Hi, good post. I have been woondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
Milo Hoffman on Sat, 6th Jun 2009 7:17 PM
I bought my wife a Rossi snubby in .357 of course she shoots .38’s. She will make anyone that causes her to draw it, sorry that they ever met that snubby, my wife and the gun. I do have a tendance to lean towards wheel guns anyhow, I love my Taurus Judge.
I had a 629-6 in 2.5″ barrel with fixed sights like yours.
If you look inside the crane where the model # is, you will see what # yours is off the line. There were a limited production run. I owned #046.
Enjoy it, and never sell it. I regret ever turning loose of mine.
Jim
Bill on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:40 PM
I was on the fence of which 22 pistol to buy, I loved the video and the Ruger looks like the one to own
Thanks
Sandy on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:52 PM
I want one of the “Pugs.” They are just toooooo cute!!!
DaLisa on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:20 PM
Hey these are great videos, this Steve Guy is kinda of cute
Brandon on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:30 PM
Good Stuff Guys Keep it up, we need more good information on firearms and stuff
B
Chet on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:36 PM
Those Rugers are cool, I will check them out at the gun store when I go in next time, they would be great for little critters
Hello. I think the article is really interesting. I am even interested in reading more. How soon will you update your blog?
Joe on Tue, 16th Jun 2009 8:57 AM
I have downsized my handgun collection from all kinds .380 to 44. And have kept only 357 my wife has a 4″ taurus tracker for the woods and a Smith Snubby the snubby was the first pistol she ever shot and is completely comfortable with it.Since she never shot before she didn’t know snubbies were not as good as autos and can hit anything she needs 2 with her pistol. I have a couple of Rugers and Smiths plus a Bull Pug in the glove box and carry a 4″ GP 100.I know for a fact that my revolver will shoot each and every time I need it 2. The 357 is a man stopper (Deer stopper also ! LOL) and I can shoot 38 all day all lot cheaper then keeping up with all kinds of different cals.
Hi Gary
Steve tries to up date the site and articles daily. I hope you come back a lot to look at the posts and the Trail Boss Tests.
John Broekhuizen
Shiloh Productions
yxefnjfyz on Mon, 22nd Jun 2009 10:38 AM
Makes you think, thanks for the info
LeraJenkins on Tue, 23rd Jun 2009 3:04 AM
Very good piece
Maria on Tue, 23rd Jun 2009 5:20 PM
Pretty good post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say
that I have really enjoyed reading your posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Marie on Thu, 25th Jun 2009 6:13 PM
Love your posts, by the way.
bill on Sun, 28th Jun 2009 9:24 AM
there a “limited edition” also so it says in there info page
One thing people need to remember is that pets are not disposable. Just because they are an animal does not mean they can “survive” out in the “wild”/city on their own.
We live in an 600 apt complex across from a military base. During the last six months, more and more people are leaving their cats behind (not only outside, but also inside the apartment when they leave) when they leave.
We have been feeding the feral population here at our apartment complex for about two years. Two years ago, the feral population was probably around 12-15 cats. Today, there are nearly 80, if not more. Many were at one time someones pet, as they either are “friendly” or “friendly/cautious” cats.
We infact just recently had the apartment complex office bring us a kitten, a seven week old Siamese kitten, that was found by maintenance when kids were throwing a soccer ball at it. They brought him to us knowing we occassionaly take in some of the “left behind” kittens/younger cats (within one year, our inside only cats went from two to nine because of this, and we do have a permit for it). The poor kitten had cat flu and conjunctivitis and was nearly dead from starvation. Now, nearly 10 weeks later, he has finally just recovered from his bad experience. We know this was someones kitten as it was too young to really be out on its own, its ears were clean, its claws were clean, and it knew what a litter box was, along with a dish of water and the layout of the apartment.
Recently on the other side of town, in a newer development consisting of completed homes and nearly completed homes, construction stopped, in addition to many of the completed homes being foreclosed on. In a field nearby a huge cat colony was found. Animal Control went out and captured nearly 300 cats, and put them all to sleep on the spot.
When you take on a pet, you have a responsibility to that animal to feed it, shelter it, give it attention and care for it medically if needed. And it is your responsibility to get said pet spayed/neutered and their rabies shot at a minimum. If you can’t afford that responsibility, then you should not have a pet of any kind. Again, just because kitty or pooch is an animal that does not mean pets are disposable. Humans are animals, would you abandon your children if you lost your home or had to move? So why do it to cats, dogs, etc.?
I appreciate your comments. But I do disagree with you humans are not animals and they do take priority over animals every time. A lot of the the current problems in the US like the farms drying up is because we have lost sight of that fact that those farmers, their families, the people they employ and the thousands that they feed are way more important than those stupid silver fish and the other creatures we have destroyed peoples lives over. We have spent countless tax dollars that should have went to other areas instead of caring for animals that should have been destroyed. Funding gets cut to programs that feed our children and elderly. But we sill feed and provide medical care for stray animals. To me it is a disgrace that anyone would put an animal over a human but you are welcome to your opinion.
Although I think it is irresponsible for persons to abandoned pets and make them someone else problem. If it comes to caring for a human or an animal I can assure you that the animal will loose and can understand someone who has children or a loved one opting for that loved one over any pet.
Steele on Tue, 30th Jun 2009 7:57 PM
Im not going to get into a Socialist vs Conservative discussion here.
If parents cant take care of their children, cant feed them, but continue to have them, needing to live off welfare and food stamps, then they shouldn’t have children in the first place. Thats what birth control is for. Taking responsibilty for you own body. Just like pets, children are a responsibility. But getting that free check and food stamps for more than emergency purposes seems to be their priority.
As for choosing animals over children, nowhere in my posts did I say such a statement. Pets that you welcome into your family and life, should be treated as family, and not as just a disposable animal.
As for stray animals, well if people would get their animals spayed or neutered, and if they chose to abandon their pet or said animal accidentally escapes, then that animal would not increase the stray pet population. This is why there are mass neuter/spay programs that include rabies shots. Some are reduced cost programs for pet owners, others are no cost programs for feral populations. Domesticated pets and wild silver fish are not the same thing. You are comparing a epidemic of abandoned pets versus a wild creature that is becoming endangered because of human effect.
Humans are animals. We are called mammals. Mammals are part of the animal kingdom. And sometimes, as you know from your prior career, people act like animals.
As for wasteful countless tax dollars being used where they shouldn’t? Welcome to reality, that’s been going on for over 50 years. Hello, my name is reality. I don’t think we have met.
First of all this is and never was a conservative verses socialist discussion, I am extremely conservative yet I still put people first, also because some scientist categorizes me or other human being as an animal does not make it so. I do not belive that I came from an single cell organism that crawled out of a cesspool. I believe I was created, and other can believe however they like, I do not try to change their mind and I can assure you they will not change mine.
As far as persons having children to be on the payroll and people behaving like animals I can not agree more.
You are right I have seen things in my past profession I wish I could forget. I can assure I live with the reality of that every day and it keeps me grounded and on course more than most.
WRA on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 2:01 PM
I like your site
Billie on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:44 PM
Steve this is awesome, we do have to start giving our kids real responsibility and preparing them for life, we have enough babies out there we need to start raising real men and women. Thanks for the eye opener.
Billie
Jill on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:46 PM
We need more dads like you, I am kicking mine in the @** and making him man up with the kids
Thank You
Jordon on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:49 PM
This article makes me feel guilty. I do not give my kids credit enough or have the patience to teach then new things they will need to survive out there. I am leaving it up to complete strangers. that is going to change
Kerry on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:15 PM
Thanks for the great information
Shockti on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:17 PM
I plan on geting this stuff together thanks for the list
Perter Montee on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:32 PM
Bravo, this is magnificent
Lere on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:35 PM
Hey, really well written. You should write more about this.
Mary on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 7:37 PM
Good for you. My son is 15 and he can go in the store and buy anything I need. He knows how to do laundry, clean the kitchen, run the vacuum, mop the floor and load the dishwasher and run it. By the way, he also has Asperger Syndrome Autism.
That is Great Mary! Parents who have children with out a disability can take lessons from you and other parents like you. You do not treat them like they have a disability and they do not act like they have one. Bravo
Thanks for the information. This is the first I have heard of an amendment expaninding the interpretation of a switchblade. I will send an email to my Senators right now.
Margie Yanes on Sat, 11th Jul 2009 2:00 PM
Thank you posting this. I have put a first aid kit together and there are a few things that you have mentioned that I would have not thought to include.
It’s not like Senator Schumer has helped the security of our financial institutions – basically setting up Indymac for a run on the money. Indymac deserved it, but it could have been and should have been handled in a more controlled and methodical manner than letting Schumer open his mouth. As for carrying weapons from State to State – if you can’t afford to employ enough police officers in your State than who is going to provide for your security? New York is taxing its citizens into oblivion; in the top 15 states with worst deficit problems = layoffs of state employees, which will include police. Or maybe they’ll keep the police and close the schools?
John Broekhuizen on Tue, 21st Jul 2009 2:44 PM
First thank you for your comments. We love exchanging ideas and fight for your right to speak your mind on issues. As a former director of public safety, I will let you in on a little secret, police respond to crimes that have already been committed or that are in the process of being committed. They do not prevent crime. Citizens prevent crime by the course of action they take. Some departments have units that will consult to the local community to help them improve security. But it is up to the individual to refuse to be a victim not the federal government, not the state, not the county, not the city. I will say it again if I was not clear. It is the people who make the community safe. Not the police.
I would encourage you to set the example for the rest of us. Please go to a high crime area and lead the charge. We will be happy to watch your progress as you show us how to teach the poor criminal element to behave and leave innocent victims alone, and turn in all of their weapons. I am sure the government will even pay you to do it, and you can recover some of your tax dollars. Further I am sure there is some world monetary prize for it as well. You will be rolling in cash before long.
You are exactly the kind of person this administration loves and needs to continue. Remember, your government loves you, wants to care for your, make all of your decisions for you. Not because they want to control your life, but they know what is best. Oh it makes me all tingly just feeling the love. I know you feel it too.
Trail Boss
RNCMOMX2 on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 10:54 PM
I can see it if she was forcing him to eat enough food to make him that big…..but when he is teh one stuffing his mouth-I DON”T THINK SO!
It is sad seeing kids as young as 2 waddling around as wide as they are tall. There is a whole family that is like that living up the road from me. The youngest is around 5 and she probally weighs close to 200, you can see her gasp for air walking to the bus and has to stop at every step getting ont he bus to take a breath…..sad truly sad!
As for under weight it depends on the age of the child. I have a friend right now that has had her child threatened to be taken away because she went from the 95th pecentile to the 67th percentile in less than 4 months. Her mother ran out of enfamil and she had dried up her milk supply and said she was waiting on her next appointment to get a referal for WIC. I do agree that she made some bad decisions that she knew was not right, she had been feeding the baby bottles of water and oatmeal for last 3 weeks. I had not seen the child in about 3 months so did not know the extent of what was happening. Her childs physican is the one who turned her in. She will now have a safety plan set up for her 2 children and be monitoed for the next 9 – 12 months. Being a foster parent I have alot of kids hat come into my care that have been nutritionally neglected, some with parents who are severly obese and the children being so skinny you could see there bones through there thin skin.
My children are considered petite, but they have alwasy stayed on the same growth curve. My son is in the 5th percentile (weighed 2lbs 15ozs at birth/ right at 60 now age 12) and my daughter the 90th percentile (weighed 5lbs 6ozs at birth/ right at 50 now age 9). I think as long as the follow the same growth curve they should be fine, our doctor even says a small increase/decrease is not that bad either.
Murderface on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 10:55 PM
NO, The Government (fed or state) has no place in these affairs, If your kids are healthy they will have baby fat up to a certain age.
BTW- Kids wouldnt get in this kind of shape if the parents put a limit on the Xbox and a minimum on the bicycle.
Parents do carry some blame but no one needs to be arrested over it.
(Sidenote- This is more proof of my theory that the government is trying to make us rebel.
You start messing with families and your cruisin for a bruisin IMHO.)
Phoenixlink on Mon, 27th Jul 2009 8:18 AM
Children classified as morbidly obese. definatly. and probably the upper obese as well.
under weight can be alittle harder i know people that are naturally thin. and eat alot.
overfeeding is just as much abuse as underfeeding.
people are consuming 2-4 times their needed calorie intake a day.
resposibility to the parents to feed children correctly.
I really like your site. I think that there should be a review of Smith & Wesson’s older guns, like the model 10 or model 13. I believe these guns are making a come back. I for one carry a model 13 everyday. If ya’ll like, I can setup 6 asprin on a table and shoot them from 15 yards in 4 seconds, with my left hand (i’m a righty). Thanks guys, good job on the site.
This family took what they considered a “short-cut.” http://www.jaunted.com/city/Grants%20Pass Not the thing to do in Oregon! EVER!! Thanks for your article Trail Boss !
Alexis on Sun, 2nd Aug 2009 7:37 PM
Love’n it!
Cooper on Sat, 8th Aug 2009 9:12 PM
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great info, you are right.
bargainsplease on Tue, 11th Aug 2009 11:48 PM
Oh, we are in a safer world now!! Of course you know, the REAL Pre-K criminals kept theirs hidden in their blankie and didn’t let the authorities know they had it. There will be no one left to protect us from the next cap gun attack!
Cherri Rivas on Thu, 13th Aug 2009 9:26 PM
Good Stuff I like your videos
DeRace on Sat, 15th Aug 2009 10:32 AM
I love this it is great , I think it is good for adults too
DeRace on Sat, 15th Aug 2009 1:01 PM
Awesome stuff, I love your articles wish all managers were as smart as you.
Nina on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:49 AM
Lovely
JR on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:27 PM
Steve McQueen would approve
Scott on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:28 PM
You are right I want to buy one and use the heck out of it why keep a prize like that in the closet.
[...] predicted this would start happening in the article the Coming Animal Pandemic Article. I can not stress this enough. Use caution with all animals if they are not your own. If you [...]
Domestic Dogs Kill Married couple while taking a walk
I predicted this would start happening in the article the Coming Animal Pandemic Article. I can not stress this enough. Use caution with all animals if they are not your own. If you are taking a walk always have something even a stick to fend off an attack. A former University of Georgia professor and his wife found dead along the highway Saturday morning were apparently killed by wild dogs, according to the state medical examiner.
Lothar Karl Schweder, 77, who had taught German at the university, and his wife, Sherry Schweder, 65, who worked at the university’s main library, were found on a road where they often walked their own dogs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The couple were found by visiting Jehovah’s Witness members.After an autopsy Monday morning, Oglethorpe County Coroner James Mathews told the University of Georgia student newspaper, The Red & Black, that a dog attack was to blame.
“It was the results of a brutal dog attack,” Mathews said. “Without being graphic there were bites from head to toe… There are a lot of weird circumstances with this one. I’ve been coroner for 28 years, and this is one of the weirdest cases I’ve investigated.”
The state Bureau of Investigation responded to a call about the bodies around 10 a.m. Saturday morning.Oglethorpe County animal control officials were out Monday looking for the dogs in the area, along Highway 77, near Highway 78.
hey well done john im impressed. i thought you were going to slow down i didn’t know you were into radio and guns and stuff very kewl.but i like being retired
This article really says it all. Families don’t know each other anymore.
Guess what?
I am turning off everything except my email.
I will leave that on, as I get messages asking for help on this crazy machine.
Thank you for this article!!!!
Оlie on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 1:31 AM
I am taking this back with me, good stuff
Al on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 5:57 AM
Thank You Steve
HiT on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 7:47 AM
Good information, I agree you have to keep your head out of the sand to Keep out of trouble
Tacket on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 3:50 AM
This is a great idea I am going to order some up
Mike on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 8:45 AM
Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.
AAWA on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 7:45 PM
Great tool to carry ammo
vertu on Fri, 4th Sep 2009 9:34 AM
Right on !
Наm on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 2:17 AM
good system to keep extra ammo
SoftDow on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 4:30 PM
Excellent way to carry extra ammo, I like all of the choices of calibers
FreeBird on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 6:50 PM
Great looking little trail Gun
Radman on Sun, 6th Sep 2009 3:49 PM
this is a cool piece of gear I am going to get some
Opel on Mon, 7th Sep 2009 4:28 PM
Thanks for this great article
Ау on Mon, 7th Sep 2009 9:14 PM
Lovely
sandra742 on Wed, 9th Sep 2009 6:54 AM
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.
really good concept and making it to transfer to a pocket is great
Abraham Leon on Thu, 10th Sep 2009 8:43 PM
Great 44 Magnum Video, I like it a lot
Nere on Fri, 11th Sep 2009 7:15 AM
great for a pack or my plane
Bruce Hopkins on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 6:13 AM
One other thought: Wet-packed canned food will store FAR longer than the expiration date states.
Twice in our history, canned food that was over 100 years old was found, once in England and once in the Missouri River. While it wasn’t pretty anymore, it was found to be edible … and the Missouri River canned food was even declared to be still nutritious (by a testing lab).
Best regards!
Bruce
Mario Harris on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 3:43 PM
Great video
Billy B on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:52 PM
I have often thought about this thanks
Jay on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:53 PM
Thanks for another great video
Mark on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:55 PM
Cool video, I think for a older person like you say something is better than nothing, and them being able to place shot with it at close range would work but if you can use something better do so
Mark on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:56 PM
I like your articles a lot very piratical no nonsense and to the point
Ross on Tue, 15th Sep 2009 7:56 AM
This video is correct, if you can use a heavier load, do so. I normally have #4 buck loaded as it has good penetration but is less likely to go through walls like slugs will. Still if your in a bind and #6 bird shoot is all you have then use it and aim for the groin/lower belly area.
Evee on Tue, 15th Sep 2009 4:19 PM
The Lord is good to all of us, but most of us will not let Him
Idahoser on Wed, 16th Sep 2009 8:48 AM
Thanks for the video. Like with a .22 for defense, don’t design your defenses that way but use it if it’s all you have- you may be trying it for the rest of your life.
[...] Washington and Lake Winder.Field Notes – http://www.fieldandstream.com/taxonomy/term/20515|||Woman uses crossbow to take 11-foot gator | ShilohTVArianne Prevost, 23, used a crossbow to successfully take her first alligator—an 11-footer [...]
Nikolas on Sat, 19th Sep 2009 11:36 AM
Very interesting idea
Matt Hanson on Sun, 20th Sep 2009 3:00 PM
Good writing. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed my Google News Reader..
Matt Hanson
Tom Stone on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 5:25 PM
Your video does not surprise me at all.I own a smith 442 and a few years ago at the range I decided to see if I could hit the 24″ gong at 100 yards with it,using 148 grain wadcutters.I could, 2 out of 5 and I am an average shot.The 442 is completely reliable,superbly accurate and the lightest .38 I can handle with full power ammo.I have since had it Mag-Na-ported and am happy with the results,blast has not appreciably increased and the recoil is more straight back making for a faster accurate second shot.It does take more practice to shoot a snubbie well,but I can rely on this little smith to do its job.
Thanks Tom it is like Steve said anyone can do it with practice, thank you for your comment
Emily on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 6:51 PM
Great video! Precise, uncomplicated, and to the point. Nice and short but informative and useful for anyone, including kids. Thanks. By the way, have you thought of sharing this with the Military community? Great information for our troops fighting overseas. Just an idea. If you know of someone serving, spread the word.
Ed on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 5:37 AM
Great post parallels my experience when taught to shoot a snubbie at FBI National Academy. The key to accurate DA firing is developing a smooth, straight-through, “row the boat” trigger stroke, without staging the trigger partially through the squeeze or putting any side pressure against the trigger. I learned on the Colt Official Police, and these days carry either a Dick Special or Cobra. I prefer the Colt’s stacking DA to S&Ws. I practice with a group of retired military, feds and local LEO dinosaurs. We use the an automatic resetting MGM Targets 5-inch Colt Speed Plate on sniper base at 50 yards and either a 40 percent scale IPSC silhouette or a 12 inch round gong on a stand at 100 yards for practice. We don’t hit steel on every shot, but do better than 50 percent firing six shots in ten seconds. None of us are younger than sixty and half have had cataract surgery in at least one eye. Beware old farts with revolvers.
Thanks for the comment ED, the Cobra and the Colts Detective Special type guns the Agent, etc are awesome snubby’s and we know that is does not pay to mess with guys who know their business :p
Mike on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 8:38 AM
Excellent video! I was first shown +100-yard snub shooting in ‘76 by an old instructor in Michigan State Police’s recruit school. He used an issued m38 (an Aiweight Bodyguard with an alloy frame and stainless cylinder), fired double-action with duty loads. It opened my eyes to the possible uses of a defensive handgun small enough to carry all day in a pocket. The J-frames obviously aren’t the optimal 100-yard firearm, but they’re a much more versatile gun than most folks give them credit for.
Mike on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 7:21 AM
Mr. Harris makes a lot of sense. Certainly, there are tasks the .32s might not be up to, but they’re always better than large caliber/full-size handguns left elsewhere. I’ve had recent occasion to do a considerable amount of shooting of a Soviet Nagant in 7.62 x 38, as well as a Colt Pocket Positive in .32 S&W Long. I’ve found both to be very accurate and enjoyable to shoot. The .32s have a great deal to offer.
Ed on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 10:35 AM
Animal hoarding is a serious problem. Following is an extreme cases from the Washington Post in which I was on the incident team. The case cited in the article hazardous materials and Type III confined space response. Methane accumulations in the structure were at the LEL, requiring positive pressure ventilation, and cutting off electric powder to reduce the fire hazard before hazmat investigators and animal control officers could enter the house. Video feed from the fire investigator’s helmet as viewed from our command post resembled a bad rerun from The X-Files as over 100 sets of eyes looked back at him in the dark as his headlamp was turned on, punctuated by cat spits and howls.
I like this the .32 would be a great little piece for the wood I wonder if .32 in a revolver would be better?
Jmmy Joe on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:10 AM
I have had a .32 in the drawer for some time and never gave it much thought, I think it will go with me on my walks and when kicking around in the woods
Art on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:10 AM
Good Read
Randy on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 12:02 PM
Nice writing style. I look forward to reading more in the future.
Mark,
I’m real fond of the revolvers, and if you go with a .32 mag (or the new .327 mag) you can also down-load them with .32 S&W or S&W Longs. I’ve tried the .327, and prefer the more sedate stuff, personally.
The autos are a lot thinner and easier for pocket carry than are the revolvers. I used to have a “Titanic” pocket auto made by Ruby in Spain during the ’20s, and it was a surprisingly nice little gun. The old Euro autos are often inexpensive. I believe I paid 20 or 25 bucks for mine, and gave it to a friend who admired it. They’re out there.
Ed Harris on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 6:59 AM
The reader poises an extremely valid question, would a .32 revolver be better? I’ve explored this too.
