Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I was talking with someone today and I mentioned that little gives me more satisfaction than pantry shelves filled with food, a gun safe full of arms and ammo, and a bit of money in the bank. I can pull a lot of satisfaction out of those simple things.

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Replaced the rear sight in my HiPower. I had an early adjustable sight (ca. 1970) in there that used two opposing screws to make windage changes. Loosen one, tighten the other. Well, one screw worked itself loose and I was never going to see that thing again so I went with a later manufacture OEM replacement. I also had a helluva time getting the damn thing installed. Im not going to go into the gory details, I will simply say that whatever you pay for a professional quality sight pusher is worth it. Go to Brownells and order one up because swinging at your slide with a brass hammer like your aiming for the center field fence gets really old really fast.

Speaking of tools, lets talk about tools. Specifically, gun tools. One of the things I’ve come to like about the Glock is that, by and large, you don’t ‘smith’ a Glock – you replace parts. Theres nothing, AFAIK, that requires fitting. You drop in your parts and go. If only everything else was that simple. AR’s require a few tools, but nothing really special. 1911’s require staking tools and a few other goodies. AK’s require..well, nothing really.

More than tools, you need references. I can only speak from experience. For Glocks, The Complete Glock Reference Guide from the guys at Lone Wolf is the best book I’ve seen. If you own a Glock it’s something you’ll really enjoy having…you’ll learn all sortsa cool stuff you probably didn’t know. Also, a small punch and a Leatherman tool will be all you’ll probably ever need for a Glock although a sight adjustment tool (see earlier paragraph) is nice to have. I dropped $125 for the Glock OEM tool and after taking a handfull of Glocks to the range with the intent of tweaking the sights I can say that its $125 well spent. I cant imagine having tried to make those adjustments with a hammer and punch. Sure you could do it, but you wouldnt unless you really had no other choice.

Its really worth dropping the few bucks for spare parts for your important guns. A little thing like a broken trigger return spring (Glock), broken magazine release (1911), or broken case (AR-15) can take your gun out of action for as long as it takes to get it repaired and you may not have that kind of time or opportunity. (And the three examples given have happened to me or the girlfriend at some point.)

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I might have mentioned it before, but a post elsewhere about rural firefighting issues and how to save one’s home reminded me of a product I’ve been rather taken with. The building materials illustrated at this website are for folks who want the look of a log home but without the maintenance and fire issues. These logs are, in fact, concrete rather than wood. I got to examine a cutaway display of these things firsthand and I was impressed. On the exterior they are a dead ringer for hewn logs, but theyre actually concrete about 6-8” thick with all the benefits of concrete. Fire resistance is, naturally, pretty high and I would imagine theres a certain amount of ballistic resistance as well. If youre going to build a little place out in the sticks, and you don’t want the place looking like the furheurbunker, this might be a very nice choice.

I was talking with someone today and I mentioned that little gives me more satisfaction than pantry shelves filled with food, a gun safe full of arms and ammo, and a bit of money in the bank. I can pull a lot of satisfaction out of those simple things.

=-=-=-=-=-=

Replaced the rear sight in my HiPower. I had an early adjustable sight (ca. 1970) in there that used two opposing screws to make windage changes. Loosen one, tighten the other. Well, one screw worked itself loose and I was never going to see that thing again so I went with a later manufacture OEM replacement. I also had a helluva time getting the damn thing installed. Im not going to go into the gory details, I will simply say that whatever you pay for a professional quality sight pusher is worth it. Go to Brownells and order one up because swinging at your slide with a brass hammer like your aiming for the center field fence gets really old really fast.

Speaking of tools, lets talk about tools. Specifically, gun tools. One of the things I’ve come to like about the Glock is that, by and large, you don’t ‘smith’ a Glock – you replace parts. Theres nothing, AFAIK, that requires fitting. You drop in your parts and go. If only everything else was that simple. AR’s require a few tools, but nothing really special. 1911’s require staking tools and a few other goodies. AK’s require..well, nothing really.

