Prepper & Shooter Issue 02.2014

Food bars-3600
40S&W 105gr JHP Frangible /20
Water Filter
Food
Lab, Inc.
Dynamic
Research Tech.
LifeStraw
Weight:
1.6 LBS
Weight:
0.6 LBS
Weight:
0.16 LBS
Price: $7.99
Sale Price: $17.84
Sale Price: $19.95
4 Mil Volt Inferno Stun Gun/Flashlight
21551 9mm 115gr +P TAC-XP/20
Reflective Tent-Clamshell
Guard
Dog
Barnes
Bullets
HeatStore
Weight:
0.82 LBS
Weight:
0.6 LBS
Weight:
1.86 LBS
Price: $21.95
Sale Price: $26.39
Price: $26.49
Basic Survival Kt, Cl
Butter Powder
Mesh Tactical Vest
Bear
Grylls
Harveston
Farms
Weight:
0.35 LBS
Weight:
4.5 LBS
Weight:
3.6 LBS
Price: $30.00
Price: $35.90
Price: $36.40
Portable Gasoline Generator
Pocket Water Microfilter
Harvest Pack 1200 Year Supply
AMICO
Katadyn
Harveston
Farms
Weight:
46 LBS
Weight:
1 LBS
Weight:
350 LBS
Sale Price: $199.00
Price: $379.95
Price: $1,299.95
Rights In Sight
09
Prepping for November
Jeff Knox gets you ready for the next election.
Power Grid Down
1 1
Tara Dodrill explains how the lights may go out for good.
Secret Garden of Survival
18
1 1
How to Grow a Camouflaged Food-Forest
Want to stop wasting time this spring?

Rick Austin tells us how.
Hand-to-Hand Close Quarters Combat
2 1
Obligation to Survivor
Master Richard Fike explains why

you may not have a second chance in a fight.
Survival Kit Sheath Platform
24
24
Sometimes packing small is your only option

as long as you have survival skills.
27
Local Emergency Management Agency

as a Prepper Resource
Ambush Basics
32
Leroy Thompson teaches you what

you need to know to survive.
Be sure to check out

the bios of our editors,
writers and staff.
Go to our website,
PrepperandShooter.com
and click the STAFF link
under the ABOUT US
button.
03
32
36
Listen to Shortwave Radio

In Your Car
AM and FM are not your only listening options.
PTR 91 KPFR Rifle
39
Defend Near, Defend Far
Scot Loveland reviews this battle rifle.
Prepper & Shooter Magazine
39
47 An Interview with Survivor Jane

Where There is No Cosmetic Counter
Tara Dodrill talks with this celebrity prepper.
5 1 The US M1 Carbine
as a Preparedness Weapon
5 1
Leroy Thompson explains why

this rifle is no antique.
55 Emergency Alert Radios
Editor Vince DeNiro explains why every prepper needs one.
57 Hearthside Cooking and Baking Basics

Out of the Electric Frying Pan, Back Into the Fire
Margie Thompson shows us that
the fireplace is not just for heat.
60 The Pocket Shotgun by Heizer Defense

Staff Report
5 5 63 Oil of Oregano
Some FAQs About Natures Antibiotic
65 Bugout by Bicycle
We have all thought about it,
but Kendall Rush actually tried it.
72 The Emergency Vehicle Kit

Prepping for the Road
Richard Duarte helps you with your car preps.
60
Prepper & Shooter Book Review
06
Prepper & Shooter Product Review
06
Prepper & Shooter Product Spotlight
07
Prepper & Shooter Retro Survival Gun
77
Prepper & Shooter Vintage Civil Defense Item
77
Living on the Edge: A Familys Journey to Self-Sufficiency
Katadyn Pocket Water Filter
Lightning Strike Fire Starter, Shooters Bible Guide to Home

Defense, Ambidextrous Charging Handle, and more!
Weaver Arms Nighthawk
72
Civil Defense License Plate
04
Letter from the Editor