I had always believed that “trail guns” required a 4-inch or longer barrel to be accurate enough to take the head off a grouse at 25 yards with rifle-like accuracy. Then in 1974 I accompanied Arizona Game and Fish biologist Harley Shaw on a horseback trip in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, where they were monitoring telemetry from collared mountain lions. Harley usually carried either a 2-3/4-inch Ruger .357 Speed Six or a 2-inch S&W Model 34 .22 Kit Gun, depending upon the season and mission.
His reasoning was that a “camp gun” was used more for personal protection up close than for shooting camp meat at any distance. A trail a gun is “carried a lot, but seldom shot.” A holstered gun on the hip snags brush and may poke you inconveniently when sitting for long periods. When the task at hand doesn’t require a firearm, carrying one anyway can be a nuisance. Harley’s ideal trail handgun was a compact, reliable snubby revolver, tucked into a chaps pocket with no more thought than pulling on your pants in the morning. Snake and furry varmint ranges in the scrub are short. There is no need to shoot beyond 50 feet. Simplicity, comfort, constant availability and compact convenience are the name of the game.
Over the years I’ve had fun comparing small revolvers with pocket auto pistols. Revolvers enable greater versatility in ammo, while auto pistols are flatter to carry and carry more rounds. Both types of handguns have their advantages.
Utility with shot loads is important in snake country. The choice of a pocket gun for such use favors a .38 Special revolver or perhaps a compact .45 Automatic and Speer loads. The utility of .22 shot loads is extremely limited. They require that you get within 5 to 6 ft. of the snake, which may be interesting if it’s a really “big” one. Most .22 auto pistols don’t extract or eject shot-loads reliably, so follow-ups are slow and you will need to carry a knock-out rod along.
As for practical field shooting accuracy, Harry Archer defined “small game range” as the longest distance at which YOU can shoot a 2-inch group from an improvised field rest using your handgun of choice to put meat in the cook pot. Most pocket pistols or snubby revolvers do so at ten yards. Better ones do so at fifteen, and a few will at twenty. But very few do so reliably at 25 yards. Even with my best handloads loads, none of my stock .32 Autos or my .22, .32 or .38 revolvers with fixed sights, having barrels of less than four inches reliably average 2 inches at 25 yards.
This should come as no surprise. Firing service-grade pistols or revolvers (not intended for formal target work) a grouping of “one inch per ten” (yards) has always been felt satisfactory. The best pocket pistols and compact revolvers group two inches out to only 50 feet or so. For most ordinary handgun use this is “good enough.” Outdoorsmen years ago did fine in shooting camp meat and varmints with handguns no more accurate than this.
If you don’t believe this, just try fire your own tests with any generic 4-inch barrel fixed sight .38 Special “cop gun” or single-action cowboy revolver sometime and be honest. If you really need grouping better than 2 inches at 25 yards, anytime, on demand, you must endure carrying a very much less-handy 6-inch gun.
They would have been better off sending any old grizzled retired SAS trained by Lofty Wiseman. Compared to Wiseman’s DVD, even Survivor Man looks pretty lame.
Bob on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 1:51 PM
Leave it to Remington to offer $250.00 for my $597.00 .17 when it cost $425.00 new. Does anyone know what the real problem is? I now know why my safe is full of Rugers and Savages. Why would I take $250.00 and buy another Remington ?
What may help with these numbers is that in West Virginia it is legal to take home and eat your road kill, after having reported it to the state police or a conservation officer. I am aware of folks who don’t have two nickels to rub together who survive on road kill.
Asked an old boy if he was going deer hunting this fall, and he said, “Yup! already got me two so far.”
I queried, “Really, I thought it was early yet, archery or black powder season?”
They don’t have any kangaroos in my part of West Virginia.
They gotta be either canned, frozen or imported.
Ed Harris on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 12:02 PM
Survival “Every Day Carry” (EDC) Cash
Before about 1990 many vending machines did not require electricity. This meant that you could usually buy a few candy bars or bags of potato chips at a service station vending machine even when there was no electricity to run the pumps.
Today you may still find older non-electric vending machines, in rural areas, so keep some coins handy in your bugout kit. Pay telephones are scarce today, but may still find them in rural areas. Pay phones often worked for outgoing long distance calls even when the local public service telephone network did not.
Dad taught us as kids to carry a 35mm film can (remember “wet” process photography?) of coins, “just in case.” Dad’s concept for our “kid’s coin can” was a couple dimes to call home from a pay phone, and a stack of quarters for vending machine snacks, enough for a McDonald’s lunch and bus fare home. If neither Mom & Dad were home, we knew to go to our neighbor’s.
A 35mm film can holds about $7 worth of quarters. A few dimes can be tucked in around the edges. You can increase the dollar value by folding, rolling and tucking a bill inside, then stuffing the coin stack down its middle or by including a few dollar coins in the mix.
My adult proportioned emergency cash can these days is packed in an Altoids tin. It contains five pennies, two nickels, five dimes, four quarters, five-$1, four-$5, two-$10 and ten-$20 bills, sealed with Scotch Super 88 electrical tape and sewn into my covert coat pocket or 5.11 vest.
A useful planning concept for your emergency cash is “enough to fill your car with gas, get a hot meal and a motel room for one night on the way home” after a deployment helping out in a neighboring county under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. When I was a GI in 1970 you could to all that for about $50. Today you will need closer to $250, hence $245.65 when you add this up. If you get marooned away from home when power is off, a little “mad money” makes things less crazy and adds a little comfort and security.
My two cents.
jonnjenkind on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 2:40 PM
I want to say – thank you for this!
Ed Harris on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 7:03 AM
Our municipal trash collection crews work in some pretty unsavory places where pit bulls and other large dogs run freely off leash. In areas where dogs are a problem the driver stands by with a ten-pound ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher which every truck carries. A snoot full of fire retardant seems as about effective as the MACE brand of sticky OC foam. If all else fails trash trucks always carry a steel rake, shovel and a pitchfork for collecting loose litter.
Public works guys aren’t allowed to carry “weapons” on duty, but it is sure nice for the county to give them that pitch fork and the fire extinguisher.
Another essential safety step is letting a responsible person know where you are going, when you expect to return, and who to call, such as the sheriff to initiate a SAR mission, if they don’t hear back from you by a date and time certain. This is the same as a private pilot filing a flight plan.
On short hunting trips in our local area we carry a cell phone and a portable 2-meter band amateur radio portable, (for which we are licensed). We make arrangements with a local ham for us to check in nightly to advise that we are OK and to update any adjustments to our trip intinerary or schedule.
On trips beyond local repeater coverage we take a portable battery-operated HF-SSB, with wire antenna and coupler, and set up a similar comms schedule on 40 meters, which covers most of North America when band conditions are good, or about a 300 mile radius the rest of the time using near vertical incidence skywave.
In remote areas where we don’t know any locals, we leave a trip plan envelope with the sheriff’s office. This contains description(s) of our vehicle(s), the number of people in our party with name, equipment and outdoor skill level, where we will park, foil impressions of our boot prints, description of our itinerary, cell phone numbers, communiciations skeds and working frequencies and a partially completed SAR Form 201B with the info needed to initiate a search, should it be required.
Several times when hunting a new area in West Virginia, sheriff’s deputies would assign a radio amateur who was a member of their Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) to give us a local contact for daily PAR checks (Personnel Accountability Reports – to use common terminology of the fire service). We’ve met some great friends this way.
This practice blizzard paid off during a blizzard when we got snowed in and are 4WD vehicles were unable to make it back out as we had planned. A radio contact to the RACES station advised the that we were holed up in camp, everyone was OK, we had plenty of firewood and food, and were waiting out the storm. The RACES member relayed a phone call home for us advise our wives that we wouldn’t be at work on Monday, but not to worry. The snow continued, so RACES used us to arrange a SAR exercise, using a snow mobile group bring us out. We left two 4WD vehicles in the woods, and we came back to get them after the snow melted. Inconvenience, but no disaster.
The most successful SAR mission is the training one you plan, where everybody gets home alive.
“Although it remains a local decision, billing for search and rescue operations is a dangerous practice that should be avoided,” said NASAR President Dan Hourihan.
NASAR’s position:
To eliminate the fear of being unable to pay for having one’s life saved, SAR services should be rendered to persons in danger or distress without subsequent cost-recovery from the person(s) assisted unless prior arrangements have been made. The mission of SAR organizations is to save lives, not just the lives of those who can afford to pay the bill. As such, methods and means should be developed and used that diffuse the cost of humanitarian SAR operations among the many, allowing anyone to reasonably expect emergency aid without regard to their circumstances.
According to the release, “the idea of not billing for SAR services confuses many people. However, SAR professionals across the nation know of many instances in which someone – after an unforeseen accident, or spending hours searching for their missing companion – delayed calling for help. Each ‘remembered’ hearing, seeing or reading, ’somewhere’ that rescues and searches cost ‘thousands of dollars’ – which they could not afford. Some have even chosen not to call for help, or refused emergency help.”
To underscore this fear, the organizations cited a 2006 case in which a young hiker became stranded on Colorado’s 14,270-foot Quandary Peak. “She called 9-1-1, but asked the SAR team leader just to ‘talk her out of the area,’” noted the organizations.
“The sun had already set and cold weather surrounded her in a dangerous area of the mountain. She repeatedly said the SAR team should not come to help her. After going back and forth with her on her cell phone, the SAR team leader finally asked why she didn’t want help. She replied, ‘I can’t afford it.’ He explained that there would be no charge and she then relented,” noted the groups.
Additional examples where people initially refused help can be found in the attachments below.
“A delay can place SAR personnel in danger and can unnecessarily compound and lengthen a SAR mission,” says Mr. Hourihan. “Not calling for emergency SAR help could be as catastrophic as not calling the fire department when a small stove-top fire jumps to the ceiling and instantly fills the kitchen with flames, because the home owner’s first thought was, ‘How in the world will I pay the fire department?’”
Then-U.S.C.G. Commandant James Loy perhaps explained it best, in 1999, in the Coast Guard’s very similar position. “If the specter of financial reimbursement hung over the decision to report maritime distress, we could get fewer calls, we would get calls during later stages of emergencies, and more people would die at sea. This factor alone outweighs any consideration of how much money we might recoup,” said Admiral Loy.
Traveler footnote: Founded in 1973, the National Association for Search and Rescue comprises more than 10,000 volunteer and paid search and rescue professionals who work at the local, state and national level in land, aviation and water SAR. NASAR conducts hundreds of training courses and thousands of certification exams each year. More than 11,000 people hold any of 11 NASAR certifications in SAR operations.
Ed Harris on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 9:57 AM
Thanks for the memories. I found Dad’s old Gillette, brush, Ajax blades and a worn block of GI soap in his old WWII foot locker. I need to give them a try.
I met Harley Shaw in 1974. He is the only Arizona Game & Fish employee ever shot on duty, even though his working title was Research Biologist for his entire career. The culprit wasn’t a game law violator, but an escaped convict who had killed an officer, wounded Harley and a companion and was finally killed by a young highway patrolman on his first duty day in his new district. His experience proves that ”any gun is better than no gun,” when you don’t think you need one, but fate isn’t in your favor and all of a sudden life goes sour. I know many old farts who are never, ever without a snubby, and evil people are the reason why.
Nynel on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 1:59 AM
The Best
Sue Massey on Tue, 6th Oct 2009 8:30 AM
A friend of mine just emailed me one of your articles from a while back. I read that one a few more. Really enjoy your blog. Thanks
Tom Halpin on Wed, 7th Oct 2009 1:21 PM
Have been trap shooting for years, no problems with recoil or anything. Just have started flinching. Just cant figure out the reason.
Mike on Wed, 7th Oct 2009 7:13 PM
Tom,
I’m no trap shooter, so I can’t offer much advice other than to have a more-experienced shooter watch you and make some suggestion (other than “Stop flinching, Tom!”). Have you noticed any coinciding health problems, or changes in prescription medications? I do handgun instruction, and have noted that otherwise harmless meds sometimes cause trembling hands, flinching, etc. I’ve noticed in my own shooting that a lot of quirks seem more likely to surface when I’m dealing with injuries, pain, or fatigue. The other thing is that you may just need to do it more regularly to get used to the recoil again if you have taken some time off.
When I was a kid I was deadly with the home made “beanshooter” or “bean-flip”. Our slingshots were home made from the crotch of a dogwood tree, with natural gum latex ruibber bands or 3/8 sugical tubing bound to the upright forks with 15 pound braided nylon fishing line, then varnished, all in the style popularized by the famous “Bean Shooter Man” Rufus Hussey of Ashboro, NC.
While dried peas and Great Northern beans were common training ammunition for boys below the age of 12, but as teenagers were were entrusted with No. 4 or larger lead buckshot as serious hunting ammunition. It was Dad’s rule that boys could not hunt with a gun unsupervised until old enough to have a “learner’s permit” to drive. Bean shooters were OK.
A boyhood friend had an original Colt 1851 Navy cap & ball revolver which we learned to shoot under Dad’s supervision, but at other times the .375 round balls we cast in the barn over a Coleman stove became our preferred, hard hitting slingshot ammo for use against rabbits in Mom’s flower bed, racoons attacking our garbage cans behind the back porch at night or groundhogs whenever we could “Indian-up” on one along the fence or wood line.
The Wham-O slingshot of my youth is no longer made and many urban areas restrict the sale of “wrist rocket sligshots because they are commonly used as “gang weapons.” If you are ever reduced to making your own, you can do much worse than follow the methods depicted in the 1960s Andy Griffith TV show by the famous Bean Shooter Man Rufus Hussey of Ashboro, NC, and reproduce his lowly “Bean Shooter.”
This link has how-to information. This is EXACTLY what I used as a boy. I still have mine, which has taken alot of rabbits and game birds. In a pinch it still would be a quiet self defense weapon. To carry a loaded slingshot in your overalls back pocket so that it is available for a fast draw, (with practice you can draw and shoot a pop can at 20 feet in 2 seconds) a single, large projectile is centered in the leather pouch, which should be LIGHTLY greased with Crisco, and retained by a rubber band doubled and tucked snugly around the pouch. When the slingshot is drawn and released, the rubber band is discards, sending the marble on its merry way.
What I have found is not so much the rifle, but the type of amo used, Hornday is far the best to discharge, for the rifle Remington knowingly is f’d, and only giving “up” to $250. will dramatically change when the lawyers can go after Remington for something more than the other losses from purchase, like a life or limb. And to think, I’ve yet to receive a notice of this recall!
Jack on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 7:38 AM
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you. ” – unknown
Jack on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 7:44 AM
Just another ignorant strike against the Kalifornia economy. I’m sure Nevada & Arizona are happy that their income and tax revenues will be going up with increased ammo sales.
They can not buy it mail order anymore either so that will increase the supply for the rest of the US who can, I would like to say I feel sorry for them but I do not. They keep re-electing those people who do nothing but take their rights away and screw up the state even more. Maybe one day they will wake up and start electing people who believe in the constitution and personal freedom. Until then they have no right to complain about a thing. Maybe the people will get it one day and make the changes to take their state back. But I will not hold my breath blue is not my color.
Polprav on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 5:10 PM
Hello from Russia
Jack on Thu, 15th Oct 2009 8:43 AM
Florida has over 10% unemployment. Offer a bounty for any invasive species of snake and put those people to work! $1 per foot, dead or alive, should do it.
Jack on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 6:10 PM
If I had one, I sure wouldn’t give it away, but at the cost of $300+ to buy a used Browning .25 ACP that is over 40 years old (1905-1969), I’d rather buy a Ruger LCP in .380. The Ruger weighs about the same, is about the same size, and fires a much more potent cartridge. Also, when you buy a Ruger LCP, it will be new with a lifetime warranty for about $300+.
If you haven’t planned ahead to bring your GI canteen cup or other metal cooking pot, one of the best improvised cooking methods is the “rock boil.” Scrape a depression in the ground. Line it, flesh-up, with the hide of an animal you have snared and plan to eat.
Put your stew ingredients in the hide with water to cover. Carefully add one or two hot rocks you have heated in your came fire. As one rock cools down and stops simmering, fork it out with a stick, put it back in the fire, then replace it with another hot rock. Primitive peoples who do this a lot keep a dozen or so chicken egg-sized rocks for this purpose and use them in continuous rotation.
To poach small fish or boned fillets takes three to four egg or lemon-sized rocks to a quart of water in mild shirt-sleeve weather. Double that cooking time for chilly weather and for red meats. Cutting game meat into smaller bite-sized pieces speeds cooking time. Smash the bones and marrow into a paste and put that into your cooking skin too.
Punch holes at 2 inch intervals around the edges of the cooking skin, and thread with cordage, so that you can gather up any leftovers into the bag and hoist high enough into a tree to protect your stash from predators. If on the move this enables you to carry your food with you.
The Browning is only one model, there are tons of good 25 ACP’s out there much cheaper. And as stated their are much better guns, and I would buy a used snubby before the Ruger, and the Browning is much smaller than the Ruger 380 I have them both setting right here.
The point is if you have one, someone gives or leaves you one, or can get one that is inexpensive do not throw it in a drawer put it to work and get some use out of it.
Ed Harris on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 10:19 AM
I you have the urge to equip your bar with proper Crown pints to benefit any visiting soccer hooligans, US customers can buy them here, the genuine article imported from the UK.
A practice I was taught is to mark exterior pockets of the bailout or man overboard bag with a permament marker to identify the general category of a pocket’s or compartment’s contents, such as:
Fire and light
First Aid
Food and Water
Comms and Nav
Tools and Sharps
Important small loose items such as utility knife, signal mirror, whistle, flashlight, compass, Doan fire striker and bailing cup should be tethered together with 550 cord and securely attached to the bag with a snap link. This both makes it easy to find them in the dark, to remove from the bag to carry them on your person when desired, and to secure them against loss.
Print out on waterproof paper and laminate a contents checklist with categoried list of contents, pack location, replacement and expiry dates. Tuck into the pack flap pocket for quick reference. Inspect and replace shelf-life, seasonal and climate specific items in the spring and fall.
Ed Harris on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 10:48 AM
A high school buddy was born in Alaska when his dad was stationed there with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Tom graduated from the University of Arizona and became an Army Engineer also. Upon retiring from USACE he moved back to Alaska and embarked on a second career as a civil engineer with the Indian Health Service. He works in almost every day in bear country. His advice is identical to yours. EDC is an S&W Model 29 with Keith-style handloads, but in a pinch any gun which you can score multiple hits with quickly and penetrate deeply is better than no gun. Guns beat pepper spray every time.
Matt on Sun, 25th Oct 2009 4:29 PM
Waaaa Waaaaa Waaaaa
All those same arguments were used over billing for (then all volunteer) ambulance services. We were the first on our side of the state to do so.
There was never a time that, statistically, people stopped calling. Today’s $500-1500 ambulance bill will be a fraction of the ER bill. Sure some folks may worry about it — they’re also the personalities that would dither about calling for any excuse they could think of.
Over the last 20 years that practice of billing has become near universal in my area. It’s enabled the upgrading of services, hiring of paid crews by many towns to improve coverage especially during the workday, and for affordable Paramedic coverage for seniors. Due to a quirk in Medicare, after changes around 1999 they would not pay for our system of Paramedics unless it was billed with the ambulance trip.
A rescue, whether by the Coast Guard, a Search and Rescue group, or the local fire department is no more a humanitarian mission then the work by the doctors, nurses, and specialists and the Emergency Department the victims are going to. You darn well know the Hospital is going to charge for their work.
Based on your argument then you should not receive one thin dime in tax money and neither should any of the agencies you mentioned, they should be totally self supported with private monies, and there should also be no regulation keeping other private companies from competing with getting that business, none should get any preference. The Tax payer can keep his money and use it as he or she sees fit. It should all be private. You can not have it both ways, you want tax money you can not charge.
Funny how tax funded employees think they should get to sit around and collect a check and do nothing to earn it, if you are on duty why shouldn’t you be answering calls verses sitting on your butt playing cards or feeding your face you are getting paid either way.
If you are a volunteer and it bothers you going on calls don’t volunteer , when you volunteer that means you have the time and resources to do it for free and want to serve your community.
Update! WV Bigfoot Mystery Solved!!
We received the following e-mail 3-13-08:
“I got a kick out of the pictures of your
“West Virginia Bigfoot”. The pictures that
the woman took are actually of my wife’s
family’s cabin (several of her relatives live
along the river in the homes that were
mentioned all year long). The “Bigfoot” in
question is actually a tall wooden statue of
a WVU Mountaineer.” – Justin
Well this would have been good to know before I went to the Range and fired my 597. I got powder burns on my right cheek when a round blew. It did the same as the pictures. I just figured it was just a miss fire. Well a few rounds lated it did it again, but this time it split the stock on the 597. I came home an got on the net looking for the Remington phone # so that I could find out what to do as i liked the gun. Well it was closed so today I called and they said there was a recall and they would send me a lable for my gun. So will see what happens in the next few weeks.
I have Coleman stoves dating from the WWII period which work as well as newer ones. When rebuilding older stoves found at flea markets, one finds all manner of contaminates inside the fuel tank. Stale, gummy, orange remnants of ancient fuel will cause sputtering, low light/heat output, if not outright failure…
Additives in unleaded gasoline may allow corrosion, rust and particulate residues to clog the generator. Detail-disassembly and cleaning usually fixes things. Repair parts are usually still available for old models, even after many years. Failure to test and maintain necessitates eventual condemnation of the unit because of rust and corrosion…..
Fuel storage in opened, original steel containers is subject to cycling of humidity and internal container pressure as a function of weather. If not well sealed this causes (daily) inhalation and exhalation cycles of the containers, introducing moisture inducing rust, vapor problems in closed spaces, and moisture contamination of the fuel.
Container condensation in vented outside sheds subjects unsealed containers to rust and corrosion. Inspect fuel cans around their screw-on cap, if previously opened also the seal inside the cap, and the seams all around the can, for rust. External particulates must be prevented from contaminating the fuel during inspection of degrading containers. Small orifices in the jets and generator ass’y of lamps and stoves will clog immediately.
The moral – Filter all previously opened stored fuels~!
balharbour on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 10:51 AM
Fantastic article (again!) Ed!!! Very clear. While (thankfully) I am not limited to one gun, I can see why it should be a .22 BA rifle. In the rainy days to come, the lowly .22 will still most likely be the one round in general circulation. I am (kicking and screaming) approaching the time in my life where open sights are out of the question for me.
The article inspired me to take out my old Winchester M69a from the safe and caress it a bit. She wears the Model 88a peep sight. As I live in a small town here in Florida now, I do most of my shopping at WalMart, and long ago adapted the philosphy that my personal larder should be stocked primarily with goods available from their sporting goods section. Thankfully, I bought a generous amount of .22RF when it was not a sometime thing. I had put my rifle away awhile back and had scarcely thought about it til this piece came into print. For this I must thank you, as I feel like I have been reacquainted to a long, lost friend.
