My number 1 home defence gun

So you are worried you may not always be safe at home. You have seen the news. Crime is increasing. Armed people are breaking into homes and robbing and killing the owners. 

You begin to think about getting a gun to protect your home, your family and your self.

I encourage you to do some research before you buy a gun to protect your home. The man at the gun store will want to sell you what will make him the most profit. Your friends will tell you what they think is best. The Internet is full of advice and stats for every gun ever made. It can be overwhelming trying to determine the best gun for your home defence. 

There is an important things to consider as you do your research. What is your home made of? Most homes have sturdy walls on the out side and thin walls on the inside. Some pipes in the kitchen and bathroom and air conditioning or heating ducts made out of thin metal. I know that may sound simple but when you come down to it most homes are made of plywood and sheet rock. 

When you buy a gun for home protection you may want to consider how many walls the bullet will go through if you pull the trigger. You do not want to kill an intruder in one room and a member of your family in the next room. 

The first home protection weapon I bought was a Smith and Wesson 44mag. I had followed the advise of a family member as to the best weapon to protect my family with. I was impressed with the idea that if it could stop a truck it would surly stop an intruder. So after I had purchased the 44mag I went to the gun range to squeeze off a few rounds. The targets at the outdoor range were hung on 2x4 studs with the targets tacked to the 2 inch side. I took aim and fired. Th 44 kicked like a mule and almost hit me in the head with the recoil. As I got my balance back I looked down range at the target. It hung at an odd angle. I went to see what the problem with the target was. I discovered that I had hit the 2X4 and it was cut in half, sheared off by the 44 mag. Some may think that is wonderful evidence of the killing power of the weapon. I was stunned. I thought of the particle broad and sheet rock my home was made from. I wondered if this weapon was a lot more than I needed. If an intruder came into my home and I shot  them would I also kill a member of my family.

I began looking for something else to use for my home defence. After a long search, discussions with police officers, gun enthusiasts and reading the ballistic reports of many weapons. I picked the 12ga shot gun.

The 12ga shot gun loaded with small game or bird shot is a very effective weapon. It is easy to aim down a hallway or at a door. It is almost certain that at close range it will hit the intruder and be very effective in putting them down. Most people can point the gun in the general direction of the intruder and pull the trigger. 

Another crime deterrent is the well known sound made when a pump shotgun chambers a shell. It is so well known that many intruders may run just at the sound. They know that a lot of projectiles are about to come their direction with deadly results. 

Last of all if you use smaller shot it has significantly less power to penetrate a wall and injure or kill someone you love. Do not use buck shot. It will pass through a wall with a lot of extra energy to harm someone.

I could go on about brands and all the kinds of shot guns out there. But I will not at this time. If you want to you can research what you think is the best for home defence. I would love to hear your reasons. I chose the 12ga pump shotgun for my primary home defence weapon. 

Be sure if you purchase a weapon you also get training to use the weapon from a certified instructor before you use it. You are responsible to know the laws concerning weapon ownership and use for the city, state and country you live in.  

Pick your weapon.

I think its time to discuss picking a prepper gun.

In the United States it is a constitutional right to own a gun. There are restrictions on some kinds of guns and some states have more gun restrictions than others. You are expected to know the laws where you live. If you are going to own a fire arm you are responsible for the safe use of that weapon.

Not all preppers want to have a weapon. If you are living providently and there is general peace and prosperity you in all likely hood will be OK depending of law enforcement to keep crime in check.

If you think at some point things are going to get tough and you may have to fight to keep your family alive you will need some weapons for your protection. If you personally do not want to use a fire arm you may want to include people with weapons and who have the skills in the use of weapons in your prepper group.

As I have said before the best prepper gun is the one you already have. Now if you are looking to get what many preppers and survivalists would pick if they could have just one weapon you may want to pick up a 22cal rifle.

Why the 22cal? It light weight, generally not too expensive and the ammo is easy to find and a large amount can be carried by most people. It is very easy to carry 500 or more rounds. The small size of the weapon and the small size of the ammo make it easy to store, easy to use, and it is light weight enough for almost anyone to uses. Because the ammo is cheep you can spend a lot of time practicing with the weapon. The more you practice the better you will get.

Do not suppose that the practice  should be on a human shaped target. One of the best uses of the 22 cal rifle is to hunt small game. In the event of social strife the amount of fresh meat will very rapidly decline. Being able to hunt some meat may be the difference between life and death. Small game targets are very good for hunting practice.