Well, here is our second issue, but before I introduce
it, let me tell you about our first issue. It was a great
seller, especially at Barnes & Noble Booksellers
where Prepper & Shooter Magazine was in the top
20% of all magazines carried for sell-through! If
you did not get a copy of our first issue, we have
print back-issues available, as well as electronic
downloads through our website.
In this issue, we debut our Primary Survival Gun Evaluation, which
I developed and will be used for all firearms that can be classified as a
primary firearm. The PTR 91 KPFR is the first rifle to go through the
evaluation, so be sure to read the article by Scot Loveland. We also have
a double-header by gun-writing legend Leroy Thompson, as well as more
great writing by his prepper wife, Margie. We also added a new Second
Amendment column by Jeff Knox of the Firearms Coalition and a martial
arts column by Richard Fike, whom I have known for almost 25 years.
They will appear in all our issues.
Since the first issue, there have been more than a few survival events,
such as the numerous earthquakes in the Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire, a
massive mudslide, winter storms galore, a Russian invasion of Ukraine,
North Korea seriously threatening South Korea and the west, intense
economic disaster reports, EMP threats, and more threats against the
Second Amendment. We have also added weekly news to our website that
covers four categories: survival news, preparedness tips, gun products and
reviews, and Second Amendment news. Our web story on the 1976 song
Dont Let em Take Your Gun by the famous band Grand Funk Railroad
(written and sung by lead singer and rock legend Mark Farner) made news
nationwide, and, because of our article, the song is now being used as the
Second Amendment anthem for many pro-gun groups. All of our previous
news and information is archived, so be sure to stop by our site often!
This issue has a very small number of ads in its 80 or so pages. In most
magazines, the content is 30-40% advertising space, leaving an 80-page
magazine with only 50 pages or so of editorial material. Tell your friends
that you really get your moneys worth with Prepper & Shooter Magazine
being packed with articles. If you know of any stores, gun show vendors,
etc. that would like to carry it, just have them contact us.
Enjoy the issue!
Vincent L. DeNiro
Editor-in-Chief

A Publication of
The Third Page Publishing, Inc.
Editor-in-Chief
Vincent L. DeNiro
Art & Graphics Director
Dave Grunden of DCG Productions
Layout Designer
Cassandra L. Helmstetter
Advertising Sales
Tara Dodrill
Contributing Writers
Rick Austin
Andy Blanchard
Vincent L. DeNiro
Tara Dodrill
Richard Duarte
Richard Fike
Jeff Knox
Scot Loveland
Wayne McGregor
Kendall Rush
Shortwave Sam
Margie Thompson
Leroy Thompson
Contact Information
Editorial Offices
PO Box 2551
E Liverpool, OH 43920
Phone (815) 366-8046
editorial@prepperandshooter.com
Advertising Information
ads@prepperandshooter.com
Subscriptions and single issues
may be ordered at
www.PrepperandShooter.com
is published quarterly by
Copyright 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced without written permission of
the publisher.
Printed in USA
Publisher Disclaimer: The staff of Prepper & Shooter Magazine and The Third Page Publishing, Inc., has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented within this publication. We advise you to independently research each topic and seek legal, professional or medical advice, when applicable, before acting. The Third
Page Publishing, Inc., and its staff are not liable for any damages resulting from the misuse of any information contained in this publication, or the accuracy of the information
provided to us by our contributors. Display and classified advertising are included as a service to readers. Products and/or services mentioned carry no real or implied
endorsement by Prepper & Shooter Magazine, The Third Page Publishing, Inc., or their officers or staff. All offers in this publiciation are void where prohibited by law. All
local, state and federal laws apply.
Living on the Edge: A Familys Journey to Self-Sufficiency
E
Book Review by Margie Thompson
veryone reading this magazine is striving

for some degree of self-sufficiency. When
the SHTF, none of us wants to be hanging
out at the Super Bowl, hoping that somebody,
somewhere remembers to send us some water.
So, bugging-in or bugging-out, the critical
issue isnt what type of event you expect, but
rather how long you want to be able to survive
without outside help or intervention. Stocking
up on milk before a snowstorm is at one end
of this spectrum. Going off-grid and living a
sustainable lifestyle is at the other.
Thats what F. J. Bohan and his family did
seventeen years ago, though gradually. For the
Bohans, it was a journey, and in Living on the
Edge, they have shared their adventure with us in
an informative, humorous, OMG-what-werewe-thinking? style sure to
Title:
make you think, smile, and
generally applaud a new
Author:
kind of American Pioneer
Publisher:
success story --- like Little
House, but in reverse!
Page Count:
In one of my favorite
stories, the family set up
a tent in a National Park
Cover:
ISBN:
Category:
Price:
over a concrete patio with a concrete table and

bench. Instant dcor. Except that night, the
concrete sucked all the heat out of the tent and
they nearly froze! And I loved the part where
they moved camp and lost each other. I was
so relieved when they were finally able to buy
some land and start building a permanent future.
Living off-grid may not be your cup of tea,
but this is a great read nonetheless. Told in an
anecdotal style, Living on the Edge provides
a comprehensive how-to manual for going
back to the land and thriving. Everything
from livestock to power to home-schooling is
addressed, including practical ways to manage
a family of six without making each other crazy.
Enjoy it in your den or your bunker and prepare
to be entertained.
Living on the Edge:

