you can always lie and say that it was stolen last year.  Didn’t call the police because you didn’t have insurance anyways and didn’t want a hassle, etc.

This is another good reason NOT TO BE AN ASS, don’t be on the net making threats, sounding crazy, waving guns around, or googling “how to kill someone”.  This will make you more “desirable” to be searched, and thus put your wealth and preps in more jeopardy.  Be smart, fly under the radar folks.

I also talked about this in two posts, WALLFLOWER PREPPING: HOW TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR and my post on internet security and privacy.

Side note:

If for some reason you own a Title II weapon (often referred to as a CLASS III weapon, of which there are NONE.  Dealers who sell automatics or suppressors are known as CLASS III dealers, the weapons are known as TITLE II WEAPONS!) Be very wary, and its a good reason NOT TO OWN ONE!  Don’t get me wrong, you should EVERY RIGHT TO, but if you do, as you SHOULD know, then you are subject to ATF inspection at any time of your paperwork.

THEY MAY NOT ENTER YOUR HOME OR COMPEL YOU TO PRODUCE THE WEAPON WITHOUT A WARRANT (or subsequent change to the 4th amendment by the Supreme Court).  However this doesn’t mean it may or may not stop them from doing so anyways.  So if I were you I would store my gold, silver, and ALL OTHER weapons in a separate area from you NFA Title II weapons, this way if a legal warrant appeared, or one didn’t but they were a-holes and forced their way in, you can show them where it is and they have no recourse to search the premises.  This also means dont have two safes side by side in the middle of a garage stacked with food buckets and solar panels!


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Minicast Episode 13: Bug out Weapons

March 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

kel tec sub 2000


Today’s Episode are my thoughts on Bug out weapons and what I carry personally.

  • With Modern Weapons, most are roughly the same in function, differences in performance vary, but basics are the same
  • Bug out weapons can vary depending on the situation
  • I prefer to have a light and portable set up for the vehicle and a more robust option for the Bug out from the Home
  • The KelTec Sub 2000 and the Glock 17 are perfect as light portable option
  • You don’t need to have something to assault a fortified position, If you need to use a weapon, you will need to use it so you can get away from where you are as fast as you can.
Minicast Episode 13: Bug out Weapons [ 30:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2113)

Now I didn’t elaborate on this in the episode itself, but I know that  Hi-point and a Kimber pistol have MANY differences, so many that they cant be covered in the amount of time i have to write this!  But what i mean by being relatively the same is that you don’t have to worry much from any manufacturer (do your homework), that the gun wont go “bang” when you want it to.  In this way the consumer both with a big and a small budget can still get the relative same effect from their purchase.  Now I would prefer a Kimber Warrior or my Sig Match Grade .45 to a Hi point any day given the choice, however if faced with an attacker in close proximity, I would feel confidant using the Hi-point, etc.

I also understand that some of you would not be enthused having a 9mm or even a .40 carbine as a bug out weapon.  If given a choice and all the options in the world I would want my tricked out M4, I would choose that over the Keltec 99% of the time, however I don’t get to choose, and also if given a choice I would choose not to be in that situation in the first place.  For a full out Mad max Patriots the coming collapse scenario, i would want my M4, but in a Hurricane Sandy or Katrina situation, I believe I would choose my KelTec in a Satchel or case and a Pistol on my side, so that i was more concealed and less suspicious.

NOTES:

Any questions or Comments please email me at rmorgan@greatnorthernprepper.com


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Product Review: GSG-5 .22

February 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

gsg5


I have had this weapon for a few years, and it is one of my favorite purchases as far as guns go.

It basically looks like a MP5 and operates basically same as the HK MP5.  The picture shows how it comes out of the box, with a fixed Stock and a “false” Suppressor, the Suppressor is there to hide the longer barrel that is needed to comply with NFA rules.

It takes 22 Round Magazines, and the only complaint that I have is that the magazines hold the rounds exposed to the air and dirt around them, but other than that the magazines are very good quality and I have had no issues with them whatsoever when firing.

