Tuesday, January 30, 2018

panic 2 of 3


PANIC 2

Are you a Gun Fag?  You know, you have more guns than windows in your house.  That is all well and good.  They are a fun hobby ( well, they WERE, until ammo got all crazy full retard expensive just as our wages started falling ).  They were pretty indecently cheap for the longest time.  And they are a good store of value.  But, come on, dude.  Wouldn’t you admit you have far too many guns?  I’m not being stupid and repeating the Gun Hating Hater From Hatesville refrain that “you can only carry one at a time”.  I’m saying, do you really need all of those, or are you like me with my books?

*

I have a whole variety of excuses why I need more books.  When I was just using my writing income to buy more books ( rather than using it for living expenses or prepping gear ) I was sometimes spending a quarter to a third of my total take home pay ( both incomes combined ) on books.  And I always had scores more waiting in line for next purchase.  I needed them because they were reference books, for writing research and post-apocalypse.  I needed them for retirement, as entertainment.  I needed to stock them now in case my income decreased.  I needed them so I wouldn’t waste as much time watching TV or being on the Internet.  Declining public library budgets were wiping out that option.

*

See what I’m saying.  All excuses were justifiable, but they were all still just excuses.  I had so many reasons I would never say no to getting another book ( the only thing keeping a lid on it now is my urge to increase my saving as the Bubble Economy looks more and more scary, plus, mostly, I’ve run out of GOOD books at affordable prices.  There is a HUGE amount of utter drek out there now ). 

*

My 100 page Frugal Survivalist book cost just a smidge over $2 to print.  A $1.50 commission to Amazon for doing so, two bits for me.  Everyone makes a profit on a $4 retail book ( which is why I vomit on companies charging $40 or $60 for a 300 page book ).  The barriers to entry are ZERO.  Any moron can be in print.  Not just e-books, but a paper book.  With no reason for money to be an object, everyone who feels they can publish does so, but not under the assumption of selling quality.  I have shelves full of books obviously just a rehash of other better ones, taking the same points and fluffing them up differently.  It got to be embarrassing ( almost as embarrassing as keeping those books anyway, as if every extra one I keep increases my mojo ).

*

Are you just as bad with your guns?  I’ve BOUGHT that many guns in my life, but a long string of divorces has kept me from keeping them.  I always WANT more, but I just keep content to buy more ammo for those few I’ve kept ( and, really, what choice do I have?  Every gun I buy is 20-30 less books ).  Four Lee-Enfields, three rimfire rifles and one each 357 and 22lr pistol, and I’m the one who is the most restrained on purchases?  How sad is that? 

*

But here is my point.  You have so many guns, and so little ammunition, does it make sense to keep all of those guns?  I’m not talking about back-ups of the same gun.  Those make sense.  I’m talking about different guns to just have different guns.  Do you need them all?  I’ve walked away from guns before, and I’ve walked away from really good books before ( the first casualty of moving-although I won’t pretend I don’t buy another copy later ).  Can you?  If you are under a budget too severe to buy more ammo, you need to sell some of your guns.

*

Because ammo is next after food.  Guns, you’ll be able to pick up in the future.  Ammo?  Not so much.  Doubling or even tripling your food stocks cost you a mere hundred bucks.  And doubling or tripling your ammunition shouldn’t cost you anything, if you can prune down your gun ownership.  Some of you were really smart and sold at the top of the bubble, both in guns and those guns ammo and cashed in on an investment.  You probably couldn’t make a profit off of an AR-15 right now, thank you election over-production, nor a 40 caliber pistol ( isn’t the FBI dumping theirs as their limp wrested accountants can’t handle the round? ), but everything else should be a good sell.

*

Then, with the extra you can buy junk land, the third and most expensive item to date.  It doesn’t have to be expensive.  I spent five months using almost all my free time, searching E-Bay for cheap land a dozen years ago.  I bought Arizona, Arkansas and Texas land, no more than $300 or so each.  Be patient and you’ll find the bargains ( of course, then I sold all of them after I bought much more expensive land in Nevada-but the point was I HAD them if I would have needed them ).

