Jamie Jackson

We have a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator and use it frequently. We also pressure and waterbath can, but this unit extends our food storage options tremendously.   Whenever we have excess from our garden, or run across great loss leader deals at grocery stores, we dehydrtae the foods, toss them into pint or quart jars with an o2 absorber and put them in the pantry.   We have an island/table in the center of our kitchen. The bottom shelf is loaded with jars of dehydrated foods...bell peppers, soup mixes (mixed vegetables), mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery, herbs and many other daily use items.   A Mandoline slicer is a big help in prepping the foods. But a good sharp knife does fine.   A good resource for food dehydration is Dehydrate2Store.   Another great resource for canning and preserving food is Jackie Clay's "Growing and Canning Your Food" and well as [url=http://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/JackieClay/]Jackie Clay's Blog[/url]. The book is "canning centric", but well worth the price. The blog covers pretty much everthing related to homesteading and food preservation and Jackie is quick to respond to questions.

A buddy sent me a link to this a few days back.   Very well written, and very accurate imho. Definietly woth the read.   I've already sent the link to several friends.

Normally...but it seems they are having their butts kicked as well.   [url=http://www.cdnninvestments.com/] CDNN link[/url].

In more normal times, I would have recommended [url=http://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazine-parts/magazine-springs/ar-15-m16-high-capacity-magazine-springs-prod41777.aspx?avs|Capacity_1=30-Round] Brownells[/url]. But with the current frenzy, they too are out of 'em.   Same with [url=http://www.midwayusa.com/product/718837/wolff-magazine-spring-ar-15-30-round-extra-power-package-of-3] MidwayUSA[/url].   It looks like [url=http://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=2&mID=1&dID=79#493] Wolff[/url] has some in stock...for now.

Good points Lester Weevils Sir.     My personal experience with [b][i]my[/i][/b] PT 92 may well have been a metallurgy issue for the material being used, at that particular time. But it was enough for me to view that particular make and model with caution.   I have a little J-frame model 85 Taurus purchased in 1987 that has been a gem. It has a very nice blue finish, a decent stock trigger, and is very reliable…but it’s my wife’s gun and hasn’t seen a tremendous amount of rounds put through it.   Maybe the metallurgical issues have been resolved with current or recent production Taurus handguns. I hope so.   I agree that with proper maintenance and parts replacement at scheduled intervals will (or at least should) increase reliability and longevity.   My personal criteria for a carry gun is that it has proven itself, to [b]me[/b], to demonstrate that reliability under adverse training conditions and less than optimal maintenance.   [b]And[/b] [u]all[/u] things mechanical break, and[i]Thanks to Murphy[/i], at the worst possible moment.   That’s why I carry two guns. :cool:       An aside: I've noticed the bold typing in a number of threads and seen comments regarding it... ?

I'm not knocking Taurus in general, but back in the 90's I had a PT 92, and shot it a good bit. Problem was, I broke the locking block completely 3 times. Taurus, under warranty, promptly replaced it. I couldn't trust my life to it. I sold it and purchased a Glock 19. I've had a couple of them...traded one for a G 17 to go with my G26.   I adhere to the OP's criteria in that my Glock 19 is on my belt...daily and I trust it with my life...quite literally. I quit counting after about 30,000 rounds. I occasionally change the springs and even clean it every now and then. I stick with OEM parts and carry a Glock armorer's tool on my keychain…but I’ve only ever needed it for stripping it down.   Glock’s are monkey simple to work on. Even I can do it. And this thing has been AK reliable, even with all of the abuse I’ve put it through.   I do love my blue steel 1911. It’s a great handgun. Everything I hear about S&W M&P’s lead me to believe they will probably turn out to be every bit as reliable. But my Glock has proven itself to me many things over. YMMV.

I'm not surprised David. The panic buying is definitiely on.   I was in our local Walmart (Turkey Creek in K-Town) on Monday and picked up a couple of hundred rounds of 7.63x39 for a range trip. There was a lowered, but still tolerable selection when I left. I had to stop in for a few grocery items this morning and took a look. Except of the higher end 40's and a few rifle cartridges, the shelves were pretty much bare. 2 employees were working the area, scanning all of the empty slots for re-order, but said they had no idea when, or if, they'd get adequate replacements.

I took an Oath a long time ago, and it's still binding. Without the Bill of Rights, this is no longer America...it barely is now.   A Constitutional Convention would pretty much be a certain end to what we have left.

  I certainly respect your viewpoint good Sir. And I'm also certain my statement doesn't apply to everyone.   It's just been with my experiences, that when people pay even a "token" fee, they have a sense of ownership in their actions, and tend to be more receptive of the information being offered.   There are exceptions always.