Field Tests at the range have shown me the weapon is very accurate at 50 yards, and you can hold the rounds to a very tight group.

If you have a decent amount of firearms training .22 shouldn’t be any issues whatsoever and you can fire off a whole mag in less then 13 seconds very accurately, making it a extremely well equipped weapon for defense.

Don’t ever discount the .22 for Defense in a SHTF scenario, it is a deadly round and can do the job.  The .22 is a very cheap round, which you can purchase around 500+ for around $20-22, making it a very economical round.

The GSG makes it perfect for training, since you can practice shooting and moving, rapid engagement and defense of an area for extremely little amount of money compared to using your AR of AK47.

Just remember that NO ONE WANTS TO GET SHOT, it doesn’t matter what the size of the round is, once the crack of a bullet goes by or the dirt kicks up around that person, they will quickly take cover, or run off.


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Product Review: Choate Remington 870 Folding Stock

January 30, 2013 by 2 Comments

choate machine and tool

Side_Folding_Shotgun


I contacted Choate Machine and Tool about sending me some products to do a review on, and I was EXTREMELY happy that they Sent me their Remington 870 Side Folder Stock.

I have had a lot of good gun mods and a lot of bad ones over the years, however I am VERY happy to say this is in the first category.

  • Made from 4140 Steel and Fiberglass Filled Plastic
  • Simple and Easy to use
  • Easy installation, takes about 7 minutes

When I first opened it up, the first thing I noticed was… STEEL!…not cheap plastic!

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not a mid 20th century “Mickey Mouse Plastic Gun” Snob, I absolutely love PMAGS by Magpul and am a big believe in the injected polymer plastics, but I had a few bad experiences with TAPCO products and nearly swore off plastic gun mods for the most part (well not sworn off, just a healthy distrust!).

Installation was Easy, quick and took about 7 minutes over all, and all i needed was a socket wrench and Phillips head screwdriver!


My main complaint with my fixed stock was that it was a bit too long, and i wanted to have a more compact shotgun, I had looked a Knoxx stocks but heard some complaints about the stock itself “biting” your cheek when you fired.

I had heard of Choate for a long time, quite a few of my shooting friends had various stocks and accessories by them, I also saw a few of their products when I was contracting overseas and was impressed with them, BUT I had yet to own one of my own, so I was very excited for this opportunity.

Like I said I was very impressed and they didn’t disappoint in the least, I really cant find anything negative about the product.  It shot flawlessly and their was no noticeable difference in the recoil, unlike many other side folders/wire stocks I had shot in the past.

Coming in at$95 this is very reasonably priced considering the quality of manufacture and customer Service.

Choate Offers…

  • Discounts to Law Enforcement and Military, just fax a copy of your ID
  • Lifetime Warranty on EVERYTHING it makes. “The warranty is for life, your life or the life of the weapon. If your accessory fails to function perfectly you get a new part with ‘NO DUMB QUESTIONS ASKED’.“
  • 30 day Money Back Guarantee, including Shipping.

Stop by Choate today and check out their other products they have

  • Stocks for Rifles and Shotguns, From Mini-14′s to Savage 110′s to Remington 1187′s
  • Mag extensions for shotguns, sling mounts and more
  • Hand guards, compensator’s and bipod adaptors for Rifles.

WIN A REMINGTON 870 MAGAZINE EXTENSION FROM CHOATE! SEE BELOW FOR RULES!

 

CHOATE CONTEST

WIN A CHOATE MACHINE AND TOOL REMINGTON 870 MAGAZINE EXTENSION!

SHOTGUN_MAG_EXTENSION

Get 1 entry for EACH of the following

  • Share this Blog Post on your Facebook Page (click the title of the post, then copy and paste the URL in your browser into your status)
  • Get a Friend to Like our Facebook Page
  • Get a Friend to Join as a member (remember its free, left hand side of the main page)

This is somewhat on the honor system, so you MUST email me and let me know that which one(s) you have done and you will get your entry into the raffle for this, ending on February 7th!

rmorgan@greatnorthernprepper.com

 


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Minicast Episode 9: Buy Guns NOW!