*

Now, to get the under $1k land you either need to buy in west Texas ( VERY far from ANY Podunk town.  Rain catchment can solve the water issue-just beware the issue of droughts, but can you survive out there after vehicles and gas are too expensive? ), or buy tax delinquent lots.   Since you have nothing but time, and time is free, you can search at all the surrounding areas counties for this tax land.  It isn’t foolproof, but it isn’t much worse than buying online through private sellers, either.  A nice rule of thumb financially is don’t buy land that is too expensive to lose to fraud or that you need a lawyer for to protect the sale.  It’s JUNK land, people!

*

I would advise a maximum of twenty miles away if you will be walking and sixty miles if biking.  I wouldn’t assume getting there by vehicle.  But that is probably just me.  If you can’t find any tax delinquent land, there are still parcels out there for sale on payments under $100 a month.  If you go that route, just be sure it has an overall lower price.  One you can pay off relatively easy.  NOT one you need to sell too many assets to get, because when the economy crashes every single swinging cheese dingus out there is going to be competing with you. 

*

And there is no need to buy from E-Bay any longer.  You can get owner financed ( ie, no credit check ) land from many other companies now.  E-Bay has a terrible selection and not great prices.  But we’ll continue tomorrow.

END ( today's related link http://amzn.to/2G95VgA )
 
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34 comments:

  1. If you are planning on a generational or longer decline, perhaps it might make sense to have enough to set up each of your children with their own functional arsenal, along with the associated ammunition, so they'd be supplied long after most others had run out. Go ahead and pick it apart, I'm curious.
    Peace out

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    1. I thought that was a given? No need to pick anything apart.

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  2. Landwatch.com is the site I used to find the land I have right now. A lot of the places advertising there owner finance and there is tons of land under a grand.

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    1. Thank you! I was told about that site earlier and forgot what it was. I bookmarked it for later hysteria ( I can pimp under $1k land every day! ).

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  3. All the real-estate lawyers / insurances do, is check the court records, make certain their are no liens, and that the owners are who are on the deed and selling the land. All that is stuff you can do yourself. Some also provide actual insurance but if you can afford to lose the money invested why get the insurance?

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    1. Plus, the insurance company can screw you. I had $300 Texas land with insurance costing $250, and American Title screwed me on the insurance. I know I've mentioned it before. I still get friggin riled up.

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  4. Yeah, you're not finding "junk" land in Dingoland. Unless you're a well connected Chinese company then you can lease an airport for 99 years for the grand total of $1 But us working class slobs?

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    1. What? Aren't there plenty of $500 an acre spots? You just need to buy a few thousand of them at a time :)

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  5. I’m one of these dude’s that’s guilty of having far too many guns. I’m now getting to the point where I can’t stand clutter, and really want to downsize. The problem for me is that a few of these guns were my father’s, and so there is some sentimental value there that would make it hard for me to get rid of them. But if I had to do over again, I’d keep my arsenal down to a few select and practical guns. Probably something as follows:

    1- 22 rifle (small game procurement or pest eradication).

    1- large caliber rifle. Something real simple, that shoots a common round, such as a .30 .30 Winchester.

    1- shotgun, perhaps something with a versatile stock/barrel system such as the Remington 870. That way it would double as an upland bird gun, as well as for home defense (for home defense, switch out to a shorter barrel, which is really easy on the newer 870’s and go with the folding pistol grip/stock).

    1- handgun. Again, real simple. Probably a Colt 1873 clone in .45 Colt. (If I need something more substantial for a combat situation, I’ll use the shotgun, which would work well for the ranges typically associated with pistol combat).

    While I do feel that guns will be much harder to get as time goes on, the important item to have is the ammunition, which would be the real bottle neck. A gun can always be homebuilt if necessary.

    I got my junk land from “Char the Explorer”. I paid $2k for 2.5 acres in Elko county. I haven’t been there yet, but a cursory glance from google earth would seem to reveal that I didn’t fare too badly.

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    1. That's a good price for Elko. Of course, I bought at the top of the bubble :) No worries, it's a cost of insurance rather than an investment but I paid 7.0, 3.3 and 2.5 all one acre each. Now would be a good time for anyone to buy, as it seems no one is panicking ( Trump will save us all! ). As soon as they do the prices should go up again ( before, they rose on speculation-now they seem to be back to Good Time Charlie prices ).