Steve
balharbour on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 5:54 PM
Great article Ed. I was wondering if the velocity would be high enough with your load to seat your hollow base bullet reversed and function? I suppose that the bullet would have to be pure lead to open up (if in fact it would open up at all).
Have you ever worked up any cat sneeze loads for the .44 Special or Magnum? I have a Marlin M94 that could certainly benefit from a quieter loading. Currently have been shooting 200 and 240 hard cast bullets from Lee.
Steve
Tom Strickland on Sat, 31st Oct 2009 11:14 PM
I have always liked the Canadian blade style ever since I found an old DH Russell many years ago. That knife has since passed threw my hands and I have been looking at the Bark River version, hopefully for a grandson.
Steven S.Baum on Sun, 1st Nov 2009 6:00 AM
Its a real pleasure to hear no B.S. reporting on the subject of firearms – and the G-D bless afterwards is cool too.I was an LEO and D/T as well as firearm’s instructor and I really like your delivery and the facts you present = kudo’s.
Kyley Harris on Sun, 1st Nov 2009 3:52 PM
Thanks for the competition, and I’ll be sure to take some time and look more thoroughly at this website
Fred Engel on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 6:21 PM
I’m signing in to get a free knife and while I’m here I am going to review some of the content.
thanks!
Sandy Morrissey on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 7:56 PM
I would not consider this as political but rather as a positive action by a political body. Political factions when united often have positive results that are not political in nature. The knife you carry doesn’t give a hoot whether you are a member of one party or the other. —Sandy—
Jack Rohrbach on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 6:33 AM
The knife sign up brought me to this website, which will become a regular view for me.
My West Virgina barn gun is a Remington Model 34 with tube magazine that is older than I am. got it at a yard sale for $100 and its elderly owner was delighted that I recognized the model and knew exactly what it was. He told me, “before the war Dad fed us with deer that fell down in front of that rifle… I’ve even taken a few in the garden recently, but I just can’t see the sights anymore~!” The quality of machine work in these old pre-war guns is simply amazing when you compare with the mass-marketed cheap stuff that make today.
Another option is the sub-caliver adapter. Winchester and Marbles used to make these before WWII which enabled the user to shoot .32 ACP or .32 S&W handgun ammo in a .30-30, .30-40 or .30-’06 sporting rifle. Today the Sportsman’s Guide sells some in popular calibers:
I have these in the .303 British and 7.62×54R Russian which use .32 ACP ammunition. They work OK at short range and shoot inch groups at 25 yards with the battle sights set at about 500 yards. I had problems with .308 Winchester and .30-’06 adapters because which would not extract from tight sporting chambers. Limit their use to loose chamber-dimensioned mil-surp rifles. Mark the adapter with an electric engraver with the rifle serial number, because after repeated firing the mild steel will conform to the rifle chamber, so to avoid sticking one in another rifle know that once fired a bit are not interchangeable.
Factory soft-swaged hollow-based 148-gr. wadcutters are not stable when fired backwards. They yaw beyond very short range so that accuracy is poor beyond “across the bar room floor” distances.
At low subsonic velocities the most effective bullet is a flat nose with large meplat. This gives maximum crush cavity diameter with deep penetration. A bullet of .40 cal. or larger, weighing 200 grains or more, at about 900-1000 f.ps. will perforate through a deer from any angle.
It is difficult to get reliable expansion with conventional handgun bullets below about 850 f.p.s. At low subsonic velocities from 750 to about 1000 f.p.s. a large flat nose having a cup point of a diameter cavity about 0.6 of the meplat diameter as deep as the opening with angled sides works well, as long as the bullet is not harder than 10-11BHN. An alloy of 1:25 tin/lead or 50-50 wheelweights and plumber’s lead is about right. Pre-1900 .455 Mk. II Webley “Manstopper Bullets” were of this design, formed of nearly pure soft lead, and expanded very well.
I have had great success using long-barreled .45 ACP rifles shooting deer in settled areas for population and crop damage control. With a long enough barrel no suppressor is needed. For lowest noise the barrel length should be 24 inches or more. With a barrel longer than 28 inches you are more likely to stick a bullet in the barrel with a light load. Best accuracy is obtained with rifling having 24 to 28 inches per turn.
Popular .45 Colt lever-action rifles chambered for the .45 Colt are limited by the .45 Colt cartridge which results in excessive airspace in the case and sloppy blackpowder chamber dimensioons which are not conducive to best accuracy. I had my Marlin 1894 Cowboy converted to fire .45 ACP, setting the barrel back, rechambering and reworking the lifter. It now has a 22″ barrel, holds 13 .45 ACP rounds and shoots 2 inch groups at 50 yards. Using common factory-loaded 230-grain personal defense loads with jacketed hollow-point bullets velocity is about 900 f.p.s., only slightly more than when the same ammunition is fired in a handgun. Increased bore drag of the jacketed bullets fired in a rifle length barrel defeats most of the potential velocity gain. Lubricated lead bullets reliably exit the bore down to about 800 f.p.s. and can be driven to about 1000 f.p.s. from the rifle within normal limits of chamber pressure. From a The peak pressure decibel noise level of the Marlin is 85dB when measured at 1 meter from the muzzle. Another rifle I have with 25 inch barrel shows a 3dB reduction for the extra 3 inches of tube. Expected accuracy of the best .45 ACP ammunition is about 2-3 inches for 5-shot groups at 50 yards and in proportion at longer ranges.
To obtain similar performance in a long barreled .44 Magnum or .45 Colt cowboy rifle try loading a soft-lead 240-270 grain flatnosed bullet with about 5 grains of any fast-burning pistol or shotgun powder you have lying around. Bullseye, 231, Unique, SR-7625, PB, Red Dot, 700-X will all work. Keep the velocity below 1000 f.p.s. for lowest noise, but do not go below 850 f.p.s. with jacketed bullets or 800 f.p.s. with lubricated lead ones to avoid sticking a bullet in the barrel. The report is more like a muffled “pop~!” than a gun going off.
If you want hollow-point bullets that work you will need to cast your own. The web link where I got my mold will be happy to modify a mould for you.
This needs to be formatted into a condensed, bulleted summary in the form of a checklist, printed onto the back of a silk escape map, dewrag or bandanna with some basic survival tips and Gunny’s Wisdom which could be given away to troops or packed in their PX rations with the pogey bait.
oldbird on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 4:21 PM
He’s lucky he was seeing anything!
Steve on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 7:36 PM
Ed,
Would my Ideal #31357 (made for the .32 NP with an as cast 105 grain FN) be too heavy for the .32 ACP? What I am really getting at, would the extra 7 grains (over the Saeco #325) make that much of a difference? Would I have to reduce that 1.8 grs. of Bullseye? BTW, as all .32 brass is none too plentiful at present, I have been loading/shooting ACP’s in my Ruger Bisley SS. Seems the semi-rim is enough to hold the round in the cylinder. Normally I load 3.0 grs. of Unique in S&W long brass for this bullet. Not a thumper in the Bisley by any stretch, but seems to meet my minimum daily requirements.
ernest noyes on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 9:20 AM
I would like to see them making some thing use full out of less than ideal wood. I just carved a maple bowl and I can tell you it is not the same as bass wood or pine I also run into a great many knots which I simple carve through up to a point. Showing whether the blade will hold up to this or not would be good to know. even a 1″ knot in hardwood shouldn’t be a issue if care is taken. Whittle through the knots don’t baton with a heavy object which could easily destroy a lighter knife. Even my small carbon steel mora has no problem doing this. I did convex the edge though.
Jimmy K. on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 3:49 PM
Hardwood timber carving is certainly a good area to test knives. Also clashes with metal and other hard objects like stone on the edge of the blade could also be a great indicator of the knifes edge retention. Whether we like it or not hitting a blade on metal or stone is bad for the knife but ultimately it does happen when you are out on the track whether you are cutting up meat in a metal pan or whittling some timber not realizing there is a nail in it until there is a slight prang. In this way examining the different effects on different blades would reveal the quality of the blade. It may be difficult to standardize each test for each blade.
Steven S.Baum on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 5:43 PM
Camp chores are THE most cause for knife use,cooking and batoning for a fire are primary.I want a test that does NOT destroy the knife and a knife that can hold an edge for about a weekends worth of camping.Weight is a big thing to me and even though I like a larger blade – it still has to be well balanced and not hard on the hand [ sharp edges etc ].If it can handle gutting and prepping a small game critter ,then that too!.
Steve on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 6:50 PM
Ed,
I have been thinking about retiringmy Win. M69a and acquiring a Ruger M77/22, as I can benefit from mounting a scope. What is your feeling about the overall quality of this rifle? Worth the money?
Bill on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 6:54 PM
I always thought cross grain batoning was a good test of a blade.
It stikes me as a task one would run into in the wild.
When I worked for Ruger I lived in the New London area and I occasionally hunted boar in Corbin Park when invited. The preserve was formed about the turn of the 20th Century by a group of wealthy investors from New York. The Ruger family has been a benefactor ever since they established their plant in Newport, NH nearby.
Croydon, New Hampshire was chartered in 1763, and named for a suburb of London, the location of a palace under which several archbishops of Canterbury were buried. Among the grantees was Captain Stephen Hall, whose grandson Samuel Read Hall (1795-1877) was born in Croydon. Professor Hall established the first teacher training school in the US, authored the first instructional book for teachers, and was reputed to be the first teacher to use a blackboard. He taught at several New England colleges, including Phillips Andover Academy and Holmes-Plymouth Academy, now Plymouth State University. If there were ever a small town which exemplifies the Currier and Ives Christmas postcards, it is Croydon.
my main CCW (when carrying small) is the Beretta Tomcat 32- – great shooter- very accurate at 7 yards- the most I take away from these articles – is #1 carry the weapon 2# practice so you have good shot placement just in case
I have a bunch of buddies who say that the 32 is crappy round- meanwhile I am at the range once a month, with my tomcat in my pocket- there 45,40 etc is at home with little or no use- Hmmmmm-
The Ruger is a sturdy, reliable and accurate enough rifle. But while I own one and worked on its development, I honestly find it a wee bit expensive and heavy for my taste. But if it design appeals from you, it will serve you very well. If you are on a tight budget, one of the Marlins is not as pretty, but is a solid performer and will do the job in a more trim package and you will save almost enough money to buy a 5000 round case of ammo for your stash.
The key to loading .32 ACP is to pay close attention to overall cartrodge length and bullet seating depth. Longer-shanked bullets intrude into the powder space and reduce case capacity. As little as 1/16 inch reduction in overall cartridge length when loading a heavy cast bullet can result in a dangerous pressure spike.
Back when I loaded the 100-gr. Winchester flat-nosed lead .32-20 copmponent bullets for Harry’s M1903 Colt I used 2.4 grains of then-Hercules Unique, seating bullets to 0.95-0.97 OAL. This load functioned a variety of guns well, including the full-auto Scorpion pistol.
Seat bullets out as long as possible so that the noses don’t drag against the front of the magazine body. Normal FMJ roundnose ammo can be 0.98 long and all eight rounds will fit into the magazines of European pistols. With flatnosed bullets you may need to go shorter, depending upon their profile. With a 105-grain bullet I would reduce the charge to 1.7 grains of Alliant Bullseye, loading in RWS, Geco or Fiocchi brass which has an empty primed weight of about 40 grains. Remington brass runs lighter, about 38 grains, and you don’t need to worry about it. Winchester brass runs heavier, about 43 grains, so you may need to reduce the powder charge another 0.1. If you have a chronograph you are looking for 720-750 f.p.s. from a 3.5 inch barrel. Over 800 f.p.s. with a bullet this heavy cases will start to bulge and you will notice heavier recoil which will actually start to deform magazine boxes of some after-market magazines.
If you have the heavy slide INOX Model 3032 Beretta it will handle these loads OK. The blued models having the slim profile slide don’t stand up well to continued use with heavy bullet loads and you may crack the frame.
I can see it now, a bear spray can with integral mount made to fit the flashlight rail on your handgun, shotgun or rifle with solenoid activating plunger switch. Shouldn’t cost more than $1000.
Since people may ask, here are tips on loading the .32 ACP
My favorite cast bullet handloads in .32 ACP use the 88-grain NEI #82, the 98-grain Saeco #325 semi-wadcutter or a 93-grain hollowpoint version of the Saeco #325 as modified by http://www.hollowpointmold.com/.
If you don’t cast your own you can buy 94-gr. .312 flatnose cowboy bullets from Meister and they work fine. I cast my bullets from wheelweights, tumble-lubricate them in Lee Liquid Alox, and load them as-cast and unsized with 1.7 to 1.8 grains of Bullseye. The Saeco #325 is crimped in its normal revolver crimp groove. Do not load the Meister or NEI bullets shorter than 0.95 inch overall cartridge length, because their longer shanks protrude into the powder space and raise pressure at higher loading density. With flat nosed bullets do not exceed 0.975 inch overall cartridge length to prevent bullet noses from dragging against the front of the magazine box.
I use a custom-made Lee Factory Crimp Die for .32 ACP. This removes any bulges caused by mis-match of the bullet diameter with the internal case wall taper, ensuring easy chambering and sizing the bullet, if needed by compression inside the case. It costs about $30. I highly recommend one for anyone who is serious about reloading for the .32 ACP.
People are confused by advice in old Lyman manuals which recommends sizing cast bullets to the groove diameter of the barrel. This results in undersized bullets being gas-cut, causing leading and poor accuracy. Load your bullets as-cast and unsized and let the Lee FCD make the rounds fit your gun.
Cast bullet alloy hardness should be matched to working chamber pressure. Maximum suitable chamber pressure for a given lead alloy hardness is estimated by multiplying its Brinell Hardness Number times the constant 1440. Wheelweight alloy slowly air cooled after casting has an average BHN of 12, so to estimate a useable working chamber pressure 12x(1440) = 17,280 psi. This is a good match for .32 ACP ammunition.
Typical wartime European pistols vary with respect to barrel bore and groove dimensions, twist rate and chamber dimensions. Colts, Berettas and Walthers have 16 inch twist, FNs, CZs and Mausers have 10 inch twists. FN, Mauser and Walther pistols in my collection have groove diameters from .307-.309, Berettas, CZs and Colts run from .310-.312. I have not seen chamber throats in any .32 ACP pistol smaller than .311, but I have seen WWI and WWII era Spanish, French and and Italian pistols as with chamber throats as large as .316. Wide variation in bore sizes coupled with different diameters of factory jacketed bullets between US and European ammo from .309 to .312 explains most accuracy problems people experience with the .32 ACP. Cast bullets perform better in most guns.
In my experience Sellier & Bellot, Sako, Lapua, Sintox and RWS ammo having the smaller bullet diameter works best in Walthers, Mausers, MABs and FNs, while larger Privi-Partisan, Fiocchi, FN and handloads using .311-.312 Magtech, Remington Hornady or Speer jacketed bullets are more accurate in Kel Tec, Beretta, Colt, Astra, Unique, Star, Llama and CZ.
Do not shoot thousands of cast bullet loads with bullets heavier than 90 grains in the “mouse guns” having light alloy frames, because their increased recoil impulse is harder on the gun. The Beretta 3032 INOX pistol has a heavier slide than the original Tomcat which reduces its slide velocity to mitigate against this problem. My INOX has proven more rugged than the original Tomcat it replaced and has digested over 2000 of cast loads and 73-grain RWS hardball with no issues.
In my testing Remington, Winchester, Federal and Magtech 71-gr. FMJ ammo averaged only about 850 f.p.s. when fired from a Walther PP with 3.9 inch barrel. European CIP 73-gr. FMJ ammo such as RWS, Geco, Fiocchi or Sellier & Bellot does over 900 in the 2.4 inch Beretta Tomcat and over 950 in the Walther.
Typical US 60-gr. JHPs typically run about 900 f.p.s. but because of their lighter bullets, don’t provide enough recoil impulse to reliably cycle the older European pistols.
My cast bullet ACP loads discussed here approximate the velocity of .32 S&W Long ammo fired from a 4-inch revolver, about 720-750 f.p.s. Recoil impulse approximates European 73-grain hardball. These cast bullet loads are accurate, fun for for recreational shooting or small game and they run the wartime guns like a pony trotting.
The first US visit of Mikhail K. was set up by Ed Ezell, Curator of Military History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. K. at the Marine Corps Air Museum at Quantico, VA and had a drink with him. Ezell also arranged for Gene Stoner and Mr. K. to be together for a week in the West Virginia mountains. They discussed weapon designs and their role in history. The whole weekend was videotaped by the Smithsonian and played on the History channel some years ago.
You bring up a most valid point as to the savings one would net from buying the Marlin. I am planning on first checking out the upcoming gun shows here on the Space Coast for a serviceable, scopeable .22 rifle. You are quite correct as to the Marlin finishing as an also-ran in the looks department. Checked out a few of them at the gun shop on my last trip into town. Do seem solid enough. Hoping to find a deal walking thru the aisles either in Melbourne, Kissemmee or Sebastian over the next few gun show weekends. Gotta gun show bud, an old widower that lives in a 500 sq. ft. house near Yeehaw Junction (yep, that is the real name of the town!), that seems to get by just fine with just a Winchester M60 .22, a Marlin .30-30, an Ithica M37 12 gauge and a Smith M1917 .45. How he can abide with such a spartan battery is a puzzlement to me. But I must admit that I really envy him that he can do this. I look at the toys I have lying in the safe, and knowing that I never shoot the half of them, see the wisdom of being able to balance one’s wants and needs. Que sera, sera.
Steve on Sun, 8th Nov 2009 5:53 PM
I feed them to the fish in the pond in back of my house. Probably better for them than the stale loaves of bread they get from me.
Agree that your buddy has life figured out. K.I.S.S. principle is much easier when not distracted by the useless temptations of a consumerist society. When money is tight and opportunities very limited you can do well with much less.
My friend Greg got by as just fine a PH in Africa for years with a simple 3-gun battery consisting of a .375 H&H Mauser, a single-shot 12-ga. Greener GP and 4-inch. S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. He did shoot alot of cast bullet loads in the .375.
This is the lesson of Dersu Uzala. The 1923 book is a great read. I highly recommend Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1975 movie adaptation of novelist Vladimir Arsenyev’s novel about survival, set against the stark wilderness of Siberia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dersu_Uzala
First brought into service during World War 2, this British-designed bolt-action weapon is still in the SAS Regiment’s armoury and has been taken to war at least as recently as the 1991 Gulf War.
The Welrod is a single-shot weapon which requires the operator to manually cycle the rounds via bolt action. Magazine capacity is 5 9mm (in the Mk1) or .32 ACP (Mk2) rounds. Due to its mechanical simplicity and integrated suppressor, the Welrod is extremely quiet when fired – perhaps the quietest pistol ever produced. Effective range is short, however.
The Welrod was designed for British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents for use at extreme close quarters e.g. assassinations. It most likely has a similar role within the Regiment as well as more traditional military uses such as neutralising sentries. At least one Welrod was taken by SAS Land Rover columns into Iraq during Desert Storm with such a use in mind.
An old FBI agent once told me a story which he attributed to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who admonished a new SA about the cheap suit he was wearing, saying that it didn’t fit properly, and “a well tailored suit with vest and two-pair of pants which properly conceals the credential holder, handcuffs, dump box and revolver should cost the equivalent of an ounce of gold.”
“But Director Sir, my suit was government issue…” The young agents first assignment was to the legal attache’s office in Istanbul.
Awesome vid. thanks for sharing. reminds me of when i was a kid and used to make blow guns out of bic ballpoint pens, oh wait, those were for spitballs – same principle though…
Nutter on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 5:51 PM
This is the kind of thing I love to read.
scatyt on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 5:52 PM
That was great stuff,and the reason I bought a Beretta 70S = if it good enough for the Mossad .Thank you for that write up and I look forward to more of that quality.
good stuff in this article. really kind an unexpected thing to find out, that a .22, had such a history in clandestine work.
keep up the good work.
Steve on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 7:04 PM
Ed,
Again, another great article without the gunzine fluff. Do you have any info on the velocity of that Israeli Beretta? As I do not have a silenced handgun availible to me for testing, would any current commercial .22 rate as subsonic enough to equal the decibel levels with the Aelph? I was thinking that the Agulia 60 grain loading might be the slowest thing going.
The twist of rifling in the Beretta .22 pistols is 40cm per turn, or about 15-3/4 inches. It would not stabilize the heavier 60-gr. Aguila in a barrel as short as 9cm (3.54″).
Of current US ammunition the CCI Subsonic Hollowpoint is the closest approximation, and these rounds are more readily available, expand well in water-jugs when fired from my 4-1/2 inch Colt Woodsman, and are very accurate.
Its been well over twenty years since I last used this load.
It was 9mm case loaded with a Hornady 158gr lead semi-wadcutter and 1 grains of Bullseye. This was my plinking round for my S&W Model 59. I also drilled the flash holes out (but only slightly larger than the original hole) just to have some uniformity in the cases I used. It reliably cycled the action and accuracy was good for the 25 yards of the target range. I did not do any serious testing with it, just plinking for fun.
Use this load with caution in autos, as the load may have to be fine-tuned for each handgun.
The keffiyeh or shemagh is the traditional head wrap originating from the Arabic turban used for centuries. In Western military use its value as a a piece of survival equipment dates the North African campaign of WWII where the British Special Air Service discovered its potential. A desert scarf has been valuable piece of the SAS kit ever since and its use has spread to present day use in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The desert the keffiyeh or shemagh was originally used for protection against hostile environmental conditions, providing protection against sun, wind, sandstorms and the cold at night. Next to his rifle, knife and boots, the shemagh, is one of the most useful pieces of kit the desert soldier can have.
It is a square of loosely woven cotton fabric about 1 metre square. Intended primarily as a head wrap, shemaghs are have multiple other uses:
* dust mask and veil to keep sun, snow, wind, sand and dust out of the eyes, face and from going down the neck
* sniper’s concealment – face veil – hiding shape of the face
- around neck to retain heat in cold or absorb sweat and protect the neck from sunburn during heat of the day
- cravat, compression bandage or sling for wounded arm
- sun shade while resting
- blinders for pack horses, camels or mules
- improvised foot wrap replacing lost sock
- carrying bundle for when foraging food
- improvised tote for organizing loose gear in ruck
- towel, wash cloth
- improvised rope or equipment sling
- improvised sieve
Zach Williams on Tue, 24th Nov 2009 1:50 PM
I’m interested in working up a .38 Special load/rifle combo designed to push a relatively heavy bullet around 900fps as quietly as possible (without suppression). I’ve always heard that the longer the barrel, the quieter the shot. I can get a barrel made with a 1:12 twist ratio out to 40+”. Is a bullet leaving a 40+” barrel at 850-900fps going to be noticeably quieter than a bullet leaving a 24″ barrel at the same speed? Can anyone with experience on barrel length and subsonic loads give me advice?