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

just-a-pile-of-ammo


Today’s episode is less of a show and more of pleading rant.  If you haven’t bought a duck hunting shotgun you’ve had your eye on, then you can wait awhile longer.  If you have wanted to buy a “Assault Rifle” or Semi Automatic Pistol then buy it now.  Also buy ammunition for those weapons, as well as reloading equipment. (I RECORDED THIS BEFORE THE RUSH AND BEFORE THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS)

In today’s show

  • I talk about what guns will probably be included in a ban of some sort, what you should buy
  • Buy High Capacity magazines for these types of guns.  For the ones you have, will get, or don’t even have.
  • Why you should buy some high capacity magazines as an investment

Notes:

  • I made this last week before the 1/16/13 announcement and the latest run on guns, bear that in mind.
  • Regardless, search Ebay, craigslist, ask friends to ask around in different areas of the country.
  • I mentioned Gunbroker.com  It works much like Ebay, you bid on weapons, accessories, etc.  The weapons are sent to your local FFL and you can pick them up there.
  • You may have noticed a new Intro/Outro song this is “Wrong Way to Run” by Willie Tea Taylor (c). Used with Permission.

Minicast Episode 9: Buy Guns NOW! [ 16:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2059)
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The Coming Gun Ban

January 14, 2013 by 4 Comments



 

I have been meaning to write more about this since my reactionary post right after the Sandy Hook Shooting, but here are my thoughts on what is going to be happening very soon in the world of gun ownership and what it means for preppers, and other free men (used generally for all mankind) in this country.

Before I even begin I have to make a comment on the photo above… Calling the AR that I own a “Assault Rifle” is like calling Teaball, Professional Baseball, they look-alike if you glance at it, but when you actually take the time to analyze it, It’s not even close.  Nuff Said.

Of course being a news junkie I have been watching YouTube commentaries, reading stories from CNN to Fox to other Prepper Podcasts.  I believe Jack Spirko’s take on it is pretty spot on, as far as what the Feinstein Bill really means.

 

The Feinstein Bill is the Red Herring that the NRA and others like many of us will attach ourselves to.  The reasons we have not had a gun ban since Bush left office are these

  • Tragedies but not a “good” tragedy for the gun control to parade around like Vercingentorix at a Roman Triumph
  • Republicans who would support it don’t have enough incentive to do so, outweighed by small town democrats that wouldn’t

So what do i mean by “good” tragedy?

I mean that kids make good martyrs for people who don’t care but want to tug at your heart strings, the Aurora shooting was bad, so was the Shooting of the Congresswoman in Arizona, however as disgusting as that was the gun control folks knew that calls for banning weapons would fall on deaf ears.  The victims were adults and the position of argument was unstable due to the fact that the “bad gun” with the “bad magazine” actually jammed and the fact that “body” armor wouldn’t have protected the man had someone been armed, a close dissection of the argument would have been its fall.  A massacre involving schoolchildren doesn’t need to have a real argument or a dissection of it, it contains extreme emotion, when that emotion is running high facts and figures don’t matter (like the fact that all the rifles in America kill fewer people than hammers).  And as far as my Roman example….Vercingentorix was the Gaul King who fought against Julius Caesar, after his surrender he was held in prison for 5 years then executed during Caesars “Triumph”.  A Triumph was a massive spectacle where the conquering General would flaunt the wealth and treasures capture during a campaign.  In this instance the gun control people are toting around the dead children of Sandy Hook in their massive media blitz, like a Roman Triumph, sacrificing their own morals and integrity and the memories of those children for their own ends, like the conquered King.

 

Republicans want gun control?

