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Kerosene stove

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I live in a house that is plumbed for natural gas. I use it for heat, cooking, and clothes drying. Broadly speaking, when the power goes out, I still have natural gas available for my use. However, this will not be the case in every circumstance. A power outage caused by a squirrel humping a transformer three blocks down the street will not affect natural gas delivery to my house… a large natural disaster or distrubance, on the other hand, may impact delivery. (Could be anything…union goes on strike, pipeline damage, etc, etc.)

So, to me, it makes sense to have another way to cook. And, really, cooking is a bit of a luxury in a crisis…I can live a long time eating unheated food out of its can. But, being able to create a big pot of steaming hot water…that has a tremendous value.

For my cooking needs I have a couple small camping stoves. One, a Coleman Peak 1 stove, will run on white gas or on kerosene. The other stove, a Primus multifuel, will run on literally any hydrocarbon I can find. But those are small stoves that don’t lend themselves to real cooking. Great for backpacking, though. I need to pick up a small two burner propane stove and that’s on the list as soon as I do some research. But…one thing I’ve wanted for a while is a kerosene stove. I have kerosene lanterns, kerosene heaters, and a rather healthy amount of kerosene on hand. Its the hottest burning of the liquid fuels, stores well, and is safer than gasoline. I can, and have, cooked on top of my kerosene heater but it doesn have nearly the heat control I’d like.  So, whats the options look like for kerosene stoves?

Well, there’s a buncha sheet metal stamped kero stoves that are out of China and India. They all look a bit flimsy and their sharp edges of stamped steel could give you tetanus just by staring at them too long. But I did a bit of research and came up with this:

Seems pretty solid. Not made in China or India, which is nice. If you get one of these, you really need to follow the one big cardinal rule of any kerosene appliance: when you fill it for the first time, or you are using a new wick, give the wick plenty of time to soak up fuel before you light it. Seriously. Fill it with fuel and then go forget about it for at least several hours. Otherwise trying to light it will only result in the wick burning rather than the fuel. Here endeth the lesson.

Like most kerosene appliances, there is some smell when you start it up and when you shut it down. I’d normally say you would want to do those procedures outside but I think this is a product that you really should be using in a wildly well ventilated space…like maybe a garage with the door up.

It takes a bit of fiddling and adjusting to get things just the way they should. What youre looking for is for a blue gas-like flame. Not the cheery yellow of a kerosene heater. It takes a little learning curve to figure out just how much or how little wick to give it, etc, but once youve got it dialed in the results are pretty good.

I was able to put a covered dutch oven with one liter of cold water on this and it had it at a rolling boil in seventeen minutes with an ambient outside temperature of 37 degrees. I’d imagine that building a screen or shield around it to keep the cold away would help quite a bit.

I see this as a choice for tailgating, car camping, picnic tables, and other outdoor venues where you want a long-burning heat source to cook with. In a crisis, I’d see no trouble sitting in my yard boiling up water for freeze drieds or frying something. I suppose that i a well ventilated indoor space you might be able to use it, but I’m going to have enough problems going on around me at that point to want to add another one like CO poisoning.

I got mine offa Amazon for about $140 and I think that was about the right price for that. The build quality seems better than what I’ve seen in the China/India versions, and it appears well made although realistically it isn’t a terribly complicated device. As always, while you’ve got your wallet out go pick up a spare wick because.

For me, since I’m a bit heavy on kerosene, this was a good choice for an alternative cooking method. A small propane stove would probably be more efficient and easier to work with, but I have a  lot of kerosene so for me this makes sense. I’m still going to get a small two-burner propane stove that runs on the 1# bottles, and when I do I will report back on it. In the meantime though…I rather like the cheery heat and warmth of kerosene.

Keystone Beef II

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As you may recall, I earlier mentioned that my local WallyWorld had started carrying some Keystone meats. I’m not a huge fan of canned meats, but I’m even less a fan of going through any type of prolonged crisis having to forego meat.

I had tried the diced beef and found it quite good. Todays adventure is the ground beef. The biggest drawback I’ve heard regarding canned ground beef is that, since it is pressure cooked, the meat gets quite tender. So much so, in fact, that some people have mentioned the consistency of the ground beef as ‘mushy’…similar to the beef youd get at a Taco Bell.

One way to find out…..

I would definitely remove as much of the fat as possible before cooking. I went ahead and cooked it as-is out of the can and it created a lot of liquid.

I understand that in a survival situation ( a la ‘The Mandibles‘) you’d want that energy-rich fat, but it sure takes a while to cook off.