Do not think you should not practice with other targets too. In all likelihood if things go bad for us and society breaks down you will want to be able to protect your family and friends.

 A 22cal will also kill people who are out to harm you. You need to consider if you are willing to use the weapon in self defence. Plan how to defend your home. Be sure there is ammo to use for the long term. The 22cal can meet most of the needs you have for protection.

What kind of 22 rifle should you choose? It will depend what you can afford and what you plan to do with it.

Many preppers prefer tactical weapons. The 22 rifle is manufactured in a tactical format. The up side is the tactical weapons are generally very similar to military weapons and can be used to train for military style protection. In a battle with a lot of targets you will want to be able to quickly fire your weapon. In open battle conditions you will be well served by a tactical weapon. In a 22cal it is a lot less expensive to operate. The down side is a semi auto rifle will use ammo faster than other rifles when used in non-combat operations like hunting. It takes a lot of self control to only pull the trigger one time when the rabbit is on the run.

There are repeating rifles that use a bolt action, lever action or pump action. With practice you can learn to operate them almost as fast as a semi-auto rifle. With traditional rifles you tend to spend more time taking aim. The better the aim, the better the shot, the more times you will fill the hunting bag with meat. In an open battle with a lot of targets you may be at a disadvantage. If you are under cover and have time to select your targets you will be able to more precisely hit your target and will use less ammo.

If you do not have a gun yet or are looking for a good multi use inexpensive weapon I would pick a 22cal rifle. Be sure you have training in the use of a weapon from a certified instructor before you ever buy or use one.

Active Shooter

Most of the time I do not post videos. I think this one could help save your life.

Our country grieves the tragedy which occurred on Friday at an elementary school in Connecticut.  Please take 6 minutes of your time to review this video on surviving an active shooter, because we never know……

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/473/2966001/DHS-funded-video-gives-tips-to-survive-a-shooter

Bugging Out...I mean bugging back in.

I have been watching the news. It seems like every day there is a tragedy some place. Shootings in schools and malls, fires, earthquakes and any number of other problems. The thing I have come to realise that most of the time if something bad happens we will not be at home with our supplies. So I have been keeping a bug back in kit with me.

This kit if for the sole purpose of making it back home from work. I work 11 miles from my home. It will be a long walk .  I know many people drive to work and think they will be able to drive home. This may not be true for you in the event of an emergency. I take the bus. If there is no bus or train I'm on my own to get home.

So you need to think of how you will get back home if you have to walk.

I have a small back pack that I use to carry my lunch and a few other things in. It is a normal appearing day pack that is well constructed. In side I have a few things to be sure I can make it home.  You can use a brief case of large purse the same way.

In my pack I keep:

20oz bottle of water.  In the summer I add a second bottle of water. Be sure it is a sturdy one, the thin ones will leak in a few weeks.)
bag of hard candy, I like jolly ranchers.
bandanna
pocket knife
small first aid kit, band-aids and antibacterial ointment.
Small flash light
Eye drops
2 day supply of meds. for me that is aspirin and Tums.
Dust mask
hand tool IE. little hammer or small axe. Break the window on the bus if I need to get out.

I also have my lunch and what ever I may have needed to take with me to work that day. On my way home I have all the same stuff just no lunch. My pack of supplies has a weight of less than 5 pounds. This kit is not a bug out kit. It is a bug back in kit. It is what I think I may need to get back home from work if I have to walk. It is a short term get me home kit not intended for long term survival.

I also keep a few things at work. You never know if you are going to be stuck in the building for hours or days in the event of trouble.

I keep:
1 gallon of water,
8 cans of ready to eat pop top soup,
Some dry drink mix
Bag of hard candy.
$10.00 in change for the candy and soda machine.

If you do not have good walking shoes you will need to keep some at your job or in your car. My job involves a lot of walking so my shoes will already be on.

Always were weather appropriate clothing to work. So if you end up outside you will be ready for the weather. I know several people who never were a coat becuse they have inside parking. Not a good plan good if you have to walk.

Now that you have your pack planed and put together look for the best route home. My route avoids down town and industrial zones. I will be in neighborhoods for most of my trip. I have planned a path with no bridges that is a flat as possible. Yes I like an easy walk home.

So for the times you are not home be sure you have your bug back in kit ready.

Saving the Squash Seeds

A lot of people love squash. I am one who loves to grow, harvest and eat squash! Saving the seeds for squash can be a bit tricky. Squash are pollinated by insects. This means that the pollen from a male flower needs to travel to a female flow of the same species in order to form a fruit.

Pumpkins and squash are in the same families.