Well the elites do yes, those that control the political system, however they aren’t stupid and realize that a warrant less or “tragedy-less” confiscation and ban would result in a sever backlash and cause a generational memory of gun control gone wild, so they have bided their time.  Not to venture into what is considered “tin foil hat” however that is the truth, and you can quote nearly every business and political elite saying that to one degree or another or supporting the UN ban in one degree or another.  Anyways even moving away from that commentary to the more domestic side of things…

There are many “moderate” Republicans who could care less about your rights to defend yourself, even antithetical to the position but realize they can’t run for office in a district that cares about that so they cry crocodile tears for gun rights.  But when push comes to shove they will buckle and wont care, as long as they have a good, “But this would have been worse” excuse.  These folks have been held off by “moderate” democrats who live in districts that vote democrat but believe in gun rights as well.  Combined with those that have defended gun rights vociferously (whether they actually believe that or not is hard to tell) there has been a small majority that has kept this at bay.  However the “great excuse” is now before them and they WILL buckle.

 

Conclusions

The Feinstein bill is DOA, that will NEVER pass in its entirety, or even in parts to the full degree, that isn’t going to happen, now at least.  In the future we will see the degree of varying parts of the bill ratcheted up.

What I think the new bill will look like, and will pass

  • Ban on High capacity magazines (10+), new ones, not ones in circulation already
  • Making “Assault Rifles” under a NFA style program where you keep them if you have them, but if you buy one from someone you have to be fingerprinted and “checked”
  • More “checks” to see if you are mentally disturbed.  However this will be probably up to an APA (American Psychological Association) designation what is considered “mentally disturbed” will be general at first, but over time will include anything from being schizophrenic to later…having been depressed at some point.  See what i mean by degrees being ratcheted up.
  • Federal laws requiring safety locks and “proper” storage of weapons

I’m not sure 100% what the “assault weapons” will be designated as, what the characteristics to classify one or the other will be.  In the past they were mostly on looks and whether they could accept a “high-capacity” magazine.  Even having a Bayonet lug was considered something to make it an “assault rifle” which i never understood if i tape or put a lug on a bolt-action 30-06 does that make it more dangerous? who has been bayoneted in a mass shooting AT ANY TIME? besides having a bayonet on it throws the rounds off, so it would actually make a mass shooting “safer”….anyways…

Some sort of system will be in place to stop importation and manufacturing of certain types of weapons, the ones in circulation are the problem for them.  They can’t pass a bill that requires fingerprinting and registration…yet.  However through some sort of deal like i was saying where if you sold it from one person to another, having that person registered and checked then you will get a pretty decent database of individuals.

Currently when you buy a weapon whether it’s a revolver, semi auto pistol, bolt-action rifle or tactical shotgun, and whether you buy 1 or 20 at the same time, there is only one call to the ATF and there is not mention of 12 handguns, 5 shotguns, etc.  Just call for a check for a “Rifle” or “handgun” so in truth the ATF doesn’t know what you have unless they look at the gun records at the store.

There will be a call for a national database of some sort regarding “certain weapons” to help “see patterns” so if you go online make threatening statements the government should be able to check you out, then check a database and see if you’ve bought large amounts of ammunition right? so that they can make sure you wont do anything bad.  Mark my words there will be some obscure language in the bill that allows for some sort of database to do that.

The bill will be introduced by a gun control Democrat, but not a person like Feinstein who has too little public sympathy, it will be someone more respected but still for “reasonable” gun control, you will have co sponsors from the so-called “moderate” democrats and support from “moderate” Republicans and it will pass.  The reason they will give the party and their constituents is because “they care about the children, don’t you want our children safe too?” and that “It was better than the Feinstein Bill! Look what i protected you from!” as well as “something had to be done to protect the public”

Like i mentioned earlier, Hammers and other blunt objects kill more people than rifles in this country by a margin of 173 more per year (as of 2011).  The main weapon that is thrown up on EVERY single news story is the AR-15, why because its scary!