Consistency-wise I would not say it was ‘mushy’. It just wasnt firm and crumbly like most ground beef. What I did notice was that it had a much beefier flavor than normal ground beef. That can be good or bad depending on what youre planning on doing with this stuff, but for something like tacos (or taco sald) this would be a fine choice. Probably a go-to for sloppy joes as well. Didnt try it in a spaghetti sauce but the strong flavor might require you to adjust your seasoning in that particular entree.

For my needs, I’d combinethis with some salsa and cooked rice with maybe a lttle taco seasoning thrown in for a fast purely ‘storage food’ meal. Might also add some crushed tomatoes, peppers, onions, spices, rice, and go that route. Up to you, man…ground beef is just a sort of ‘basic building block’ to create a meal around. Sure, I can get protein from beans and rice just like the rest of the Third World, but why Third World it if you don’t have to?

As I’m sure someone will mention in comments, yes I know I can pressure can my own ground beef and save some money. Absolutely no doubt there….I have the skill and equipment. But there are times I prefer the resilience and durability of a can rather than the fragility of glass jars. Also, and this is a very -low-on-the-totem-pole consideration, if I ever need to trade or sell these to someone in Mad Max world the commercial product will be more attractive than the home-canned version.

 

Return of the Ruger Mini-14 GB

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Further proof that Bill Ruger is, in fact, still dead:

I suppose this was to be expected. Samson got into bed with Ruger to make these stocks, and for Ruger it’s a no-brainer to let Samson handle that end of the supply chain. Its my understanding the current crop of Mini-14’s are much more accurate than the minute-of-bad-guy accuracy that the originals offered. In a world of mid-tier $700 AR’s that deliver better ergos, modularity, and logistics, why would you spend (dealer price) $1230 for something thats gonna take special mags and be a pain to mount optics?

But…I’ll get one just because. I’m actually starting to amass an interesting array of non-AR .223 guns…. Mini-14, JAKL, BRN-180…..as soon as PTR gets that new roller-delayed .223 out, I’ll definitely be on the line for that one.

It’s nice to see that with Billy Ruger gone Ruger has finally been what it could have been all along…a responsive, market-driven, innovative gun business. With Billy R. outta the way we got Ruger AR’s, 1911’s, PCC’s, PDW wanna-be’s, takedown guns, and 30-rd mags. I used to have a negative opinion of Ruger, but since they changed directions I have been quite impressed with them. And, just from a survivalists standpoint, they make the guns I’d want to carry in the zombie apocalypse…rugged, durable, and nigh-unbreakable.

Glock 40 replacement barrel in .40

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Its only been in the last few years I’ve been able to buy the guns I’ve always wanted. The catalyst was after finally sucking it up and getting my degree, I started making okay money. I have an advantage in that I don’t have any debt..no mortgage, no car payments, no nothin’. As a result, whatever I do make, I wind up keeping a large chunk of. This means that what might be considered ‘just enough to get by’ for some folks is ‘plenty’ for me….although more is always better.

One of the things I’d been wanting for a while was a Glock 10mm as a belt gun for when I was out in the boonies. And, I got one. I threw some quality night sights on it, bought a half dozen mags, a lovely flap holster, and thats pretty much all I really need to do. Except…10mm ain’t cheap. Nor plentiful. But what is cheap(er) and plentiful is .40 S&W. Turns out the folks at Lone Wolf Distributors make a .40 S&W barrel for the Glock 40. I suppose I might have to change the recoil spring out but given how factory 10mm is watered down to almost .40 levels, I’ll bet all I need is the barrel change.

This’ll be a somewhat more affordable way to practice since I have gobs of .40 S&W ammo laying around from the local PD. And, I suppose, from a preparedness standpoint it’s a good idea to have a couple Glocks laying around in .40 since there still seems to be a ton of badges out there still using the .40 S&W.

Personally, I plan on picking up some 200 gr. bullets and loading them up more to what the 10mm was designed for. If modern 10mm loads are loaded down to hot .40 S&W levels, why wouldn’t I just get a .40 S&W instead? Nope…this’ll be a bit of a project for the reloading bench. If I have to ruin a bruin then I want as much metal going downrange as possible.

It’s nice that I finally have the career path that lets me afford stuff like this. I just wish I had more time available to take advantage of the new toys. But, I guess thats the trade off…time vs money.

Article – Homeowner uses ‘one of the oldest forms’ of construction to build incredible fire-resistant house that could withstand the next major blaze

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One homeowner is demonstrating how the best defense against extreme weather events may be Mother Earth herself.