A longer barrel IS noticely quieter. But tradeoffs are that a very long barrel is less handy to carry, less quick to the shot and increases the risk of sticking a bullet in the barrel. While the risk of a bullet-in-bore (BIB) is greatly reduced by using lubricated lead bullets (because bore drag is reduced), the chance of an occasional rare BIB obstruction is not entirely eliminated.
In my 24-inch Marlin Cowboy II standard-pressure (non +P) jacketed bullet .38 Special loads heavier than 125 grains rarely, but occasionally fail to leave the barrel. The Vietnam-era Ball .38 Special M41 (130-gr. FMJ) cartridge and its current commercial equivalents are particularly risky in this respect. BIB malfunctions are well documented firing M41 Ball in M15 revolvers with cylinder gap of larger than 0.008″.
In my experience using lubricated lead bullets in the .38 Special, the NEI #161A (190-grain) flatnose is well stabilized at low subsonic velocities with a twist of rifling as slow as 20 inches. http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html
This bullet has a large meplat (flat nose) which gives very good results on game. When well cast and properly loaded it is capable of averaging about 2 inches at 100 yards over a long series of 5-shot groups from a single-shot rifle with Green Mountain 20-inch-twist barrel with .38 AMU-type chamber and Unertl scope. Ballistic uniformity is acceptable using current Alliant Bullseye with charges as light as 2.4 grains (26 inch rifle velocity about 800 f.p.s.) but I do not recommend further reductions. Do not exceed 3.0 grains of Bullseye with a 190 grain lubricated lead bullet in .38 Special cases for standard pressure, or 3.5 grains for +P (26 inch rifle velocity about 950 f.p.s.). In .357 Magnum brass at an overall cartridge length of 1.58″ best accuracy was obtained with a charge of 4.2-4.3 grs. of Bullseye adjusted to obtain 1050 +/- 30 f.p.s.
I have also experimented a great deal with a long-barreled .45 ACP rifle which started with a 32 inch barrel. almost immediately I stuck an M1911 Ball 230-gr. jacketed bullet in the barrel about 5 inches from the muzzle. I cut off and recrowned the barrel at 25 inches and have been satisfied with its low noise at that length. I can now shoot either GI hardball or equivalent handloads with either jacketed or lubricated lead bullets and have not stuck another bullet in the barrel as long as I used full-charge ammunition which approximated factory service velocities.
Cut head off 4 inches behind head. Dispose of the head immediately as it can still bite for several hours. When butchering multiple snakes place heads in covered metal container using pliers.
DO NOT HANDLE SNAKE HEADS WITH BARE HANDS!
In field situations handle a severed snake head ONLY with a machete or shovel and bury darned thing immediately~!
Hang snake by the tail just below rattles so that snake may bleed well. Using a sharp knife, on belly side and beginning at head end, split skin entire length.
Starting with head end, separate skin from meat and peel upward to where snake is tied; strip entrails from body of snake and dispose of them.
Clip body of snake where it is tied and drop in fresh cold brine water (either cover container or be sure to stand by it because the snake will crawl out of water). Take down skin, salt well and roll with scales on outside; place in container with lid and freeze until ready to tan. When body of snake has stopped crawling, remove and wash in fresh cold water, chop into 4 inch lengths.
CHICKEN-FRIED RATTLESNAKE STEAK FAJITAS:
One 4 foot rattlesnake per two people, dressed and chopped
Salt to taste
2 c. Crisco oil, very hot
1 c. flour to which has been added 1 tsp. Black pepper, 1/2 tsp. Cayenne optional
Salt meat, roll in flour-pepper mixture.
Drop in hot oil until golden brown. Serve hot.
Serve with side salad of diced tomatoes, red and green Bell peppers, iceberg lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, tortillas and splash of Texas Pete (optional) washed down with a long necked Lone Star. Jose Cuervo chaser is optional.
Serves 4 Eastern Greenhorns or Two Texans
(unless the snake is a six-footer bigger around than your arm).
Steve on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:31 AM
Believe you to be on the money here. While 97% of the sojourners in our camp grounds are great people, you do run across the jerks from time to time. When the wife and I were last out camping, a much too neighborly sort came a-calling when he heard my wife’s voice. Thankfully he was just more of a nosey drunk than a mean one. He did see that the wife and I were armed and shortly left us alone. But you can’t be too careful anymore. After reading your article, I am beginning to think we should have packed up and left.
Henery Schaffer on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 7:36 AM
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
MediaCurves.com conducted a study among 321 viewers of PETA’s “Grace” Thanksgiving advertisement. Results found that viewers were less interested in animal rights issues after viewing a controversial ad. More than one-third of viewers (36%) reported that the advertisement was “not at all effective.” In addition, more than half of the viewers (56%) indicated that the ad was “disturbing.” More in depth results can be seen at: http://www.mediacurves.com/Advertising/J7658PETAThanksgiving/Index.cfm
Thanks,
Ben
Violent crimes such as these were behind efforts to force the Department of Interior to permit licensed concealed carry in our National Parks. The final rule, which updates existing regulations, would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located. The update has been submitted to the Federal Register for publication and is available to the public on http://www.doi.gov.
Existing regulations regarding the carrying of firearms remain otherwise unchanged, particularly limitations on poaching and target practice and prohibitions on carrying firearms in federal buildings.
Ed has done some outstanding work in this area and as a result I have built a 358 Winchester w/ 26″ barrel. Getting ready to order a 300 Gr. bullet Ed designed as well. Already know the rifle is going to shoot well based on another bullet I have tested but I think Ed’s design is the way to go here. I am going to have it made as a nose pour with two different meplat sizes for use in long range and a wider flat nose for hunting.
I have known Ed about 25 years and he has always been at the forefront with unique work.
[...] I made a mistake as to the model, but here is that article: Guns are a Better Investments Than Gold | ShilohTV __________________ Never throw sh*t at an armed man.-Larry [...]
We remain unprepared. The Health Physics Society published the Government Accounting Office (GAO) report of Sep 2009 entitled:
COMBATING NUCLEAR TERRORISM: Preliminary Observations on Preparedness to Recover from Possible Attacks Using Radiological or Nuclear Materials (GAO-09-996T)
Almost all cities and states would be so overwhelmed by an RDD or IND that they would rely on the federal government to conduct almost all analysis and cleanup activities that are essential first steps towards recovery.
The federal government has not sufficiently planned to undertake these activities. FEMA has not issued a national disaster recovery strategy or plans for RDD and IND incidents as required by law.
Existing federal guidance provides only limited direction for federal agencies to develop their own recovery plans.
In addition to the lack of knowledge about the application of cleanup methods and technologies for wide-area urban contamination from an RDD or IND incident, there are also limitations in federal capabilities to handle in a timely manner the magnitude of tasks and challenges that would be associated with these incidents.
Michael Carnright on Wed, 9th Dec 2009 10:48 AM
Very cool! This site has the most direct instructions on the subject. Get a rock with a depression, a few strands of an old mop, some lard and whamo! A nice candle!!
Steve on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:14 AM
After attending four shows since my last posting response here, I have noticed that the search for the “ideal” rimfire rifle has yeilded no results. Seems the quality .22’s have been socked away safely. The usual big shows that traditionally could be counted on to have “something sweet” have been drawing a blank for me. Unfortunately, last weekend’s show in Deland, Florida was nothing more than the usual tables filled with over-priced novelties. I think the true bargains out there are like Ed’s old Remington: yard sales (and leads from family and friends too). The niceties usually come your way when you are not looking for them.
Also, the K.I.S.S. principle of life is indeed the goal! But, like many of life’s addictions, they become afflictions! Hence, our love/hate feelings toward the “one-gun man”. We wish we could be him, but, we are glad we are not.
[...] Aggression in Kids Saw this else where and found it relevant and informative. Controlled Aggression in Kids My two are still under the age of two, but after you read or hear of stories like this one, I [...]
An empty steel ammunition can, canteen cup or old-style GI steel helmet can also be used instead of digging a hole in the ground with the rock boil method. Put your food in center of a loose-woven cloth such as the triangular bandage in your first aid kit, or if you have nothing else, your bush hat. Lower the food in the cloth ball into the rock boil. As the water stops sputtering lift the cloth and food from the hot water while you change hot rocks as needed. This method transfers fewer ashes into the food.
Mike St.Cin on Thu, 24th Dec 2009 8:30 AM
These clowns deserve to billed for every concievable cost for this search and given whatever criminal charges that can be leveled against them. The whole thing is just rediculous. Yuppie 911 strikes again!!!!!
Steve on Sun, 27th Dec 2009 10:00 AM
Just picked up a fairly clean Winchester M9422 XTR. Thankfully it is NOT in collectable condition (light handling marks on the forearm), which in my book gives it a clean bill of health to put it into service. While I do love my old Win. M69a, it will most likely get passed on to my future son-in-law (the price of taking on my daughter, I guess). Anyway, Ed is certainly on the money about the unquestioned usefulness of a good .22.
Hope to see more of his wisdom and wit on these pages again soon.
Some of my most fond childhood memories are outdoor activities as a Scout. Later while a cadet at Virginia Tech summers I wasn’t on NROTC cruise or on active duty for training with the Marime Reserves or at Platoon Leader’s Class at Quantico, I taught rifle marksmanship, outdoor advanture and wilderness survival at the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia. See http://www.bsa-brmc.org/camp.htm
Outdoor adventure, marksmanship and survival training are still alive and well, and if the experience of my generation repeats, such young men are more likely to volunteer for military service and many who do become fine NCOs and officers whereas all will be better citizens for their experience.
Steve on Wed, 30th Dec 2009 5:49 PM
Ed,
There you go again raising the bar on “.30-30″ articles! LOL!Much of what you say here repeats that said (or thought elsewhere) to be sure, but, to see it all put together concisely in a readable, thought-provoking tome as this, is certainly refreshing.
For reasons known only to them, many of my shooting/hunting buds that own and use a Winchester or Marlin never seem interested in salvaging the brass. Good for me! This is such an easy round to cast and reload for, that upon reflection, I really can’t imagine my life without one of these rifles nearby at all times.
To extract from your other writings, the user of a .30 WCF has life figured out. Throw in a good .22 rifle, a decent pump 12 bore, a serviceable handgun, and we have the apotheosis of the K.I.S.S. principle. Not much in the Western Hemisphere that can’t be resolved with the proper application of the aformentioned.
Great story. I had a similar experience but without such a good ending just outside Barstow California. I actually stopped hiking and camping right after that. It’s funny how one experience can change your entire outlook.
[...] such as the Winchester X39SPD, or Remington R38S12 “FBI load.” Three TUF Quick Strips ( See How To Use Quick Strips) fit into an A.G. Russell belt pouch, tabs up, without looking like an ammo pouch, printing [...]
ikillsdeer on Mon, 18th Jan 2010 5:49 PM
thanks for the contest! but im not eating any crickets !!!!
Steve on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 6:54 AM
I am thinking that you are spot on about producing this in .357. Most users, after firing maybe one round of .357 will opt to carry only .38’s in the future. I wouldlike to see Ruger go the other way with this idea and make it .22 LR/.22 Mag. and .32 H&R/.327 Federal.
Next, crank it up a notch and come out with a larger frame for .44 Special or .45 Colt.
Steve on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 7:57 AM
Ed, we all “know” that we can “get by” on one handgun…of course, it’s just that we have to buy ten or twenty to “test” to find that one. And then, as the others have now become family, we couldn’t possibly get rid of them. At least this is how I justify it all in my brain. LOL A lot of successful Madison Avenue advertising going on.
But your article nails it all in simplicity. A .38 service-type revolver is probably the best compromise for going it solo. Since the one handgun man must, by this compromise ask this weapon to do it all, there will be some issues. Obviously the .38 is too much for some applications and not enough for others. As you point out, that is where a varied inventory of ammo comes into play. The light wadcutters to the heavier factory stuff you mention do in fact fill the bill nicely. My personal favorites are .36 round balls and (at the other extreme) 200 grain RN’s mimicking the old “Super Police” load from days of yore, all handloaded of course.
Personally. I am happy I am not limited to a single handgun. Why handicap yourself if you don’t have to? I would not choose to play golf with only a 2 iron, and I would certainly not want to attempt contruction of a dugout canoe with a Bowie knife, although both can be done.
For my tastes, Walter Roper’s “minimalist” (my words, not his) battery he mentions in “Experiments of a Handgunner”, brings me closer to Vahalla. I could be content with a .22 LR, .32 S&W Long, .38 Special, and a .44 Special. In fact, the Smith M17, the Ruger Bisley SSM, 1980 variety S&W M520 and same vintage M29/4″ are favorites, and I would hate to ever have to part with one of these guys.
Actually Ed, your articles to date here on Trail Boss do well to demonstrate how the average guy does not really need to go overboard on personal armament: the “lowly” .22 rifle, .30-30 carbine and the .38 revolver all will suffice. Darn near impossible to argue with your logic here.
I would think, to sum it up, the .38 does a lot, maybe not too well in some instances, but it does all it can to be all things to all people all the time.
Steve on Sun, 24th Jan 2010 6:46 AM
My wife recently bought me a bottle of “Bed Head for Men”. I think the actually product goes by the handle of “Clean Guy’s Shave Gel’. I love this stuff. Stays slick for the entire shave and seems to minimize rolling resistance better than any product I have tried. Only takes a dab. No more slow leak aerosol cans for me. Better still, it was only $1.99 for 8.45 fl.oz. at Ross (or was it Marshall’s or T.J. Max? I always get those places confused).
Problem is they are poison you whack then to hard and it might spray in your eyes or get on your skin or clothing ad get you later. Also they fill up trash bags faster.
A good friend of mine lives in a residential area frequented by prowling black bears who use his carport and trash cans as a “buffet.” Roger keeps a single-barrel H&R Topper 12-ga. by the kitchen door. Banging pots and pans together runs them off, but as they reach the treeline he fires a 12-ga. rubber buckshot round as additional encouragement. He lives in town and is lucky that the local constabulary and game rangers are tolerant.
Vincent saunders on Tue, 26th Jan 2010 8:25 PM
I have always liked the 70s Beretta concept. When I was in the Army I had 2 and practiced on the indoor Cine range with them. I enjoyed using them. Totally reflexive I guess I fired in excess of 5000 rounds through them. I have also shot a lot of kangaroos with them and they did the job nicely. A problem though is even cleaned and trialed with different ammo they weren’t 100 per cent reliable. I keep log books on my pistols.
Please keep the Harry Archer stuff flowing. I think that he was a totally under appreciated resource.
Tim Crump on Tue, 26th Jan 2010 9:37 PM
I bet the study didn’t evaluate the traditional use of a .22 caliber gun as a bear deterrent. The correct method is just before running like hell, you shoot your friend in the knee with the .22…..then run.
What a delightful story! Thank you so much for posting this. It warmed my furry little heart.
Steve on Fri, 29th Jan 2010 7:59 PM
Your tax dollars at work folks…
rance on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 5:57 PM
Wow! I’m the guy that never wins anything and look now. Strangely, many years ago as a young boy,this particular pattern knife caught my attention in a Herters catalogue. IIRC it was billed as a ‘green river’ knife. The writeup that Herters provided at the time made me perceive that it was a truly functional/practical design. Now as a soon to be ‘owner’(its in transit right’?)I can hardly wait.
My thanks to the site owners, vendors that made this possible
I thought you wanted to give it to me! It will ship Friday, again congratulations and if you do not have someone to pass it down to I am available as are many who come here I suspect.
Josenilo M. Reoma on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 6:09 PM
can a AR 15 car rifle be licensed? how much would be the load grain?
miskitty19 on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 11:39 PM
Now this is what someone would really need in a house with a good wood stove, and a good back! I really enojy having a good made axe, havent had one since I lived with my folks!! But this is a great contest!
Vegan South Dakotan on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 11:07 AM
If not for the efforts of this Howard Goldman, the world would not know about the abuses that take place on a daily basis in these industries.
Howard does not own these facilities and is not in any way associated with “their” neglect, other than to being it to public light.
Ignorance is not bliss.
rduece on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 11:43 AM
This is one of the nicest axes I have handled, and I am planing on picking at least one up to go in my camping gear.
DustinO on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 12:50 PM
sweet! thanks for a chance to win that great ax!
Mike Stamm on Thu, 4th Feb 2010 2:07 PM
Did he purchase all his gear from Acme, like Wile E. Coyote? I wish somebody had filmed that goat rope.
k5 on Thu, 4th Feb 2010 8:28 PM
I assume that I am now entered in the Cold Steel Trail Boss contest.
KrisBelucci on Mon, 1st Jun 2009 10:07 PM
da best. Keep it going! Thank you
AndrewBoldman on Thu, 4th Jun 2009 12:40 PM
Hi, good post. I have been woondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
Milo Hoffman on Sat, 6th Jun 2009 7:17 PM
I bought my wife a Rossi snubby in .357 of course she shoots .38’s. She will make anyone that causes her to draw it, sorry that they ever met that snubby, my wife and the gun. I do have a tendance to lean towards wheel guns anyhow, I love my Taurus Judge.
Kelly Brown on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 11:06 AM
The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.
Mike on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 1:03 PM
Hey, nice post, really well written. You should blog more about this.
JaneRadriges on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 8:33 AM
Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue, why Steve left so thanks for posting
Jim Jones on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 10:10 AM
I had a 629-6 in 2.5″ barrel with fixed sights like yours.
If you look inside the crane where the model # is, you will see what # yours is off the line. There were a limited production run. I owned #046.
Enjoy it, and never sell it. I regret ever turning loose of mine.
Jim
Bill on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:40 PM
I was on the fence of which 22 pistol to buy, I loved the video and the Ruger looks like the one to own
Thanks
Sandy on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:52 PM
I want one of the “Pugs.” They are just toooooo cute!!!
DaLisa on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:20 PM
Hey these are great videos, this Steve Guy is kinda of cute
Brandon on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:30 PM
Good Stuff Guys Keep it up, we need more good information on firearms and stuff
B
Chet on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 1:36 PM
Those Rugers are cool, I will check them out at the gun store when I go in next time, they would be great for little critters
houmaboy22 on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 3:49 PM
I am going to buy this gun
GarykPatton on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 6:55 PM
Hello. I think the article is really interesting. I am even interested in reading more. How soon will you update your blog?
Joe on Tue, 16th Jun 2009 8:57 AM
I have downsized my handgun collection from all kinds .380 to 44. And have kept only 357 my wife has a 4″ taurus tracker for the woods and a Smith Snubby the snubby was the first pistol she ever shot and is completely comfortable with it.Since she never shot before she didn’t know snubbies were not as good as autos and can hit anything she needs 2 with her pistol. I have a couple of Rugers and Smiths plus a Bull Pug in the glove box and carry a 4″ GP 100.I know for a fact that my revolver will shoot each and every time I need it 2. The 357 is a man stopper (Deer stopper also ! LOL) and I can shoot 38 all day all lot cheaper then keeping up with all kinds of different cals.
John Broekhuizen on Thu, 18th Jun 2009 6:47 PM
We update the site and articles daily
John Broekhuizen on Sat, 20th Jun 2009 2:06 PM
Hi Gary
Steve tries to up date the site and articles daily. I hope you come back a lot to look at the posts and the Trail Boss Tests.
John Broekhuizen
Shiloh Productions
yxefnjfyz on Mon, 22nd Jun 2009 10:38 AM
Makes you think, thanks for the info
LeraJenkins on Tue, 23rd Jun 2009 3:04 AM
Very good piece
Maria on Tue, 23rd Jun 2009 5:20 PM
Pretty good post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say
that I have really enjoyed reading your posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Marie on Thu, 25th Jun 2009 6:13 PM
Love your posts, by the way.
bill on Sun, 28th Jun 2009 9:24 AM
there a “limited edition” also so it says in there info page
Twitted by 247survival on Sun, 28th Jun 2009 5:55 PM
[...] This post was Twitted by 247survival [...]
Krissy on Sun, 28th Jun 2009 11:27 PM
hmm… nice
Steele on Tue, 30th Jun 2009 11:29 AM
One thing people need to remember is that pets are not disposable. Just because they are an animal does not mean they can “survive” out in the “wild”/city on their own.
We live in an 600 apt complex across from a military base. During the last six months, more and more people are leaving their cats behind (not only outside, but also inside the apartment when they leave) when they leave.
We have been feeding the feral population here at our apartment complex for about two years. Two years ago, the feral population was probably around 12-15 cats. Today, there are nearly 80, if not more. Many were at one time someones pet, as they either are “friendly” or “friendly/cautious” cats.
We infact just recently had the apartment complex office bring us a kitten, a seven week old Siamese kitten, that was found by maintenance when kids were throwing a soccer ball at it. They brought him to us knowing we occassionaly take in some of the “left behind” kittens/younger cats (within one year, our inside only cats went from two to nine because of this, and we do have a permit for it). The poor kitten had cat flu and conjunctivitis and was nearly dead from starvation. Now, nearly 10 weeks later, he has finally just recovered from his bad experience. We know this was someones kitten as it was too young to really be out on its own, its ears were clean, its claws were clean, and it knew what a litter box was, along with a dish of water and the layout of the apartment.
Recently on the other side of town, in a newer development consisting of completed homes and nearly completed homes, construction stopped, in addition to many of the completed homes being foreclosed on. In a field nearby a huge cat colony was found. Animal Control went out and captured nearly 300 cats, and put them all to sleep on the spot.
When you take on a pet, you have a responsibility to that animal to feed it, shelter it, give it attention and care for it medically if needed. And it is your responsibility to get said pet spayed/neutered and their rabies shot at a minimum. If you can’t afford that responsibility, then you should not have a pet of any kind. Again, just because kitty or pooch is an animal that does not mean pets are disposable. Humans are animals, would you abandon your children if you lost your home or had to move? So why do it to cats, dogs, etc.?
John Broekhuizen on Tue, 30th Jun 2009 3:04 PM
I appreciate your comments. But I do disagree with you humans are not animals and they do take priority over animals every time. A lot of the the current problems in the US like the farms drying up is because we have lost sight of that fact that those farmers, their families, the people they employ and the thousands that they feed are way more important than those stupid silver fish and the other creatures we have destroyed peoples lives over. We have spent countless tax dollars that should have went to other areas instead of caring for animals that should have been destroyed. Funding gets cut to programs that feed our children and elderly. But we sill feed and provide medical care for stray animals. To me it is a disgrace that anyone would put an animal over a human but you are welcome to your opinion.
Although I think it is irresponsible for persons to abandoned pets and make them someone else problem. If it comes to caring for a human or an animal I can assure you that the animal will loose and can understand someone who has children or a loved one opting for that loved one over any pet.