A Familys Journey to Self-Sufficiency
F. J. Bohan
Paladin Press - Boulder, Colorado
164
Softbound
976-1-61004-760-9
Non-fiction
$16.00
Katadyn Pocket Water Filter

By Margie Thompson
ets face it. You

can only store
so much water.
Sooner or later, youll
need
to
replenish
your supplies from
a sustainable water
source. Whatever that source is, youll
need to filter the water to make it drinkable.
Enter the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter.
At only 10 x 2.4 and weighing in at
20 ounces, the Katadyn Pocket is small
enough to tuck into a pocket or stash in
a bug-out bag. Thanks to its cleanable
silver-impregnated ceramic element, its
effective against bacteria and protozoa
down to 0.2 microns. With a 20-year
warranty, a lifetime capacity of 13,000
Issue 2
gallons, and an output of about one quart

per minute, its a no-brainer choice for all
preppers and shooters. Dont be put off by
the MSRP of $369.95. Yes, its pricey, but
its worth it to know that your water wont
kill you! At least its worth it to me. Shop
around because prices vary a lot!
Just be sure to read the excellent instructions
that come with the Pocket Water Filter and
follow the assembly directions to the letter.
Next time, Ill scoop up water in a bucket and pump it through the Katadyn
Pocket inside where its warm and toasty!
Easy to use, practice at the kitchen sink before you take the Katadyn Pocket on
the road.
My first couple of tries yielded miserable

results because I overlooked a tiny filter
that fits down at the end of the intake
hose. Practice pumping at the kitchen sink
before you try the Katadyn Pocket Water
Filter stooped over a frozen pond.
For more information check out the
Katadyn website at www.katadyn.com.
06
Mil-Comm Products Company Lubricants

Keep those guns lubed up and ready to go with Revolver Blast, containing
TW25B synthetic grease (great for pistols too). Mil-Comm also offers MC300,
a long-term storage lubricant/protectant for when you need to deep-six
those guns for a future Red Dawn! Contact Mil-Comm at (800) 743-4518 or at
NRAGunCare.com.
Dunhams Sports - A Great Source
for
Survival Gear
Youll find great prices and carry-out convenience for survival gear when a
Dunhams Sports store is close-by. Bug-out pack items like these great products
by Coughlans are available in variety. Lots of AR-15 and AK-type rifles in
their gun department (along with accessories) and they carry Prepper & Shooter
Magazine! Go to DunhamsSports.com to find a store near you.
Lightning Strike Fire Starter
by
Holland Guns
When long-range rifle and hunting guru Darrel Holland told us about how
effective his Lighting Strike Fire Starter was at starting fires, he forgot to tell us
how much fun it is! Throwing out 5,000-degree sparks at anything you point at,
youll be feeling like the God of Thunder in no time!
To order, call (541) 439-5155, or check it out at HollandGuns.com.
Family Preparedness Handbook
by
Dr. Prepper
At 8 x 11 and 1 thick, this is no pocket prepper book. James Dr.

Prepper Talmage Stevens first wrote this book more than 40 years ago and has
been updating and printing them since then, with over 800,000 sold. No matter
how large your survival library is, its not complete without this book. Go to
DoctorPrepper.com.
Shooters Bible Guide
to
Home Defense
Author Roger Ekstine brings you more than 190 pages of self-defense information
to help keep the bad guys from invading your castle. Defensive tips with firearms
as well as recommended security equipment and gun catalog in this full color 10
x 8 book. Contact SkyhorsePublishing.com or (212) 643-6816. $19.95
A Guide
Surviving Doomsday
for Surviving An Urban Disaster
Attorney/Author Richard Duarte covers it all in this great prepper book for
beginners or seasoned survivalists that want to make it through disasters in the
city or suburbs. He also writes for Prepper & Shooter Magazine! Order your copy
today at SurvivingDoomsdayTheBook.com
Safer Emergency Candles

