Jamie Jackson

Excellent suggestions and info already.     [u]Chronograph[/u] like peejman mentioned. It's a necessity for safe load development, especially in rifle calibers, imho.   I know I've done some .30-30 lead "plinking" loads that shot 12-18" lower than factory rounds in my Marlin...due to their markedly slower velocity it was expected.

Like I mentioned earlier in this thread. My LW barrels work great for my lead handloads...but I had to take my time in load development, using a shorter OAL than my OEM barrels required, along with a good taper crimp (9mm). They run smooth a silk with my loads (147 gr Falcon bullets).   iirc & fwiw Storm Lake barrels are made in Lenoir City. One of the reps shoots matches at ORSA from time to time.

  I'm looking too Erik.   The "Last Stand: Surviving America's Collapse" books by Weber were only OK...decent for a new writer...but just OK.

I have them for my G19 & G17.   They are great for shooting lead bullets. But they have much tighter tolerances than the OEM barrels. Not all factory ammo will seat in them...Golden Saber comes to mind.   So...for reliability's sake...try and match your ammo to the barrel with any aftermarket unit.   I personally would not use them for self defense. Glock OEM barrels are made to work...LW are fine for plinking.   :2cents:

I think you're right OS. The market may well be glutted... providing us with an opportunity for doing what we sometimes bemoan not doing..."buying it cheap and stacking it deep".   This is a great time to stock up folks. The "cycle" of available-scarce-available has certainly escalated the past few years.   God only knows what the next several years will bring...

Excellent post JCM. Wow...there's a lot of great info in that post. :up:   We garden (but not as intensively as you guys do), can (All American Canner), dehydrate (Excalibur), and of course have a couple of chest type freezers.     I like your suggestion of pureeing the various veggies you mentioned, seasoning them, and freezing them for later use. Saves a lot of steps when preparing a meal at the end of the day.     Any special tips of "seed saving"? How are your germination rates?   And..as related to your garden. I make the assumption it is fairly large...Do you use traditional garden bed arrangements? Raised beds? Combination?     Stock! Oh Yeah! Great stuff. I canned a turkey and pork loin a few weeks ago. I took the bones from the turkey and slow boiled them for several hours.. about 10 hours total...and canned the stock from that. Awesome stuff. We've used a pint of it already.     Regards your mirepoix... do you ever dehydrate the mixture? freeze? or just use fresh when in season?   We use the "Cajun Trinity" a lot ourselves (bell peppers, onions, and celery)...but we're from "down there" originally. :pleased:       edit...because I can't spell...obviously LOL

Welcome aboard JCM.  :hat:   If you have any culinary ideas and suggestions for storage foods and fresh game, why not check out the "Survival and Preparedness" area and share your thoughts?   I'm always looking for interesting suggestions to help beat back food fatigue, and I'm sure others are as well.

I use Bianchi Speed strips and have for a long time. I down load to 5 rounds and leave them full length as it adds a bit more fumble-proof "handle" to grasp. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/243389/bianchi-580-speed-strips-38-special-and-357-magnum-package-of-2-plastic-black But my little J Frame is almost always a second, not primary, carry gun. But for a non-permissive environment? It'll do. :pleased:

Good find Someotherguy! :up:   It's a good feeling isn't it?

Sorry for a bit of thread drift folks... :pleased:   I picked up one of these Dusty..best $100.00 I've ever spent. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/852429/competition-electronics-prochrono-digital-chronograph

  It's very frustrating my friend. I had Graf's drop several backorders on me this past year...such is life...but my memory is long...   The positive side is that I've developed handgun loads with powders I had never even considered using it the past. My chronograph has paid for itself several times over this past year. LOL

You're not alone Dusty...and everyone else. We've had Unique on backorder for several months as well.   It seems that when any pistol, or rifle, powder comes in, it goes out just a bit faster than immediately.

All powder is a challenge these days.   I've had rifle powder (for 5.56) on backorder since Dec 2013....   David or Sam may well be able to help you though.   Sam posted here on TGO that she has a blog, and there is a contact method there.   http://www.thegunshowgirl.com/   There is a thread below in the Classifieds for "Vendor Sales Postings".   http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/forum/93-tgo-vendor-sale-postings/     What I am seeing, via Slickguns search tool, are surplus powders for rifle and pistol. I am tempted to try the surplus rifle myself.     Good luck in your "quest"...it'll be worth it. :up:

Excellent post TMF.   Reliable information is out there, but way too many people are just too darn lazy to search it out...it does require some effort.   And lazy, frightened, "sheeple" are easy pickings for the profiteers.