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    2. Avoiding clutter is one of the appeals of the Contender series. You could conceivably have a back up barrel for your centre fire, shotgun & rimfire.

      Then you find out how much the barrels cost :-(

      But as Lord Bison is pointing out ----- 5 assault rifles and 200 rounds isn't going to do anyone much good past the first 15 minutes of your first apocalypse encounter. LOL

      22lr, centre fire of your choice (I like 30/30 because of it's mild recoil and it's in a lever action, but I have a 308 mauser that hurts on both ends of the barrel) and a shotgun (I have a coach gun because the King Dingo decreed no pumps or semi autos for peasants). handguns are difficult and expensive to get lawfully and even less fun to own due to heavy restrictions.

      I like Lord Bisons arsenal

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    3. Sorry, I can't remember-is your Mauser in 308? A chamber adapter would allow you to fire 7.62x39. Lower recoil, perhaps cheaper ammo? Not sure about the availability there in Oz. But even reloading, less powder and lead, and of course lesser recoil is better shooting.
      http://www.mcace.com/adapters.HTM

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    4. The 7,62x39 bullet is slightly larger in diameter, actually it's .311 like the Mosin-Nagant and the glorious Lee-Enfield.

      For .308, maybe you would want a .300 Blackout adapter (same bullet diameter). .300 Blackout can be made out of 5.56 brass (only certain brands though : ( http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88599 )

      But the hype about that round has faded last year IIRC.

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    5. Okay, I knew the diameter of the 303, so I'm not sure why I didn't catch the 308/311 difference. And yet, there are the adaptors for sale from a reputable company. If I'd have to show my ass and guess, the bullet must be able to compress enough. I know some 303 is 312 rather than 311, and if I recall correctly the interior of the Russian round is not solid but is hollow with supports, so perhaps that has a bit of a springiness? I know that sounds stupid-I'm wildly flailing about for an explanation. The guy discontinued the 303 to 762x39, the natural fit, but still sells the 308 conversion. I'm missing something obvious.

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  6. I like to be able to carry all of my weapons to the vehicle in one trip. Almost there, with still a surplus $69 Mosin-Nagant (with a big can of ammo) to sell. Narrowed down to 7.62x51, 5.56NATO, 9x19, .22lr, 12ga, and a couple of revolvers in .38sp/.45Colt. Yes, more ammo, 'specially for the AR and nine's.

    The Savage Rascal .22lr is the cutest thing. Accurate and lightweight for the "last carbine" as a pedestrian.

    pdxr13

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    1. Well, at least the ammo you need is the cheapest.

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    2. I checked out the Rascal. Looks like a nice little gun. The one in the link directly below is the one that I believe they call the “Richard Simmons Special” :D

      http://www.vergonaoutdoors.com/assets/images/large/SavageArmsRascalPink.jpg

      I have the Rossi Gallery Gun in the link below (Based on the Winchester 1890 Gallery Gun). Note the thumb screw between the trigger and the hammer. I like this gun for this feature, because it allows you to take down the gun and pack it more easily.

      https://www.gunsamerica.com/UserImages/149299/950538956/wm_6724483.jpg

      http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/17330/17011880_2.jpg?v=8D0629A8B8A6B30

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    3. Luv gun porn! Pink stocks are why we stock cans of flat black spray paint. Even the factory black plastic stock that comes with a Rascal is a little bit shiny. All guns need something from the factory, and most need to be painted.

      Nice hair, Jim. Thanks for the cheap land link.
      1. Get ownership (or cheap possession) of cheap land. 2.Get access(driveway, trail, etc.) 3. Get to improving the land in ways that don't add taxable value or are prone to theft. Grading for water / cutting trees/ low-labor later building, not building an oversized treasure shed (grid power and water! Underground firing range! Walk-in freezer! Hot tub! Porn movie set!)full of re-sellable toys and expecting it to be there after the SHTF. Maximum $3000 motorhome (one-payment-ever for running old 27'-33' 454 box) for a 2 week work project on vacation days is about the most value that should ever visit the place and that should drive away with you back to the urban concealed-carry noisy stressful taxified job-hole.

      pdxr13

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    4. Hmm, now that you mention it, how can you possibly thrive instead of merely survive without the retreat hot tub?

