tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post2435417747111468476..comments2023-08-15T06:33:53.114-07:00Comments on Bison Prepper: what's frugal?James M Dakinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-48062069745423090052017-10-05T18:21:00.751-07:002017-10-05T18:21:00.751-07:00I don't see myself surviving either. The reas...I don't see myself surviving either. The reason I prep for it is because if I don't prep, then I'll survive and will have no supplies. Prepping for Murphy's Law. Thanks for the link-I'll check it out.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-60473089480548949342017-10-05T15:37:06.084-07:002017-10-05T15:37:06.084-07:00I see. To be honest, I never really gave it much t...I see. To be honest, I never really gave it much thought. I guess I will see how it plays out when the time comes. I’m pretty sure I still have a brick of .22LR left over from the old Walmart cheap ammo days, and I also have a box of 12ga from them as well, and then some. But I don’t see myself surviving the type of collapse that you’re referring to, and to be honest, the only people that I do see surviving are the one’s like that Russian family that fled to the remote woods to escape the commies. Very inspiring true story of survival if you haven’t already read it.<br /><br />https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-russian-family-was-cut-off-from-all-human-contact-unaware-of-world-war-ii-7354256/<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-82317555046769775062017-10-05T15:12:05.277-07:002017-10-05T15:12:05.277-07:00"Serious user" as in someone that is goi..."Serious user" as in someone that is going to rely primarily on the rimfire post-apoc.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-27882104207848426782017-10-05T13:06:04.571-07:002017-10-05T13:06:04.571-07:00I just had a look at that kit Jim, and it does app...I just had a look at that kit Jim, and it does appear to be a high quality kit. What would be nice is if you could find some online reviews to determine if those that invested in it found it to be worth it.<br /><br />I’m not sure if you’re previous question was rhetorical or directed at me, but no, I’m not a serious user. Even when I was a kid, rapid fire bursts of .22LR were infrequent, and not within my budget. It wasn’t like we were poor, but we also didn’t have the luxury of wasting ammo. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-61471999723467302042017-10-05T12:33:57.046-07:002017-10-05T12:33:57.046-07:00Go back to Sept. 2016 for my book "forever gu...Go back to Sept. 2016 for my book "forever gun" if you want to read a bit more on my pondering on the subject. Here is the reloading kit:<br />https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.myshopify.com/products/22-reloader-kitJames M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-57129535288031140512017-10-05T12:23:22.948-07:002017-10-05T12:23:22.948-07:00The reloading kit is just the tools. No component...The reloading kit is just the tools. No components other than the primer chemicals ( if any-can't remember if that is a separate cost past the first batch ). I'm assuming in all this you are a serious user. Like, Forever Gun levels of 10k rounds, plus regular practice. James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-20905230153540437582017-10-05T10:28:16.403-07:002017-10-05T10:28:16.403-07:00I guess the key point here Jim, would be to factor...I guess the key point here Jim, would be to factor in the cost of the kit, and at what point you break even and start to save money, and how much of a savings there is overall. I wasn’t aware that the kit included new cases and lead, so that makes a difference. Right off, I can’t see the savings, but I could be wrong.<br /><br />Personally, I wouldn’t bother, and would just go with a reloadable .22 centerfire, such as the commonly found .223, but that’s more of a quality vs quantity approach. If you needed the extra firepower and you’re dealing with closer ranges, the .22 rimfire just might be the better choice, making reloading them a more practical option. But it probably wouldn’t cost much more to reload a lower velocity .22 centerfire.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-86809833772774559162017-10-05T04:07:10.221-07:002017-10-05T04:07:10.221-07:00I think for advertising to work people must first ...I think for advertising to work people must first want to spend money ( although, yes, there is a certain brainwashing involved ). Perhaps it is more group pressure than company pressure that is the deciding factor? Look how many books my minions forced me to buy ( okay, I'm kidding on that one ). James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-61582345569288319162017-10-05T04:01:39.417-07:002017-10-05T04:01:39.417-07:00At four cents factory, no, reloading makes no sens...At four cents factory, no, reloading makes no sense at three cents. New case, lead included, makes the extra cent worth it. Plus, a jacketed bullet at that. It didn't seem that long ago-a few months-you couldn't find 22 for less than 7 cents. I guess that's how quick, good or bad, the industry changes now.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-59189937351360198832017-10-04T21:24:39.579-07:002017-10-04T21:24:39.579-07:00“On the reload, you'd have to be able to hamme...“On the reload, you'd have to be able to hammer the indent back out from inside-a punch?”