The trouble starts if you plant 2 or more closely related squash. The squash will cross pollinate with each other and produce hybrid seed that may produce very strange fruit that may not taste at all good. For example: Acorn squash will cross with zucchini. They look very different but, they are from the same family.

There are 4 kinds of squash/pumpkins that are generally grown in family gardens and farms. They are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurubita moschata, Cucurbita angyrosperma and Curcurbita maxima. There are other species of squash also. Most often when you buy seeds they will be one of the 4 kinds I have mentioned. You will notice that the first part of the scientific name is the same for each group of squash. It is the last part you will want to pay the most attention to. Pepo, Moschata, Angyrosperma, and Maxima. If you buy seeds from different families you can grow 4 kinds of squash in the same garden and not cross pollinate. So look at the scientific name of the squash and pick your favorite from each family. It is hard to pick because so many great varieties are in the same family.

We can think all is good and we have our true seeds. Just harvest the fruit and pop out the seeds. Trouble is your friends and neighbors may plant squash from the same family you did but a different variety. Insect can ravel over a mile when pollinating. How do you keep your seeds pure.

First.  Plant your seeds and care for the plants till blossom time. Keep an eye out for female blossoms forming. They will be the blossoms with a small squash looking bulb just under the blossoms. The female blossoms are most often on short stems. The male blossom's are frequently on a longer stem. 

Second look at your blossom's in the evening. If they are larger and just a bit yellow around the edges they will open in the morning.

Third. Get up before the sun. You need to be in the garden as the blossoms open. Most squash are only fertile for a few hours just after sunrise. Find your female and male blossoms as soon as they are a little open. The female blossom has a center that looks somewhat like a loosely clenched human fist and is frequently moist to the touch. The male blossoms have a center the is long and round looking like a yellow finger. Pick the male blossoms, pull the petals off so you have the yellow pollen covered stamen exposed. Then rub the stamen on the female blossoms pestle(the center part of the blossom) Use several male blossoms for each female blossom. Be sure all the male blossoms are from the same kind of squash as your female blossoms. After you have hand pollinated the female blossom take a small paper bag and cover the blossom so no insects can add undesired pollen to your seed pool. Do this to as many female blossoms as you can.

Last tie a string very loosely around the stem of the female blossom. This way you can track the hand pollinated blossoms from the others that may have been cross pollinated by insects.

Let the fruit you pollinated get very ripe. Then take the seeds from the ones you pollinated. You do this for each of the varieties of squash you have planted. Set the seeds in a single layer so they can dry. After they are completely dry put them in a container and store them in a cool dark place. If they are not dry they can mold and destroy your crop. I also keep mine in a freezer to keep any mold from growing.

Next year do it again.

Saving seeds the Mighty Bean

Saving seeds is much more important than most people currently understand. It is very simple to save most seeds. It can be very hard to save other seeds. If you save your seeds from year to year you can save a good amount of money. Seeds are increasingly expensive. Seeds are also increasingly rare. Over the last 20 years more than half of the seed varieties for home use have become extinct. Because only a few seed companies control all most all the commercial production, what they have not propagated has often been lost from the gene pool. So the seed you save from your garden may be the only place on earth that seed is grown. So as you go about your life keep an eye out for people who are still growing food from seeds they have kept. Make them your friend and see if they will share some seeds with you.

To save seeds you need to know if the seeds are heirloom or hybrid. Only heirloom seeds will bread true. If on the seeds you buy it says heirloom or open pollinated you have seeds that you can save. The seeds from the fruit of the plant can be planted and you can get the same kind of fruit next season. The secret is to be sure no stray pollen from some other similar plant pollinates your blossoms.

To start saving seeds start with something easy. I think the easiest seed to save is beans. Beans are self pollinated, That means the bean flower pollinates its self before it opens. The chance of cross pollination is very low. Different beans can be grown just a few feet from each other and not cross pollinate. You can have several beans in your collection. There are hundreds of different kinds of beans.  Some are best eaten green, some as snap beans, some as dry beans. Beans generally fall into two groups by how they grow. There are the bush beans that are short, most often vines are less than 24 inches tall. There are poll beans that may have vines several yards long. You may want to choose your beans by how they grow.  I have some bush and some poll beans. If you have less space for beans try poll beans. they will grow straight up a 10 foot poll. From just 24 poll bean plants I have been able to harvest 1 gallon of dry beans. My poll bean is Cherokee trail of tears. It is a black bean that is good as a green bean when it is young and also a good black bean for baking.