More than tools, you need references. I can only speak from experience. For Glocks, The Complete Glock Reference Guide from the guys at Lone Wolf is the best book I’ve seen. If you own a Glock it’s something you’ll really enjoy having…you’ll learn all sortsa cool stuff you probably didn’t know. Also, a small punch and a Leatherman tool will be all you’ll probably ever need for a Glock although a sight adjustment tool (see earlier paragraph) is nice to have. I dropped $125 for the Glock OEM tool and after taking a handfull of Glocks to the range with the intent of tweaking the sights I can say that its $125 well spent. I cant imagine having tried to make those adjustments with a hammer and punch. Sure you could do it, but you wouldnt unless you really had no other choice.

Its really worth dropping the few bucks for spare parts for your important guns. A little thing like a broken trigger return spring (Glock), broken magazine release (1911), or broken case (AR-15) can take your gun out of action for as long as it takes to get it repaired and you may not have that kind of time or opportunity. (And the three examples given have happened to me or the girlfriend at some point.)

=-=-=-=-=-=

I might have mentioned it before, but a post elsewhere about rural firefighting issues and how to save one’s home reminded me of a product I’ve been rather taken with. The building materials illustrated at this website are for folks who want the look of a log home but without the maintenance and fire issues. These logs are, in fact, concrete rather than wood. I got to examine a cutaway display of these things firsthand and I was impressed. On the exterior they are a dead ringer for hewn logs, but theyre actually concrete about 6-8” thick with all the benefits of concrete. Fire resistance is, naturally, pretty high and I would imagine theres a certain amount of ballistic resistance as well. If youre going to build a little place out in the sticks, and you don’t want the place looking like the furheurbunker, this might be a very nice choice.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Was straightening up the bunker the other day, which is always interesting.

Things that have been stored away for years get reviewed and in some cases replaced. Theres a lot of ‘Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time’. Examples? Canteens. When I originally started stockpiling things I was using the USGI quart canteens. Decent products, relatively cheap, familiar, etc. As the years go by a few other canteens worked their way into the bin. As a result, I pulled out the bin marked ‘canteens’ and found no less than five different types. Not really a bad thing, but standardization would make things a lot simpler (and neater to store). Because I’ve been impressed with the quality and price, I’m phasing out the USGI ones and going with the Swedish surplus ones (with cup) that I got from SG (Sportsmans Guide). I won’t go on about them since that’s covered elsewhere. Suffice to say that for the price of 4 USGI canteens with covers I got two dozen of the Swede canteens with cups and I believe them to be a superior product.

Much like how old US military gear trickles down from the ‘regular’ army to the National Guard, the USGI canteens will get demoted to ‘secondary standard’ which is a fancy word for ‘extras that I wont be terribly concerned over losing or damaging’.

The advent of the CamelBack-type systems has made the canteen-on-your-belt system a bit ‘old school’ but there is still a place for it… although 99 out of 100 times I’ll have the canteen in my bag rather than on my belt. For on-the-go drinking I stuff a hydration system into my bag. Still, a rugged, puncture- and crush-proof water container that can be thrown around and battered with impunity will always be a necessary piece of gear.

=-=-=

Although the world today is a remarkably unsettled place (or perhaps its as unsettled as it has always been and its simply more noticed these days) I still believe that for the average person the coming crises will be financial, not [nuclear/biological/etc]. Certainly the possibility is there for a ‘dirty bomb’ or the like, but I think that the thing that’s going to put people staring hard into their pantries, cringing at the news and staying close to home will be economic.

Admittedly, I have only a basic grasp of economics and familiarity with the current economic policies in play. But I do read a bit and the various news outlets all predict gloom and doom of some fashion. The housing/real estate markets are predicted to collapse dragging the economy down with them, the Chinese threaten to use their stockpile of US debt to damage the US economy if things are not done their way, jobs move overseas to keep costs down, prices of food and fuel increase at alarming rates, etc, etc, etc. Not very reassuring stuff. I’m sure the more economically savvy would say that this isn’t anything to be concerned with and these sorts of things are always going on…but to a layman like myself its hard not to feel like wanting to fill the cabinets to the bursting point with food and cash.

I am utterly amazed when I read about ‘average families’ who have mortgages that they cant afford, $30,000 in credit card debts, and have two (or more) cars. How do these people sleep at night? I’d be unable to sleep for worrying about ‘what if I lose my job’, ‘what if Im hurt and cant work’, etc, etc.

