tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post2709303976453371962..comments2023-08-15T06:33:53.114-07:00Comments on Bison Prepper: 5&5 2 of 3James M Dakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-21087681597544539382017-07-15T06:45:02.536-07:002017-07-15T06:45:02.536-07:00Well, helllllloooooo! Bayonet lug!Well, helllllloooooo! Bayonet lug!James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-92102369363408954582017-07-15T04:24:37.439-07:002017-07-15T04:24:37.439-07:00I was thinking about a FR-8 in 308. Still only 5 r...I was thinking about a FR-8 in 308. Still only 5 rounds but it's not quite (about 3/4) as expensive as a (second hand) Ruger Gunsite scout or (New) in 223 and has bayonet lug. <br /><br />It'd make a neat back up to my Spanish Mauser in 308 also it'd be good for my offsider / battle buddy (lol - i've been reading militia fiction again). Heck the FR-8 is Spanish as well. <br /><br />Then again, maybe I'll just pay some bills. LOLDingonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-54512481659074177412017-07-14T16:23:59.275-07:002017-07-14T16:23:59.275-07:00I always go on about Smelly's, but now it is m...I always go on about Smelly's, but now it is more "told ya so", since they are pretty much gone. Make sure to get a bayonet for that Mauser!James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-66479431465921485582017-07-14T15:38:07.648-07:002017-07-14T15:38:07.648-07:00Ha ha - I was looking at SMLE's yesterday beca...Ha ha - I was looking at SMLE's yesterday because you're always banging on about 'em. I don't have any .303 but I do have a Mauser in 308 with a bit of ammo. Not 1k rounds though. <br /><br />Dreaming of buying another longarm but you know that you are always wanting one more gun then you're done collecting ;-)Dingonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-36464038014229168292017-07-14T13:13:48.618-07:002017-07-14T13:13:48.618-07:00I think fires will be abundant during and after th...I think fires will be abundant during and after the die-off, until nature gets back in balance. Then, much smaller and not too threatening.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-11208400433256146002017-07-14T12:53:31.469-07:002017-07-14T12:53:31.469-07:00Sorry, correction, 5k rounds total, not $5k.Sorry, correction, 5k rounds total, not $5k.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-23304592136343510602017-07-14T12:52:40.029-07:002017-07-14T12:52:40.029-07:00I have about two thousand, 2500 factory rounds, wi...I have about two thousand, 2500 factory rounds, with reloading to get the total to 5k, as the Enfield chews up the brass. That is my recommendation for bolts-$5k. Buy the factory devisable by the number of times it could be loaded. For a Mauser, say, probably 1k factory and 4k reloading components. That is battle rifle. Forever Gun is different. James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-18305136927583268342017-07-14T11:23:53.499-07:002017-07-14T11:23:53.499-07:00It seems to me that reloading is an essential skil...It seems to me that reloading is an essential skill. I can cast most bullets over an open fire. Cast bullets are not compatible with gas operated weapons, which is another point in favor of the turning bolt repeater. <br /><br />Yes, reloading supplies, and bullet metal, are finite resources, but even making black powder takes more knowledge and skill then I have.<br /><br />What would be a reasonable amount of powder, primers, bullets to have in stock?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-52484743218143821012017-07-14T10:13:12.290-07:002017-07-14T10:13:12.290-07:00Yeah, I guess I wasn’t real clear on the barter Ji...Yeah, I guess I wasn’t real clear on the barter Jim, but I was referring to after the restoration. If you don’t have the supplies that you need going into the collapse, then you won’t be surviving the collapse. Chances are you won’t be anyways. <br /><br />@peace out. Once again I overlooked forest fires, thanks. One positive (If you could call it that) is that since most fires seem to be caused by humans, and there will be far less of them, technically, there should be less fires. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-34276473669473420902017-07-14T10:09:51.872-07:002017-07-14T10:09:51.872-07:00I hope we have all learned from recent experience ...I hope we have all learned from recent experience to lay in ammo regardless of what type.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-31464965657330192642017-07-14T10:08:36.287-07:002017-07-14T10:08:36.287-07:00Okay, I'm obviously misinformed on goats. I c...Okay, I'm obviously misinformed on goats. I could have sworn I noted them used by the Bedoin, plus I have a book on a nomad dude wandering the southwest with goats. I'm obviously missing something ( I haven't read the book yet, as it is heavy on the poetic philosophy-blech! ). Appreciate the feedback.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-3503500101271611732017-07-14T10:03:27.817-07:002017-07-14T10:03:27.817-07:00My views on herding are primarily from historical ...My views on herding are primarily from historical sources, with absolutely no hands on experience. I don't pretend otherwise. I know cattle are worthless here, without oil. It would be a toss-up between goats and sheep. I don't think I blithely scorn technology lightly. I look at it through sustainability. We take it for granted, far too much. All good points, and I appreciate them. Always better to have boots on the ground.