The FBI reports don’t detail what specific weapons kill, i.e. how many people are actually shot by AR-15′s in the course of an illegal act, or how many weapons used high capacity magazines during the course of an illegal criminal act.  Why? because they don’t want to, they could, the FBI is notoriously concerned with statistics, especially detailed statistics, as is most government agencies.  They don’t want to because keeping things general like that will allow representatives to use general non-specific statistics to prove a point that can’t be made.  That banning 100 round magazines will somehow turn our society into a utopian one free of violent crime.  In fact you are more likely to be killed by someones hands, fists or other body part than rifles and shotguns combined!

The FBI also doesn’t keep track of self-defense shootings, how many people are killed in the course of defending your family or home, or even just home many times someone uses a weapon to defend themselves whether its to scare them off or to kill an aggressive attacker.  Why not? you can figure that out im sure.  Here are few studies…

  • 1994 Study from the CDC found that Americans use guns to frighten away intruders from breaking into their homes 498,000 times a year.
  • A 1982 Study of Male Felons in 11 States showed that 34% have been shot at, scared off, wounded or capture by an armed victim, 40% had not committed a crime because they knew the victim had a gun and 69% knew a criminal who had been scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim. (Armed and Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and theirFirearms by James d Wright, Peter D Rossi and Aldine De Gruyter, 1986)

I could spout of more stats, but i think that’s enough.

However we must remember that the 2nd amendment is not about hunting, it’s a part but at the time, if you didn’t hunt in most of the country you didn’t survive, so that was a moot point, it was about defense.  Defense of yourself against another and against a tyrannical government as a last line of defense.  When a bill comes up that says all “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines” are illegal for civilians AND government from the military to the police, then I MIGHT support that, however i will caveat that it would have to result in a magical worldwide phenomena that lifts all those weapons from every spot on earth and casts them into a volcano to be melted into lava.  Short of that, I would never.  The government should not be allowed to own anything you are not.

Each state should be allowed to impose any regulations and registrations they deem fit for their state, if California says to own a shotgun you need to do a background check, that’s fine, if i don’t like it ill march my gun-toting ass across state lines.  If Idaho or Alaska say anybody can own anything, if you don’t like it you can hike your gun-less ass down south to California, as long as they don’t unduly restrict your access to self-defense, i.e. ban or make it so expensive the average person can’t afford it, its constitutional, the federal governments ONLY role in this was to ensure the states DIDN’T violate your constitutional rights.

We forget that was what federalism and the original plan for our country was to be, the Federal government was restricted to do things, and their main purpose was to enhance our trade with others, protect from foreign invasion and to mediate between the states, and keep states from overstepping constitutional rights.  Congress was MADE to be ineffectual!

That’s right! it was designed to be, so when you hear “Congress can’t get anything done” WELL THAT’S WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO DO!

To make it so hard to get anything done it was a check in itself against a large government, to make it difficult to do anything!

However we live in a new world, one where the Federal Government is the great equalizer in all things, the protector of everyone and the respects not one individual.  This was (perhaps unwittingly) started mainly with Lincoln and followed a course downward. But that’s a discussion for a different day.

 

My advice if you were looking at buying an AR or the like, buy it now, buy magazines now, etc.  Its more expensive, that’s the free market and the law of supply and demand.  then you might want to bury them somewhere and say they were stolen….just kidding that would be illegal. don’t do that.

 

Make your own decisions, i bought what i wanted years back and just loaded up on mags.

 

 

 


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Obamacare and Guns: The True Story

January 11, 2013 by 2 Comments


Well Today I found out that there is a provision inside the Obamacare Bill relating to guns….No don’t worry…Its actually not a BAD thing.

Now I have seen a lot of individuals talking about how this will be a bulwark against a new gun ban…well it wont.

At the bottom of the post you will see the full text of the section relating to guns and collection of information on patients who own them, as well as a link to the monstrosity in its full so you can read it yourself if you would like to.

 

WHY IS IT IN THERE?

It was put in there and vigorously defended by Sen. Harry Reid…well but why?  For a few reasons, one that is floating around there is that because Sen. Reid has been a “gun rights advocate”, that is true to a point, and his record does show a decent record for gun rights, but being from Nevada he would have to be, to a point.

