As I have been perusing the web I came across an add for a bug out bag with an airgun. The airgun was a .22ca with a mussel velocity of 480 feet per second. It was a nice looking airgun, looked very high tech with a small bug out back pack. It said it had everything you need to survive: water bottle ammo and an airgun in a bakc pack.
I went to wondering about airguns. I had a BB gun as a kid, I have used my pellet guns from time to time. But now I was thinking about an airgun in prepper terms. Could an airgun be of use in an emergency situation?
First a little bit about airguns.
There are a large number of airguns out there.
For starters there are a lot of calibers of airguns. .177, .29, .22, .30, .357, .45, .50cal. and more.
There are several different ways they are powered
There are Variable Pump. With 2 pumps you can target practice indoors or out, increase the number of pumps increased the mussel velocity. At 10 pumps they often can be used for pest control
Break barrel, This is charged by using the barrel to cock the spring that fires the pellet. These are quite powerful
Leaver Action, A lever is used to cock the spring that fires the BB or pellet. Think Red Rider.
C02, pre-filled pressurised cylinders of C02 gas are used to propel the BBs or pellets
pre-charged pneumatic(PCP), An external pump or fill tank is used to charge an internal air tank in the gun. They can be the hardest hitting.
Not all airguns are made equal. Be sure to study the airgun by what you want it to be able to do.
So this is not going to be a list of all the passable useful air guns. There are a lot of ideas on what makes an airgun the best.
You need to know what you plan to use the airgun for. I have been using my airguns to target shoot. I used to use my .22cal to practice shooting. Now that the Ammo is hard to find I have switched to an air gun. Pellets and BBs are still very cheep and easy to find.
Some reasons to use an airgun follow:
Target practice,
Pest control,
Hunting small game
Hunting medium game
Hunting large game
Personal defence when the SHTF
Survival in a disparate situation.
Now for the thinking part of the problem
Remember advertising is the art of telling some of the truth so you will buy something.
The same thing holds true with airguns. Many beginning air gunners start with a cheep airgun. One that is advertised to have a high mussel velocity. Like 1200feet per second. Sad to say how fast the projectile travels is only one part of the equation. You also need the mass of the projectile to determine the amount of energy the projectile will hit with. This hitting energy is called pounds per square foot. That is the transfer of energy from the projectile to the target.
The Math: The formula for finding out foot pounds of energy is to multiple the weight of the projectile times the mussel velocity that has been squared. Then divided by the number 450395 to get the foot pounds of energy. There are calculators on the Internet that will do the math for you, but the formula is the same.
This will answer the important question of how hard dose this thing hit. If your answer is less than 12 pounds per foot its a target practicing gun. Good for killing bugs and song birds.
It may not surprise you to find out that a lot of airguns are not very powerful. This dose not mean there are not some that can also take down large game.
So lets start small. With the .177cal.. This airgun caliber can be found that BBs and pellets. BBs are shot through a smooth bore barrel. They usually travel faster than the heaver pellets. Pellets are shot through a smooth or rifled barrel. Never use BBs in a airgun that is for only pellets.
The .177 is the most common airgun sold in the USA. They come in Pump, CO2, Lever action, and break barrel. If is common to see them in many outlets from box stores, sporting goods and gun stores. The pellets are easy to find and the BBs are even cheaper. They frequently have high mussel velocities, some faster than 1200 feet per second. Because the pellets are very light that are used to reach high speed (the speed the printed on the box) they have very little knock down power and are less accurate. A heaver pellet has more foot pounds, travels slower and is more accurate.
Because the pellet or BB in .177 is small and may be traveling very fast. It is passable to put the pellet through small game without doing very much damage. Kind of like stabbing it with a needle. there is a tiny hole but not a lot of damage. Unless it hits the brain, major organ(heart) or a big bone the animal may just run off. You may have killed it however it may take a few days for the hapless animal to die of infection.