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-7273355107595434042017-07-14T09:58:04.113-07:002017-07-14T09:58:04.113-07:00River access good, price good, but perhaps not goo...River access good, price good, but perhaps not good enough considering the distance.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-19483231120095573972017-07-14T09:51:53.289-07:002017-07-14T09:51:53.289-07:00Worst case seems to be the only logical prism.Worst case seems to be the only logical prism.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-76939125360300990032017-07-14T09:50:43.741-07:002017-07-14T09:50:43.741-07:00Forest fires-darn good point. Barter-not until th...Forest fires-darn good point. Barter-not until the military situation is resolved, the fighting completed to assure a peace.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-47797671509599604342017-07-14T07:22:27.230-07:002017-07-14T07:22:27.230-07:00Time/Space is always a problem. Given the best pos...Time/Space is always a problem. Given the best possible TechComm the operator still has to put hands on and hope for the best, try to make small mistakes and learn therefrom.Sam Caffernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-67037483466388902222017-07-14T06:40:38.663-07:002017-07-14T06:40:38.663-07:00I like your approach: people with greater availabl...I like your approach: people with greater available cash can always add/adapt. It is the 'normal folks' that need advice. Let's start with worse case; the snake without a pit to hiss in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-42326848322886982152017-07-14T06:37:58.246-07:002017-07-14T06:37:58.246-07:00Assumptions, assumptions. How long would it be aft...Assumptions, assumptions. How long would it be after The Event before I would be bartering my animals for anything? I have long read about bartering and wondered how such exchanges would be made. I've done such exchanges in dicey situations and, believe me, it is not comfortable. Better said, it can be very dangerous. <br /><br />I'd prefer not to depend on barter for at least six months, maybe a year. Any plan that depends on obtaining essentials from other people is to that degree a weak plan.<br /><br />Granted predicting the future is difficult.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-90076973510414296542017-07-14T06:24:08.212-07:002017-07-14T06:24:08.212-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-9610191179538654302017-07-14T06:22:43.349-07:002017-07-14T06:22:43.349-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-32329312472162897552017-07-14T06:22:10.546-07:002017-07-14T06:22:10.546-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Sam Caffernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-1171720493481871222017-07-14T04:11:36.508-07:002017-07-14T04:11:36.508-07:00The SKS is a pretty good rifle. No worries about ...The SKS is a pretty good rifle. No worries about extra magazines (lay in supply of stripper clips), easy to shoot from prone (no magazine sticking out from bottom) and reasonable short range accuracy (<100 yards). All good qualities. Ammunition price has been raised considerably though, better have a good supply of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-810584165974845972017-07-13T18:46:39.035-07:002017-07-13T18:46:39.035-07:00You seem to understand more than most in your busi...You seem to understand more than most in your business: writing about ‘prepping.’ Most of your colleagues are just skimming the flow of money; that is, selling stuff. (As a joke I have wondered if you aren’t selling wheat. But I doubt it.) <br /><br />You do, for example, understand the difference between gardening and farming. You know that having a bag of seed, 1,000 rounds of 5.56mm ammo, and an AR isn't preparation for much, altho you must admit it is better than nothing. (Not much better?) You really understand cost per calorie, a seldom considered marker.<br /><br />I can understand that your experience as an MP might give you a jaundiced notion about the M16/M4/AR15 system. I have been building and running that system for most of fifty years and find it robust and reliable. As an aside, I teach the AR, not as a rifle, but as a sort of super pistol. I tell my students that with the AR you can do everything you want to do with your pistol and can’t; such as hitting a man at 100 yards every time, and hitting him hard. And fast. <br /><br />Let me give you one of the Great Truths of Life: <br /><br /> Equipment is dictated by Mission, mitigated by Operator Skill. <br /><br />The AR does what it does very well indeed. If what it does isn’t what you need, it is a waste of your load out, but so is anything else that you don’t need. Of course, the problem is predicting what you will need. I plan six months out. I am often wrong but my error has less consequence than if I presume to plan six years out. If I were to be so presumptuous as to plan ‘forever,’ I would surely fail. Granted that it is better to have a plan and modify it, then it is to not have any plan at all. But change it you will; therefore, luck smiles on the man with options and the mental flexibility to use them.<br /><br />If you like the SMLE, good on ya; but it is a clunky, heavy, old, if robust, design. When I go that route, I go K98k. You seem not to like the sights, but they are easy to change.<br /><br />Incidentally, I agree that the SKS is a very useful tool. The Russian-built ones were very nice, but I believe the Clintons stopped the import thereof.