About 10,000 fires occur each year in the U.S., and the chances of these occurring
spikes when power outages occur. Kevins Kandles can reduce that problem.
Using wicks in a tray filled with vegetable oil, which floats in a water-filled
glass, this system gives you 10 hours of safe light per wick. Each pack has five
trays and 100 wicks. Pick up a pack today for only $9.95 at ASaferCandle.com.
Wholesale pricing available for you flea-market and gun-show vendors.
X-Products 50-Round Drum Magazines for AR-10,

G-3 Type, FAL, and M-14/M1A Rifles
Need long-range suppressive fire capability without reloading? Have hordes of
groundhogs that are in need of exploding? X-Products has the answer: very high
quality and super reliability in a drum magazine at a reasonable cost of $260.
They also make 5.56x45mm drums for AR-15 type rifles. Check them out at
XProducts.com.
Tuff Products 1200 Uni-Fit Holster

Finally, a custom fit, ambidextrous, and secure inside-the-pants holster. The TP
1200 Uni-Fit holster uses a Velcro-and-folding method to custom fit to almost
any handgun with or without lasers or small lights.
Only $19.95 and available at TuffProducts.com. (877) 883-3776.
Ambidextrous Charging Handle by

Mech-Armor Defense Systems
Upgrade your AR-15-type rifle with the Tac Ops-1 charging handle. Great for
left- and right-handed operation, and a must when using a low-profile mounted
scope, as the handle is extended out further than a standard charging handle.
Its also been tested and used by U.S. Special Forces.
Only $67.95 from MechDefense.com, (603) 370-9091.
INTRAFUSE AK Four P-Rail Hand Guard
by
Tapco
Update that AK-type rifle and easily add lights, grips, and optics with ease!
IntraFuseUSA.com
12-Volt Solar Trickle Charger
for
Car Batteries
A dead battery will ruin your day on the road. A dead battery in a survival
situation could ruin your life. This solar 12-volt battery trickle charger by
Sunforce can not only keep that over-used vehicle battery going, but also keeps
your low-power communications running. Go to SunforceProducts.com for
more info.
Rights In Sight
By Jeff Knox
Prepping for November
n issue that often gets lost in the shuffle of being

prepared is the matter of taking steps to make all of
the prepping unnecessary. You carry extra water,
blankets, and emergency items in your car, but you
dont do so looking forward to the time when you get to use those items.
Instead, you make sure your car is in good shape, belts and hoses regularly
replaced, oil, gas, and tire pressure checked, etc. In short, you take
steps to make sure you never need to use the emergency car breakdown
preparations youve made.
The same sort of diligence is needed in the case of political emergencies.
We cant control things like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes. We