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    5. I have one of the 30’ 454 boxes that pdxr13 speaks of. I’ll never buy another motorcoach again. In addition to being an enormous pain in the ass to work on (absolutely zero room in the engine compartment) you still have to deal with smog (I’m in Kalifornia) unless you get an older smog exempt motorhome (Which if you’re going to get one, I’d highly recommend). But then you’re still dealing with the difficulty of working on them, which when you’re poor, like I am, is generally the only option that you can afford.

      To me, a better plan is as follows: Get an old beater trailer, and set it on your junk land. Just make sure that it’s weather proof and rodent proof (Apparently the guy’s that design these things never stopped to think to rodent proof them). It will be crap, so no one will want to steal it, but to be extra sure, remove the wheels and set it on blocks or railroad ties. Whenever you visit your land, set yourself up so that everything that you need for the trip is in easy to move totes. You can even get portable solar panels. When you leave for the weekend, bring everything back with you. Now of course, you will wish to have supplies to leave at your land. Your only option here is to cache it in some way. You can do this in a few different ways. Underground, which is best. Or store them in a place that no one would ever wish to look for them ( EX: in a hidden storage compartment of an outhouse, or some equally unpleasant place).

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    6. Even if they don't steal the trailer, they will vandalize it. Which was the whole point of driving the motorhome back. No worries, you have a beater trailer you tow, instead of a motorhome you drive. Then there is no totes or setting up as everything is anchored on the trailer.

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    7. Yes, that’s a good point that I hadn’t considered. But then you will need something much more substantial, and that gets much worse mileage, in order to tow it, as opposed to your 55mpg Geo Metro to just get you there. Unless of course you go with something very light, such as a tent trailer, that can be towed by practically anything.

      There are a few different options I suppose, but from my personal experience, a motorhome would be the last one that I would choose if I ever had to do over again. Unless you happen to be a midget (oh sorry, I meant “little person” 😀 ) mechanic that can fit in the engine bay of one of those things :D

      In consideration of the above, I would probably just go with the original plan, but instead pitch a tent for the duration spent there (while still keeping in mind the cache). When the time came that I planned on moving there permanently, I’d then haul a trailer on to the land, or build something.

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    8. Right, I would think the only reason to take the motorhome there every time was your only other vehicle was a bicycle. And/or, you were getting used to RV living for the first time.

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    9. "Motorhome" doesn't have to be a "recreational vehicle", when it is a survival/cargo/take-apart heavy truck. There are pretty good low-miles 30" GVW 14000 pound out there for under $3000 if you look for leakers and cosmetic disasters. People who pay full-price insist on perfect and smelling nice (which, obviously, we cannot abide). Favorites are fiberglass 1970's models, since there is less wood to rot.

      On the famous "last trip out" of suburbia/Urblandia, the rig will be prepped for 1. getting there with fuel remaining, 2. supplies enough to build on the pre-sited foundations 3. Tools to strip the rig of the useful parts. 4.Bicycles (you can fit unbelievable number of bikes on outside/top of rv).
      RV's are full of useful sub-systems (12v, water, propane, carpet, furniture, paneling, refrigeration, tankage, etc.), leaving a heavy-duty truck frame and cab that can haul things. That's a lot of industrial-civilization stuff for 6 weeks pay, almost as great as "junk land".

      If the rv is stored on private property, it may not even need current tags or insurance to be a "One-way SHTF" rig. Lots of Portlandians without money keep scruffy rv's running while living in them on the streets without current tags/insurance. People with property and driveways are saving money by renting their house out and living in the driveway in an RV (this is better than making a permitted tax-subject-structure Additional Dwelling Unit). The City has almost given up on enforcing civilization upon street-shitters who live outside in tents along parkways or parks (Obamavilles).

      pdxr13

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    10. I thought they were "hilaryvilles"?