<br /><br />And, finally, just as you should know that goats are not grazers, revolvers are not simple. Semi-auto pistols are much simpler, much. Anyone can replace broken parts on a Glock (but they seldom break); adjusting the timing on a revolver is extremely demanding. The 1911A1 is a good pistol, if heavy; but doing trigger work thereon takes talent and equipment.<br /><br />I like your work and try to understand the degree to which you are audience adapted. I wish you well, for these are interesting times. I suggest you take heart. My family lived through WWII on the losing side; I knew folks who lived through a total collapse of their monetary system. Berlin rose from the rubble, and Hiroshima is a prosperous and bustling city again. Keep in mind how wrong the Chicken Littles were when the calendar turned over to the year 2000, and laugh. Rome didn’t fall; it just transitioned to something a bit different, but ultimately much better. Cicero is still with us and still offers good advice.<br /><br />I enjoy moving towards self-sufficiency, and consider myself rich on a tenth of the income of most people, because I avoid waste, trying to keep things real. The secret of success is to never waste time or money: napping is more productive than watching televison; paying interest is usually (note that) a fool’s game.<br /><br />And I would have advised you, as I have others, never put your financial future at risk (hence the advice not to borrow money). Give her everything you have; you can always get more. But never surrender your future, or you will end up eating wheat twice a day for years. Flee the country if you must, but protect your future. But you seemed to have learned something from your experience. That in itself, plus your obvious passion for what you do, makes you worth reading. And supporting with real money. Or would you rather have a bucket of wheat once a month? <br /><br />Just joking; just joking.<br /><br />Cheers.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-72393362622588340462017-07-13T18:45:53.951-07:002017-07-13T18:45:53.951-07:00Nothing is as easy to do as it is to read about. E...Nothing is as easy to do as it is to read about. Everything is easy for the man who doesn't have to do it. For example, you mention goats, which by the way are not grazers. Goats seemed to us a really good idea, converting leafy material into milk and meat, right? We have been raising goats for over ten years now precisely for the purpose you describe; have a small herd of three billies, four wethers, and about twenty nannies. All I knew about goats was from living in Greece for about two years and watching. Goats are smart and pleasant, vice sheep which might be the most stupid animals I have ever worked with. If tasty.<br /><br />Anyway, the problems we encountered, and mostly solved, were many, very many. I started with a small pen and two kidding stalls; we now have that plus three other much larger pens. Why? To control breeding mostly. Just fencing goats is a real problem because they are so smart. They will watch you work the latch on a gate and learn how. If they can get out, they will get out. <br /><br />Learning how to milk a goat is a skill-set in itself. Many other skills are needed. Hoof trimming? You betcha. How long after breeding will you wait until you can get milk? IF everything goes right. How long?<br /><br />And things arcane. To avoid many problems, goats require a certain spectrum of minerals in their feed. If the natural browse in your area does include those minerals, you will not have successful breeding and kidding.<br /><br />No kidding. <br /><br />We are serious about self-sufficiency, have well over 100 acres with a stream running through it, two solar powered wells and three large water catchments, called 'tanks' around here. At any given time we have in excess of 12,000 gallons of water in 3,000 gallon containers. Water is everything in this part of Texas. <br /><br />We had pigs for years and I wish we still did, but they are hard to handle, being large, strong, smart, goal oriented, omnivores. We now have rabbits (a losing operation), goats (browsers), chickens (omnivores), geese (which are grazers and can thrive on grass), cattle (also grazers). <br /><br />Another example: if you don't give calves shots, they can just up an die from Blackleg or any one of a number of other diseases. <br /><br />You can just turn every thing loose and let nature take its course, but nature is a bitch and your production will be very difficult to predict. We are not prepared to revert to hunter/gatherer status.<br /><br />As it is, production is not our problem; storage is. For example, our peach trees produce a huge crop in a couple of weeks each year. Smoothing out that spike takes technology, which you blithely scorn. We use it if we got it. The Hudson Bay Company used to preach "Don't travel hard, just to travel hard." I'll go with that notion.<br /><br />So we are on the grid. Why not? The power is there and it’s cheap. Do we have backup systems for power? Of course . . . and backups to those. But batteries currently have a five your (roughly) lifespan, even if used properly. Nevertheless, within a few minutes I can be completely power independent. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-87402599952279651782017-07-13T18:36:33.304-07:002017-07-13T18:36:33.304-07:00Living in Ohio it seems people on welfare get more...Living in Ohio it seems people on welfare get more money than that.if u can live and prep on your boundrys your in a different state,to many regulations here.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com