<br /><br /><br />That’s the idea Jim, but my main question would be how well it works, and if there is a significant savings from reloading the .22 rimfire vs just buying extra. If there isn’t, I would think that it would be better to spend the difference in extra .22 cartridges at the current price. Something about it just seems kind of gimmicky to me, but don’t listen to me because I have not researched it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-37512351497762087652017-10-04T20:28:21.809-07:002017-10-04T20:28:21.809-07:00Good point regarding advertising. If it didn't...Good point regarding advertising. If it didn't work then why would companies expend absolute fortunes doing it? <br /><br />In my case I loathe, absolutely loathe my area's newspaper & local paper. Why? because of the freakin' ads. I KNOW they work because my family falls for them. Great new restaurants to try / oh look there's a exhibition / fair / show to attend at 20 dollaroo's per person entry (hours wage pre tax for me). A restaurant visit can cost me a days pay (for my wife and myself) and I need not tell ya'll that after paying bills etc....<br /><br />My goal is to only have mortgage debt which I know is not Bison approved but repayments are less than rent and I'm just trying to make the best of a ludicrous situation (property prices in Dingo land are INSANE). <br /><br />But prompted by an earlier Bison post about frugal eating as well as theme of the last couple I'm trying to get my finances in order. A Dollaroo here, a Dollaroo there, do that 20 times and I've wasted an hour of my life working for junk drinks, booze or boomerangs that don't come back! Dingonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-4762542844428186532017-10-04T18:29:21.667-07:002017-10-04T18:29:21.667-07:00Our treat tonight was homemade enchiladas. I'...Our treat tonight was homemade enchiladas. I'll take that any day over a steak-although I do endulge in one of those about twice a year. A bigger treat is diner hamburgers with fries. I just can't get the baked fries good enough to compete. James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-6341063986128053782017-10-04T18:25:31.295-07:002017-10-04T18:25:31.295-07:00I've just been informed that 22's are back...I've just been informed that 22's are back down to four cents a factory round. So it's time to recommend the system once again. Expect a gushing article soon. On the reload, you'd have to be able to hammer the indent back out from inside-a punch? James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-41159033490679232642017-10-04T17:51:01.919-07:002017-10-04T17:51:01.919-07:00When we were kids and Christmas time neared my mot...When we were kids and Christmas time neared my mother would tell us to give her a list of 10 things we'd each like to have as gifts. There were 5 of us kids. When we gave her our lists she handed them back and told us each to get rid of 7 of the items. My parents weren't rich so 5 kids x 10 gifts would have been substantial. As a side note she was also teaching us how to be an adult in a small way. Practicing making decisions in frugality.<br /><br />I haven't eaten a steak in over 10 years, drive a 16 yo vehicle, drive less than 3k per year, and use a Tracfone cell that cost $90 almost 2 years ago on QVC.com and came with 1350 minutes that I am still using. I use the phone very sparingly. We have no pay TV, rarely stream stuff, and our single daily meal usually costs between 2 and 3 dollars per person for the 2 of us. Our regular daily drink of choice is filtered water and I have not drunk a soda water in over 5 years. About 8 times a year I'll make myself a glass of Lipton instant tea, and I drink Great Value instant coffee everyday.<br /><br />As you can see there is little extravagance in our lives and we prefer it that way. Oh yeah, I have no debt at all and got rid of all plastic 10 years ago. Cash and debit card only.<br /><br />By eliminating the non-essential and excessive it allows a lot of room for consideration of things I really want and the ability to set priorities. It took me 2 years of thinking before I laid out the $2k I spent on parts for my first AR15 build. I have 3k of 223 ammo purchased only when priced very competetively.<br /><br />This is a difficult position for most people because they innundate themselves with very cunning marketing 24/7. Get rid of all the communications stuff and that influence will disappear. When Chili's interrupts DWTS to blow that Two 4 Twenty deal all the way through your brain what do you think will be subliminally working on you until you scratch that itch? And all along a $2 meal at home will give you better stuff all the way around and not rob you of the free rent inside your head. Think: Who is controlling you?<br />ghostsniperhttp://www.deadcenter.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-18005047072814989342017-10-04T15:40:52.527-07:002017-10-04T15:40:52.527-07:00It sounds like the lowly .22 is still reasonably p...It sounds like the lowly .22 is still reasonably priced enough to purchase in large enough lots to consider as a survival round. I suppose that you would have to determine if it will meet your needs and go from there. You would also have to determine if the cost of the reloading apparatus is worth purchasing, or if you would just be better off spending that much more on additional .22 rounds (I’m assuming that it also comes with a .22 bullet mould, but that’s just my guess). Personally I don’t have much faith in the .22 rimfire reloading system. I say this because while the .22 uses the old style balloon head cartridge cases, I’ve noticed that the firing pin on most models puts one hell of a dent in the rim. You would have to be able to pound that out well in order to insure ignition, and that’s where my lack of faith lies.<br /><br />The super survivalist guru’s advice might not have been all that bad considering. A small centerfire .22 such as the .22 Hornet might be a better way to go depending on your needs, and would hardly use any more powder. But of course since this option costs more money, and that assumes wealth, that makes him a raciss! 😀<br /><br />Didn’t know about the elimination of lead wheel weights until today’s article. But I would think that lead is still readily available and reasonably priced, at least compared to jacketed bullets.