Steele on Tue, 30th Jun 2009 7:57 PM
Im not going to get into a Socialist vs Conservative discussion here.
If parents cant take care of their children, cant feed them, but continue to have them, needing to live off welfare and food stamps, then they shouldn’t have children in the first place. Thats what birth control is for. Taking responsibilty for you own body. Just like pets, children are a responsibility. But getting that free check and food stamps for more than emergency purposes seems to be their priority.
As for choosing animals over children, nowhere in my posts did I say such a statement. Pets that you welcome into your family and life, should be treated as family, and not as just a disposable animal.
As for stray animals, well if people would get their animals spayed or neutered, and if they chose to abandon their pet or said animal accidentally escapes, then that animal would not increase the stray pet population. This is why there are mass neuter/spay programs that include rabies shots. Some are reduced cost programs for pet owners, others are no cost programs for feral populations. Domesticated pets and wild silver fish are not the same thing. You are comparing a epidemic of abandoned pets versus a wild creature that is becoming endangered because of human effect.
Humans are animals. We are called mammals. Mammals are part of the animal kingdom. And sometimes, as you know from your prior career, people act like animals.
As for wasteful countless tax dollars being used where they shouldn’t? Welcome to reality, that’s been going on for over 50 years. Hello, my name is reality. I don’t think we have met.
Erotiques on Tue, 30th Jun 2009 8:04 PM
I’ll stay tuned to this site..
John Broekhuizen on Wed, 1st Jul 2009 3:29 PM
First of all this is and never was a conservative verses socialist discussion, I am extremely conservative yet I still put people first, also because some scientist categorizes me or other human being as an animal does not make it so. I do not belive that I came from an single cell organism that crawled out of a cesspool. I believe I was created, and other can believe however they like, I do not try to change their mind and I can assure you they will not change mine.
As far as persons having children to be on the payroll and people behaving like animals I can not agree more.
You are right I have seen things in my past profession I wish I could forget. I can assure I live with the reality of that every day and it keeps me grounded and on course more than most.
WRA on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 2:01 PM
I like your site
Billie on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:44 PM
Steve this is awesome, we do have to start giving our kids real responsibility and preparing them for life, we have enough babies out there we need to start raising real men and women. Thanks for the eye opener.
Billie
Jill on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:46 PM
We need more dads like you, I am kicking mine in the @** and making him man up with the kids
Thank You
Jordon on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 5:49 PM
This article makes me feel guilty. I do not give my kids credit enough or have the patience to teach then new things they will need to survive out there. I am leaving it up to complete strangers. that is going to change
Kerry on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:15 PM
Thanks for the great information
Shockti on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:17 PM
I plan on geting this stuff together thanks for the list
Perter Montee on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:32 PM
Bravo, this is magnificent
Lere on Thu, 2nd Jul 2009 8:35 PM
Hey, really well written. You should write more about this.
Mary on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 7:37 PM
Good for you. My son is 15 and he can go in the store and buy anything I need. He knows how to do laundry, clean the kitchen, run the vacuum, mop the floor and load the dishwasher and run it. By the way, he also has Asperger Syndrome Autism.
John Broekhuizen on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 8:25 PM
That is Great Mary! Parents who have children with out a disability can take lessons from you and other parents like you. You do not treat them like they have a disability and they do not act like they have one. Bravo
KonstantinMiller on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 10:51 AM
Hi! I like your srticle and I would like very much to read some more information on this issue. Will you post some more?
CrisBetewsky on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 11:37 AM
Sorry to hear that Steve is not doing Radio anymore we will support John though
CrisBetewsky on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 1:03 PM
Your site is worth beeing in the top cause it contains really amazing information.
iqqhfzdgxrq on Thu, 9th Jul 2009 2:40 PM
I love these videos
Mike the Knife on Thu, 9th Jul 2009 6:05 PM
Thanks for the information. This is the first I have heard of an amendment expaninding the interpretation of a switchblade. I will send an email to my Senators right now.
Margie Yanes on Sat, 11th Jul 2009 2:00 PM
Thank you posting this. I have put a first aid kit together and there are a few things that you have mentioned that I would have not thought to include.
Thanks
Margie
John Broekhuizen on Sat, 11th Jul 2009 2:21 PM
Thanks Margie for the kind comments
Trail Boss
Boon on Sun, 12th Jul 2009 1:26 PM
Funny
huzzeres on Tue, 14th Jul 2009 4:00 AM
Great, stuff I love your articles
kystogor on Thu, 16th Jul 2009 4:09 AM
Great read I am going to use it
Fooner on Thu, 16th Jul 2009 4:53 PM
Funny
Mark on Tue, 21st Jul 2009 1:10 PM
It’s not like Senator Schumer has helped the security of our financial institutions – basically setting up Indymac for a run on the money. Indymac deserved it, but it could have been and should have been handled in a more controlled and methodical manner than letting Schumer open his mouth. As for carrying weapons from State to State – if you can’t afford to employ enough police officers in your State than who is going to provide for your security? New York is taxing its citizens into oblivion; in the top 15 states with worst deficit problems = layoffs of state employees, which will include police. Or maybe they’ll keep the police and close the schools?
John Broekhuizen on Tue, 21st Jul 2009 2:44 PM
First thank you for your comments. We love exchanging ideas and fight for your right to speak your mind on issues. As a former director of public safety, I will let you in on a little secret, police respond to crimes that have already been committed or that are in the process of being committed. They do not prevent crime. Citizens prevent crime by the course of action they take. Some departments have units that will consult to the local community to help them improve security. But it is up to the individual to refuse to be a victim not the federal government, not the state, not the county, not the city. I will say it again if I was not clear. It is the people who make the community safe. Not the police.
I would encourage you to set the example for the rest of us. Please go to a high crime area and lead the charge. We will be happy to watch your progress as you show us how to teach the poor criminal element to behave and leave innocent victims alone, and turn in all of their weapons. I am sure the government will even pay you to do it, and you can recover some of your tax dollars. Further I am sure there is some world monetary prize for it as well. You will be rolling in cash before long.
You are exactly the kind of person this administration loves and needs to continue. Remember, your government loves you, wants to care for your, make all of your decisions for you. Not because they want to control your life, but they know what is best. Oh it makes me all tingly just feeling the love. I know you feel it too.
Trail Boss
RNCMOMX2 on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 10:54 PM
I can see it if she was forcing him to eat enough food to make him that big…..but when he is teh one stuffing his mouth-I DON”T THINK SO!
It is sad seeing kids as young as 2 waddling around as wide as they are tall. There is a whole family that is like that living up the road from me. The youngest is around 5 and she probally weighs close to 200, you can see her gasp for air walking to the bus and has to stop at every step getting ont he bus to take a breath…..sad truly sad!
As for under weight it depends on the age of the child. I have a friend right now that has had her child threatened to be taken away because she went from the 95th pecentile to the 67th percentile in less than 4 months. Her mother ran out of enfamil and she had dried up her milk supply and said she was waiting on her next appointment to get a referal for WIC. I do agree that she made some bad decisions that she knew was not right, she had been feeding the baby bottles of water and oatmeal for last 3 weeks. I had not seen the child in about 3 months so did not know the extent of what was happening. Her childs physican is the one who turned her in. She will now have a safety plan set up for her 2 children and be monitoed for the next 9 – 12 months. Being a foster parent I have alot of kids hat come into my care that have been nutritionally neglected, some with parents who are severly obese and the children being so skinny you could see there bones through there thin skin.
My children are considered petite, but they have alwasy stayed on the same growth curve. My son is in the 5th percentile (weighed 2lbs 15ozs at birth/ right at 60 now age 12) and my daughter the 90th percentile (weighed 5lbs 6ozs at birth/ right at 50 now age 9). I think as long as the follow the same growth curve they should be fine, our doctor even says a small increase/decrease is not that bad either.
Murderface on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 10:55 PM
NO, The Government (fed or state) has no place in these affairs, If your kids are healthy they will have baby fat up to a certain age.
BTW- Kids wouldnt get in this kind of shape if the parents put a limit on the Xbox and a minimum on the bicycle.
Parents do carry some blame but no one needs to be arrested over it.
(Sidenote- This is more proof of my theory that the government is trying to make us rebel.
You start messing with families and your cruisin for a bruisin IMHO.)
Phoenixlink on Mon, 27th Jul 2009 8:18 AM
Children classified as morbidly obese. definatly. and probably the upper obese as well.
under weight can be alittle harder i know people that are naturally thin. and eat alot.
overfeeding is just as much abuse as underfeeding.
people are consuming 2-4 times their needed calorie intake a day.
resposibility to the parents to feed children correctly.
The Redman on Thu, 30th Jul 2009 11:01 AM
I really like your site. I think that there should be a review of Smith & Wesson’s older guns, like the model 10 or model 13. I believe these guns are making a come back. I for one carry a model 13 everyday. If ya’ll like, I can setup 6 asprin on a table and shoot them from 15 yards in 4 seconds, with my left hand (i’m a righty). Thanks guys, good job on the site.
Sandy on Sat, 1st Aug 2009 12:34 AM
Grants pass is only 25 miles from me!!! wow
Sandy on Sun, 2nd Aug 2009 12:33 PM
This family took what they considered a “short-cut.” http://www.jaunted.com/city/Grants%20Pass Not the thing to do in Oregon! EVER!! Thanks for your article Trail Boss !
Alexis on Sun, 2nd Aug 2009 7:37 PM
Love’n it!
Cooper on Sat, 8th Aug 2009 9:12 PM
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great info, you are right.
bargainsplease on Tue, 11th Aug 2009 11:48 PM
Oh, we are in a safer world now!! Of course you know, the REAL Pre-K criminals kept theirs hidden in their blankie and didn’t let the authorities know they had it. There will be no one left to protect us from the next cap gun attack!
Cherri Rivas on Thu, 13th Aug 2009 9:26 PM
Good Stuff I like your videos
DeRace on Sat, 15th Aug 2009 10:32 AM
I love this it is great , I think it is good for adults too
DeRace on Sat, 15th Aug 2009 1:01 PM
Awesome stuff, I love your articles wish all managers were as smart as you.
Nina on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:49 AM
Lovely
JR on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:27 PM
Steve McQueen would approve
Scott on Sun, 16th Aug 2009 1:28 PM
You are right I want to buy one and use the heck out of it why keep a prize like that in the closet.
Deb on Mon, 17th Aug 2009 5:20 PM
Great post. I have no bicker with it.
Domestic Dogs Kill Elderly couple while taking a walk | ShilohTV on Tue, 18th Aug 2009 8:51 AM
[...] predicted this would start happening in the article the Coming Animal Pandemic Article. I can not stress this enough. Use caution with all animals if they are not your own. If you [...]
John Broekhuizen on Tue, 18th Aug 2009 8:54 AM
Domestic Dogs Kill Married couple while taking a walk
I predicted this would start happening in the article the Coming Animal Pandemic Article. I can not stress this enough. Use caution with all animals if they are not your own. If you are taking a walk always have something even a stick to fend off an attack. A former University of Georgia professor and his wife found dead along the highway Saturday morning were apparently killed by wild dogs, according to the state medical examiner.
Lothar Karl Schweder, 77, who had taught German at the university, and his wife, Sherry Schweder, 65, who worked at the university’s main library, were found on a road where they often walked their own dogs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The couple were found by visiting Jehovah’s Witness members.After an autopsy Monday morning, Oglethorpe County Coroner James Mathews told the University of Georgia student newspaper, The Red & Black, that a dog attack was to blame.
“It was the results of a brutal dog attack,” Mathews said. “Without being graphic there were bites from head to toe… There are a lot of weird circumstances with this one. I’ve been coroner for 28 years, and this is one of the weirdest cases I’ve investigated.”
The state Bureau of Investigation responded to a call about the bodies around 10 a.m. Saturday morning.Oglethorpe County animal control officials were out Monday looking for the dogs in the area, along Highway 77, near Highway 78.
Mamlix on Tue, 18th Aug 2009 6:14 PM
great post, Thank You
susan allport on Fri, 21st Aug 2009 11:45 AM
I thought you’d find this new take on omega-3s interesting: http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/the-vanishing-youth-nutrient/6dec72fe5deb2210VgnVCM10000030281eac____/news.voices/in.the.magazine/september.2009.issue/0/0/1
al beauvais on Sat, 22nd Aug 2009 9:18 PM
hey well done john im impressed. i thought you were going to slow down i didn’t know you were into radio and guns and stuff very kewl.but i like being retired
John Broekhuizen on Mon, 24th Aug 2009 11:35 AM
He is in big trouble for running out of gas
CDP on Mon, 24th Aug 2009 12:23 PM
You are right, good to keep in mind no matter the situation
Eric on Tue, 25th Aug 2009 2:19 PM
Thanks for the hard work and wonderful information on how to prepare
Chick on Tue, 25th Aug 2009 9:36 PM
We need more of this, people are so vulnerable in the wilderness
VUbl on Tue, 25th Aug 2009 11:31 PM
Good Video, this is not just for kids, adults need it more than kids do in my opinion
Edder on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 6:40 AM
Thank you for making this
Canyon on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 8:59 AM
More Videos Please, love them
Таро on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 1:41 PM
I am glad you include God in your Creed
Sandy on Thu, 27th Aug 2009 3:37 PM
This article really says it all. Families don’t know each other anymore.
Guess what?
I am turning off everything except my email.
I will leave that on, as I get messages asking for help on this crazy machine.
Thank you for this article!!!!
Оlie on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 1:31 AM
I am taking this back with me, good stuff
Al on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 5:57 AM
Thank You Steve
HiT on Sat, 29th Aug 2009 7:47 AM
Good information, I agree you have to keep your head out of the sand to Keep out of trouble
Tacket on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 3:50 AM
This is a great idea I am going to order some up
Mike on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 8:45 AM
Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.
AAWA on Thu, 3rd Sep 2009 7:45 PM
Great tool to carry ammo
vertu on Fri, 4th Sep 2009 9:34 AM
Right on !
Наm on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 2:17 AM
good system to keep extra ammo
SoftDow on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 4:30 PM
Excellent way to carry extra ammo, I like all of the choices of calibers
FreeBird on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 6:50 PM
Great looking little trail Gun
Radman on Sun, 6th Sep 2009 3:49 PM
this is a cool piece of gear I am going to get some
Opel on Mon, 7th Sep 2009 4:28 PM
Thanks for this great article
Ау on Mon, 7th Sep 2009 9:14 PM
Lovely
sandra742 on Wed, 9th Sep 2009 6:54 AM
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
John Broekhuizen on Wed, 9th Sep 2009 7:29 AM
Thanks Sara we love that you love it
Хray on Wed, 9th Sep 2009 8:21 PM
Good Idea ! I love the Bond
lcedorra on Thu, 10th Sep 2009 9:09 AM
Very cool, I am liking it
Hiops on Thu, 10th Sep 2009 3:16 PM
really good concept and making it to transfer to a pocket is great
Abraham Leon on Thu, 10th Sep 2009 8:43 PM
Great 44 Magnum Video, I like it a lot
Nere on Fri, 11th Sep 2009 7:15 AM
great for a pack or my plane
Bruce Hopkins on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 6:13 AM
One other thought: Wet-packed canned food will store FAR longer than the expiration date states.
Twice in our history, canned food that was over 100 years old was found, once in England and once in the Missouri River. While it wasn’t pretty anymore, it was found to be edible … and the Missouri River canned food was even declared to be still nutritious (by a testing lab).
Best regards!
Bruce
Mario Harris on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 3:43 PM
Great video
Billy B on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:52 PM
I have often thought about this thanks
Jay on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:53 PM
Thanks for another great video
Mark on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:55 PM
Cool video, I think for a older person like you say something is better than nothing, and them being able to place shot with it at close range would work but if you can use something better do so
Mark on Mon, 14th Sep 2009 7:56 PM
I like your articles a lot very piratical no nonsense and to the point
Ross on Tue, 15th Sep 2009 7:56 AM
This video is correct, if you can use a heavier load, do so. I normally have #4 buck loaded as it has good penetration but is less likely to go through walls like slugs will. Still if your in a bind and #6 bird shoot is all you have then use it and aim for the groin/lower belly area.
Evee on Tue, 15th Sep 2009 4:19 PM
The Lord is good to all of us, but most of us will not let Him
Idahoser on Wed, 16th Sep 2009 8:48 AM
Thanks for the video. Like with a .22 for defense, don’t design your defenses that way but use it if it’s all you have- you may be trying it for the rest of your life.
kotor on Wed, 16th Sep 2009 10:36 AM
We defiantly need to remember who is in charge
arianne prevost on Thu, 17th Sep 2009 9:47 AM
[...] Washington and Lake Winder.Field Notes – http://www.fieldandstream.com/taxonomy/term/20515|||Woman uses crossbow to take 11-foot gator | ShilohTVArianne Prevost, 23, used a crossbow to successfully take her first alligator—an 11-footer [...]
Nikolas on Sat, 19th Sep 2009 11:36 AM
Very interesting idea
Matt Hanson on Sun, 20th Sep 2009 3:00 PM
Good writing. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed my Google News Reader..
Matt Hanson
Tom Stone on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 5:25 PM
Your video does not surprise me at all.I own a smith 442 and a few years ago at the range I decided to see if I could hit the 24″ gong at 100 yards with it,using 148 grain wadcutters.I could, 2 out of 5 and I am an average shot.The 442 is completely reliable,superbly accurate and the lightest .38 I can handle with full power ammo.I have since had it Mag-Na-ported and am happy with the results,blast has not appreciably increased and the recoil is more straight back making for a faster accurate second shot.It does take more practice to shoot a snubbie well,but I can rely on this little smith to do its job.
John Broekhuizen on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 6:34 PM
Thanks Tom it is like Steve said anyone can do it with practice, thank you for your comment
Emily on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 6:51 PM
Great video! Precise, uncomplicated, and to the point. Nice and short but informative and useful for anyone, including kids. Thanks. By the way, have you thought of sharing this with the Military community? Great information for our troops fighting overseas. Just an idea. If you know of someone serving, spread the word.
Ed on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 5:37 AM
Great post parallels my experience when taught to shoot a snubbie at FBI National Academy. The key to accurate DA firing is developing a smooth, straight-through, “row the boat” trigger stroke, without staging the trigger partially through the squeeze or putting any side pressure against the trigger. I learned on the Colt Official Police, and these days carry either a Dick Special or Cobra. I prefer the Colt’s stacking DA to S&Ws. I practice with a group of retired military, feds and local LEO dinosaurs. We use the an automatic resetting MGM Targets 5-inch Colt Speed Plate on sniper base at 50 yards and either a 40 percent scale IPSC silhouette or a 12 inch round gong on a stand at 100 yards for practice. We don’t hit steel on every shot, but do better than 50 percent firing six shots in ten seconds. None of us are younger than sixty and half have had cataract surgery in at least one eye. Beware old farts with revolvers.
John Broekhuizen on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 7:05 AM
Thanks for the comment ED, the Cobra and the Colts Detective Special type guns the Agent, etc are awesome snubby’s and we know that is does not pay to mess with guys who know their business :p
Mike on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 8:38 AM
Excellent video! I was first shown +100-yard snub shooting in ‘76 by an old instructor in Michigan State Police’s recruit school. He used an issued m38 (an Aiweight Bodyguard with an alloy frame and stainless cylinder), fired double-action with duty loads. It opened my eyes to the possible uses of a defensive handgun small enough to carry all day in a pocket. The J-frames obviously aren’t the optimal 100-yard firearm, but they’re a much more versatile gun than most folks give them credit for.
Mike on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 7:21 AM
Mr. Harris makes a lot of sense. Certainly, there are tasks the .32s might not be up to, but they’re always better than large caliber/full-size handguns left elsewhere. I’ve had recent occasion to do a considerable amount of shooting of a Soviet Nagant in 7.62 x 38, as well as a Colt Pocket Positive in .32 S&W Long. I’ve found both to be very accurate and enjoyable to shoot. The .32s have a great deal to offer.
Ed on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 10:35 AM
Animal hoarding is a serious problem. Following is an extreme cases from the Washington Post in which I was on the incident team. The case cited in the article hazardous materials and Type III confined space response. Methane accumulations in the structure were at the LEL, requiring positive pressure ventilation, and cutting off electric powder to reduce the fire hazard before hazmat investigators and animal control officers could enter the house. Video feed from the fire investigator’s helmet as viewed from our command post resembled a bad rerun from The X-Files as over 100 sets of eyes looked back at him in the dark as his headlamp was turned on, punctuated by cat spits and howls.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/17/AR2005071701049.html
Mark on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:09 AM
I like this the .32 would be a great little piece for the wood I wonder if .32 in a revolver would be better?
Jmmy Joe on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:10 AM
I have had a .32 in the drawer for some time and never gave it much thought, I think it will go with me on my walks and when kicking around in the woods
Art on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:10 AM
Good Read
Randy on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 12:02 PM
Nice writing style. I look forward to reading more in the future.
Twitted by procurement on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:13 PM
[...] This post was Twitted by procurement [...]
Mike Stamm on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 6:46 AM
Mark,
I’m real fond of the revolvers, and if you go with a .32 mag (or the new .327 mag) you can also down-load them with .32 S&W or S&W Longs. I’ve tried the .327, and prefer the more sedate stuff, personally.
The autos are a lot thinner and easier for pocket carry than are the revolvers. I used to have a “Titanic” pocket auto made by Ruby in Spain during the ’20s, and it was a surprisingly nice little gun. The old Euro autos are often inexpensive. I believe I paid 20 or 25 bucks for mine, and gave it to a friend who admired it. They’re out there.
Ed Harris on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 6:59 AM
The reader poises an extremely valid question, would a .32 revolver be better? I’ve explored this too.
I had always believed that “trail guns” required a 4-inch or longer barrel to be accurate enough to take the head off a grouse at 25 yards with rifle-like accuracy. Then in 1974 I accompanied Arizona Game and Fish biologist Harley Shaw on a horseback trip in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, where they were monitoring telemetry from collared mountain lions. Harley usually carried either a 2-3/4-inch Ruger .357 Speed Six or a 2-inch S&W Model 34 .22 Kit Gun, depending upon the season and mission.
His reasoning was that a “camp gun” was used more for personal protection up close than for shooting camp meat at any distance. A trail a gun is “carried a lot, but seldom shot.” A holstered gun on the hip snags brush and may poke you inconveniently when sitting for long periods. When the task at hand doesn’t require a firearm, carrying one anyway can be a nuisance. Harley’s ideal trail handgun was a compact, reliable snubby revolver, tucked into a chaps pocket with no more thought than pulling on your pants in the morning. Snake and furry varmint ranges in the scrub are short. There is no need to shoot beyond 50 feet. Simplicity, comfort, constant availability and compact convenience are the name of the game.