Voted YES to…

  • Allow firearms in baggage on Amtrak Trains
  • Prohibiting foreign and UN aid that restricts US gun ownership
  • Prohibit lawsuits against gun manufacturers
  • to maintain current law: guns sold without trigger locks

He has a B from the NRA, he did vote for background checks at gun shows…

So I don’t like the guy, but he has been OK in this regard.

But the real reason is three letters…the NRA……

Harry put it in there to keep the NRA at bay over the issue, and they did, the NRA was not vocal one way or the other during to whole mess.  They were scared that if there was not a provision in there relating to the protection of lawful gun and ammo ownership the NRA would mobilize and delay or destroy the Bill as it was making its way through Congress.

The NRA has been very active in killing off funding for government studies of “gun violence” for good reason, they often skew issues and take shoddy science and allow groups like the Brady Foundation to take things out of context that are already on shaky foundations.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Well Ive seen article after article and Post after Post, either outright saying or hinting that this could “de rail” gun confiscation or registration that might be included in a future bill by the Congress or Executive Order by the President.

That’s completely wrong, there is nothing in the bill that relates to Future legislation a ban on infringing on the right to own keep or have weapons or ammunition of any type.

All that is in the bill is protection for Gun owners against being charged Higher premiums for owning a Firearm, that is that Private or Government Health Care cannot charge you more because you have  a pistol at home.

It also says that Doctors CAN ask you about guns, but they cannot record it for use in studies or keep it in a file of any kind.  It says that Data Collection Entities can say mail you a letter asking personal information (as Gov. agencies often do) about sex, age all that stuff, they can also ask you about your guns, but you are NOT REQUIRED TO GIVE IT.

That’s all it says, I am by no means a lawyer, however the language is pretty plain.

If you feel I’m wrong let me know, but I’m not.

 

 

This can be found in Section 2716 Part C, Page 766/906 on the Gov page containing the Bill

‘‘(c) PROTECTION OF SECOND AMENDMENT GUN RIGHTS.—
‘‘(1) WELLNESS AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS.—A wellness
and health promotion activity implemented under subsection
(a)(1)(D) may not require the disclosure or collection of any
information relating to—
‘‘(A) the presence or storage of a lawfully-possessed
firearm or ammunition

‘‘(B) the lawful use, possession, or storage of a firearm
or ammunition by an individual.
‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON DATA COLLECTION.—None of the
authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act or an amendment made by that
Act shall be construed to authorize or may be used for the
collection of any information relating to—
‘‘(A) the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm
or ammunition;
‘‘(B) the lawful use of a firearm or ammunition; or
‘‘(C) the lawful storage of a firearm or ammunition.
‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON DATABASES OR DATA BANKS.—None of
the authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act or an amendment made
by that Act shall be construed to authorize or may be used
to maintain records of individual ownership or possession of
a firearm or ammunition.
‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON DETERMINATION OF PREMIUM RATES OR
ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE.—A premium rate may not
be increased, health insurance coverage may not be denied,
and a discount, rebate, or reward offered for participation in
a wellness program may not be reduced or withheld under
any health benefit plan issued pursuant to or in accordance
with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or an
amendment made by that Act on the basis of, or on reliance
upon—
‘‘(A) the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm
or ammunition; or
‘‘(B) the lawful use or storage of a firearm or ammunition.
‘‘(5) LIMITATION ON DATA COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR
INDIVIDUALS.—No individual shall be required to disclose any
information under any data collection activity authorized under
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or an amendment
made by that Act relating to—
‘‘(A) the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm
or ammunition; or
‘‘(B) the lawful use, possession, or storage of a firearm
or ammunition.’’.


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Using Tracers for Tactical Shooting

January 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment


Tracers can be used in your AR-15 or other Tactical Weapons to signify a need to change magazines.  Something we did while I was in the Marine Corps.

Hope you enjoy the Video!