The best use for most .177 is to target shoot, small animal control like rats, mice or small pest birds. The better quality pellet guns can be used for small game like squirrels and cottontail rabbits. That dose not mean that in the hands of a practiced shooter it can not be deadly for other game. You just need to have a airgun that is accurate, has the energy to kill and for you to be able to hit the kill shot. The weakest are the BB guns, The most powerful are often the Break Barrel.
I'm not going to go over the .20cal, guns and the pellets are not easy to find. If you want to know more about them feel free to look them up.
The .22cal are next on my list. I have found them in Pump, CO2, and Break Barrel. This pellet is about twice the weight of the .177. It has significantly more foot pounds of impact. The pellet being larger makes a bigger whole in your target and will do more damage to small game. The most powerful ones can be used for raccoons and such, if you are a good shot. The CO2 have the least hitting power, the pump if fully charged can be used for game to cottontail rabbit size and the break barrels can take up to raccoons and jack rabbits. If you can hit the kill shot.
Recently there have been increased interest and use of .25cal. Some on the new PCP .25cal are able to take down coyotes and other medium sized game. Some are also available that have a rotating cylinder that lets you fire up to 8 pellets at full power with a single charge.
The larger calibers .357, .45 and .50cal are almost only available in a PCP. They have a lot of knock down power. The can take larger animals, hogs, deer, and larger game has been reported.
Not all airguns are made equal. Be sure you study any weapon you plan to purchase well before you pick one up. Read independent reviews.
If you just want to try one out there are several brands mostly .177 that can be purchased for under $100.00 and some for under $50.00. A lot of people have a cheaper airgun. You may want to ask your friends if they have one you can try out before you go and buy your own.
I will be posting more on airguns over the next few days to weeks.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
You are your most important tool.
What is the most important thing to have in good working order when things go bad? YOU need to be in good working order.
Physically you need to be in good health. This dose not mean having a chiseled physique. It is not about how many reps you can do in the gym or how fast you can run. It means being in good health for your age.
Diet is one of the most important factors in health. Not some special prepper diet or other fad diet you see on TV or Internet. It is good whole foods. Whole foods are unprocessed foods. This means fresh vegetables and fruit, meat you cook yourself, whole grains ect. There are a lot of things in boxes and cans you can grab quickly and heat up. They very often have diminished food value and additives that may harm you. I know its so easy to put a box of man chow in the microwave and have a full belly in just a few minutes. You may be fed but not fed well.
What should you eat for the best health. The following is listed by what you should have the most of to the least of.
First green or orange vegetables. They are full of wonderful nutrients, antioxidants, immune stimulants and anti cancer compounds and fiber. Having 3 or 4 cups of vegetable foods each day will increase your energy and improve your stamina.
Second whole grains. Be sure to read the label. There is no truth in advertising. If it contains 100% whole grains or is made with 100% whole grain it means that some of the ingredients are whole grain. If the label reads: white flower,barley flower, sugar, whole grain. They can claim 100% whole grain. Because it contains some whole grain. So be sure the first ingredient is whole grain. Of course whole grains like oat meal, wheat or rice are easy to recognise and understand.
Third Nuts, dry beans, lentils and peas. These are sources of protein, carbohydrate, nutrients and fiber.
Forth meat and eggs, Animal flesh has a lot of protein and nutrition. Red meat is a major source of iron. But, you can have too much of a good thing. So meat sparingly. It should not be the center of your diet. Most of us like it to be. Yet a healthy amount of meat for the whole day would measure about the same size as a pack of playing cards. So one small hamburger patty. I know its not what you really want. Its not a 18oz porterhouse steak. It is what you need and is much healthier.
Last fats and sugar. Yes, bacon and snickers bars are in the same category. Have only a small amount of concentrated fats or sugars in a day. Its better if you do not have any most days. They provide a lot of calories and scant or no nutrition.
After diet the next thing to do to keep healthy is to keep active. I do not work out in a gym, run miles or any other form of what is generally considered exercise. I walk 1 to 2 miles each day, do my job, keep the yard cleaned up, help in the house and keep active by practicing my skills.