might have some small say in policies to reduce chances of a nuclear meltdown, chemical spill, or terrorist attack,
but we can potentially influence the chances of political disasters. We saw a sampling of what could happen
during a political crisis in this country last year when the SNAP food stamp program hit some glitches. People
went nuts. Some went on looting rampages, completely wiping out some Walmart stores, while other took their
fear and anger to the streets, threatening large-scale riots. And that was all over temporary, localized problems
with a supplemental nutrition assistance program. What would happen if there was a real, widespread food
shortage, or a breakdown in the government services that so many now depend on? While we cant directly
control government programs, we do have a say in who is running them.
Over the past five years, the number of people receiving SNAP, unemployment payments, and other government
assistance programs has gone through the roof and thats after decades of fairly steady increases. Today, the
majority of the people in the United States receive some sort of government-funded subsidy some earned, and
others unearned from Social Security and Medicare to a vast array of child credits, housing assistance, food
assistance, and energy subsidies. If those government benefits were to suddenly dry up, look out.
Aside from local disasters such as tornadoes, floods, and wildfires, I believe the greatest threat facing the American
people the threat most likely to affect all of us most dramatically is a breakdown in government support. With
the looming threats posed by massive debt, devaluation of the dollar, inflation, unemployment, and an ever-larger,
more powerful federal bureaucracy, the threat is not only growing, the house of cards is becoming ever more topheavy and unstable. The only solutions we see coming out of Washington are efforts to prop up the teetering tower
with more programs, more bureaucracy, more people with guns and badges, and more debt.
I run an organization focused on one thing: the individual right to arms. That singular focus is not as narrow as
some would think though, because inherent in the right to arms is the issue of trust. Those who would restrict or
curtail your right to arms have trust issues. They will say that it is not you that they dont trust its those other
09
Issue 2
people. They work to sow mistrust of those other people in you, to make you question why someone needs an
assault weapon, or what anyone needs with thousands of rounds of ammunition or high-capacity magazines.
They use race, ethnicity, class, religion, sex anything they can point at to differentiate and distance you from
those other people so that you will distrust them and support efforts to curtail the rights of those people but
its you whose rights they are restricting. You are those other people.
When it comes to rights, we must be diligent not to fall into the trap of those other people. We must always look
at rights from a personal perspective. Ask the question as I not them. Always maintain the perspective that
they and them are the people looking to curtail rights, and that the target of their efforts is us and me.
Do they have the right to tell me what I may own?
Is it a threat to society for me to own a semi-auto rifle?
Should I be singled out for special scrutiny because I choose to own firearms, homeschool my children, or set
aside food in case of an emergency?
The core purpose of government is to protect the liberty of the citizens, but it has itself become the greatest threat
to that liberty. And the larger and more powerful it becomes, especially at the federal level, the greater the threat.
The Founders put in place a system of laws, limitations on government power, and checks and balances for
the specific purpose of protecting liberty for us and our posterity. Over the years, those limitations have been
eroded and the checks and balances have been corrupted to the point that today, in 2014, the power of the federal
government to meddle in the personal life of any citizen is practically limitless, and a disturbing portion of citizens
depend on largess from the public treasury to sustain them from day to day.
Former New York City Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, spent some $14 million dollars trying to limit individual rights
at the federal level in 2013. In 2014, he says he is planning to spend many times that amount, and take the fight
to state legislatures. He has also backed away from his attacks on Democrat senators who refused to support his
agenda, an admission on his part that without a Democrat majority in the Senate, he has no hope of getting any
of his anti-rights proposals passed or any of his anti-liberty judges appointed.
This year is an election year. If voters dont make significant changes in the power structure in Washington this
year, 2016 could be too late.
Along with your preparations to survive natural and man-made disasters, dont forget to take steps to preempt
some of those potential disasters. Prepare by studying to understand the political challenges were facing. Prepare
by educating your friends, family, and neighbors about the importance of electing representatives at all levels of
government who recognize and respect the limitations and restrictions the Constitution places on government,
and the importance of individual liberty. Prepare by writing letters to the editor, volunteering for a campaign,
sharing information on the internet, and challenging incumbents and candidates to actually uphold their oath of
office. Most importantly, prepare to vote, and get others to the polls. Dont succumb to the defeatist mantra that
its too late or no use. Fulfill your obligation to your children, grandchildren, and fellow citizens to do everything
in your power to avoid the worst-case scenarios that youve been dreading and preparing for.
The best preparation is prevention. Prepare to restore our republic and our liberty.
Jeff Knox is the Managing Director of The Firearms Coalition, a grassroots organization that focuses on Second Amendment issues. It provides news,
analysis, and support to local grassroots groups, gun clubs, and individual activists around the country. The organization produces a bi-monthly
newsletter the Hard Corps Report, maintains a website at www.FirearmsCoalition.org and has an active page on Facebook. Founded in 1984, by
pioneering gun-rights legend Neal Knox, The Firearms Coalition is now run by Jeff and his brother Chris.
Issue 2
10
POWER
GRID
DOWN
By Tara Dodrill
he power grid is our most

antiquated and vulnerable piece
of infrastructure. The GridX II
nationwide simulation conducted in
November 2013, revealed what most
preppers already knew - the system is
teetering on the brink of failure. During
the three-nation test of significant
portions of the North American power
grid, the experts involved with the
process simulated a computer virus
cyber-attack on the grid.
Government and utility company
officials created a scenario where tens
of millions of Americans were left in
the dark and hundreds of transmission
lines and transformers were damaged
or destroyed, as a computer virus was
injected into the system. Transformers
also were bombed during the
simulation. The preliminary results
from the GridX II power grid drill stated
that a death toll of 150 first responders
and utility workers occurred as a result
of the cyber-attack. The official results
did not take into account civilian deaths
spurred by the civil unrest that would
result as mass panic set in across the
United States.
The power grid is often called
Americas glass jaw because of the
nations reliability on it and due to
its many weaknesses, such as its
vulnerability to a domino effect
because of its interconnectivity. The
famous Northeast Blackout of 2003
began with a tree limb falling in Ohio
Issue 2
and, after a chain reaction, ended up

with 50 million people losing power,
including those in New York City and
parts of Canada.
directed solar flare (coronal mass