 

The song in the intro/outro is “Wrong Way To Run” by Willie Tea Taylor. Used With Permission



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Caching Weapons for Long Term Storage

December 20, 2012 by 8 Comments



There is a wealth of knowledge out there for long-term storage of firearms, as many folks did it in the 90′s during the Ban craze then.  I already posted on how/where to hid things in your house or on your property, and talked about PVC tubes, but that was in reference to hiding various things, this is just about guns.

The reasoning for caching your weapons is to keep them from any confiscation plans that might be had, but there are a few steps you need to take first.

Obviously you don’t want to have a record of you owning a specific firearm, as well as a credit card statement showing that you bought PVC tubes and concrete as well, it’s not going to be convincing if you have to give some liberty lies down the road if someone comes knocking (Liberty Lies are what i call it when you have to lie about something you shouldn’t have to in regards to exercising you own liberty, such as saying “No I don’t have that gun anymore” or “Yes I bought all that ammo, but i shot it up last year”, Like white lies but more righteous!)

Any of the things i mention here should be purchased with cash and in a different, town/county than you live in, to give you a better buffer against 2 and 2 being put together.  You need to “dress appropriately” as well, by this I mean you don’t want to show up in a suit and tie buying pvc pipe, glue, etc under the auspices you are repairing some stuff around the house.  Do people who wear suits do this sort of thing? Yes, but you’ll look more convincing with a worn out old t-shirt and jeans, just makes you look less recognizable and unique, I would also buy it at a mom and pop shop, not home depot, who like to track purchases made by customers (not for malicious reasons, just to target their ads for you better).

For the internet purchases I would try to get someone to buy it for you (you pay them back of course) who isn’t a “gun nut” have it shipped to their house, the older the better. Because then they can just say they bought it to store old deeds and pictures in case of a fire….but cant remember where they put it! “I know its over here somewhere…my mind just don’t work like it used to…” (very frustrating for an overzealous agent trying to figure out if grandma is a “terrorist”, because anyone that would buy that is obviously one right?)  In any case you need to find anyone that isn’t that closely connected to you and then pick it up from them to maintain operational security.

 

PVC

Charles Wood Method

One method I read about involved a guy hiding his PVC cash on his property under a downed log, which was pretty ingenious as you will always know where it is as long as that log is there!

He bought

  • 6 inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe , end caps and PVC solvent
  • Used Rust preventative oil that is used for storing unused machinery in damp locations (the oil dries to form a waxy coating)
  • Large Mylar Bag used to wrap a Mainframe Computer.  You can purchase 5 Gallon Mylar Bags (20×30) from Amazon.com or ones that are up to 60″ in length from Sorbent Systems all depends on the length of your weapon (you’ll want to disassemble it first)
  • He placed all the pieces in individual mylar bags and sealed them with a small bag of desiccant packets to absorb any moisture present.
  • He also packed in two small cans of 1-1-1 Trichlorethane degreaser so that when he dug it up he would have the degreaser right there, all in one.
  • several thousand rounds were packed in as well, along with a cleaning rod, gun solvent/gun oil and patches so that the weapon could be degreased then cleaned and be ready to used

Charles then put everything in a large mylar bag, a couple more bags of desiccant, Since there was loose space around the rifle he dumped in loose rounds to fill the void and threw in a large back of desiccant packets on top of that.  He then put another bag of desiccant in  a few bags of ammo then the big mylar bag full of the rifle and supplies, then a few more bags of ammo on top of it.  He had a tank of nitrogen available so he purged any air that might be in it and sealed it up.  You could probably make do with using a small amount of dry ice, and makes sure it has completely dissolved before you seal it and through in some oxygen absorbers, which you can purchase or just use some handwarmers, that should purge most of, if not all the air inside the tube.

Charles then took “extreme care” using the pvc solvent to make sure the end caps were perfectly sealed and watertight, and buried it.  Even going as far as to have the resident forester mark it as a “wildlife tree” so that future logging wouldn’t disturb it!

