Saturday, June 2, 2018

Home Defense Preparation

SIG Sauer handgun and several rounds of ammunition 
The most dangerous places are outside the home. Inside the home, we have barriers including outer doors, glass, and hard interior doors. Hopefully, the family has your back, and you have a plan. If not, you have more problems than I can address. Illegal narcotics, and the pharmaceutical industry’s greed-fed opioid epidemic, turn many against their fellows, and the family is the first victim—just so you will not be surprised. My home is modest, and I have genuine affection for my neighbors. I am lucky. My first line of defense is an early warning system named Lucy. She is a rescue dog, an American Dingo sometimes called a Carolina Dog or Pariah dog. She is 55-pounds of love, loyalty, and fine-tuned senses that serve to alert us of movements around the neighborhood.
Above is a SIG Sauer handgun and several rounds of ammunition.
A good quality handgun and ammunition is important, but just one level of home defense.

Many liberal doctrines have given every advantage to the burglar. However, the courts have held that the need for self-defense is more apparent in the home. The Castle Doctrine, defining the right of citizens, outlines that there is no need to retreat from an attack in the home. This is a return to the doctrine of the King’s Peace that is fair and just.

All prepared Americans should have a good grasp of the law. We should also be prepared. My experience as a trainer indicates that more Americans keep a firearm at the ready in the home than carry a handgun concealed.

The concealed carry permit holder may own but a single handgun. The concealed carry handgun is a compromise of power, weight, size, and control. While pistols such as the Glock 19 9mm are fine home defenders, the snub nose .38 and compact slim line 9mm pistols may be less than ideal by comparison.

Any reliable handgun is better than a broom handle, but there are good choices that should be examined. A full-size revolver and proper loads make for a formidable home-defense handgun. The revolver may be braced against a door jamb for greater control and will deliver its load into a single ragged hole at 7 yards. If you carry a Commander .45 or SIG P227 as I do, then the carry gun simply becomes the home defense gun.

A good program many shooters are following is to carry the handgun at all times when at home. A study of time and motion indicates that this is a good course. A home invasion, despite your best preparation, will be a surprise. A shotgun in the closet or a handgun under the mattress is worthless when you are in the kitchen.

A firearm in every room—which some of my cop friends find suits them well—simply serves to arm the burglar that invades the home when you are absent.

The guns not actually being deployed should be in the safe. A counter argument by my friend Sid is that if you have a safe in the house, the burglar will return, place a gun to your head, and you will open the safe.

While I respect Sid’s opinion, I think it is mostly millionaires who have the worry of being concerned about such sophisticated thieves. The Hornady RAPiD safe is the ideal storage place for handguns, rifles, and shotguns that may be needed at a moment’s notice. As for myself, I have adopted a rather reserved program that works for me.

The carry gun, usually a Les Baer or Kimber .45 these days, is kept at home to be ready when I return from my daily chores. For moving about the home, mowing the lawn, and other chores, the snub nose .38 is kept in the pocket. This solves a lot of problems. It is my choice, and it works for me.

The .45 is still the dedicated home defense gun; I simply have something extra. It seems odd that the weight of the 1911 never bothers out of the home, but when typing and working at home it does. Each has to determine their personal preferences. In practically every waking moment, I am armed. The pistol under the coat, in an IWB holster, or shoulder holster may be a .357 or .44 revolver, or a 10mm or .45 caliber self-loader.

When I am asleep, the carry gun is near my hand. In my youth, and as a peace officer, I observed a common ready mode that was nearly always taken by widows and other ladies. A .32 or .38 revolver was kept under the pillow at night. I am not recommending this, but it seemed comforting for my grandmother after my grandfather passed. Considering the number of women that have been awakened by a burglar or rapist at the foot of the bed or even in bed with them, this ready mode made good sense. Thus, a rifle in the corner isn’t the best answer for such attacks.

For those with a more defined concern, such as a takeover robbery, a rifle might be the answer. Those living in the back forty, who sometimes get into fights with feral dogs or wish to dust off predators, may wish to keep a versatile rifle handy.

The 5.56mm carbine—with proper loads—is one choice. As of today, I am seeing second- and third-quality AR-type rifles selling for less than $500. Good quality rifles, such as the Ruger AR-15 is selling for less than $700. ($622.15 on cheaperthandirt.com at the time of this writing) This price makes it easier to recommend the AR-15 rifle for home defense.

