11/23/12

Prepper Ponderings

The Armory

I made two additions to the armory this week that I'll do reviews on soon.

The first is the Kahr CM9 - one of the smallest and lightest 9mm pistols on the market - it is slightly heavier than my Colt Agent, but much thinner and shorter, and carries an additional round.  Kahr suggests a 200 rnd break in period, so I'll get that done this weekend and bring you a review next week.

I also got a Savage Mk II FVSR - it's a short, lightweight, .22 bolt action rifle - what makes it a "need to have" for my battery is that the reports on this thing are that it is the best value in accuracy for the price (MSRP about $260).  It has a fluted bull barrel (threaded for a suppressor) that is also fully free-floated.  It comes with a 5 rnd magazine, but a 10 rounder is available.  The AccuTrigger is adjustable from 2.5 - 4.5 lbs. of pull.  No sights, but it has a rail for mounting your choice of optics - I'm leaning toward a Bushnell 3-9x.  Once I get my glass mounted, I'll do a full report.


Really Old School Survivalism

I just finished rereading the classic survivalism adventure novel, Robinson Crusoe, first published in 1719.  I've had my particular copy since I was a little kid, and it was published in 1949 and still has it's dust jacket.  I've probably read it at least 20-25 times over the years.  It's appropriate for young children (there is some cannibalism and killing in it) and also enjoyable by adults.  You can get it free on Kindle, or a printed copy still today.  It's been estimated that over 700 editions of it have been published over the years, one of the most published books ever.



Oil Lamps?

My Dad was cleaning out some excess stuff and last night gave us three quart bottles of lamp oil.  I've got four or five oil lamps, and a couple of Aladdin mantle lanterns, along with extra wicks, mantles and chimneys.  Is there still a place for these?  With modern LED and rechargeable battery technology, I don't know if the smelly open flames are worth it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get rid of these.   But I don't know that I would recommend a new prepper get any.  I think there are other safer and better options out there.

4 comments:

  1. The oil lamps are useful for heating up food. I tried heating up food with my oil lamp with the chimney on and off. It works better with the chimney on. I also tried preheating water with a candle flame and reduced the amount of propane to bring water to a boil by about 40 percent. I tried the cooking with a shortening candle and that worked pretty good. Here is my instructable for that experiment:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Cooking-With-FatAs-A-Fuel/?ALLSTEPS

    In regard to lighting, I have made several super capacitor flashlights. The capacitors are rated for 500,000 recharges:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/400-Farad-Super-Capacitor-Flashlight-Build-This-/?ALLSTEPS
    My primary lighting for an emergency is a Micro-solar set up (two of them) for 24/7 lighting.


    Lux

    ReplyDelete
  2. Links to micro-solar set ups and other lighting projects:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Uses-For-Dead-Car-Batteries-And-Sealed-Lead-Acid-B/?ALLSTEPS

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Flashlight-Mod-Increases-Run-Time-36X/?ALLSTEPS

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Emergency-Led-Lighting-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/?ALLSTEPS

    Lux

    ReplyDelete
  3. d, the lamps are a good source of heat when you don't want smoke billowing out of the chimney, or when its cool but not enough for a full blown fire. i like the ambience as well. i'm installing a 12v led light system in my basement today/tomorrow but the construction of my home won't allow for adding it upstairs. lamps work on cloudy days when solar leds won't, and they are mobile(even rechargable batts wear out). i also stashed several lamps/oil to trade/give away. can't afford to give good led lights away.jmy2c.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Super capacitor flashlights are good for 500,000 charges so if I were to charge one 4 times a day, 365 days a year it should last over 300 years. I have made 6 of them. They charge at 2.4 volts and can be charged off of a solar panel with a simple linear regulator circuit. Even the darkest, cloudiest day provides enough power to charge a super capacitor. My smaller micro-solar set up uses a 5 watt solar panel which works fine for charging super caps and car batteries even on cloudy days. As a prepper I have achieved lighting without batteries for the rest of my life if needed.

    Lux

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to comment on my posts. I do ask that you keep the language clean. I reserve the right to moderate comments and will delete any that violate the principles of respectful discourse or that are spam. I will not delete your comment for simply disagreeing with me.