Security

Firearms: A Major Part of Preparedness

March 16, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

Although some may argue from my point-of-view firearms and preparedness absolutely go together.

From talking to many readers of this site and others there are people out there getting involved in prepping and have NEVER shot a firearm. They are uncomfortable with firearms and often do not know where to start. Every person and situation is different but here are a few thoughts:

Rules to handling guns –

When I work with people new to firearms – I emphasize the following safety rules over, and over, and over again:

Finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shot then it i impossible to pull the trigger before you are ready.
Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. If the gun is NEVER pointed at something you wish not to destroy then you will not shoot something you do not mean to.
There is no such thing as an unloaded gun. If you treat the gun like it is always loaded you will never think a loaded gun is unloaded.
Know your target and what is behind it. Lastly – you need to know your target and what is behind it to prevent a stray bullet form impacting anywhere you wish it not too.

There are other safety rules to that are good to keep in mind, but the bottom line is if these 4 rules are followed then the chances of someone accidentally being hurt is close to zero.

Take a course –

An excellent method to becoming familiar with shooting is to take a course. Most any decent gun shop can point you in the direction of a local trainer. The course should be hands on with YOUR gun.

Start small –

Starting off with a small caliber or even a an air rifle is a great way to get used to shooting. Remember that even smaller caliber firearms can kill – so they must be treated with respect.

The Ruger 10/22 is an excellent long gun to start with.

Practice, practice, practice –

Once a firearm is acquired – practice with it. Practice is the only way you will become proficient. What is proficient? Being able to safely engage a target with confidence and hit it.

Top 3 Pitfalls of Not Properly Cleaning Your Shotgun

March 14, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

Unless you’re fond of shooting out someone’s eye, regularly cleaning your shotgun is a must. Granted, not every speck of dirt, gunk, rust or grime may have the power to mess up your gun badly enough to blind someone, but three major dangers can quickly evolve into hazardous situations.

The Repercussions of Rust

Rust on gun’s exterior is a massive eyesore, but rust on the moving parts or inside the barrel can do more than just hurt the eyes. Rusty parts and buildup inside the barrel can hurt the foot, arm, pet, neighbor or anything else you inadvertently shoot when the buildup creates an unwanted obstacle for the bullet.

Attempting to fire a wholly rusted gun is akin to playing Russian Roulette with anything in your immediate area. It can also wear your gun parts down more quickly, making them undependable and prone to replacement.

Even if you go for bluing, passivation or micro-coatings of a rust-resistant material, rust can still attack any and all metal parts of your gun, from the trigger to the muzzle. In its simplest explanation, rust forms when iron meets certain elements, such as water and oxygen. Early stages of rust can be invisible, while later stages can morph into corrosion and full-blown disintegration.

Prevent rust from forming on your shotgun by wiping it clean after each use and adding a protective layer of gun oil or other sealant.

Cleaning rust off a shotgun can be a bit trickier, but you can typically have success with oil, fine steel wool, an old rag and a keen eye. Apply oil to the rusted area, rub the surface gently with the steel wool, wipe with the rag to inspect your progress, and repeat as necessary. Finish it off with a light coat of oil for prevention.

The Curse of Crumbling Parts

Cleaning time is the ideal time to inspect parts of your gun that may otherwise go unnoticed. This includes your gun’s collection of screws, bolts, levers, springs, pins and even smaller pieces like the oft-forgotten O-ring.

Missing, loose or broken hardware can result in malfunctions, with damaged or incorrectly placed O-rings often responsible for problems cycling shells.

Going for high-quality replacement parts specifically designed to fit your shotgun is a must. You can find a wide array of accessories and parts online and at standard gun part suppliers.

The Horrors of Gunk

Call it fouling, crud or good ole gunk, this residue left in the barrel after shooting can bring really bad tidings right along with it. Shotguns get the added bonus of gunk formed by shotgun powder mixed with plastic wad residue, and the gunk starts building up after a single shot and keeps on building from there.

Fouling can be responsible for killing your shotgun’s accuracy and pattern, can ruin the barrel and put your gun out of commission altogether. Poor accuracy and misfiring can again lead to those hurt arms, legs and neighbors.

Clean gunk out of the barrel by using a flexible brush you can slip into the barrel from breech to bore, dabbling the brush with a bit of commercial solvent such as Break-Free CLP.

Protect Yourself from Identity Theft with These 3 Paper Shredders

March 11, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

I have a lot of personal information such as credit card statements, bank statements, sales receipts, bills of sale, paper checks, personal information, computer printouts, etc. on paper. I had been throwing away all of this paperwork in the trash. I realized that anyone could read these items without any trouble at all. I knew I had to do something to protect my personal information.