Another good home-defense long gun, the M1 carbine, is becoming increasingly difficult to find (in good examples). If you have one, confirm its reliability, and load it with the Hornady Critical Defense .30 carbine load. I cannot imagine a better home defender.

These rifles will give you an advantage against a takeover gang or marauding dog packs. There are some valid concerns with over penetration, but the primary means of avoiding over penetration is to hit the target. The Hornady .223 55-grain V Max, as an example, will exhibit less penetration than the typical 9mm or .45 caliber handgun, and it has greater predicted wound potential. The SIG Sauer Elite .300 Blackout hollow point was recently adopted by a good friend. Thus far, the reports from his testing shows this is a good home defense loading.

Sporting guns may be pressed into service for home defense. A .22 Long Rifle self-loader is a common home defense load. There are many files on this rifle, and it has generally been successful. The primary concern is reliability with the heel-based bullet and inside priming of the rimfire cartridge. While it is not the preferred cartridge for most, the .22 LR may be all that is available, and it will serve if properly delivered in double and triple taps to the arterial region.

Whatever the firearm chosen, the piece should be proofed for reliability. While the long gun is a formidable firearm, be certain of its handling under stress. Carrying a child in one arm, moving with the firearm, or using the cellphone to call 911 makes for complicated gun handling that should be practiced.

A weapon-mounted light is an aid in home defense provided the user is skilled in its use. I like the advantage of a light that isn’t attached to the firearm as well. You will search more often than you will engage an adversary. Aiming the light slightly to one side of an object (such as a door jamb) makes for greater visual clarity and less glare. Properly illuminating an object in a modest-sized room may be accomplished by aiming the light toward the ceiling.

While I do not like gadgets for their own sake, my worst-case scenario rifle is well equipped for every problem. The Colt SOCOM is fitted with a Redfield Battlezone scope. This rifle is my test bed for ammunition performance. In the home, it is often loaded with the Hornady V Max. The rifle is fitted with a LaserMax Uni Laser in order to give the rifle utility in home defense. I have practiced looking over the top turret of the scope and results are good to 15 yards—far beyond a home defense problem.

The shotgun is a superior home defense firearm provided the user takes the time to learn to handle the recoil and power of the shotgun. The Remington 870 is among the fastest handling and most reliable shotguns of all time. A modern AR-15-type stock with a forend that will accept a combat light seems a good modification for those who practice.

I prefer the easy handling of the standard riot gun. However, when the shotgun is used with slugs and accuracy becomes more important, a rifle-sighted shotgun with improvements is a viable option. As an observation, I have never seen a riot-type shotgun used for home defense. I have over a dozen files in which homeowners successfully defended themselves and their family with a standard-length sporting shotgun. If that is what you own, then you may have the perfect home defender in a shotgun you are already familiar with.

The often-touted frangible bullet handgun loads are something I never choose for personal defense. Cycle reliability in self-loaders may not be ideal, and the reduced mass and penetration of these loads leaves the user with a serious deficit in penetration. After many years of testing ammunition and studying wound potential, I find that frangible loads lack the necessary penetration to prove effective.

The best choices for home defense are usually middle-of-the-range bullet weights with good quality control. The Hornady Critical Defense load is among these. The balance of penetration and expansion is ideal for most uses. Be certain to proof the firearm with the load of choice. Stick with proven firearms that have demonstrated good reliability, get training, and avoid odd ideas that cannot survive a climb up the logic ladder.

What is your go-to home defense gun? Have you adopted 24/7 carry, including while at home? Share your answers to these questions or home defense tips in the comment section.