I think that when you are involved in preparedness you wind up viewing money as a resource like ammo, fuel, bandages or food. As a result you tend to be more careful in how it is used, stored and preserved. I think it would be safe to say that the debt-ridden, debt-driven people mentioned in the previous paragraph probably are not Like Minded. Or if they are, they are recent converts.

If the economy does tank, or more likey go into some sort of long, drawn out slide these people are going to be the ones selling everything they own, trying to file bankruptcy, and clamor the loudest for .gov to ‘do something’. Needless to say, these people will likely not be ‘our kind of people’. We call ‘em sheeple these days but the annoying fact is that they compromise a rather large percentage of the population. Large enough that when their recklessness catches up with them its gonna drag a bunch of us into the swirling economic whirlpool as they get sucked under.

Was straightening up the bunker the other day, which is always interesting.

Things that have been stored away for years get reviewed and in some cases replaced. Theres a lot of ‘Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time’. Examples? Canteens. When I originally started stockpiling things I was using the USGI quart canteens. Decent products, relatively cheap, familiar, etc. As the years go by a few other canteens worked their way into the bin. As a result, I pulled out the bin marked ‘canteens’ and found no less than five different types. Not really a bad thing, but standardization would make things a lot simpler (and neater to store). Because I’ve been impressed with the quality and price, I’m phasing out the USGI ones and going with the Swedish surplus ones (with cup) that I got from SG (Sportsmans Guide). I won’t go on about them since that’s covered elsewhere. Suffice to say that for the price of 4 USGI canteens with covers I got two dozen of the Swede canteens with cups and I believe them to be a superior product.

Much like how old US military gear trickles down from the ‘regular’ army to the National Guard, the USGI canteens will get demoted to ‘secondary standard’ which is a fancy word for ‘extras that I wont be terribly concerned over losing or damaging’.

The advent of the CamelBack-type systems has made the canteen-on-your-belt system a bit ‘old school’ but there is still a place for it… although 99 out of 100 times I’ll have the canteen in my bag rather than on my belt. For on-the-go drinking I stuff a hydration system into my bag. Still, a rugged, puncture- and crush-proof water container that can be thrown around and battered with impunity will always be a necessary piece of gear.

=-=-=

Although the world today is a remarkably unsettled place (or perhaps its as unsettled as it has always been and its simply more noticed these days) I still believe that for the average person the coming crises will be financial, not [nuclear/biological/etc]. Certainly the possibility is there for a ‘dirty bomb’ or the like, but I think that the thing that’s going to put people staring hard into their pantries, cringing at the news and staying close to home will be economic.

Admittedly, I have only a basic grasp of economics and familiarity with the current economic policies in play. But I do read a bit and the various news outlets all predict gloom and doom of some fashion. The housing/real estate markets are predicted to collapse dragging the economy down with them, the Chinese threaten to use their stockpile of US debt to damage the US economy if things are not done their way, jobs move overseas to keep costs down, prices of food and fuel increase at alarming rates, etc, etc, etc. Not very reassuring stuff. I’m sure the more economically savvy would say that this isn’t anything to be concerned with and these sorts of things are always going on…but to a layman like myself its hard not to feel like wanting to fill the cabinetsto the bursting point with food and cash.

I am utterly amazed when I read about ‘average families’ who have mortgages that they cant afford, $30,000 in credit card debts, and have two (or more) cars. How do these people sleep at night? I’d be unable to sleep for worrying about ‘what if I lose my job’, ‘what if Im hurt and cant work’, etc, etc.

I think that when you are involved in preparedness you wind up viewing money as a resource like ammo, fuel, bandages or food. As a result you tend to be more careful in how it is used, stored and preserved. I think it would be safe to say that the debt-ridden, debt-driven people mentioned in the previous paragraph probably are not Like Minded. Or if they are, they are recent converts.

If the economy does tank, or more likey go into some sort of long, drawn out slide these people are going to be the ones selling everything they own, trying to file bankruptcy, and clamor the loudest for .gov to ‘do something’. Needless to say, these people will likely not be ‘our kind of people’. We call ‘em sheeple these days but the annoying fact is that they compromise a rather large percentage of the population. Large enough that when their recklessness catches up with them its gonna drag a bunch of us into the swirling economic whirlpool as they get sucked under.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hey, remember this post about the surplus German ponchoes?