If someone steals your identity, it can cost you thousands of dollars, a bad credit rating and years to put your life back together.

I spoke to a police officer that I knew about this matter. I asked him about putting all of my paper information in the trash can. I told him that I then placed the garbage can to the curb in front of my home for it to be picked up. The police officer told me that once anyone places anything into the trash and puts that trash out to the street for pick up, everything that is waiting for pickup can no longer be claimed as being your personal property.

In addition, you no longer have an expectation of privacy over anything that is placed to the curb for garbage pickup. The police can take everything you have put to the street for pick up without a warrant and go through it. Anything they find can be used against you or used to build a case against you. Also, private investigators, a neighbor or a stranger can take your garbage and recover anything from it that they want.

My police officer friend advised me to purchase a good paper shredder and shred ever piece of paper before placing it in the trash.

I went to my local national chain office supply store and inquired about paper shredders. I learned there were many different brand names and types of paper shredders in many different price ranges. I found two of the most important things to consider when purchasing a paper shredder are the size of the shredded pieces of paper and how many sheets of paper can be shredded at one time without jamming the shredder.

There are basically three types of paper shredders, strip-cut, confetti-cut, and micro-cut.

The strip cut paper shredders are better than doing nothing. They typically shred a regular piece of paper into approximately 45 long horizontal strips. These types of strip cut paper shredders are usually the cheapest of the paper shredders and not very well constructed. There are computer programs that can be used to reconstruct a document that has been shredded by a strip cut paper shredder. However, it only took me a few minutes to start to reconstruct some of these paper shards to be able to read part of the document.

Confetti cut paper shredders are much better. These shredders are also called cross-cut paper shredders. They slice papers horizontally and vertically. This type of paper shredder is MUCH better than the strip cut paper shredders. The confetti cut type of paper shredder cuts a normal size sheet of paper in approximately 350 pieces. This makes it a lot harder for anyone to put a document back together. They cost a little more than the strip cut paper shredders but are well worth it.

Micro-cut paper shredders are the best type of paper shredders to use. The micro-cut paper shredder is the type that many federal government agencies use. They are also usually the most expensive of all of the paper shredders. This type of paper shredder shreds a normal piece of paper into approximately 2,500 small pieces. To my knowledge, it is almost impossible to put a document back together if this type of paper shredder is used to shred a document. This is the type of paper shredder that I decided to purchase.

Shred ALL of your paper work, including trash mail before you throw it away. The increased volume makes more paper shreds and thus makes it more difficult for someone to put the shreds back together.

Do not place shredded paper in any type of a bag for disposal. Doing so makes it easier to put the shredded paper back together. Instead, place the loose shredded paper in the very bottom of the garbage can. This way when the garbage man or anyone attempting to recover the shredded paper turns the garbage can upside down to empty it, the paper shreds will dump out further mixing them up. This makes the shredded paper even harder to put back together.

You empty the paper shredders by one of two ways. One type of shredder holds the paper shreds in a pull out drawer/hopper that collects the shreds and retains them for disposal. Another type of paper shredder retains the shredded paper in a waste paper basket. You lift the paper shredder apparatus off the basket and empty the basket.

Wait until the paper shredder hopper, the basket or pull out bin, is almost full of shredded paper before emptying it into trash can. The more paper shreds in the trash can, the harder it is to place the shreds back together. It is unknown to me if there is a computer program that can be used to put back together confetti-cut or micro-cut paper shreds. Even if there is such a computer program, it would be a lot harder and more time consuming to accomplish.

No piece of paper leaves my house before it is shredded, except for the newspaper. Even advertisements and junk mail gets shredded. The more paper shreds that are placed into your garbage can at one time, the harder it is to attempt to put any particular page back together.

If you are really concerned about your confidential paperwork information being compromised, after shredding your documents, burn the shredded paper, if your local laws allow, then bury the ashes.

Also, some paper shredders have an additional feature that you can use to shred credit cards, DVDs and CDs. The micro cut paper shredder that I purchased has these features.

There is usually a safety feature built into the mechanics of most paper shredders. When you remove the hopper to empty the paper shreds, a deactivation switch automatically stops the shredder from working.

Some paper shredders have an automatic cut off switch built in that activates when the paper hopper becomes full.

Never attempt to clear jammed paper, in any paper shredder, unless you unplug the electric cord first. The blades of a paper shredder can shred you fingers just as easy as it can shred paper. Extreme caution should be used when having and/or using a paper shredder in a home with children and/or animals.