I originally purchased the book when it was first released. I re-read it a couple of months ago.   Like Orwell's1984...it was prescient in it's nature...just a few years off.   The first 100 or so pages are incredible in detailing the destruction of our Constitutionally Protected God Given Rights.   Definitely worth the time. It should actually be mandatory reading  for any serious member of the "Gun Culture". :up:

I think it's an excellent idea Joe.   My Father was a butcher, and I was raised in an old fashioned meat market back in the '60's...not pre-packaged and pre-cut meats...sides of beef and pork, whole chickens and fryers... we even raised and butcher our our hogs. We had a cinderblock smokehouse, salt and sugar cured hams we cut... But that was a different time and those skills are rapidly being lost. Most folks think meat is "grown" on styrofoam trays covered in cello wrap. :cool:   I think your offer would be a great service to the community, and that charging for the lessons only makes sense. People actually do see value in what they purchase, vs what is "free", imho.     PETA is a PITA. But good point DaveS.

[quote name='Major Kong' timestamp='1354647020' post='854815'] I've been shopping with them for several years and they are indeed a great business. They also have a very generous dealer's discount if you happen to have a C&R. [/quote] I do business with Graf's on a regular basis, and the C&R discount really helps. The folks there are personable and helpful. I've even had them phone me and apologize about a delay in shipping that occured when their webpage didn't jive with their actual stock. Good Folks!

I've had great luck with [url=http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/StoreFront]MRE Depot[/url]. They carry a good variety of LTS foods as well.

I gave some family members the [url="http://www.directive21.com/products/sport-berkey-water-bottle/"] Sport Berkey water filtration bottle[/url] last year. I keep one in my GHB/BOB. They are about $25.00 at Driective 21, but you may be able to search around and find them for about $20.00. I did the Buy 5 thing for that price.

I don't have any experience with the new line of Rugers. But I have owned a Security Six and a GP 100 in the past. Both were great guns. I have, in my pocket as I type this, a J Frame S&W in .38 spl. Model 640. I've carried it daily since I purchased it in 1992. It's very rarely a primary carry tool, but a second gun. It has been reliable and has held up extremely well to many, many of my reloads. I, subjectively I admit, find the S&W revolvers to have the smoothest double action triggers of any revolvers I have ever owned or shot. But I doubt you'll go wrong with either choice. I

Naw Brother. Just some carnival carrots...but those suckers were delicious!

[quote name='USMC 2013' timestamp='1353506594' post='849088'] Need fertilizer? Get chickens and/or rabbits! Perfect compliments to the garden. I highly recommend the DVD set called, "Backyard Groceries" by Marjory Wildcraft. It might be foubd under the name, "Backyard Food Production" depending on which production run you find. Great resource, full of more information than most can absorb in three viewings. Start gardening now, or starve when it counts. Plus, you'll be healthier, stronger and save money on your grocery bill! Semper Fi, Joe [/quote] Joe! [url=http://www.backyardfoodproduction.com/welcome]Majory Wildcrat's DVD[/url] is outstanding. The "bonus" DVD has tons of great info as well.

Great topic. Actually, this is a great time to consider your backyard garden setup for next year. Gardening has a learning curve indeed. It’s a lot more challenging than putting seeds in the ground, imho. We do raised beds. Building the soil, in my opinion, it the most beneficial thing a person can do. We have a compost pile and also do direct composting into the beds at this time of year. [b]Steve Solomon’s[/b] [url="http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-When-Counts-Growing-Mother/dp/086571553X"] Gardening When it Counts[/url] has been of immense value to us. We do strictly “organic”…not because we’re dope smoking hippies, but simply because we consume enough chemicals through the processed foods we already eat. We’ve learned to can and dehydrate our vegetables for storage, and use them with regularity. It doesn’t take a lot of space to be fairly productive. I put up about 140 pints of tomatoes and 40 pints of asparagus beans from this past years garden, and due to the drought we had, it was more challenging than usual. We also eat out of the garden daily all summer long. And we most definitely use heirloom seeds, and save our seeds from year to year. Here’s a pic of our garden…I believe from 2011…but you get the idea. [center] Here’s a pic of our garden…I believe from 2011…but you get the idea.[/center] [center][img]http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy117/Prag03/Garden%202011/16june2011Easttowestgardenview.jpg[/img][/center] I tend to add a 4x4 or 4x8 bed each year. The size makes them easily manageable. [center][img]http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy117/Prag03/Garden%202011/carrotsturnipsandgreensBNov2011003.jpg[/img] [center][IMG]http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy117/Prag03/Garden%202011/asparagusbeans1Aug2011.jpg[/IMG][/center]

LOL Richard. You may have a point. And Thank you Sir. There are certainly some depraved and animalistic creatures masquerading as humans. They visit that brutality on folks already. But in a protracted scenario they [u]should[/u] be weeded out pretty quickly...at least one would hope. And that's the reason having your own house in order is a priority, that and having a group of people you could depend on. Good Thread folks.