Well, i ordered four of them and received them today. I sent back three. And Im a very laidback guy who rarely sends anything back. Problem? Well, read the ad copy: Used in very good shape.

Now to me, used in ‘very good shape’ does not mean that great swatches of olive green duct tape were applied in various spots to ‘repair’ tears and holes. And I dont mean someone took a piece of duct tape, cut out a 1″ circle of the stuff and applied it. This is someone pulling a few inches off the roll, tearing it off with their teeth and slapping it on in best redneck fashion. To me, that aint ‘used very good’. Thats ‘used with some repairs’.

So, my first disappointment with a surplus order from Sportsmans Guide. Satisfaction guaranteed, they say so im gonna find out. Im sending ‘em back he three bad ones. The one I am keeping was like new, so thats cool.

I understand its military surplus. Its gonna smell musty (love that smell), its gonna be probably dirty, and it may be stained. Fine. I understand that. But, dammit, used very good does not mean used, patched with duct tape.

Obviously, I’ll take a refund but what I really want are three more ponchoes in good condition.

Stay tuned.

Hey, remember this post about the surplus German ponchoes?

Well, i ordered four of them and received them today. I sent back three. And Im a very laidback guy who rarely sends anything back. Problem? Well, read the ad copy: Used in very good shape.

Now to me, used in ‘very good shape’ does not mean that great swatches of olive green duct tape were applied in various spots to ‘repair’ tears and holes. And I dont mean someone took a piece of duct tape, cut out a 1″ circle of the stuff and applied it. This is someone pulling a few inches off the roll, tearing it off with their teeth and slapping it on in best redneck fashion. To me, that aint ‘used very good’. Thats ‘used with some repairs’.

So, my first disappointment with a surplus order from Sportsmans Guide. Satisfaction guaranteed, they say so im gonna find out. Im sending ’em back he three bad ones. The one I am keeping was like new, so thats cool.

I understand its military surplus. Its gonna smell musty (love that smell), its gonna be probably dirty, and it may be stained. Fine. I understand that. But, dammit, used very good does not mean used, patched with duct tape.

Obviously, I’ll take a refund but what I really want are three more ponchoes in good condition.

Stay tuned.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Did I mention I still have about 25 mags left?

Linky

Did I mention I still have about 25 mags left?
Cut for mag pictures

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Theres all sorts of ‘barometers’ people use to guage or predict situations/events. For example, the price of gold is sometimes thought of as a barometer in regards to the general feeling the public has about the economy.

Today: the gun show barometer.

Out of an 800 table gunshow:
7.62×39, .223 or .308 by the case? None. Loose boxes, sure…but actual cases? No.
AR mags? Almost none.
AR’s? Some bit not nearly as many as normally seen.
Oddly, I saw more HK91’s on different tables at this show than at any other ($2700-3600). Oh..and one G3 full auto.
Very little surplus/survival gear. Plenty of people talking about ’stocking up’ and how ‘after the election [insert bad thing here].
So theres a genearl mood of impending doom…

I bought myself a barrel for my Thompson Contender (14″ .223) and a Glock sight adjustment tool. Nothing else really jumped out at me.

Theres all sorts of ‘barometers’ people use to guage or predict situations/events. For example, the price of gold is sometimes thought of as a barometer in regards to the general feeling the public has about the economy.

Today: the gun show barometer.

Out of an 800 table gunshow:
7.62×39, .223 or .308 by the case? None. Loose boxes, sure…but actual cases? No.
AR mags? Almost none.
AR’s? Some bit not nearly as many as normally seen.
Oddly, I saw more HK91’s on different tables at this show than at any other ($2700-3600). Oh..and one G3 full auto.
Very little surplus/survival gear. Plenty of people talking about ‘stocking up’ and how ‘after the election [insert bad thing here].
So theres a genearl mood of impending doom…

I bought myself a barrel for my Thompson Contender (14″ .223) and a Glock sight adjustment tool. Nothing else really jumped out at me.