LAist’s Jacob Margolis shared pictures and video footage of an incredible fire-resistant house built into the side of an excavated hillside in Topanga Canyon, an unincorporated community in Los Angeles.

The only part of the structure visible from the outside is the white stucco front face, as the rest of the home is underground, but the inside appears spacious and comfortable.

I have mixed feelings about underground houses. On the one hand, I greatly admire the advantages it offers in terms of security, privacy, thermal regulation , and just general coolness. On the other hand…I like windows and secondary exits.

However, there are some arrangements and designs I see online that seem warmer and airier than the quonset-hut-built-into-a-hill model that many underground homes seem to fall into. For my needs, I think I dont want underground as much as I want bermed. The house in the article above isn’t necessarily underground. It looks like they built it and then put the earth over it to create a new hill. In other words, its not necessarily an underground home as much as it is an earth-covered home.

Regardless, its an interesting example of the type. Food for thought, as always.

Sig Romeo4T Pro followup

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Last year I purchased a Sig Romeo4T Pro as my entry into the world of dot sights. I was pretty taken with it at the time and I thought I’d revisit it since some time has now gone by.

Still think it’s great. I havent turned it off since I got it. It sits on top of my MP5A2 clone and its still functioning on the original battery. The ‘shake awake’ feature has performed as advertised – when I put the gun in the rack, the sight turns itself off after a couple minutes. When I pick it up the scope exits its sleep mode and is on. What this means is, I don’t ever need to turn the thing on or off. Just leave it on and when I put it down it’ll go to sleep and save battery life, and when I pick it up it immediately comes back on ready to use…no switches to fumble with. The 9mm in a carbine like this isn’t exactly a long-range cartridge so the lack of magnification isn’t, in my opinion, an issue for this particular type of gun and it’s particular anticipated use.However…I can ring the plates at 100 yards with it, so there’s that.

I’ve shot it a bunch and am still very pleased with it. So much so, in fact, that I’m gonna be picking up another one or two for some other longarms.

However, I decided to bump up a notch and get a Romeo8T. I’m gonna mount that on my JAKL and see how I like it.

So far, I’ve been pretty pleased with the SIG dots. And by the way, Palmetto has announced they are working on a .308 JAKL and I am very excited at the prospect.

The Romeo4T, by the way, is apparently what Obi Wan Nairobi used at his shopping mall bullet party. Who knew?

Quest for fire III: Flare for the dramatic

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Did you happen to read the Jack London story I linked to in my earlier post? Its rather short but it is absolutely worth the read. I have to hand it to London, he really wrote a very good story in that it conveys the increasing terror and horror of the main character as he realizes he’s going to have some frost nip, to losing a few toes, to losing his hands, feet, and part of his face, to finally realizing he’s going to die. What’s marvelously well done is that at each realization, the man recognizes the damage hes going to take but plays it down and accepts it…the notion that he’s actually in danger of losing his life doesn’t come to the end. Normalcy bias.

Anyway, in the story his fingers and hands are starting to freeze and he can’t manipulate his fingers into holding or lighting his matches. So he manages to hold one in his teeth, light it, and ignite the entire batch of matches in his frozen hands. Hardcore stuff.

Like I said, I carry a lighter, I carry lifeboat matches, and I even carry those cute striker devices. But if my hands are starting to freeze, and I’ve got maybe a minute until my fingers are frozen meat-n-bone popsicles, then I need a fire and I need it right now. Thats when I stop screwing around and go for one of these two devices:

Orion Safety – Fire Pit Pro – Fire Starter for Campfires, Bonfires & Fire Pits – Ignites Damp Wood & Burns up to 7 Minutes – Eco-Friendly – Self-Contained, Waterproof & Windproof Ignition

These babies are basically a sawed off road flare. In fact, a road flare, if you have room for it, is my first choice…theyre cheap and pretty easy to find. The Orion wind up being about $8 each in the 12-pack which is the economical way to go. I mean, you’ve got more than one pack and hideyhole that needs these things, right? Might as well get the dozen.

But, there is still a degree of manual manipulation required to light them. Not much more manipulation than striking a match, but when your hands are swinging from the ends of your arms like meat clubs, you need something with less dexterity requirements. For that last resort option, I love the marine hand flares.

Simply yank the string with your teeth and let ‘er rip. I buy these at gun shows for about $5 each and I always carry two in my bag. Always. They’re available on GunBroker apparently. The ones I get are expired from marine survival kits and lifeboats. As long as theyre in good condition, they work fine. I’ve used ones that expired well over a decade ago and they work perfectly…they have to, they were designed for some serious conditions.