Too much exercise is not good. Some body fat is healthy. If you can walk or jog a mile or so without clutching your chest, needing to stop and rest, or becoming winded you are in good enough shape. If you can walk, jog, hike or climb 2 to 3 miles you are in fine shape if the SHTF. Some of you may do more tactical training or work out to stay fit. That is good and healthy. Just keep some body fat so you have reserve if you need to go a few days without a meal.
The most important part of your took to keep up is your mind. You need to be mentally fit. Read something every day. Play strategy games that challenge your mind like chess. Talk to people. Keep current on world events. Not just the bad world events but also the good things that happen. If you always focus on the bad things you will become depressed and paranoid. Despite the fact that at any moment something terrible could happen, almost always things are going mostly good.
So shape up your most important tool and take good care of you.
Physically you need to be in good health. This dose not mean having a chiseled physique. It is not about how many reps you can do in the gym or how fast you can run. It means being in good health for your age.
Diet is one of the most important factors in health. Not some special prepper diet or other fad diet you see on TV or Internet. It is good whole foods. Whole foods are unprocessed foods. This means fresh vegetables and fruit, meat you cook yourself, whole grains ect. There are a lot of things in boxes and cans you can grab quickly and heat up. They very often have diminished food value and additives that may harm you. I know its so easy to put a box of man chow in the microwave and have a full belly in just a few minutes. You may be fed but not fed well.
What should you eat for the best health. The following is listed by what you should have the most of to the least of.
First green or orange vegetables. They are full of wonderful nutrients, antioxidants, immune stimulants and anti cancer compounds and fiber. Having 3 or 4 cups of vegetable foods each day will increase your energy and improve your stamina.
Second whole grains. Be sure to read the label. There is no truth in advertising. If it contains 100% whole grains or is made with 100% whole grain it means that some of the ingredients are whole grain. If the label reads: white flower,barley flower, sugar, whole grain. They can claim 100% whole grain. Because it contains some whole grain. So be sure the first ingredient is whole grain. Of course whole grains like oat meal, wheat or rice are easy to recognise and understand.
Third Nuts, dry beans, lentils and peas. These are sources of protein, carbohydrate, nutrients and fiber.
Forth meat and eggs, Animal flesh has a lot of protein and nutrition. Red meat is a major source of iron. But, you can have too much of a good thing. So meat sparingly. It should not be the center of your diet. Most of us like it to be. Yet a healthy amount of meat for the whole day would measure about the same size as a pack of playing cards. So one small hamburger patty. I know its not what you really want. Its not a 18oz porterhouse steak. It is what you need and is much healthier.
Last fats and sugar. Yes, bacon and snickers bars are in the same category. Have only a small amount of concentrated fats or sugars in a day. Its better if you do not have any most days. They provide a lot of calories and scant or no nutrition.
After diet the next thing to do to keep healthy is to keep active. I do not work out in a gym, run miles or any other form of what is generally considered exercise. I walk 1 to 2 miles each day, do my job, keep the yard cleaned up, help in the house and keep active by practicing my skills.
Too much exercise is not good. Some body fat is healthy. If you can walk or jog a mile or so without clutching your chest, needing to stop and rest, or becoming winded you are in good enough shape. If you can walk, jog, hike or climb 2 to 3 miles you are in fine shape if the SHTF. Some of you may do more tactical training or work out to stay fit. That is good and healthy. Just keep some body fat so you have reserve if you need to go a few days without a meal.
The most important part of your took to keep up is your mind. You need to be mentally fit. Read something every day. Play strategy games that challenge your mind like chess. Talk to people. Keep current on world events. Not just the bad world events but also the good things that happen. If you always focus on the bad things you will become depressed and paranoid. Despite the fact that at any moment something terrible could happen, almost always things are going mostly good.
So shape up your most important tool and take good care of you.
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