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

Well, it did eventually stop snowing here. Of course, now the problem isnt so much the snow that is falling but rather the snow that is on the ground….that has been packed down…and turned to ice. Since falling down and breaking bones aren’t high on my To-Do list, I usually keep a pair of Yaktrax
clipped to the outside of my pack. I don’t use them too often, so I can’t really say much about durability, but when I have used them they work quite nicely….especially since when I’m walking around on ice these days I usually have the BioWeapon with me and he seems to find it entertaining to try and pull the Big Human off his feet. I haven’t found them to be much use out in the sticks, since invariably the snow is way too deep and uncompressed to cause traction problems, although if you like following frozen creeks and streambeds, they’d be perfect for that. Regardless, walking aroudn at the moment without them is a bit of a risk.
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I did some checking, and while the .223 for sale at WalMart ($149/420 rds.) seems reasonable, I can buy Federal for around $137/500 at a local ammo outlet. However, the advantage to the WallyWorld deal is that the ammo comes in an ammo can, and is already packed on stripper clips. I have plenty of ammo cans, and I’ve a shopping bag full of stripper clips, so for me it makes more sense to not buy the WallyWorld ammo and get the Federal ammo at the local outlet. However, not everyone has an ammo wholesaler nearby, and not everyone already has a stash of ammo cans and stripper clips…so, for some folks, the WallyWorld deal may be the way to go. The deal they had on primers ($3.10/100) was definitely not the way to go for me. Their powder prices were a bit erratic, usually all the powders of one brand are the same price..these were all over the map, but $20 for a pound of Unique is a pretty good deal these days. Your mileage, of course, will vary but you may find it worthwhile to check out the gun counter at the WalMart and see if it really is a deal or not.