To save bean seeds, let some of the bean pods hang on the vine till they are dry. Then just break the hard dry beans out of the pods. Put them in an air tight  container. I use zip lock bags and plastic jars. Then close them up tight and put them in the freezer or a cool dark place. I have been able to germinate seeds from my freezer 8 years after they were frozen. I always save the largest pods for next years seeds.

So as you sit home this winter and read the seed catalogs think of picking up a few heirloom seeds. If you want a very good source of heirloom seeds go to seedsavers.com. This group is dedicated to saving from extinction as many heirloom seeds as possible. You may even consider joining them. I have.

Water storage.

There is nothing you can store that is more important than water. Without water you will be dead in 3 to 5 days. For emergency use plan on using a gallon of water per person per day. For servival needs you need about 2 quarts a day. So plan how much you will need.

There are a lot of ways you can store water. Some water is most likely already stored in your home.  Where you may ask. It is in the toilet tank. Just lift the lid off the back of the toilet and you have a small supply of water,  Most toilet tanks hold 3 to 8 gallons of clean water. Be sure to not flush the toilet if you are in an emergency situation because once the water is in the toilet bowel it is contaminated and can not be used for cooking or drinking.

A second place you have water is in the hot water tank. You may have up to 80 gallons of water there. Look on your tank to see what the capacity is.  If there is any possibility that the water source or purification plant has been contaminated be sure to turn off your water where it comes into your home. Most hot water tanks have a drain near the bottom. To use this water open the valve slowly. Do not be surprised if there is a bit of mud in the bottom of your hot water tank that will drain out first. The harder your water is the more sludge will be in the tank. It is not harmful. Just let it settle to the bottom of what ever you catch the water in then use the clear water from on top of the sediments. As the tank drains out the water will become more clear. Fill all the water jugs you can from the hot water tank. This way you will know how much water you have available for use.

Now how to store water:

One way is save all the plastic drink bottles you have. Use the ones that had soda and juice in them. They are food grade plastic. Do not use the plastic milk jugs they are not good for water storage. Wash your bottles out with soap and hot water. Be sure to rinse with clean water then fill with clean water. Most tap water in the U.S.A. has been treated to kill harmful bacteria. You can store the water straight from the tap. Any other water should be boiled for 15 min before storing. The advantage to this method is the bottles are recycled and are free. They are in a usable size. The disadvantage is they do not stack well.

Many people purchase large tanks or barrels for water storage. The barrels come in several sizes. If you are going to use barrels pick some that will fit into your storage space. Barrels hold a lot of water as do large tanks. They can be difficult to move. You will also need a way to drain the water out so be sure there is a tap to drain the tank. If you have barrels be sure you have a siphon or pump to get the water out of the barrels.

If you use metal tanks be sure they will not corrode. I had a neighbor who had 2 large metal storage tanks built into his home. After about 20 years they had rusted through and leaked. They caused a lot of damage to his home and it was expensive to have them removed. Be careful how you plan and think for the long term.

Water that is stored may over time develop a bad taste. If you are filling your own bottles, tanks or barrels from the tap you may want to drain them every 6 month to a year and refill them with fresh water. Bottles water from the store generally will not have a bad taste even after several years.

Winter Rotation, keeping it fresh

Winter is a good time to review your plan and how it has been working. You should never think you are completely ready.  In the winter you can consider how your last year went. How much food have you been able to produce on your own? How is your water supply? What is your plan for fuel if the power is out. What can you do during the winter to make it better for your next growing season.

Winter is a good time to rotate your food supply. Take all the food you have bottled or bought this year and place it on the back of the shelf, then put all the older food in front. Then be sure you are using your oldest food.

If you are in the habit of purchasing fresh fruit and veggies all year consider using your older food instead. Yes this will reduce the amount of food storage you have. It will also increase your buying power. Fruit and vegetables are much more expensive in the winter. If you canned your own food last summer it cost a lot less. If you grew it your self it was free. So stop buying fresh fruit and vegetables. Start using what you already have. You can then use the money you are not spending on food on other needs. If you have all you need for now you can save the money and use it when a good deal comes along.

I like to have a 2 year supply of the food I canned at home. So I try to eat any food that is more than 3 years old during the winter months. By tasting and using your food you become familiar with what you like and dislike. You can store more of what you enjoy and less of that you do not. You will not grow a bunch of things you will not want to use.

As you use your supplies keep a record of how much you use and what you liked. Then as you look forward for the next growing season you can plant what you enjoyed last winter and have it again next winter.