Bob Campbell is a former peace officer and published author with over 40 years combined shooting and police and security experience. Bob holds a degree in Criminal Justice. Bob is the author of the books, The Handgun in Personal Defense, Holsters for Combat and Concealed Carry, The 1911 Automatic Pistol, The Gun Digest Book of Personal Protection and Home Defense, The Shooter’s Guide to the 1911, The Hunter and the Hunted, and The Complete Illustrated Manual of Handgun Skills. His latest book is Dealing with the Great Ammo Shortage. He is also a regular contributor to Gun Tests, American Gunsmith, Small Arms Review, Gun Digest, Concealed Carry Magazine, Knife World, Women and Guns, Handloader and other publications. Bob is well-known for his firearm testing.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Terrorist Watchlist

72 Ways to End up on the Terrorist Watchlist

By Dave Dolbee published on in General



Come and Take It!, Molon Labe!, From My Cold Dead Hands! We have all heard the phrases and likely repeated many of them at one time or another, in or out of context to the Second Amendment and our rights. After a friend received a call the other day from the FBI due to a Facebook post, my interest was piqued and the search began. Quickly, it became apparent just how easy it is (or was) to get yourself put on a watchlist.



Terrorist Watchlist questionnaire
Terrorist Watchlist questionnaire

The details are rather scary and closely tied to the Obama administration. However, the links below all go to official U.S. Government sites and documents. It seems the Obama administration cast a fairly wide net when it came to labeling someone as a terrorist or ‘potential terrorist.’ How wide is that net today? Unfortunately, I do not know, but I’d bet many of you do.
Back in the days before the 44th President, the term ‘terrorist’ brought with it a rather narrow definition that was applied to the worst of the worst. Terrorist was reserved for people such as Osama bin Laden and Islamic jihadists bent of committing mass murder to support their political/religious agenda. However, our country (at least at the Executive level) went through a transformation. Many of us heard about it, but may or may not have fully understood the implications. Instead of simple political correctness by removing all references to Islam from government training materials, the term ‘terrorist’ or at least ‘potential terrorist’ started being applied to large groups of people—and by people I mean American citizens.
I do not want to run around screaming that the sky is falling or claim we all need to suddenly go dark or jump off the grid. However, could reading a firearm related blog such as this earn you a spot as a ‘potential terrorist’ under the government’s definition? How about posting your support for the Second Amendment and the right of self-defense to social media? What if you said nothing at all, but someone else included you in a photo or facial recognition software identified (or misidentified) you? The answers to these and many more questions are in the following links, but you’ll have to do some research and decide for yourself—however, even as the editor and senior writer for this blog, I have passed many, many backgrounds for permits, TSA precheck, Form 4473… So, my recommendation would be to read the following carefully, but not to read to much into the documents.
The documents predate August 2015, so take that into account. We have a new President and administration. I am not sure how up-to-date or applicable to today’s administration some of these linked documents or sites may be, but they will make you think and with the midterm elections around the corner. For example, today I received a form letter from one of my state senators, Tammy Duckworth, about how she supported common sense gun control and opposed national concealed carry reciprocity, blah, blah, blah. Our votes count; use them wisely.
Here is the list of 72 types of Americans that are considered to be ‘potential terrorists’ in official U.S. government documents as of August 2015.
Each listing below is an active link to the original source documentation indicating when and where the listed ‘subversives’ were originally considered a threat:

Just for fun score yourself. Without reading each document or visiting each link, but based on the title alone, how many of these could apply to you? One point each, for a maximum score of 72. Enter your score, thoughts, and results of your research in the comment section.

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The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!'s blog, "The Shooter's Log," is to provide information-not opinions-to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!

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Saturday, May 19, 2018

FBI Ammo

FBI divides $35M contract among three ammo companies


Guns.com reports that the big three ammo companies — Hornady Manufacturing, Winchester Ammunition, and Vista Outdoor — were given their own slice of a $35 million contract with the FBI for training rounds.

The Bureau awarded the contract for “9mm Luger service, reduced-lead training, and frangible ammunition,” according to April 2 announcement.

Taking $19 million, Vista will receive the bulk of the award, which covers up to four years. The company, which manages dozens of brands, said the agency opted for Federal Premium ammunition with a new match-grade bullet and a lead-free primer.

Hornady was contracted to fill an $11 million order. The Nebraska-based company said it will provide Hornad’s 9mm+P Luger 135 grain FlexLock Critical Duty ammunition.

Lastly, Winchester — owned by Olin Corp. — received the remainder of the contract, to the tune of $5 million.

The FBI switched back to issuing a 9mm handgun in 2016, when the agency awarded a contracted valued up to $85 million to Glock. The agency had relied on .40-caliber pistols beforehand.