I thought the below guidelines were helpful as well...Especially #5... but maybe I'm biased... :cool:

          Great info and tips guys. Thank you. :up:     I'll pull down some Wolf rounds today and mic & measure (powder and bullets) and see what they look like.   Powder coating and resizing makes sense to me.       Any recommendations on dies? The few I've looked at drop at or smaller than .309...

Here's an informational link from WesternRifleShooters that further links to what I've read from the CDC.     http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/more-info/

I just looked in my old handloading records and see that back in 1991 (yeah..I'm old LOL) I loaded Hornady 123 gr SP (.310) over some 3031 and got some 1-1.5 inch 100 yd groups out of a Norinco AK I had. Iron sight and sandbag rests...with much better eyesight I might add.   We were actually discussing casting and PC some 7.62x39 a couple of days ago. I haven't considered pulling and reusing Wolf cases. It's the cost of 7.62x39 brass that's been a concern. This sounds like a viable option.   Gordon...dumb question maybe...but would you work up a load using your own rifle powders, or save the Wolf powders and work up a load using that saved powder? We are challenged in finding rifle powder. I've had some on backorder since December 2013...

I wish I could post a link Sam... It's a PIA just to get logged in and they flipping e-mail this info...   I won't poke that bear with a sharp stick . Gotta work, you know? But there was only one study listed regarding persistence in indoor environments...I sure more info will surface.   I am not being alarmist...but I think everyone here knows only too well not to believe everything to hear-see-read, esp from .gov. Heck...no need to believe me either, but just do a bit of research on it my friend.

    I do hope you're right about it not being airborne. But there is some concern and conflicting information on that.   http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/commentary-health-workers-need-optimal-respiratory-protection-ebola   I get CDC updates...they come pretty much daily right now. The CDC...besides the usual stupid crap they recommend... say that we need to be at least 3 feet away for infected patients...kinda hard to do when you initially triaging them, obtaining vital sign, blood work etc.   If you dig back through several links in a CDC update you may run across "environmental cleansing". Currently the CDC is saying the Ebola virus may  live on a surface up to 6 days. That's pretty darned remarkable.     I am not an "Ebola-phobe", but the conflicting data is out there. I'm also concerned about the entrovirus that's spreading through the kids...     It may truthfully be some time before we actually know what we're up against folks.     Good luck with that whole quarantine thing. The Nanny State coupled with the "gimme's"...what a combo. :cool:     :2cents:

You know. I look at generators much like I do MRE's.   They are not my first choice in a SHTF scenario, but they are handy and ready to go. Hopefully that will give me time to get my longer term situations in order.   The various layers of preparedness all have their place.

    I'd be sick at losing the venison my friend. Btw...home canned venison is flipping great! :up:

Good info Omega.   $250.00 each? Good deal Sir. :up:   We have 2 freezers as well. I do can a fair amount of meat, veges as well, but the convenience of the freezers is hard to beat.

Thanks R_Bert!   I haven't heard of SeaFoam before...so I Googled it. Interesting stuff. I make the bold assumption you are speaking of the gasoline additive? They have several products listed,   Yep...I was up at ORSA shooting yesterday so I stopped by GasMart and picked up 10 gallons of ethanol free gasoline. I have 3 more 5 gallon cans to fill and get into rotation.   Do you keep your tank topped off and run on a regular schedule?   I know some folks drain theirs, oil the spark plug hole, and various other things. It just seems like when you need it, you need it and generally the weather isn't exactly perfect out. LOL

I'm bumping this back, because there's a lot of great information...and winter is coming. It just doesn't feel like it today. :pleased:     I believe I have the same generator that Lester mentions...A Coleman Vertex 5500.   My father purchased it right before Y2K. He used it back home in MS, frequent storms and occasional hurricanes. It sat idle since right after Katrina. I brought it up to TN, purchased a new battery and had the carb reworked fora good small engine shop in West Knoxville.   While that sucker is noisy, it runs fine.     My father would keep his tank topped off and run the generator, with a small load, every month. (He did have his house secondarily wire for gen use).   What are your thoughts on state of readiness for your generators?   Do you keep them topped of with ethanol free gasoline?  Still use Stabil?   While not in protracted long term use (just monthly-bimonthly test run), how often do you change the oil?   Do you see any advantage to the higher priced synthetic oil?         btw...my generator is just one option or redundancies. I have an inverter set for my truck, a couple of Big Buddy heaters with fuel, fireplace & wood, propane camp stoves with fuel, etc.   I need a battery bank setup...but that'll come later. And some NiCad batteries with charger...