He then duct taped the ammo to the rifle bag making sure it all would fit in the space in the PVC, loaded the tub with a large bag of desiccant packets  followed by some more ammo, the rifle bag and the other supplies.  Since there was loose space in the bag

 

MONOVAULT

These are a pretty innovative product, if you don’t want to deal with doing the PVC route yourself, but it does offer less protection in that it will show up as a “purchase” on your card, so like I said you’ll want to do this through a third-party

Monovaults are an all in one product from small sizes to bury pistols or jewelry to the larger tubes to bury rifles or shotguns.  As with PVC you’ll want to oil the weapon, possibly putting it in a protective sleeve, however mylar with desiccant and oxygen absorbers will do the trick as well.

 

 Some Notes on Caching

  • Prior to putting the gun in whatever bag it may be going in You will not want to douse it in oil, a light coat is good, since if you have a lot on the weapon, over a long period of time, especially if there is extreme temperature fluctuations the oil will seep into areas it is not supposed to. Rem Oil or Birchwood Casey Barricade work well.
  • Along with the store the weapon barrel down so the oil doesn’t seep down into the action of the weapon
  • You can also coat the weapon in GI grease under the name “Grease, Rifle” or Cosmoline, but this will require A LOT of work to get the stuff off, but it is very effective.  You will want to include a not to yourself or whoever you send to get it indicating the bore, chamber and bolt face have been coated in grease and to clean before firing. (Note: when firing brand new weapons, especially belt fed machine guns, even after cleaning them very well, they will spit out ungodly amounts of a black greasy substance when firing for a while afterwards until all the grease comes loose from firing!) If planning on having these buried for many years or even a decade or more, USGI grease is probably the best and most piece of mind way to go.
  • You can store extra magazines in an ammo can if you put in some large desiccant packets, and will probably only need a light coat of oil and an annual inspection or every so often.  Remember even if you have polymer PMAGS you still need to oil the spring!
  • Humidity control is key, moisture will attack and destroy a weapon, as even a bit of it, especially over years of sitting underground will DESTROY your weapon and make it a nice paperweight.
  • Wherever you bury it, you will want to pay attention to natural markers and avoid areas where water will collect, say if you have a spot of land and you can see one piece of it has a slightly higher elevation choose that, water will naturally run down and not pool in that area.  You may even want to dig a very large hole and have a good layer of gravel below where you are burying your cache to ensure drainage of water away from the cache.

  • Inert Argon gas is a great displacer of air, and is used for welding and in smaller quantities for wine preservation.  You can use this to “flood” a gun safe or other container and it displaces the air in it, you seal it up and you should be good to go.  It can be pricey as 40 cubic feet will run over a hundred dollars.  For non-caching purposes you can flood your gun safe with it (if the safe is air tight) and put in a dehumidifier rod inside to keep everything well protected, that is if you don’t plan on getting into that safe often, which means you’ll have to do it again
  • To minimize temperature fluctuations bury it over 8 feet deep to get any type of consistent temperatures.
  • Teflon tape and paste on the threads of the PVC cap along with a bead of silicone on the outside will help ensure that it is sealed properly, unless you plan on cutting the tube to open it as Mr Charles Wood did.
  • If you want larger than 6″ PVC check pool supply companies
  • In colder climates to avoid frost heaves and destruction of your vault you may want to bury foam insulation around the vault itself, a few feet with dirt between the insulation and the vault, to keep the ground around the vault from freezing and cracking the PVC or Monovault tube.
  • If you have tunneling varmints like groundhogs in the area you can wrap chicken wire around the tube to discourage them chewing on it.
  • To Avoid Metal detectors you may want to bury the cache in an area already saturated with metal “trash” or just do it yourself.  you will not want to just locate this trash just around the cache, but over a large area around it, perhaps burying tin cans or locating it below a metal t-post with wire fencing.  You will want the trash to be believable so don’t scatter 1000 nails around the area, if there is not reason to have that many around there.  Going to a junkyard and getting rusted out old parts could work as well.

 

 


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