JR Note:  The plated rounds are superior in shelf life, and the FBI chosen Glock has been one of my favorite brands for many years, one in fact that I won a shooting competition with, against military and police officers.   I'm also finding Guns.com to be an interesting source of information, and recommend you add them to your favorites list.

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Marine Corps Rifle


Guns.com reports that Heckler & Koch Defense, the domestic subsidiary of German gun maker HK last week secured a large contract for M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle systems for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The M27, a select-fire variant of the HK416 5.56mm gas piston rifle, has been used in small quantities by the Marines for the past decade to replace some M249 Squad Automatic Weapons. The new contract, announced by Marine Corps Systems Command on Friday, allows for $29.4 million for a maximum 15,000 M27 systems and spare parts to be delivered by 2023.
The contract specifies that the lion’s share of the work on the platforms will be completed in Oberndorf, Germany with about 30 percent split between U.S.-based facilities in Columbus, Georgia and Ashburn, Virginia. HK earlier this year announced the Georgia expansion to include a new 50,000 square-foot manufacturing plant.
Citing commonality and interchangeability with existing platforms, the M27’s weight advantage over the M249, and the belief that pursuing a contract with any other maker besides Heckler & Koch would mean four years before the Corps received the additional weapons, the Marines decided to use HK as the sole provider of the contract in 2017 rather than opening it up to competition. The original purchase was open to a maximum of 50,814 M27s, reflecting Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller’s assertions that he would like to arm every “0311” series rifleman with one of the rifles, replacing the M4.
The Marines are also on course to field the M38, an HK416 variant equipped with a Leupold TS-30A2 Mark 4 MR/T 2.5-8x36mm optic, as the new squad-designated marksman rifle. The standard optic on the M27 is the Trijicon ACOG.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Top 10 Prepper Businesses


When the SHTF, some of the worst businesses to own will be:
  1. Pet Grooming 
  2. Nail/hair Salons
  3. Fitness Gyms
  4. Counseling
  5. Florist
  6. Dance Studio's
  7. Lawn Care
  8. Tattoo parlor
  9. Travel Agency
  10. McDonalds (fast food) although good for Salvaging food.
  11. Home Decor
Only businesses with skills that provide goods or services that are absolutely essential will survive.
Key businesses might include:
  1. Agriculture - farming, ranching, aquaponics, commercial fishing and plowing services will be of the utmost importance, as food will be a critical necessity
  2. Repair Shop - transportation, Appliances, motors, generators
  3. Black Smith - make plows, hoes, tools
  4. Wood working - saw mill, carpenter, build log cabins.
  5. Electrical Engineer - solar power, generators, hydro electric
  6. Medical Care - Doctor, Dentist, Nurse, EMT, First Aide, especially natural remedies.
  7. Wilderness Survival Expert / hunter, trapper, fisher
  8. Gun Smith - the ability to repair fire arms, but also to make other weapons like bows, arrows, knives & spears.
  9. Chemist - make gun powder, reload bullets, medicines
  10. Teachers - academics like history, math, reading/writing and science, but also vocational skills like those above.
Military - Security, Scout Patrols, etc. will be important skills and possibly a business to help you get set up.
What other businesses would you suggest?

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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Best Foods To Store

What Are The Best Foods To Store For SHTF Scenarios?


Once disaster has struck, one of the problems that many people will notice immediately will be that there is a massive shortage of food.
In fact, it is hardly a fantasy scenario to imagine that once things get rough, lone wolves, mobs, and gangs will go from street to street, supermarket to supermarket, and neighborhood to neighborhood searching for precious resources like food and water.
Your local stores will be robbed and anything worth having will be removed. Trucks will stop running and there will be no more restocking.
For this reason, we highly recommend that you store food in your home just in case things go south. If you never have to use this food, that’s great. If you do have to use it, then it’s a good thing that you have it.

Stored up food is kind of like a parachute. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. And if you don’t have it, you will probably never need it again.


So the question arises of what kind of food is best to store for those “uh oh” times in life. Let’s establish some criteria for this survival food.
#1: Long Lasting: When building up your food stores, you want to make sure that anything you have can stay edible for a long time. Spam gets a lot of flak, but anything that can last 500 years is definitely going in my survival food storage!
As a rule of thumb, cans, dried noodles, cereal or granola, peanut butter, etc. are all great because they take a long, long time to spoil.
#2: Easily Stored: Having incredible food won’t matter if you can only store a few meals worth of it. When picking out food for your storage, make sure that it can be stored pretty easily on a shelf, on the floor, or however you’ve decided to do it.