Over the years I’ve had fun comparing small revolvers with pocket auto pistols. Revolvers enable greater versatility in ammo, while auto pistols are flatter to carry and carry more rounds. Both types of handguns have their advantages.
Utility with shot loads is important in snake country. The choice of a pocket gun for such use favors a .38 Special revolver or perhaps a compact .45 Automatic and Speer loads. The utility of .22 shot loads is extremely limited. They require that you get within 5 to 6 ft. of the snake, which may be interesting if it’s a really “big” one. Most .22 auto pistols don’t extract or eject shot-loads reliably, so follow-ups are slow and you will need to carry a knock-out rod along.
As for practical field shooting accuracy, Harry Archer defined “small game range” as the longest distance at which YOU can shoot a 2-inch group from an improvised field rest using your handgun of choice to put meat in the cook pot. Most pocket pistols or snubby revolvers do so at ten yards. Better ones do so at fifteen, and a few will at twenty. But very few do so reliably at 25 yards. Even with my best handloads loads, none of my stock .32 Autos or my .22, .32 or .38 revolvers with fixed sights, having barrels of less than four inches reliably average 2 inches at 25 yards.
This should come as no surprise. Firing service-grade pistols or revolvers (not intended for formal target work) a grouping of “one inch per ten” (yards) has always been felt satisfactory. The best pocket pistols and compact revolvers group two inches out to only 50 feet or so. For most ordinary handgun use this is “good enough.” Outdoorsmen years ago did fine in shooting camp meat and varmints with handguns no more accurate than this.
If you don’t believe this, just try fire your own tests with any generic 4-inch barrel fixed sight .38 Special “cop gun” or single-action cowboy revolver sometime and be honest. If you really need grouping better than 2 inches at 25 yards, anytime, on demand, you must endure carrying a very much less-handy 6-inch gun.
Ed Harris on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 11:10 AM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209078/Channel-4-exploitation-row-cameraman-airlifted-wilderness-dying-starvation.html
They would have been better off sending any old grizzled retired SAS trained by Lofty Wiseman. Compared to Wiseman’s DVD, even Survivor Man looks pretty lame.
Bob on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 1:51 PM
Leave it to Remington to offer $250.00 for my $597.00 .17 when it cost $425.00 new. Does anyone know what the real problem is? I now know why my safe is full of Rugers and Savages. Why would I take $250.00 and buy another Remington ?
Ed Harris on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 5:11 AM
What may help with these numbers is that in West Virginia it is legal to take home and eat your road kill, after having reported it to the state police or a conservation officer. I am aware of folks who don’t have two nickels to rub together who survive on road kill.
Asked an old boy if he was going deer hunting this fall, and he said, “Yup! already got me two so far.”
I queried, “Really, I thought it was early yet, archery or black powder season?”
He said, “1977 Ford F100″.
Ed Harris on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 5:54 AM
They don’t have any kangaroos in my part of West Virginia.
They gotta be either canned, frozen or imported.
Ed Harris on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 12:02 PM
Survival “Every Day Carry” (EDC) Cash
Before about 1990 many vending machines did not require electricity. This meant that you could usually buy a few candy bars or bags of potato chips at a service station vending machine even when there was no electricity to run the pumps.
Today you may still find older non-electric vending machines, in rural areas, so keep some coins handy in your bugout kit. Pay telephones are scarce today, but may still find them in rural areas. Pay phones often worked for outgoing long distance calls even when the local public service telephone network did not.
Dad taught us as kids to carry a 35mm film can (remember “wet” process photography?) of coins, “just in case.” Dad’s concept for our “kid’s coin can” was a couple dimes to call home from a pay phone, and a stack of quarters for vending machine snacks, enough for a McDonald’s lunch and bus fare home. If neither Mom & Dad were home, we knew to go to our neighbor’s.
A 35mm film can holds about $7 worth of quarters. A few dimes can be tucked in around the edges. You can increase the dollar value by folding, rolling and tucking a bill inside, then stuffing the coin stack down its middle or by including a few dollar coins in the mix.
My adult proportioned emergency cash can these days is packed in an Altoids tin. It contains five pennies, two nickels, five dimes, four quarters, five-$1, four-$5, two-$10 and ten-$20 bills, sealed with Scotch Super 88 electrical tape and sewn into my covert coat pocket or 5.11 vest.
A useful planning concept for your emergency cash is “enough to fill your car with gas, get a hot meal and a motel room for one night on the way home” after a deployment helping out in a neighboring county under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. When I was a GI in 1970 you could to all that for about $50. Today you will need closer to $250, hence $245.65 when you add this up. If you get marooned away from home when power is off, a little “mad money” makes things less crazy and adds a little comfort and security.
My two cents.
jonnjenkind on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 2:40 PM
I want to say – thank you for this!
Ed Harris on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 7:03 AM
Our municipal trash collection crews work in some pretty unsavory places where pit bulls and other large dogs run freely off leash. In areas where dogs are a problem the driver stands by with a ten-pound ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher which every truck carries. A snoot full of fire retardant seems as about effective as the MACE brand of sticky OC foam. If all else fails trash trucks always carry a steel rake, shovel and a pitchfork for collecting loose litter.
Public works guys aren’t allowed to carry “weapons” on duty, but it is sure nice for the county to give them that pitch fork and the fire extinguisher.
Ed Harris on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 7:40 AM
Another essential safety step is letting a responsible person know where you are going, when you expect to return, and who to call, such as the sheriff to initiate a SAR mission, if they don’t hear back from you by a date and time certain. This is the same as a private pilot filing a flight plan.
On short hunting trips in our local area we carry a cell phone and a portable 2-meter band amateur radio portable, (for which we are licensed). We make arrangements with a local ham for us to check in nightly to advise that we are OK and to update any adjustments to our trip intinerary or schedule.
On trips beyond local repeater coverage we take a portable battery-operated HF-SSB, with wire antenna and coupler, and set up a similar comms schedule on 40 meters, which covers most of North America when band conditions are good, or about a 300 mile radius the rest of the time using near vertical incidence skywave.
In remote areas where we don’t know any locals, we leave a trip plan envelope with the sheriff’s office. This contains description(s) of our vehicle(s), the number of people in our party with name, equipment and outdoor skill level, where we will park, foil impressions of our boot prints, description of our itinerary, cell phone numbers, communiciations skeds and working frequencies and a partially completed SAR Form 201B with the info needed to initiate a search, should it be required.
Several times when hunting a new area in West Virginia, sheriff’s deputies would assign a radio amateur who was a member of their Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) to give us a local contact for daily PAR checks (Personnel Accountability Reports – to use common terminology of the fire service). We’ve met some great friends this way.
This practice blizzard paid off during a blizzard when we got snowed in and are 4WD vehicles were unable to make it back out as we had planned. A radio contact to the RACES station advised the that we were holed up in camp, everyone was OK, we had plenty of firewood and food, and were waiting out the storm. The RACES member relayed a phone call home for us advise our wives that we wouldn’t be at work on Monday, but not to worry. The snow continued, so RACES used us to arrange a SAR exercise, using a snow mobile group bring us out. We left two 4WD vehicles in the woods, and we came back to get them after the snow melted. Inconvenience, but no disaster.
The most successful SAR mission is the training one you plan, where everybody gets home alive.
Ed on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 8:31 AM
For more info see
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/05/billing-search-and-rescue-missions-yes-or-no
“Although it remains a local decision, billing for search and rescue operations is a dangerous practice that should be avoided,” said NASAR President Dan Hourihan.
NASAR’s position:
To eliminate the fear of being unable to pay for having one’s life saved, SAR services should be rendered to persons in danger or distress without subsequent cost-recovery from the person(s) assisted unless prior arrangements have been made. The mission of SAR organizations is to save lives, not just the lives of those who can afford to pay the bill. As such, methods and means should be developed and used that diffuse the cost of humanitarian SAR operations among the many, allowing anyone to reasonably expect emergency aid without regard to their circumstances.
According to the release, “the idea of not billing for SAR services confuses many people. However, SAR professionals across the nation know of many instances in which someone – after an unforeseen accident, or spending hours searching for their missing companion – delayed calling for help. Each ‘remembered’ hearing, seeing or reading, ’somewhere’ that rescues and searches cost ‘thousands of dollars’ – which they could not afford. Some have even chosen not to call for help, or refused emergency help.”
To underscore this fear, the organizations cited a 2006 case in which a young hiker became stranded on Colorado’s 14,270-foot Quandary Peak. “She called 9-1-1, but asked the SAR team leader just to ‘talk her out of the area,’” noted the organizations.
“The sun had already set and cold weather surrounded her in a dangerous area of the mountain. She repeatedly said the SAR team should not come to help her. After going back and forth with her on her cell phone, the SAR team leader finally asked why she didn’t want help. She replied, ‘I can’t afford it.’ He explained that there would be no charge and she then relented,” noted the groups.
Additional examples where people initially refused help can be found in the attachments below.
“A delay can place SAR personnel in danger and can unnecessarily compound and lengthen a SAR mission,” says Mr. Hourihan. “Not calling for emergency SAR help could be as catastrophic as not calling the fire department when a small stove-top fire jumps to the ceiling and instantly fills the kitchen with flames, because the home owner’s first thought was, ‘How in the world will I pay the fire department?’”
Then-U.S.C.G. Commandant James Loy perhaps explained it best, in 1999, in the Coast Guard’s very similar position. “If the specter of financial reimbursement hung over the decision to report maritime distress, we could get fewer calls, we would get calls during later stages of emergencies, and more people would die at sea. This factor alone outweighs any consideration of how much money we might recoup,” said Admiral Loy.
Traveler footnote: Founded in 1973, the National Association for Search and Rescue comprises more than 10,000 volunteer and paid search and rescue professionals who work at the local, state and national level in land, aviation and water SAR. NASAR conducts hundreds of training courses and thousands of certification exams each year. More than 11,000 people hold any of 11 NASAR certifications in SAR operations.
Ed Harris on Wed, 30th Sep 2009 9:57 AM
Thanks for the memories. I found Dad’s old Gillette, brush, Ajax blades and a worn block of GI soap in his old WWII foot locker. I need to give them a try.
Capt Bravo on Thu, 1st Oct 2009 8:09 PM
Elmer Keith would be proud.
Ed on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 7:41 AM
I met Harley Shaw in 1974. He is the only Arizona Game & Fish employee ever shot on duty, even though his working title was Research Biologist for his entire career. The culprit wasn’t a game law violator, but an escaped convict who had killed an officer, wounded Harley and a companion and was finally killed by a young highway patrolman on his first duty day in his new district. His experience proves that ”any gun is better than no gun,” when you don’t think you need one, but fate isn’t in your favor and all of a sudden life goes sour. I know many old farts who are never, ever without a snubby, and evil people are the reason why.
Nynel on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 1:59 AM
The Best
Sue Massey on Tue, 6th Oct 2009 8:30 AM
A friend of mine just emailed me one of your articles from a while back. I read that one a few more. Really enjoy your blog. Thanks
Tom Halpin on Wed, 7th Oct 2009 1:21 PM
Have been trap shooting for years, no problems with recoil or anything. Just have started flinching. Just cant figure out the reason.
Mike on Wed, 7th Oct 2009 7:13 PM
Tom,
I’m no trap shooter, so I can’t offer much advice other than to have a more-experienced shooter watch you and make some suggestion (other than “Stop flinching, Tom!”). Have you noticed any coinciding health problems, or changes in prescription medications? I do handgun instruction, and have noted that otherwise harmless meds sometimes cause trembling hands, flinching, etc. I’ve noticed in my own shooting that a lot of quirks seem more likely to surface when I’m dealing with injuries, pain, or fatigue. The other thing is that you may just need to do it more regularly to get used to the recoil again if you have taken some time off.
Mike
Ed Harris on Thu, 8th Oct 2009 6:37 AM
When I was a kid I was deadly with the home made “beanshooter” or “bean-flip”. Our slingshots were home made from the crotch of a dogwood tree, with natural gum latex ruibber bands or 3/8 sugical tubing bound to the upright forks with 15 pound braided nylon fishing line, then varnished, all in the style popularized by the famous “Bean Shooter Man” Rufus Hussey of Ashboro, NC.
While dried peas and Great Northern beans were common training ammunition for boys below the age of 12, but as teenagers were were entrusted with No. 4 or larger lead buckshot as serious hunting ammunition. It was Dad’s rule that boys could not hunt with a gun unsupervised until old enough to have a “learner’s permit” to drive. Bean shooters were OK.
A boyhood friend had an original Colt 1851 Navy cap & ball revolver which we learned to shoot under Dad’s supervision, but at other times the .375 round balls we cast in the barn over a Coleman stove became our preferred, hard hitting slingshot ammo for use against rabbits in Mom’s flower bed, racoons attacking our garbage cans behind the back porch at night or groundhogs whenever we could “Indian-up” on one along the fence or wood line.
The Wham-O slingshot of my youth is no longer made and many urban areas restrict the sale of “wrist rocket sligshots because they are commonly used as “gang weapons.” If you are ever reduced to making your own, you can do much worse than follow the methods depicted in the 1960s Andy Griffith TV show by the famous Bean Shooter Man Rufus Hussey of Ashboro, NC, and reproduce his lowly “Bean Shooter.”
This link has how-to information. This is EXACTLY what I used as a boy. I still have mine, which has taken alot of rabbits and game birds. In a pinch it still would be a quiet self defense weapon. To carry a loaded slingshot in your overalls back pocket so that it is available for a fast draw, (with practice you can draw and shoot a pop can at 20 feet in 2 seconds) a single, large projectile is centered in the leather pouch, which should be LIGHTLY greased with Crisco, and retained by a rubber band doubled and tucked snugly around the pouch. When the slingshot is drawn and released, the rubber band is discards, sending the marble on its merry way.
http://www.asheboro.com/users/teallen/rufus1.htm
Nervana on Sat, 10th Oct 2009 9:31 AM
Very interesting never really looked at it that way
Wic on Sat, 10th Oct 2009 9:31 AM
Thank you for good job!,
Kandra on Sat, 10th Oct 2009 1:55 PM
This is the coolest site!
Jack on Sat, 10th Oct 2009 5:45 PM
It looks interesting, but I think the Bang company is out of business. Do you have any links?
John Broekhuizen on Sat, 10th Oct 2009 6:21 PM
http://www.laserlyte.com/ Here you go Jack
mike riem on Sun, 11th Oct 2009 6:01 PM
What I have found is not so much the rifle, but the type of amo used, Hornday is far the best to discharge, for the rifle Remington knowingly is f’d, and only giving “up” to $250. will dramatically change when the lawyers can go after Remington for something more than the other losses from purchase, like a life or limb. And to think, I’ve yet to receive a notice of this recall!
Jack on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 7:38 AM
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you. ” – unknown
Jack on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 7:44 AM
Just another ignorant strike against the Kalifornia economy. I’m sure Nevada & Arizona are happy that their income and tax revenues will be going up with increased ammo sales.
John Broekhuizen on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 10:29 AM
They can not buy it mail order anymore either so that will increase the supply for the rest of the US who can, I would like to say I feel sorry for them but I do not. They keep re-electing those people who do nothing but take their rights away and screw up the state even more. Maybe one day they will wake up and start electing people who believe in the constitution and personal freedom. Until then they have no right to complain about a thing. Maybe the people will get it one day and make the changes to take their state back. But I will not hold my breath blue is not my color.
Polprav on Mon, 12th Oct 2009 5:10 PM
Hello from Russia
Jack on Thu, 15th Oct 2009 8:43 AM
Florida has over 10% unemployment. Offer a bounty for any invasive species of snake and put those people to work! $1 per foot, dead or alive, should do it.
Jack on Wed, 21st Oct 2009 6:10 PM
If I had one, I sure wouldn’t give it away, but at the cost of $300+ to buy a used Browning .25 ACP that is over 40 years old (1905-1969), I’d rather buy a Ruger LCP in .380. The Ruger weighs about the same, is about the same size, and fires a much more potent cartridge. Also, when you buy a Ruger LCP, it will be new with a lifetime warranty for about $300+.
Ed Harris on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 5:50 AM
If you haven’t planned ahead to bring your GI canteen cup or other metal cooking pot, one of the best improvised cooking methods is the “rock boil.” Scrape a depression in the ground. Line it, flesh-up, with the hide of an animal you have snared and plan to eat.
Put your stew ingredients in the hide with water to cover. Carefully add one or two hot rocks you have heated in your came fire. As one rock cools down and stops simmering, fork it out with a stick, put it back in the fire, then replace it with another hot rock. Primitive peoples who do this a lot keep a dozen or so chicken egg-sized rocks for this purpose and use them in continuous rotation.
To poach small fish or boned fillets takes three to four egg or lemon-sized rocks to a quart of water in mild shirt-sleeve weather. Double that cooking time for chilly weather and for red meats. Cutting game meat into smaller bite-sized pieces speeds cooking time. Smash the bones and marrow into a paste and put that into your cooking skin too.
Punch holes at 2 inch intervals around the edges of the cooking skin, and thread with cordage, so that you can gather up any leftovers into the bag and hoist high enough into a tree to protect your stash from predators. If on the move this enables you to carry your food with you.
John Broekhuizen on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 9:20 PM
The Browning is only one model, there are tons of good 25 ACP’s out there much cheaper. And as stated their are much better guns, and I would buy a used snubby before the Ruger, and the Browning is much smaller than the Ruger 380 I have them both setting right here.
The point is if you have one, someone gives or leaves you one, or can get one that is inexpensive do not throw it in a drawer put it to work and get some use out of it.
Ed Harris on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 10:19 AM
I you have the urge to equip your bar with proper Crown pints to benefit any visiting soccer hooligans, US customers can buy them here, the genuine article imported from the UK.
http://www.thepubshoppe.com/pintglass.html
Ed Harris on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 10:38 AM
A practice I was taught is to mark exterior pockets of the bailout or man overboard bag with a permament marker to identify the general category of a pocket’s or compartment’s contents, such as:
Fire and light
First Aid
Food and Water
Comms and Nav
Tools and Sharps
Important small loose items such as utility knife, signal mirror, whistle, flashlight, compass, Doan fire striker and bailing cup should be tethered together with 550 cord and securely attached to the bag with a snap link. This both makes it easy to find them in the dark, to remove from the bag to carry them on your person when desired, and to secure them against loss.
Print out on waterproof paper and laminate a contents checklist with categoried list of contents, pack location, replacement and expiry dates. Tuck into the pack flap pocket for quick reference. Inspect and replace shelf-life, seasonal and climate specific items in the spring and fall.
Ed Harris on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 10:48 AM
A high school buddy was born in Alaska when his dad was stationed there with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Tom graduated from the University of Arizona and became an Army Engineer also. Upon retiring from USACE he moved back to Alaska and embarked on a second career as a civil engineer with the Indian Health Service. He works in almost every day in bear country. His advice is identical to yours. EDC is an S&W Model 29 with Keith-style handloads, but in a pinch any gun which you can score multiple hits with quickly and penetrate deeply is better than no gun. Guns beat pepper spray every time.
Matt on Sun, 25th Oct 2009 4:29 PM
Waaaa Waaaaa Waaaaa
All those same arguments were used over billing for (then all volunteer) ambulance services. We were the first on our side of the state to do so.
There was never a time that, statistically, people stopped calling. Today’s $500-1500 ambulance bill will be a fraction of the ER bill. Sure some folks may worry about it — they’re also the personalities that would dither about calling for any excuse they could think of.
Over the last 20 years that practice of billing has become near universal in my area. It’s enabled the upgrading of services, hiring of paid crews by many towns to improve coverage especially during the workday, and for affordable Paramedic coverage for seniors. Due to a quirk in Medicare, after changes around 1999 they would not pay for our system of Paramedics unless it was billed with the ambulance trip.
A rescue, whether by the Coast Guard, a Search and Rescue group, or the local fire department is no more a humanitarian mission then the work by the doctors, nurses, and specialists and the Emergency Department the victims are going to. You darn well know the Hospital is going to charge for their work.
John Broekhuizen on Sun, 25th Oct 2009 5:01 PM
Based on your argument then you should not receive one thin dime in tax money and neither should any of the agencies you mentioned, they should be totally self supported with private monies, and there should also be no regulation keeping other private companies from competing with getting that business, none should get any preference. The Tax payer can keep his money and use it as he or she sees fit. It should all be private. You can not have it both ways, you want tax money you can not charge.
Funny how tax funded employees think they should get to sit around and collect a check and do nothing to earn it, if you are on duty why shouldn’t you be answering calls verses sitting on your butt playing cards or feeding your face you are getting paid either way.
If you are a volunteer and it bothers you going on calls don’t volunteer , when you volunteer that means you have the time and resources to do it for free and want to serve your community.
A cup of coffee, a knife and a 25ACP | ShilohTV on Tue, 27th Oct 2009 7:54 AM
[...] This is a post by Caleb, from Gun Nuts Media it goes with the article on the 25 ACP http://shilohtv.com/?p=3225 [...]
Ed Harris on Tue, 27th Oct 2009 10:19 AM
This kind of stuff is fueling debate among public officials who would bill those being rescued for the cost of the public safety response.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/05/billing-search-and-rescue-missions-yes-or-no
The National Association for Search & Rescue opposes billing the rescued for emergency services rendered.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/05/billing-search-and-rescue-missions-yes-or-no
Ed Harris on Tue, 27th Oct 2009 10:25 AM
“Take the fight to the enemy~!” Hot coffee in the face beats spare change and empathy every time.
Handled it perfectly, especially where he called the police and waited in a safe indoor place to give his report.
Bravo Zulu all around.
Ed Harris on Thu, 29th Oct 2009 5:42 AM
Here is a related newspaper article:
http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_075233519.html/
And a later update:
http://www.ourbigfoot.com/west_virginia_bigfoot.html
Update! WV Bigfoot Mystery Solved!!
We received the following e-mail 3-13-08:
“I got a kick out of the pictures of your
“West Virginia Bigfoot”. The pictures that
the woman took are actually of my wife’s
family’s cabin (several of her relatives live
along the river in the homes that were
mentioned all year long). The “Bigfoot” in
question is actually a tall wooden statue of
a WVU Mountaineer.” – Justin
David M. Fannon on Thu, 29th Oct 2009 8:55 AM
Well this would have been good to know before I went to the Range and fired my 597. I got powder burns on my right cheek when a round blew. It did the same as the pictures. I just figured it was just a miss fire. Well a few rounds lated it did it again, but this time it split the stock on the 597. I came home an got on the net looking for the Remington phone # so that I could find out what to do as i liked the gun. Well it was closed so today I called and they said there was a recall and they would send me a lable for my gun. So will see what happens in the next few weeks.