While I’m coming to the end of my thoughts on this subject, I wonder if anyone took away what the real message of that Jack London story was. The message wasn’t that you should have a way to start a fire, or that you shouldnt build your fire under a tree weighed down with snow, or that you should keep your feet dry. No, no, no. The moral of that story was don’t ignore the warnings given to you by more experienced people. Not only should the man in the story have never gone out alone, he should not have gone out at all. He was warned by the old timer that the weather was far too cold, and the danger and risk far too great, to be out there. But the man didn’t listen, and as he came to realize the old man had been right, it was too late. The first rule of surviving any disaster is…what, guys? I’ve told you this before. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? No? The first rule of surviving any disaster is: don’t be there.

If it’s -75 degrees out, don’t undertake to walk several miles in the snow to a cabin that will still be there in a few days when the temperature is warmer.

But, as I’ve said, even in Montana it can be a lovely July day that quickly becomes a hypothermic episode in the blink of an eye. So, forget what Smokey Bear says and always have at least several ways in your pocket to burn down the forest.

Lightsticks over the doorway II

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A fairly common survivalist practice – setting a lightstick on top of the doorway to a room so its always there if you need it when the power goes out. Nothing special there. But, like all things on a long enough timeline, those lightsticks have an expiration date. Based on my personal experience, I usually ignore that expiration date…as long as the lightsticks were in a cool dry place (like the inside of my house) they should be fine. But, lets test that.

Heck, only 19 years past expiration……….

I did a round up of lightsticks and pulled a few out of the pile to try out. They foil packages were dusty, but everything seemed okay on the inside.

No leaks. Nothing broken. Vials inside the plastic tubes are fine. All looks good. Other than chemical degradation over almost twenty years, there shuldn’t be any reason these shouldn’t work.  But, I didnt come all this way for theory. Lets crack these in half and see what does (or does not) happen:

As I 99.99% expected – they work fine. I suppose I should revisit them in a few hours and see how much life they have left in them but for my uses these are strictly short-term illumination devices. I use them to find my way to a real flashlight or lamp, or theyre for marking something.

I ordered some newer ones of Amazon a few days ago and they got here today, so I’ll be replacing these (much) older one. But its nice to know that after sitting in situ for almost two decades they work just fine. YMMV, of course, but I’m confident that these things will last far beyond their prescribed expiration.

I also keep a couple of these in my larger first aid kits, my generator supply box, and anywhere I think I might some lighting in an emergency when nothing else is available. These things are never a first choice, but for a source of light that is explosion-proof, water-proof, wind-proof, and will work when batteries have self depleted ten years ago.good choice. Cheap insurance for about a buck and a half each.

ETA: keep in mind, not all lightsticks are made by the same people. If you buy some Made In China lightsticks versus, say, the actual  Cyalume product, you may get different results.

Barrett M82A1 drum magazine

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Oh sweet merciful Crom….

In a recent conversation, Drew from FosTech, Inc. provided insights into their latest creation – a drum magazine designed for the 50-caliber Barrett M107 and 82A1. With over a decade of experience in crafting drums, the company has now ventured into the realm of the powerful 50 BMG.

This years SHOT show is dropping some interesting stuff…lever action rifles from Smith and Wesson, Palmetto is casting a wide net with rifles, pistols and shotguns,….

The MSRP on that Barrett drum is insane but it sure does peg the needle on the Cool-O-Meter.

I hope I never have a day where I actually need to have a 20-rd drum for my Barrett.

Ruger LC Carbine in .45 ACP

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For you dinosaurs who have been waiting for Ruger to come out with a .45 AARP carbine, your time is now.

I am utterly fascinated that they did this in their somewhat lackluster LC Carbine pattern. You would think the PC Carbine platform would have been the first choice. I’m guessing it’s because the frame sizes were not compatible…the 9/40 versions of the PC Carbine/Charger were probably too small for the .45 (and I bet 10mm) cartridges.

Making it take .45 Glock magazines is just a good idea. Making it take a proprietary magazine of some kind would have opened another avenue for all sorts of headaches. Better to let someone else spend all the money on magazine development and production.

Other than some oddball guns made by small AR manufacturers, and the AutoOrdnance guns, there havent been any .45 ACP carbines from a major US manufacturer since the Marlin Camp Carbines from 30 years ago. (Those Marlins were great guns, by the way…but, oy, they beat their stocks up somethin’ fierce.)

Since .45 ACP is natively subsonic, I’d expect that alot of guys with .45 suppressors are gonna be really excited by this.