[quote name='RichardR' timestamp='1353337264' post='848137'] Agreed, in an eotwawki scenario regular folks could very easily get really desperate really quickly, a few days without food is all it would take before some of those regular folks would resort to what they would have thought of as unthinkable crimes back when they had a full belly. Unfortunately in 2012 America the vast majority of folks have no idea of how to get food other than from buying it a store & if our infrastructure &/or economy collapsed they would get awful dangerous awful quickly, and I am guess that in such a scenario it probably wouldn't take to long before canabalism started happening, especially in the cities. [/quote] Good points Sir. I assume you're joking about the cannibalism..imho that's a stretch...unless it's something a person is already into... But, in all seriousness, the veneer on our society is pretty thin already. The JIT or "Just In Time" delivery model practiced by nearly all food stores would allow even moderate panic buying to empty the shelves. Just consider what happens when a snow or freezing rain forecast hits East TN. A disruption in fuel availability can wreck havoc on deliveries as well. The JIT system has negated "ware-rooms" holding several weeks worth of food items to be rotated out to the shelves as we had in the past. Take current events like Sandy, or recent events like Katrina. Without constant electricity, and near constant delivery, coupled with the fact that the vast majority of American homes only 3-5 days worth of food, and doubtfully that much water stored...things can get hinky fast. We lived in SW MS during and immediately after Katrina. It took weeks, several, for regular food and fuel delivery to be restored...we had no power for 6 weeks and no flowing water for 4 of those, and then the water had to be treated. Many, many homes were burglarized, vehicles broken into, gas tanks siphoned...tempers were short...and you could generally only trust those you knew. By day 9 as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs were running out...things got pretty tough in certain areas. (But, "A armed society is a polite society" and situational awareness is your friend.) But that didn't stop us, and many others from helping within our community. My wife and I are R.N.'s and we set up an impromptu clinic to help locals initially (no 911 to call), exhausted our supplies pretty quickly...but helped as we could. But...away from our dwelling and without revealing our resources. Many other did similar things. imho, the things we can all do to help the most is to be as prepared as we can ourselves (to lessen the drain on limited resources), develop our self sufficiency skills to the best of our abilities, and develop our local support groups, and plan out your security contingencies. Then we can consider helping others, as we choose.

Great buy on a great gun. I've had my 336 for 44 years. It's still rock solid. Of course with a few nicks and dings. I have a set of Williams sights on it. It's a fast handling, accurate whitetail getter! Congratulations.

There's some solid thoughts and suggestions in this thread. I certainly believe in and participate in the concept of a M.A.G., or a Mutual Assistance Group. But this is with people I know, and that have already proven their trust and integrity. I think the MAG concept would prove an absolute necessity in a real SHTF scenario such as described by monkeylizard. Being able to charitably assist members of your community in a local or regional disaster is simply being a responsible member of your community. We've done it numerable times before...but always keeping a low profile and definitely not revealing our resources. This is very doable. But as already mentioned, there are predatory creatures roaming this planet that will shake your hand & smile to your face all the while thinking about what to do with your body when they are finished with you. Then there are everyday Mom's and Dad's that will do [b]anything[/b] not to see their children starve. [b]Anything[/b]. It's a reality we all have to deal with. RichardR; If you have a group you can trust, I mean really know you can trust, then I think you are on the right path. Just stay low-pro and be careful. Good Luck with your decisions.

[quote name='dlm37015' timestamp='1352764245' post='844518'] it was very busy i sold 3.2 millon primers and over a ton 2000 pounds of powder [/quote] Outstanding Sir! Good on you! I hope to help you sell some more in the near future by being a good customer.

Like Dolomite said. The Clinton AWB kinda snuck up on us. I was a hard core 1911 Gunsite junkie at that time, but I did manage to pick up some 30 rd AR, AK, and Mini-14 (factory Ruger) mags prior to the AWB...rumblings and rumors and such. I was happy I did. I did own a Glock 23 at that time and fortunately had plenty of mags for it. But that's all relative. I wished I had a whole lot more before the sunset occurred. As has been mentioned, mags are the weakest link in a semi-auto and they do in fact wear out, get damaged (feed lips and bodies) and lost. I still write my initials on all of my range mags as I've had a few go missing in the past. It happens. I regularly saw 15-17 round non-drop free 9mm Glock mags sell for +$50.00 each and 33 rd Happy Sticks go for $100.00 plus. I think it was more the forbidden fruit syndrome versus true need...who knows? The hardest thing I had trouble locating during the '08 mad rush were reasonably priced .22 LR and standard small pistol primers. But I managed to keep a good stock of Magnum small pistol primers around and worked up very good and reliable loads for my 9mm Glocks with them. I greatly appreciate David keeping us updated. David is definitely someone I feel I can trust. An AWB without a Sunset is a terrible thing to contemplate. But it's an unfortunate possibility. God Help us all.

carter...the 512 takes AA, fwiw Brother. I love my 512, and as I stated, EOTech customer service is excellent. I'm considering purchasing an AimPoint P.R.O.. It's at the $400.00 mark, which in this realm makes it relatively affordable. $400.00 for a Trijicon is a smoking deal!