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    11. The more I read, even about leftwing areas in other states, such as Portland, the more I realize just how much of a shithole Kalifornia is. You could never get away with expired vehicle tags on a public street here, and if they catch you, they will impound your vehicle.

      I’m at the point now where I’m frustrated with the choices that I’ve made, because they have created much work for me. From now it’s all low tech solutions. I plan on getting rid of this RV, and going with something much more simple, like a tent trailer, or possibly even just an outfitters tent (I’ll build something more substantial later if I have to). Off-grid plumbing, electrical, etc, will all be simple enough that if something goes wrong, I will be able to fix it in minutes, as opposed to hours. If I build something, I’ll go with 50 year shingles and 30 year paint, and prey that I don’t have to replace the roof or paint it ever again.

      If I could go back in time, I would have kept my German engineered 1974 Capri, that gave me far less trouble, and was far more simple to work on than these modern front wheel drive nightmares. Also need to get rid of a bunch of crap that’s serving as an anchor, and making me less mobile.

      You live and learn I suppose.

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    12. Hell, even an early 80's VW Rabbit diesel was way preferable to the cars today. Sorry I had to get rid of that-it would have been two gallons a week commuting from the B-POD all work week as opposed to my once a week trip in the '75 Chevy truck at three or four gallons. Not that I would have as I've never kept vehicles for long ( and not that I COULD have as the Baby Momma was in control ). I regret lots of stuff, from the military to cars to places I lived to marriages, but I learned and moved up at most junctures so I can't complain at all. At the time it always seemed I was stepping in a bucket of crap, but in toto it all worked. It had to have been divine intervention because I'm not THAT smart. I will say it is hard to justify off-grid in a trailer in a harsh climate. They simply carry no advantages past ease of initial living arrangements. And you are right about the maintanence. Non-RV, DIY alternates are far superior. Stress and money wise. As long as you end up in a better position, just chalk it all up to Hard Knocks College.

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    13. Sounds like you had much better luck with your Volkswagen than I did with mine. I had an 84 Jetta diesel, and it was hands down the worst piece of machinery that I ever owned. Got great mileage though, when it did run.

      Totally agree on the trailers as a terrible choice for a poor climate. Heck, even here in CA, I totally suffer in the winter and summer time, but more so in the winter time. The solution is to somehow come up with something that’s really easy to construct, and long lasting as well. The guy from the Rancho Costa Nada book seemed to come up with a pretty simple and low maintenance solution with that little shack that he built in the desert. Some time back a large shipping crate came into work (back when I was lucky enough to still have work). This gave me lots of ideas for a really simple shelter, yet durable if a little extra effort is put into it. It would also be something that you could construct prior to the move, and haul it to the site in a truck. But we’re also talking about something pretty small, so you’d have to keep your possessions to a minimum.

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    14. I don't know how feasible it is, but if I have to dig again for a big whole, they have those gas engine hole diggers available for as low as $200. Much easier than using a pick. Just four foot down and a stick built dug-out and you get the 80/20 of underground ( 80% of the performance for 20% of the cost ).

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    15. Yes, that’s probably what I will actually do. Dig a partial pit, and partially bury a pre-made box, and mound over lightly with straw flakes and earth. Sort of similar to that Storey’s root cellar publication that I sent you a while back. Except they used building blocks, which would add to the royal bitch factor. I’ll probably use pressure treated 4’x4’ beams and pressure treated plywood, where moisture will be the greatest problem, and cover the whole shebang in visqueen. The ideal would be to find something that can be buried as is, and is cheap, but off the top of my head, I’m not sure what that would be. Perhaps certain vehicles or trailers could work for this application. Now that I think about it, that Hobo dude in Rancho Costa Nada buried a camper, so that he could brave the 120 degree summers there. But he built a structure over it to keep it from collapsing.

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    16. If you have the lowered doorway with air intake, then the roof vent opposite that, plus have a gap between the wood and the dirt, you shouldn't have to worry about wood rot.

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  7. Durn...had ta sell all my guns. To pay medical costs you know...after that yuppie scum bitch ran me over !
    Thats my story, and I'm sticking with it ! The run over part anyhoo.

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