Ed Harris on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 7:57 AM
I have Coleman stoves dating from the WWII period which work as well as newer ones. When rebuilding older stoves found at flea markets, one finds all manner of contaminates inside the fuel tank. Stale, gummy, orange remnants of ancient fuel will cause sputtering, low light/heat output, if not outright failure…
Additives in unleaded gasoline may allow corrosion, rust and particulate residues to clog the generator. Detail-disassembly and cleaning usually fixes things. Repair parts are usually still available for old models, even after many years. Failure to test and maintain necessitates eventual condemnation of the unit because of rust and corrosion…..
Fuel storage in opened, original steel containers is subject to cycling of humidity and internal container pressure as a function of weather. If not well sealed this causes (daily) inhalation and exhalation cycles of the containers, introducing moisture inducing rust, vapor problems in closed spaces, and moisture contamination of the fuel.
Container condensation in vented outside sheds subjects unsealed containers to rust and corrosion. Inspect fuel cans around their screw-on cap, if previously opened also the seal inside the cap, and the seams all around the can, for rust. External particulates must be prevented from contaminating the fuel during inspection of degrading containers. Small orifices in the jets and generator ass’y of lamps and stoves will clog immediately.
The moral – Filter all previously opened stored fuels~!
balharbour on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 10:51 AM
Fantastic article (again!) Ed!!! Very clear. While (thankfully) I am not limited to one gun, I can see why it should be a .22 BA rifle. In the rainy days to come, the lowly .22 will still most likely be the one round in general circulation. I am (kicking and screaming) approaching the time in my life where open sights are out of the question for me.
The article inspired me to take out my old Winchester M69a from the safe and caress it a bit. She wears the Model 88a peep sight. As I live in a small town here in Florida now, I do most of my shopping at WalMart, and long ago adapted the philosphy that my personal larder should be stocked primarily with goods available from their sporting goods section. Thankfully, I bought a generous amount of .22RF when it was not a sometime thing. I had put my rifle away awhile back and had scarcely thought about it til this piece came into print. For this I must thank you, as I feel like I have been reacquainted to a long, lost friend.
Steve
balharbour on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 5:54 PM
Great article Ed. I was wondering if the velocity would be high enough with your load to seat your hollow base bullet reversed and function? I suppose that the bullet would have to be pure lead to open up (if in fact it would open up at all).
Have you ever worked up any cat sneeze loads for the .44 Special or Magnum? I have a Marlin M94 that could certainly benefit from a quieter loading. Currently have been shooting 200 and 240 hard cast bullets from Lee.
Steve
Tom Strickland on Sat, 31st Oct 2009 11:14 PM
I have always liked the Canadian blade style ever since I found an old DH Russell many years ago. That knife has since passed threw my hands and I have been looking at the Bark River version, hopefully for a grandson.
Steven S.Baum on Sun, 1st Nov 2009 6:00 AM
Its a real pleasure to hear no B.S. reporting on the subject of firearms – and the G-D bless afterwards is cool too.I was an LEO and D/T as well as firearm’s instructor and I really like your delivery and the facts you present = kudo’s.
Kyley Harris on Sun, 1st Nov 2009 3:52 PM
Thanks for the competition, and I’ll be sure to take some time and look more thoroughly at this website
Fred Engel on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 6:21 PM
I’m signing in to get a free knife and while I’m here I am going to review some of the content.
thanks!
Sandy Morrissey on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 7:56 PM
I would not consider this as political but rather as a positive action by a political body. Political factions when united often have positive results that are not political in nature. The knife you carry doesn’t give a hoot whether you are a member of one party or the other. —Sandy—
Jack Rohrbach on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 6:33 AM
The knife sign up brought me to this website, which will become a regular view for me.
Thanks!!!!!!!!
Ed Harris on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 9:01 AM
My West Virgina barn gun is a Remington Model 34 with tube magazine that is older than I am. got it at a yard sale for $100 and its elderly owner was delighted that I recognized the model and knew exactly what it was. He told me, “before the war Dad fed us with deer that fell down in front of that rifle… I’ve even taken a few in the garden recently, but I just can’t see the sights anymore~!” The quality of machine work in these old pre-war guns is simply amazing when you compare with the mass-marketed cheap stuff that make today.
Ed Harris on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 9:09 AM
Another option is the sub-caliver adapter. Winchester and Marbles used to make these before WWII which enabled the user to shoot .32 ACP or .32 S&W handgun ammo in a .30-30, .30-40 or .30-’06 sporting rifle. Today the Sportsman’s Guide sells some in popular calibers:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/rifle-chamber-insert.aspx?a=471502
I have these in the .303 British and 7.62×54R Russian which use .32 ACP ammunition. They work OK at short range and shoot inch groups at 25 yards with the battle sights set at about 500 yards. I had problems with .308 Winchester and .30-’06 adapters because which would not extract from tight sporting chambers. Limit their use to loose chamber-dimensioned mil-surp rifles. Mark the adapter with an electric engraver with the rifle serial number, because after repeated firing the mild steel will conform to the rifle chamber, so to avoid sticking one in another rifle know that once fired a bit are not interchangeable.
Ed Harris on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 10:04 AM
Factory soft-swaged hollow-based 148-gr. wadcutters are not stable when fired backwards. They yaw beyond very short range so that accuracy is poor beyond “across the bar room floor” distances.
At low subsonic velocities the most effective bullet is a flat nose with large meplat. This gives maximum crush cavity diameter with deep penetration. A bullet of .40 cal. or larger, weighing 200 grains or more, at about 900-1000 f.ps. will perforate through a deer from any angle.
It is difficult to get reliable expansion with conventional handgun bullets below about 850 f.p.s. At low subsonic velocities from 750 to about 1000 f.p.s. a large flat nose having a cup point of a diameter cavity about 0.6 of the meplat diameter as deep as the opening with angled sides works well, as long as the bullet is not harder than 10-11BHN. An alloy of 1:25 tin/lead or 50-50 wheelweights and plumber’s lead is about right. Pre-1900 .455 Mk. II Webley “Manstopper Bullets” were of this design, formed of nearly pure soft lead, and expanded very well.
I have had great success using long-barreled .45 ACP rifles shooting deer in settled areas for population and crop damage control. With a long enough barrel no suppressor is needed. For lowest noise the barrel length should be 24 inches or more. With a barrel longer than 28 inches you are more likely to stick a bullet in the barrel with a light load. Best accuracy is obtained with rifling having 24 to 28 inches per turn.
Popular .45 Colt lever-action rifles chambered for the .45 Colt are limited by the .45 Colt cartridge which results in excessive airspace in the case and sloppy blackpowder chamber dimensioons which are not conducive to best accuracy. I had my Marlin 1894 Cowboy converted to fire .45 ACP, setting the barrel back, rechambering and reworking the lifter. It now has a 22″ barrel, holds 13 .45 ACP rounds and shoots 2 inch groups at 50 yards. Using common factory-loaded 230-grain personal defense loads with jacketed hollow-point bullets velocity is about 900 f.p.s., only slightly more than when the same ammunition is fired in a handgun. Increased bore drag of the jacketed bullets fired in a rifle length barrel defeats most of the potential velocity gain. Lubricated lead bullets reliably exit the bore down to about 800 f.p.s. and can be driven to about 1000 f.p.s. from the rifle within normal limits of chamber pressure. From a The peak pressure decibel noise level of the Marlin is 85dB when measured at 1 meter from the muzzle. Another rifle I have with 25 inch barrel shows a 3dB reduction for the extra 3 inches of tube. Expected accuracy of the best .45 ACP ammunition is about 2-3 inches for 5-shot groups at 50 yards and in proportion at longer ranges.
For my culling operations I use a 250-gr. cup-point bullet cast of pure lead and 4.2 grains fo Bullseye for abouit 900 f.p.s. http://www.hollowpointmold.com/pictures/?category=Cramer+style+molds&picture=561#561
To obtain similar performance in a long barreled .44 Magnum or .45 Colt cowboy rifle try loading a soft-lead 240-270 grain flatnosed bullet with about 5 grains of any fast-burning pistol or shotgun powder you have lying around. Bullseye, 231, Unique, SR-7625, PB, Red Dot, 700-X will all work. Keep the velocity below 1000 f.p.s. for lowest noise, but do not go below 850 f.p.s. with jacketed bullets or 800 f.p.s. with lubricated lead ones to avoid sticking a bullet in the barrel. The report is more like a muffled “pop~!” than a gun going off.
If you want hollow-point bullets that work you will need to cast your own. The web link where I got my mold will be happy to modify a mould for you.
Ed Harris on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 1:19 PM
Correction, the .455 Webley Manstopper bullet was designated as the Mk. III, this reference also has a picture:
http://cartridgecollectors.org/455/introto455.htm
Ed on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 1:40 PM
Outstanding~!
This needs to be formatted into a condensed, bulleted summary in the form of a checklist, printed onto the back of a silk escape map, dewrag or bandanna with some basic survival tips and Gunny’s Wisdom which could be given away to troops or packed in their PX rations with the pogey bait.
oldbird on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 4:21 PM
He’s lucky he was seeing anything!
Steve on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 7:36 PM
Ed,
Would my Ideal #31357 (made for the .32 NP with an as cast 105 grain FN) be too heavy for the .32 ACP? What I am really getting at, would the extra 7 grains (over the Saeco #325) make that much of a difference? Would I have to reduce that 1.8 grs. of Bullseye? BTW, as all .32 brass is none too plentiful at present, I have been loading/shooting ACP’s in my Ruger Bisley SS. Seems the semi-rim is enough to hold the round in the cylinder. Normally I load 3.0 grs. of Unique in S&W long brass for this bullet. Not a thumper in the Bisley by any stretch, but seems to meet my minimum daily requirements.
ernest noyes on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 9:20 AM
I would like to see them making some thing use full out of less than ideal wood. I just carved a maple bowl and I can tell you it is not the same as bass wood or pine
I also run into a great many knots which I simple carve through up to a point. Showing whether the blade will hold up to this or not would be good to know. even a 1″ knot in hardwood shouldn’t be a issue if care is taken. Whittle through the knots don’t baton with a heavy object which could easily destroy a lighter knife. Even my small carbon steel mora has no problem doing this. I did convex the edge though.
Jimmy K. on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 3:49 PM
Hardwood timber carving is certainly a good area to test knives. Also clashes with metal and other hard objects like stone on the edge of the blade could also be a great indicator of the knifes edge retention. Whether we like it or not hitting a blade on metal or stone is bad for the knife but ultimately it does happen when you are out on the track whether you are cutting up meat in a metal pan or whittling some timber not realizing there is a nail in it until there is a slight prang. In this way examining the different effects on different blades would reveal the quality of the blade. It may be difficult to standardize each test for each blade.
Steven S.Baum on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 5:43 PM
Camp chores are THE most cause for knife use,cooking and batoning for a fire are primary.I want a test that does NOT destroy the knife and a knife that can hold an edge for about a weekends worth of camping.Weight is a big thing to me and even though I like a larger blade – it still has to be well balanced and not hard on the hand [ sharp edges etc ].If it can handle gutting and prepping a small game critter ,then that too!.
Steve on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 6:50 PM
Ed,
I have been thinking about retiringmy Win. M69a and acquiring a Ruger M77/22, as I can benefit from mounting a scope. What is your feeling about the overall quality of this rifle? Worth the money?
Bill on Wed, 4th Nov 2009 6:54 PM
I always thought cross grain batoning was a good test of a blade.
It stikes me as a task one would run into in the wild.
I think it LOOKS like it is hard on a knife.
Especially the edge.
makes a statement about the blades geometry.
Ed Harris on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 7:47 AM
When I worked for Ruger I lived in the New London area and I occasionally hunted boar in Corbin Park when invited. The preserve was formed about the turn of the 20th Century by a group of wealthy investors from New York. The Ruger family has been a benefactor ever since they established their plant in Newport, NH nearby.
Croydon, New Hampshire was chartered in 1763, and named for a suburb of London, the location of a palace under which several archbishops of Canterbury were buried. Among the grantees was Captain Stephen Hall, whose grandson Samuel Read Hall (1795-1877) was born in Croydon. Professor Hall established the first teacher training school in the US, authored the first instructional book for teachers, and was reputed to be the first teacher to use a blackboard. He taught at several New England colleges, including Phillips Andover Academy and Holmes-Plymouth Academy, now Plymouth State University. If there were ever a small town which exemplifies the Currier and Ives Christmas postcards, it is Croydon.
http://www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi/htmlprofiles/croydon.html
Jim Monty on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 8:11 AM
Good read-
my main CCW (when carrying small) is the Beretta Tomcat 32- – great shooter- very accurate at 7 yards- the most I take away from these articles – is #1 carry the weapon 2# practice so you have good shot placement just in case
I have a bunch of buddies who say that the 32 is crappy round- meanwhile I am at the range once a month, with my tomcat in my pocket- there 45,40 etc is at home with little or no use- Hmmmmm-
cheers
Jim
Ed Harris on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 8:51 AM
The Ruger is a sturdy, reliable and accurate enough rifle. But while I own one and worked on its development, I honestly find it a wee bit expensive and heavy for my taste. But if it design appeals from you, it will serve you very well. If you are on a tight budget, one of the Marlins is not as pretty, but is a solid performer and will do the job in a more trim package and you will save almost enough money to buy a 5000 round case of ammo for your stash.
Ed Harris on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 9:04 AM
The key to loading .32 ACP is to pay close attention to overall cartrodge length and bullet seating depth. Longer-shanked bullets intrude into the powder space and reduce case capacity. As little as 1/16 inch reduction in overall cartridge length when loading a heavy cast bullet can result in a dangerous pressure spike.
Back when I loaded the 100-gr. Winchester flat-nosed lead .32-20 copmponent bullets for Harry’s M1903 Colt I used 2.4 grains of then-Hercules Unique, seating bullets to 0.95-0.97 OAL. This load functioned a variety of guns well, including the full-auto Scorpion pistol.
Seat bullets out as long as possible so that the noses don’t drag against the front of the magazine body. Normal FMJ roundnose ammo can be 0.98 long and all eight rounds will fit into the magazines of European pistols. With flatnosed bullets you may need to go shorter, depending upon their profile. With a 105-grain bullet I would reduce the charge to 1.7 grains of Alliant Bullseye, loading in RWS, Geco or Fiocchi brass which has an empty primed weight of about 40 grains. Remington brass runs lighter, about 38 grains, and you don’t need to worry about it. Winchester brass runs heavier, about 43 grains, so you may need to reduce the powder charge another 0.1. If you have a chronograph you are looking for 720-750 f.p.s. from a 3.5 inch barrel. Over 800 f.p.s. with a bullet this heavy cases will start to bulge and you will notice heavier recoil which will actually start to deform magazine boxes of some after-market magazines.
If you have the heavy slide INOX Model 3032 Beretta it will handle these loads OK. The blued models having the slim profile slide don’t stand up well to continued use with heavy bullet loads and you may crack the frame.
Ed Harris on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 1:06 PM
I can see it now, a bear spray can with integral mount made to fit the flashlight rail on your handgun, shotgun or rifle with solenoid activating plunger switch. Shouldn’t cost more than $1000.
Ed Harris on Thu, 5th Nov 2009 2:06 PM
Since people may ask, here are tips on loading the .32 ACP
My favorite cast bullet handloads in .32 ACP use the 88-grain NEI #82, the 98-grain Saeco #325 semi-wadcutter or a 93-grain hollowpoint version of the Saeco #325 as modified by http://www.hollowpointmold.com/.
If you don’t cast your own you can buy 94-gr. .312 flatnose cowboy bullets from Meister and they work fine. I cast my bullets from wheelweights, tumble-lubricate them in Lee Liquid Alox, and load them as-cast and unsized with 1.7 to 1.8 grains of Bullseye. The Saeco #325 is crimped in its normal revolver crimp groove. Do not load the Meister or NEI bullets shorter than 0.95 inch overall cartridge length, because their longer shanks protrude into the powder space and raise pressure at higher loading density. With flat nosed bullets do not exceed 0.975 inch overall cartridge length to prevent bullet noses from dragging against the front of the magazine box.
I use a custom-made Lee Factory Crimp Die for .32 ACP. This removes any bulges caused by mis-match of the bullet diameter with the internal case wall taper, ensuring easy chambering and sizing the bullet, if needed by compression inside the case. It costs about $30. I highly recommend one for anyone who is serious about reloading for the .32 ACP.
People are confused by advice in old Lyman manuals which recommends sizing cast bullets to the groove diameter of the barrel. This results in undersized bullets being gas-cut, causing leading and poor accuracy. Load your bullets as-cast and unsized and let the Lee FCD make the rounds fit your gun.
Cast bullet alloy hardness should be matched to working chamber pressure. Maximum suitable chamber pressure for a given lead alloy hardness is estimated by multiplying its Brinell Hardness Number times the constant 1440. Wheelweight alloy slowly air cooled after casting has an average BHN of 12, so to estimate a useable working chamber pressure 12x(1440) = 17,280 psi. This is a good match for .32 ACP ammunition.
Typical wartime European pistols vary with respect to barrel bore and groove dimensions, twist rate and chamber dimensions. Colts, Berettas and Walthers have 16 inch twist, FNs, CZs and Mausers have 10 inch twists. FN, Mauser and Walther pistols in my collection have groove diameters from .307-.309, Berettas, CZs and Colts run from .310-.312. I have not seen chamber throats in any .32 ACP pistol smaller than .311, but I have seen WWI and WWII era Spanish, French and and Italian pistols as with chamber throats as large as .316. Wide variation in bore sizes coupled with different diameters of factory jacketed bullets between US and European ammo from .309 to .312 explains most accuracy problems people experience with the .32 ACP. Cast bullets perform better in most guns.
In my experience Sellier & Bellot, Sako, Lapua, Sintox and RWS ammo having the smaller bullet diameter works best in Walthers, Mausers, MABs and FNs, while larger Privi-Partisan, Fiocchi, FN and handloads using .311-.312 Magtech, Remington Hornady or Speer jacketed bullets are more accurate in Kel Tec, Beretta, Colt, Astra, Unique, Star, Llama and CZ.
Do not shoot thousands of cast bullet loads with bullets heavier than 90 grains in the “mouse guns” having light alloy frames, because their increased recoil impulse is harder on the gun. The Beretta 3032 INOX pistol has a heavier slide than the original Tomcat which reduces its slide velocity to mitigate against this problem. My INOX has proven more rugged than the original Tomcat it replaced and has digested over 2000 of cast loads and 73-grain RWS hardball with no issues.
In my testing Remington, Winchester, Federal and Magtech 71-gr. FMJ ammo averaged only about 850 f.p.s. when fired from a Walther PP with 3.9 inch barrel. European CIP 73-gr. FMJ ammo such as RWS, Geco, Fiocchi or Sellier & Bellot does over 900 in the 2.4 inch Beretta Tomcat and over 950 in the Walther.
Typical US 60-gr. JHPs typically run about 900 f.p.s. but because of their lighter bullets, don’t provide enough recoil impulse to reliably cycle the older European pistols.
My cast bullet ACP loads discussed here approximate the velocity of .32 S&W Long ammo fired from a 4-inch revolver, about 720-750 f.p.s. Recoil impulse approximates European 73-grain hardball. These cast bullet loads are accurate, fun for for recreational shooting or small game and they run the wartime guns like a pony trotting.
Ed Harris on Fri, 6th Nov 2009 1:02 PM
The first US visit of Mikhail K. was set up by Ed Ezell, Curator of Military History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. K. at the Marine Corps Air Museum at Quantico, VA and had a drink with him. Ezell also arranged for Gene Stoner and Mr. K. to be together for a week in the West Virginia mountains. They discussed weapon designs and their role in history. The whole weekend was videotaped by the Smithsonian and played on the History channel some years ago.
http://www.splodetv.com/video/history-automat-kalashnikov%2C-ak47-1
http://www.truveo.com/tag/WASR-10
Steve on Sun, 8th Nov 2009 3:33 PM
Ed,
You bring up a most valid point as to the savings one would net from buying the Marlin. I am planning on first checking out the upcoming gun shows here on the Space Coast for a serviceable, scopeable .22 rifle. You are quite correct as to the Marlin finishing as an also-ran in the looks department. Checked out a few of them at the gun shop on my last trip into town. Do seem solid enough. Hoping to find a deal walking thru the aisles either in Melbourne, Kissemmee or Sebastian over the next few gun show weekends. Gotta gun show bud, an old widower that lives in a 500 sq. ft. house near Yeehaw Junction (yep, that is the real name of the town!), that seems to get by just fine with just a Winchester M60 .22, a Marlin .30-30, an Ithica M37 12 gauge and a Smith M1917 .45. How he can abide with such a spartan battery is a puzzlement to me. But I must admit that I really envy him that he can do this. I look at the toys I have lying in the safe, and knowing that I never shoot the half of them, see the wisdom of being able to balance one’s wants and needs. Que sera, sera.
Steve on Sun, 8th Nov 2009 5:53 PM
I feed them to the fish in the pond in back of my house. Probably better for them than the stale loaves of bread they get from me.
Ed Harris on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 7:10 AM
Agree that your buddy has life figured out. K.I.S.S. principle is much easier when not distracted by the useless temptations of a consumerist society. When money is tight and opportunities very limited you can do well with much less.
My friend Greg got by as just fine a PH in Africa for years with a simple 3-gun battery consisting of a .375 H&H Mauser, a single-shot 12-ga. Greener GP and 4-inch. S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum. He did shoot alot of cast bullet loads in the .375.
Ed Harris on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 12:36 PM
This is the lesson of Dersu Uzala. The 1923 book is a great read. I highly recommend Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1975 movie adaptation of novelist Vladimir Arsenyev’s novel about survival, set against the stark wilderness of Siberia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dersu_Uzala
Ed Harris on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 8:43 AM
Welrod Silenced Pistol
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/080605-F-1234P-006.jpg
First brought into service during World War 2, this British-designed bolt-action weapon is still in the SAS Regiment’s armoury and has been taken to war at least as recently as the 1991 Gulf War.
The Welrod is a single-shot weapon which requires the operator to manually cycle the rounds via bolt action. Magazine capacity is 5 9mm (in the Mk1) or .32 ACP (Mk2) rounds. Due to its mechanical simplicity and integrated suppressor, the Welrod is extremely quiet when fired – perhaps the quietest pistol ever produced. Effective range is short, however.
The Welrod was designed for British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents for use at extreme close quarters e.g. assassinations. It most likely has a similar role within the Regiment as well as more traditional military uses such as neutralising sentries. At least one Welrod was taken by SAS Land Rover columns into Iraq during Desert Storm with such a use in mind.
Ed Harris on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 1:20 PM
An old FBI agent once told me a story which he attributed to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who admonished a new SA about the cheap suit he was wearing, saying that it didn’t fit properly, and “a well tailored suit with vest and two-pair of pants which properly conceals the credential holder, handcuffs, dump box and revolver should cost the equivalent of an ounce of gold.”