This rule does mean that your stored food should not need to be refrigerated or frozen. It should be able to be stored at room temperature, since electricity may or may not be present if disaster strikes.
Cans work great for this, as they can be stacked.

#3: Good Tasting: Your stored up food won’t do you much good if you and your family refuse to eat it because it tastes like junk. Now I’m not saying you need a five course gourmet meal, but do stock some things that taste pretty good.

Good tasting food keeps your family moral up and, obviously, are a lot more enjoyable than protein bars for 30 days in a row.

#4: Easily Prepared: If your food needs a microwave or an oven, don’t even bother storing it for disaster. If you can make a fire, then you may be able to cook some food, but assume that fire will be an impossibility. Make sure your food can be opened and eaten.

#5: High Calorie: Yep, I said it. Your stored up food needs to be packing in the calories to have maximum effectiveness. Even though high calorie foods are hailed as evil in our current culture, calories are the lifeblood of energy and without energy, you don’t survive.
Simple as that.

Now don’t go out and buy a whole bunch of Krispy Kremes and consider yourself ready for the apocalypse.

Sweets make for poor survival food because calories are not created equal. Here’s a little breakdown for you.



Where Do Calories Come From?

All calories come from one of three things: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
We will discuss each of these separately.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates (carbs) are four calories per gram. Most carbs reside in fruits, vegetables, grains, and sugars. Even though carbs are usually associated with the devil in modern culture, every living human requires carbs to survive.

Even though they are necessary for survival, they are not ideal for survival food. Carbs pack fewer calories per gram than fats (discussed below) and are not as useful for rebuilding muscle as protein. Carbs are also burned more quickly than fats or proteins, meaning that you will be left feeling hungry not long after eating.

Proteins: Proteins contain four calories per gram and are the food of choice for competition weightlifters and world class performers. Proteins are useful for rebuilding muscles bigger and stronger.

Proteins burn slowly in the stomach and after eating them, you’ll feel full for a long time. Most proteins are meats, nuts, or legumes. These make for excellent stored food.

Fats: Fats contain nine calories per gram and are our go to foods for our food storage. Since fats contain a lot of calories per gram, you can eat less and survive longer than others (and it’s easier on your budget!)

Fats are usually found in meats, oils, dairy products, eggs, and nuts. If you’ll notice, foods that have fat and foods that have proteins are very similar. These are the kinds of foods we want to store.

By storing foods that are high in protein and fat, we ensure that our bodies have what it takes to rebuild themselves after labor, we don’t feel hungry after eating, and can consume enough calories to give us a boost of energy during the day.

The best kinds of foods to store are not high calorie sugary treats, but foods that combine proteins and fats into one easy package.

Foods like nuts, dried dairy products, canned meats, dried beans and lentils, and canned chili make for excellent survival foods.

While preparing your survival foods, don’t feel obligated to only get these types of foods though! I have plenty of space to store my food and over time I’ve accumulated some cereals, granola, soups, and dried noodles that I could consider a treat in a survival situation.

Finally, the best types of stored food for you are the ones that you can comfortably fit into your budget. You shouldn’t feel obligated to spend your entire paycheck on food storage. Instead, buy food in small bits and pieces if you need to.

Over time, you’ll collect plenty of life-giving food.


To close us out, here are a list of foods that I myself store:
  1. Canned chiliVarious types of 
  2. canned meats​Dried beans (I keep these in empty liters of Coke)
  3. Dried lentils (same)
  4. Dried peas (mostly black-eyed, ditto for the empty liters)
  5. Canned vegetables
  6. Canned meats
  7. Different types of noodles such as spaghetti, ramen, etc.
  8. Rice
  9. Powdered foods
  10. Long lasting proteins such as certain protein bars, protein mix, etc.

Author Tag:
Founder and editor of PrepSurvivalGuide.com. I'm a proud husband and father of two boys. My journey to preparedness began in the aftermath of the housing crash when I saw just how easily the scales could be tipped against us. Since then, I've wanted to share high quality information at no cost. Enjoy.

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