Check Out The Mini Sentry .22 Caliber Tripwire Alarm

March 8, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

It’s 3:00 AM and you are sound asleep. The loud crack of a firearm fills the air, awakening you, instantly letting you know that someone is trying to steal your property. You grab a light and some protection and head out to find the culprit, but there’s no one around.

When the Mini Sentry Trip Wire Alarm discharged, the thief took off running, no confrontation, no loss and a warning for future attempts.

The trip wire alarm uses a readily available, inexpensive .22 blank, and is constructed of machined brass, steel and stainless. It can be used to alarm large areas with a trip wire, gates, pastures, meadows, doors, vehicles, equipment, products and more.

The Mini-Sentry can be installed with a zip tie, wire or screws. A distinct advantage to a trip wire with a gun shot repeat is the trespasser knows that you are aware of his presence – a huge deterrent.

How much is your stuff worth?

9 Ways That Predators Victimize Women (and How to Stay Safe!)

March 8, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

WRITTEN BY A COP: Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one’s life. In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation…

This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, & everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you… Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy.. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..
If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
1. Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor ,
  and in the back seat.
2. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door.
  Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women
  are attempting to get into their cars.
3. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)
If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN!
The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then,
it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door..’ The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’ He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.
Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

One final tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! Please pass this on. This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America ‘s Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

I’d like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle..
I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one’s life.

What’s The Best SHTF Gun for Preppers?

March 8, 2024 by Seasoned Citizen Prepper

I’ve been spending a lot of time at my BOL thinking about a one-gun solution for defending the family in time of SHTF. After much discussion with my survival family and colleagues, we collectively concluded that there is no such thing as a one-gun solution to address the plethora of variations of circumstances involved in a SHTF scenario.

Because times are tough and getting tougher, I decided that I would attempt to create a simple, cheap, and versatile weapon system, consisting of just one gun. The accompanying photos should give you an idea of what I have put together in hopes that many will see the attributes and limitations to this problem.

Let’s be clear. I don’t have all the answers. But I do have a background that that should legitimize my conclusions. So, just consider these words from a guy that wants to share an idea, based on a lifetime of firearms use, study and instructing.

You’ll immediately see that I have chosen a shotgun for my “one-gun option” or (OGO). The gun is a 12 gauge Mossberg/Maverick HS-12 , over/under, 18.5 inch improved cylinder barrel chokes(size of opening at end of barrel or “muzzle”). The gun is equipped with two picatinny rails, one fixed under the bottom barrel and the other on the top rear of the receiver. This is a clever rail on the receiver. The rail is cut thru with a “V”, allowing a sighted picture thru the rail to the front sight, which is fiber optic, thereby creating a very bright, clear, accurate sight picture!

My general premise here is that a shotgun is the most versatile type of firearm produced. Let me tell you why:

a wide range and type of ammo available to shotguns make it capable of taking game from birds/rabbits/squirrels(with birdshot), to coyotes/2-4 legged(buckshot), to larger mammals as elk/ moose/bear (slugs, either solid or hollow point). (author’s note- I once killed a Corvette with a shotgun using a slug. What a surprise to the driver dirtbag and unfortunate for the owner).
ease of use- simple design, break open action, slide safety, manually activated triggers
shotguns can be used as less than lethal devices (bean bag or rubber rounds)
less expensive than assault rifles and many handguns.
reliability+
ammo available in every store and every farmhouse
accuracy is very good to excellent with sabot slugs
extreme foot pounds of energy at close distance and with slugs at distance
most terminal firearm made- some restrictions (I know, how terminal does a firearm need to be)
can launch line, signal device, fire starter, club, water portage!

Now for building this gun, I enhanced it considering my thoughts for its use as a SHTF weapon:

I immediately test fired the gun for reliability, accuracy (where it printed with shot and slugs). Then, I applied camo colors using wide shoelaces to break up the paint and outline. A 200 lumen tac light was attached to the forward rail. I felt this gun should remain simple and effective.

The light gives the operator surprise to the target and a very quick sight picture for same. A side saddle type of ammo carrier was affixed the the stock (L or R side) for backup reloading and as important, the ammo is a mix of #4 buck, 00 buck and slugs. The gun is rugged and reliable.

A sling could be attached easily but is not necessary on this 6.5 pound weapon. The butt stock is hollow reducing weight and allowing for emergency storage.

You could even put a bayonet on the muzzle using the fixed bottom rail! You might note from the photo that I keep two rounds secured by rubber band at the muzzle end of the barrels. Those two rounds are bird shot that I keep for quail egg eating crows in the area.

All in all–the gun is fast to action, easy to lash down, safe, simple and powerful.