“But Director Sir, my suit was government issue…” The young agents first assignment was to the legal attache’s office in Istanbul.
stephen on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 2:54 PM
Awesome vid. thanks for sharing. reminds me of when i was a kid and used to make blow guns out of bic ballpoint pens, oh wait, those were for spitballs – same principle though…
Nutter on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 5:51 PM
This is the kind of thing I love to read.
scatyt on Tue, 10th Nov 2009 5:52 PM
That was great stuff,and the reason I bought a Beretta 70S = if it good enough for the Mossad .Thank you for that write up and I look forward to more of that quality.
stephen on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 11:59 AM
good stuff in this article. really kind an unexpected thing to find out, that a .22, had such a history in clandestine work.
keep up the good work.
Steve on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 7:04 PM
Ed,
Again, another great article without the gunzine fluff. Do you have any info on the velocity of that Israeli Beretta? As I do not have a silenced handgun availible to me for testing, would any current commercial .22 rate as subsonic enough to equal the decibel levels with the Aelph? I was thinking that the Agulia 60 grain loading might be the slowest thing going.
Ed Harris on Thu, 12th Nov 2009 6:30 AM
The twist of rifling in the Beretta .22 pistols is 40cm per turn, or about 15-3/4 inches. It would not stabilize the heavier 60-gr. Aguila in a barrel as short as 9cm (3.54″).
Of current US ammunition the CCI Subsonic Hollowpoint is the closest approximation, and these rounds are more readily available, expand well in water-jugs when fired from my 4-1/2 inch Colt Woodsman, and are very accurate.
Dan on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 6:15 AM
Check http://www.iMarksman.com. They have decent prices.
Chuck Darnell on Thu, 19th Nov 2009 5:54 PM
Its been well over twenty years since I last used this load.
It was 9mm case loaded with a Hornady 158gr lead semi-wadcutter and 1 grains of Bullseye. This was my plinking round for my S&W Model 59. I also drilled the flash holes out (but only slightly larger than the original hole) just to have some uniformity in the cases I used. It reliably cycled the action and accuracy was good for the 25 yards of the target range. I did not do any serious testing with it, just plinking for fun.
Use this load with caution in autos, as the load may have to be fine-tuned for each handgun.
Ed Harris on Tue, 24th Nov 2009 7:43 AM
Primitive peoples have made improvised goggles to protect the eyes from snow or sand glare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_snow_goggles
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article273
The keffiyeh or shemagh is the traditional head wrap originating from the Arabic turban used for centuries. In Western military use its value as a a piece of survival equipment dates the North African campaign of WWII where the British Special Air Service discovered its potential. A desert scarf has been valuable piece of the SAS kit ever since and its use has spread to present day use in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The desert the keffiyeh or shemagh was originally used for protection against hostile environmental conditions, providing protection against sun, wind, sandstorms and the cold at night. Next to his rifle, knife and boots, the shemagh, is one of the most useful pieces of kit the desert soldier can have.
It is a square of loosely woven cotton fabric about 1 metre square. Intended primarily as a head wrap, shemaghs are have multiple other uses:
* dust mask and veil to keep sun, snow, wind, sand and dust out of the eyes, face and from going down the neck
* sniper’s concealment – face veil – hiding shape of the face
- around neck to retain heat in cold or absorb sweat and protect the neck from sunburn during heat of the day
- cravat, compression bandage or sling for wounded arm
- sun shade while resting
- blinders for pack horses, camels or mules
- improvised foot wrap replacing lost sock
- carrying bundle for when foraging food
- improvised tote for organizing loose gear in ruck
- towel, wash cloth
- improvised rope or equipment sling
- improvised sieve
Zach Williams on Tue, 24th Nov 2009 1:50 PM
I’m interested in working up a .38 Special load/rifle combo designed to push a relatively heavy bullet around 900fps as quietly as possible (without suppression). I’ve always heard that the longer the barrel, the quieter the shot. I can get a barrel made with a 1:12 twist ratio out to 40+”. Is a bullet leaving a 40+” barrel at 850-900fps going to be noticeably quieter than a bullet leaving a 24″ barrel at the same speed? Can anyone with experience on barrel length and subsonic loads give me advice?
Ed Harris on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 7:09 AM
A longer barrel IS noticely quieter. But tradeoffs are that a very long barrel is less handy to carry, less quick to the shot and increases the risk of sticking a bullet in the barrel. While the risk of a bullet-in-bore (BIB) is greatly reduced by using lubricated lead bullets (because bore drag is reduced), the chance of an occasional rare BIB obstruction is not entirely eliminated.
In my 24-inch Marlin Cowboy II standard-pressure (non +P) jacketed bullet .38 Special loads heavier than 125 grains rarely, but occasionally fail to leave the barrel. The Vietnam-era Ball .38 Special M41 (130-gr. FMJ) cartridge and its current commercial equivalents are particularly risky in this respect. BIB malfunctions are well documented firing M41 Ball in M15 revolvers with cylinder gap of larger than 0.008″.
In my experience using lubricated lead bullets in the .38 Special, the NEI #161A (190-grain) flatnose is well stabilized at low subsonic velocities with a twist of rifling as slow as 20 inches. http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html
This bullet has a large meplat (flat nose) which gives very good results on game. When well cast and properly loaded it is capable of averaging about 2 inches at 100 yards over a long series of 5-shot groups from a single-shot rifle with Green Mountain 20-inch-twist barrel with .38 AMU-type chamber and Unertl scope. Ballistic uniformity is acceptable using current Alliant Bullseye with charges as light as 2.4 grains (26 inch rifle velocity about 800 f.p.s.) but I do not recommend further reductions. Do not exceed 3.0 grains of Bullseye with a 190 grain lubricated lead bullet in .38 Special cases for standard pressure, or 3.5 grains for +P (26 inch rifle velocity about 950 f.p.s.). In .357 Magnum brass at an overall cartridge length of 1.58″ best accuracy was obtained with a charge of 4.2-4.3 grs. of Bullseye adjusted to obtain 1050 +/- 30 f.p.s.
I have also experimented a great deal with a long-barreled .45 ACP rifle which started with a 32 inch barrel. almost immediately I stuck an M1911 Ball 230-gr. jacketed bullet in the barrel about 5 inches from the muzzle. I cut off and recrowned the barrel at 25 inches and have been satisfied with its low noise at that length. I can now shoot either GI hardball or equivalent handloads with either jacketed or lubricated lead bullets and have not stuck another bullet in the barrel as long as I used full-charge ammunition which approximated factory service velocities.
Ed Harris on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 10:38 AM
This is what a retired Texas lawman taught me:
HOW TO BUTCHER RATTLESNAKES
Cut head off 4 inches behind head. Dispose of the head immediately as it can still bite for several hours. When butchering multiple snakes place heads in covered metal container using pliers.
DO NOT HANDLE SNAKE HEADS WITH BARE HANDS!
In field situations handle a severed snake head ONLY with a machete or shovel and bury darned thing immediately~!
Hang snake by the tail just below rattles so that snake may bleed well. Using a sharp knife, on belly side and beginning at head end, split skin entire length.
Starting with head end, separate skin from meat and peel upward to where snake is tied; strip entrails from body of snake and dispose of them.
Clip body of snake where it is tied and drop in fresh cold brine water (either cover container or be sure to stand by it because the snake will crawl out of water). Take down skin, salt well and roll with scales on outside; place in container with lid and freeze until ready to tan. When body of snake has stopped crawling, remove and wash in fresh cold water, chop into 4 inch lengths.
CHICKEN-FRIED RATTLESNAKE STEAK FAJITAS:
One 4 foot rattlesnake per two people, dressed and chopped
Salt to taste
2 c. Crisco oil, very hot
1 c. flour to which has been added 1 tsp. Black pepper, 1/2 tsp. Cayenne optional
Salt meat, roll in flour-pepper mixture.
Drop in hot oil until golden brown. Serve hot.
Serve with side salad of diced tomatoes, red and green Bell peppers, iceberg lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, tortillas and splash of Texas Pete (optional) washed down with a long necked Lone Star. Jose Cuervo chaser is optional.
Serves 4 Eastern Greenhorns or Two Texans
(unless the snake is a six-footer bigger around than your arm).
Steve on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:31 AM
Believe you to be on the money here. While 97% of the sojourners in our camp grounds are great people, you do run across the jerks from time to time. When the wife and I were last out camping, a much too neighborly sort came a-calling when he heard my wife’s voice. Thankfully he was just more of a nosey drunk than a mean one. He did see that the wife and I were armed and shortly left us alone. But you can’t be too careful anymore. After reading your article, I am beginning to think we should have packed up and left.
Henery Schaffer on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 7:36 AM
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
Ben on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 3:05 PM
MediaCurves.com conducted a study among 321 viewers of PETA’s “Grace” Thanksgiving advertisement. Results found that viewers were less interested in animal rights issues after viewing a controversial ad. More than one-third of viewers (36%) reported that the advertisement was “not at all effective.” In addition, more than half of the viewers (56%) indicated that the ad was “disturbing.” More in depth results can be seen at:
http://www.mediacurves.com/Advertising/J7658PETAThanksgiving/Index.cfm
Thanks,
Ben
Ed Harris on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 6:58 AM
Violent crimes such as these were behind efforts to force the Department of Interior to permit licensed concealed carry in our National Parks. The final rule, which updates existing regulations, would allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon in national parks and wildlife refuges if, and only if, the individual is authorized to carry a concealed weapon under state law in the state in which the national park or refuge is located. The update has been submitted to the Federal Register for publication and is available to the public on http://www.doi.gov.
Existing regulations regarding the carrying of firearms remain otherwise unchanged, particularly limitations on poaching and target practice and prohibitions on carrying firearms in federal buildings.
http://www.doi.gov/news/08_News_Releases/120508.html
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_park_service/index.html?query=MURDERS%20AND%20ATTEMPTED%20MURDERS&field=des&match=exact
http://www.aldha.org/arrest02.htm
http://www.barryyeoman.com/articles/murderonmountain.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199607/ai_n8749751/
http://labyrinth13.com/mirror/VirginiaMurders/index.htm
Mark Humphreville on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 1:53 PM
Ed has done some outstanding work in this area and as a result I have built a 358 Winchester w/ 26″ barrel. Getting ready to order a 300 Gr. bullet Ed designed as well. Already know the rifle is going to shoot well based on another bullet I have tested but I think Ed’s design is the way to go here. I am going to have it made as a nose pour with two different meplat sizes for use in long range and a wider flat nose for hunting.
I have known Ed about 25 years and he has always been at the forefront with unique work.
Buying guns as investments - INGunOwners on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 6:47 PM
[...] I made a mistake as to the model, but here is that article: Guns are a Better Investments Than Gold | ShilohTV __________________ Never throw sh*t at an armed man.-Larry [...]
Ed Harris on Tue, 8th Dec 2009 1:51 PM
We remain unprepared. The Health Physics Society published the Government Accounting Office (GAO) report of Sep 2009 entitled:
COMBATING NUCLEAR TERRORISM: Preliminary Observations on Preparedness to Recover from Possible Attacks Using Radiological or Nuclear Materials (GAO-09-996T)
http://hps.org/hsc/documents/Combatting_Nuclear_Terrorism_Testimony.pdf and http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09996t.pdf
The GAO study observed, among other things:
Almost all cities and states would be so overwhelmed by an RDD or IND that they would rely on the federal government to conduct almost all analysis and cleanup activities that are essential first steps towards recovery.
The federal government has not sufficiently planned to undertake these activities. FEMA has not issued a national disaster recovery strategy or plans for RDD and IND incidents as required by law.
Existing federal guidance provides only limited direction for federal agencies to develop their own recovery plans.
In addition to the lack of knowledge about the application of cleanup methods and technologies for wide-area urban contamination from an RDD or IND incident, there are also limitations in federal capabilities to handle in a timely manner the magnitude of tasks and challenges that would be associated with these incidents.
Michael Carnright on Wed, 9th Dec 2009 10:48 AM
Very cool! This site has the most direct instructions on the subject. Get a rock with a depression, a few strands of an old mop, some lard and whamo! A nice candle!!
Steve on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:14 AM
After attending four shows since my last posting response here, I have noticed that the search for the “ideal” rimfire rifle has yeilded no results. Seems the quality .22’s have been socked away safely. The usual big shows that traditionally could be counted on to have “something sweet” have been drawing a blank for me. Unfortunately, last weekend’s show in Deland, Florida was nothing more than the usual tables filled with over-priced novelties. I think the true bargains out there are like Ed’s old Remington: yard sales (and leads from family and friends too). The niceties usually come your way when you are not looking for them.
Also, the K.I.S.S. principle of life is indeed the goal! But, like many of life’s addictions, they become afflictions! Hence, our love/hate feelings toward the “one-gun man”. We wish we could be him, but, we are glad we are not.
Steve
John Broekhuizen on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:30 PM
Most of my .22 bolt guns I have purchased from ads in the paper and got the deal of the century on them
John Broekhuizen on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:30 PM
Most of my .22 bolt guns I have purchased from ads in the paper and got the deal of the century on them
Controlled Aggression in Kids - XDTalk Forums - Your XD/XD(m) Information Source! on Fri, 18th Dec 2009 11:33 AM
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John1542 on Tue, 22nd Dec 2009 1:57 AM
Very nice site!
Ed Harris on Wed, 23rd Dec 2009 1:24 PM
An empty steel ammunition can, canteen cup or old-style GI steel helmet can also be used instead of digging a hole in the ground with the rock boil method. Put your food in center of a loose-woven cloth such as the triangular bandage in your first aid kit, or if you have nothing else, your bush hat. Lower the food in the cloth ball into the rock boil. As the water stops sputtering lift the cloth and food from the hot water while you change hot rocks as needed. This method transfers fewer ashes into the food.
Mike St.Cin on Thu, 24th Dec 2009 8:30 AM
These clowns deserve to billed for every concievable cost for this search and given whatever criminal charges that can be leveled against them. The whole thing is just rediculous. Yuppie 911 strikes again!!!!!
Steve on Sun, 27th Dec 2009 10:00 AM
Just picked up a fairly clean Winchester M9422 XTR. Thankfully it is NOT in collectable condition (light handling marks on the forearm), which in my book gives it a clean bill of health to put it into service. While I do love my old Win. M69a, it will most likely get passed on to my future son-in-law (the price of taking on my daughter, I guess). Anyway, Ed is certainly on the money about the unquestioned usefulness of a good .22.
Hope to see more of his wisdom and wit on these pages again soon.
Steve
Ed Harris on Mon, 28th Dec 2009 1:02 PM
Some of my most fond childhood memories are outdoor activities as a Scout. Later while a cadet at Virginia Tech summers I wasn’t on NROTC cruise or on active duty for training with the Marime Reserves or at Platoon Leader’s Class at Quantico, I taught rifle marksmanship, outdoor advanture and wilderness survival at the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia. See http://www.bsa-brmc.org/camp.htm
Outdoor adventure, marksmanship and survival training are still alive and well, and if the experience of my generation repeats, such young men are more likely to volunteer for military service and many who do become fine NCOs and officers whereas all will be better citizens for their experience.
Steve on Wed, 30th Dec 2009 5:49 PM
Ed,
There you go again raising the bar on “.30-30″ articles! LOL!Much of what you say here repeats that said (or thought elsewhere) to be sure, but, to see it all put together concisely in a readable, thought-provoking tome as this, is certainly refreshing.
For reasons known only to them, many of my shooting/hunting buds that own and use a Winchester or Marlin never seem interested in salvaging the brass. Good for me! This is such an easy round to cast and reload for, that upon reflection, I really can’t imagine my life without one of these rifles nearby at all times.
To extract from your other writings, the user of a .30 WCF has life figured out. Throw in a good .22 rifle, a decent pump 12 bore, a serviceable handgun, and we have the apotheosis of the K.I.S.S. principle. Not much in the Western Hemisphere that can’t be resolved with the proper application of the aformentioned.
Steve
Wolverton on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 11:59 PM
Great story. I had a similar experience but without such a good ending just outside Barstow California. I actually stopped hiking and camping right after that. It’s funny how one experience can change your entire outlook.
Can a person get by with One Handgun? | ShilohTV on Sat, 16th Jan 2010 1:05 PM
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ikillsdeer on Mon, 18th Jan 2010 5:49 PM
thanks for the contest! but im not eating any crickets !!!!
Steve on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 6:54 AM
I am thinking that you are spot on about producing this in .357. Most users, after firing maybe one round of .357 will opt to carry only .38’s in the future. I wouldlike to see Ruger go the other way with this idea and make it .22 LR/.22 Mag. and .32 H&R/.327 Federal.
Next, crank it up a notch and come out with a larger frame for .44 Special or .45 Colt.
Steve on Tue, 19th Jan 2010 7:57 AM
Ed, we all “know” that we can “get by” on one handgun…of course, it’s just that we have to buy ten or twenty to “test” to find that one. And then, as the others have now become family, we couldn’t possibly get rid of them. At least this is how I justify it all in my brain. LOL A lot of successful Madison Avenue advertising going on.
But your article nails it all in simplicity. A .38 service-type revolver is probably the best compromise for going it solo. Since the one handgun man must, by this compromise ask this weapon to do it all, there will be some issues. Obviously the .38 is too much for some applications and not enough for others. As you point out, that is where a varied inventory of ammo comes into play. The light wadcutters to the heavier factory stuff you mention do in fact fill the bill nicely. My personal favorites are .36 round balls and (at the other extreme) 200 grain RN’s mimicking the old “Super Police” load from days of yore, all handloaded of course.
Personally. I am happy I am not limited to a single handgun. Why handicap yourself if you don’t have to? I would not choose to play golf with only a 2 iron, and I would certainly not want to attempt contruction of a dugout canoe with a Bowie knife, although both can be done.
For my tastes, Walter Roper’s “minimalist” (my words, not his) battery he mentions in “Experiments of a Handgunner”, brings me closer to Vahalla. I could be content with a .22 LR, .32 S&W Long, .38 Special, and a .44 Special. In fact, the Smith M17, the Ruger Bisley SSM, 1980 variety S&W M520 and same vintage M29/4″ are favorites, and I would hate to ever have to part with one of these guys.
Actually Ed, your articles to date here on Trail Boss do well to demonstrate how the average guy does not really need to go overboard on personal armament: the “lowly” .22 rifle, .30-30 carbine and the .38 revolver all will suffice. Darn near impossible to argue with your logic here.
I would think, to sum it up, the .38 does a lot, maybe not too well in some instances, but it does all it can to be all things to all people all the time.
Steve on Sun, 24th Jan 2010 6:46 AM
My wife recently bought me a bottle of “Bed Head for Men”. I think the actually product goes by the handle of “Clean Guy’s Shave Gel’. I love this stuff. Stays slick for the entire shave and seems to minimize rolling resistance better than any product I have tried. Only takes a dab. No more slow leak aerosol cans for me. Better still, it was only $1.99 for 8.45 fl.oz. at Ross (or was it Marshall’s or T.J. Max? I always get those places confused).
Ed Harris on Mon, 25th Jan 2010 12:47 PM
How big are these guys?
A crouquet mallet could be more fun than Whack-A-Mole.
John Broekhuizen on Mon, 25th Jan 2010 3:00 PM
Problem is they are poison you whack then to hard and it might spray in your eyes or get on your skin or clothing ad get you later. Also they fill up trash bags faster.
Ed Harris on Tue, 26th Jan 2010 1:20 PM
A good friend of mine lives in a residential area frequented by prowling black bears who use his carport and trash cans as a “buffet.” Roger keeps a single-barrel H&R Topper 12-ga. by the kitchen door. Banging pots and pans together runs them off, but as they reach the treeline he fires a 12-ga. rubber buckshot round as additional encouragement. He lives in town and is lucky that the local constabulary and game rangers are tolerant.
Vincent saunders on Tue, 26th Jan 2010 8:25 PM
I have always liked the 70s Beretta concept. When I was in the Army I had 2 and practiced on the indoor Cine range with them. I enjoyed using them. Totally reflexive I guess I fired in excess of 5000 rounds through them. I have also shot a lot of kangaroos with them and they did the job nicely. A problem though is even cleaned and trialed with different ammo they weren’t 100 per cent reliable. I keep log books on my pistols.
Please keep the Harry Archer stuff flowing. I think that he was a totally under appreciated resource.
Tim Crump on Tue, 26th Jan 2010 9:37 PM
I bet the study didn’t evaluate the traditional use of a .22 caliber gun as a bear deterrent. The correct method is just before running like hell, you shoot your friend in the knee with the .22…..then run.
Ed on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 11:07 AM
What a delightful story! Thank you so much for posting this. It warmed my furry little heart.
Steve on Fri, 29th Jan 2010 7:59 PM
Your tax dollars at work folks…
rance on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 5:57 PM
Wow! I’m the guy that never wins anything and look now. Strangely, many years ago as a young boy,this particular pattern knife caught my attention in a Herters catalogue. IIRC it was billed as a ‘green river’ knife. The writeup that Herters provided at the time made me perceive that it was a truly functional/practical design. Now as a soon to be ‘owner’(its in transit right’?)I can hardly wait.
My thanks to the site owners, vendors that made this possible
The Rance
John Broekhuizen on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 6:01 PM
I thought you wanted to give it to me! It will ship Friday, again congratulations and if you do not have someone to pass it down to I am available as are many who come here I suspect.
Josenilo M. Reoma on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 6:09 PM
can a AR 15 car rifle be licensed? how much would be the load grain?
miskitty19 on Tue, 2nd Feb 2010 11:39 PM
Now this is what someone would really need in a house with a good wood stove, and a good back! I really enojy having a good made axe, havent had one since I lived with my folks!! But this is a great contest!
Vegan South Dakotan on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 11:07 AM
If not for the efforts of this Howard Goldman, the world would not know about the abuses that take place on a daily basis in these industries.
Howard does not own these facilities and is not in any way associated with “their” neglect, other than to being it to public light.
Ignorance is not bliss.
rduece on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 11:43 AM
This is one of the nicest axes I have handled, and I am planing on picking at least one up to go in my camping gear.
DustinO on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 12:50 PM
sweet! thanks for a chance to win that great ax!
Mike Stamm on Thu, 4th Feb 2010 2:07 PM
Did he purchase all his gear from Acme, like Wile E. Coyote? I wish somebody had filmed that goat rope.
k5 on Thu, 4th Feb 2010 8:28 PM
I assume that I am now entered in the Cold Steel Trail Boss contest.
Thanks
k5
John Broekhuizen on Fri, 5th Feb 2010 9:00 AM
Yes you are
naphtha on Sat, 6th Feb 2010 10:11 PM
Looks like a darn good axe.