<br /><br />Speaking of the 10/22 I have a very old model that belonged to my father. It was probably one of the first generation (circa 1964). It’s a fine gun, and I’ve always liked it, but for some reason I’ve always reached for my antique Remington bolt single shot first. I can’t say why this is. It was the same with my Stevens Model 9478 single shot 12ga, when I had a fine $500 (In 1980 dollars) Browning double barrel in the closet. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-15262693477167067112017-10-04T11:53:41.150-07:002017-10-04T11:53:41.150-07:00I don't dislike the rimfire as the best surviv...I don't dislike the rimfire as the best survival gun. I actually would have been better off with a 10/22 given my eyesight and the accuracy of the Enfield. What I dislike as how folks misuse them as guns, negating all the advantages. Well, that's gonna be an article.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-42330494564761628762017-10-04T11:50:59.689-07:002017-10-04T11:50:59.689-07:00I'm frugal so I can buy books, then. Now I'...I'm frugal so I can buy books, then. Now I'm frugal so I can write instead of work. James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-86123063242919394052017-10-04T11:47:51.797-07:002017-10-04T11:47:51.797-07:00You're right. I make fun of car nerds and her...You're right. I make fun of car nerds and here we do the same thing with guns.James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-79566266653215942742017-10-04T11:46:35.448-07:002017-10-04T11:46:35.448-07:00The lead is definitely an issue for reloading and ...The lead is definitely an issue for reloading and should be considered when choosing between a 22 and a 9. And the reload cost for a rimfire is definitely a consideration ( although I have no idea how long the case would last ).James M Dakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382139289994087931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-23059045369271327542017-10-04T09:12:10.296-07:002017-10-04T09:12:10.296-07:00I do like the idea of the .22 LR as a forever gun,...I do like the idea of the .22 LR as a forever gun, It is not to hard to find Aquila rounds at .04 each anymore. Stock it deep like 10,000 rounds deep. The 9mm as a forever round has merit as they are easy to reload but I have no idea where you are going to find cheap lead now that the wheel weights have gone away from lead. primers are now slightly over .02 powder at .02 and a lead bullet for almost free if you can find the lead to cast your own. That almost makes it a forever round but not quite although it does have greater knock down power especially out of a long barrel. I do like your writing as yours is a whole different slant on staying alive than the granddaddy site from Idaho.Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-57013226828487238042017-10-04T07:46:21.552-07:002017-10-04T07:46:21.552-07:00In an equipment/firearms perspective, frugality wo...In an equipment/firearms perspective, frugality would translate to sacrificing a certain number of perceived advantages (ease of use, firepower, specialization for instance) in order to simplify procurment and logistics.<br /><br />So we spend less on each gun, have few guns and less ammo variety. Maybe we can't master all situations in an *optimal* way but guns are pretty binary : whatever you have, even a .22LR Derringer, puts you in a dramatically better situation than not having any firearm at all.<br /><br />So "fruaglity" means you will have to do everything with one weapon (and its backups/spare parts).<br /><br />Side note : we love to talk about guns because they're by far our greatest investment in this hobby and thus all factors are reviewed over and over again. Just like regular people do with cars.Avehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06508223217305671728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-58123247535913144272017-10-04T07:38:35.853-07:002017-10-04T07:38:35.853-07:00A good definition of the word "frugal" i...A good definition of the word "frugal" in a survivalist sense is nigh to impossible. <br /><br />I am completely Middle Class, and so being "frugal" means I have much more than an average Working Class person, while have quite less than the standard Middle Class person.<br /><br />By Middle Class standards, not having a car and walking to work and walking to the supermarket (that's what I do) is quite frugal. But once at the supermarket , i buy stuff that Working Class people can't afford (or not often, that is). <br /><br />Not smoking or drinking is not part of frugality, it is a choice of life. I think we can say that somebody is frugal when he sacrifices something that could make his life easier, and that sacrifice is voluntary and non-ideological.<br /><br />"Frugality" could be translated to "financial/lifestyle discipline in an affluent/consumerist/short-term society".Avehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06508223217305671728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686829448547770092.post-84591936588085434432017-10-04T07:33:20.707-07:002017-10-04T07:33:20.707-07:00I've always thought the 10/22 to be the best s...I've always thought the 10/22 to be the best survival weapon. With the banana magazines one can easily deter a group of people. Yet is very accurate in single fire mode out to a hundred yards, very deadly.<br />Final word is my .45 ACP when they get up close.<br />I don't care what the cost is now. As I purchased my weapons and stockpile of ammo long ago.<br />I just practice with my compound bow. As pulling the trigger on it is the same as a gun. The sights are also almost identical. So practice with it is cheap, as one reuses the ammo over and over. Saving all that lead for future use.<br /><br />Tho I do burn a few hundred rounds per year in my guns. To remain familiar with each. Yet only what I can afford to replace !Spudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00689059709873763146noreply@blogger.com