ejection CME) or an EMP attack by
a rogue nation could accomplish the
same disastrous results.
The electric system has improved some

since the blackout of 2003, but not
nearly enough. In 2013, the American
Society of Civil Engineers gave the
electrical grid a grade of D+ when it
evaluated the system for security and
other vulnerabilities. There are about
5,800 power plants and 450,000 miles
of high-voltage transmission lines
in the United States, many of them
decades old and a large portion of them
connected to one another. The D+ grade
meant that the grid was in poor to fair
condition and mostly below standard,
with many elements approaching the
end of their service life. The report
also maintained that a large portion
of the system exhibits significant
deterioration with a strong risk of
failure. The power grid is basically a
ticking time bomb, which will spawn
civil unrest, lack of food and clean
water, and a multitude of fires if it does
go down.
Napolitano spoke at length about the

need to prepare for a downed power
grid caused by hackers. The vulnerable
electrical grid system in the United
States is also ill-prepared for a direct
hit by a solar flare (CME) or an EMP
attack.
Cyber Warfare
Former Department of Homeland
Secretary Janet Napolitano stated
during a press club conference that a
cyber-attack on the entire system was
a matter of if not when. A cyberattack is not the only threat facing
the nations electrical grid. An Earth-
Issue 2
Speaking in front of the National Press

Club, Napolitano stated:
Our country will, at some point,
face a major cyber event that will
have a serious effect on our lives,
our economy and the everyday
functioning of our society. While
we have built systems, protections
and a framework to identify attacks
and intrusions, share information
with the private sector and across
government, and develop plans
and capabilities to mitigate the
damage, more must be done, and
quickly. After the storm passed
[Hurricane Sandy] FEMA sent
teams into impacted areas to set
up Disaster Registration Centers
and conduct damage assessments.
For the first time, we activated the
DHS Surge Capacity Force, an allvolunteer corps that we created in
2011 to leverage the shared talents
and experience and capabilities
of employees from across the
department.
Napolitano acknowledged that terrorist
threats against the United States have
not subsided, but she said the federal
government and intelligence agencies
have become more flexible and
nimble at dealing with such dangers.
An excerpt from the 2013 American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
report reads:
America relies on an aging
electrical grid and pipeline
distribution systems, some of
which originated in the 1880s.
Investment in power transmission
has increased since 2005, but
ongoing permitting issues, weather
events, and limited maintenance
have contributed to an increasing
number of failures and power
interruptions. While demand for
electricity has remained level, the
availability of energy in the form
of electricity, natural gas, and oil
will become a greater challenge
after 2020, as the population
increases. Although about 17,000
miles of additional high-voltage
transmission lines and significant
oil and gas pipelines are planned
over the next five years, permitting
and siting issues threaten their
completion. The electric grid in
the United States consists of a
system of interconnected power
generation, transmission facilities,
and distribution facilities.
The ASCE report card also stated
that new gas-fired and renewable
generation issues increase the need to
add new transmission lines. Antiquated
13
power grid equipment has reportedly

prompted even more intermittent
power outages in recent years. The
power grid is more vulnerable to
cyber-attacks than ever before, with a
host of energy experts citing the aging
electrical system as the primary culprit.
Although the decades-old transformers
and other equipment necessary to keep
power flowing around America are a
major factor in the vulnerability of the
power grid, moving towards a smart
grid system is not the answer.
Smart Grid Dangers
Smart grid systems and even electric
car charging stations make the power
grid more accessible to cyber hackers.
During the Hack in the Box Conference
Governor Andrew Cuomo in April

2013, announced plans to build 360
such electrical stations in his state. A
total of 3,000 car charging stations are
in the works statewide and are slated
for completion over the next five years.
Weather Emergencies
The power grid has morphed in size
ten-fold during the past 50 years. While
solar flares, cyber attacks, and an EMP
are perhaps the most extensive and
frightening threats to the electrical
system, the infrastructure could just
as easily fail in large portions due to
weather-related events.
Weather-related events were the
primary cause of power outages
from 2007 to 2012, according to the
infrastructure report card.
Power grid reliability issues are
emerging as the greatest threat to the
electrical system. The ASCE grade card
also notes that retiring old and rotating
in new energy sources is a complex
process. Like most items routinely
purchased for use in our daily lives,
many of the components needed to
make the power grid functional are not
manufactured in the United States.
in Amsterdam, HP ArcSight Product

Manager, Ofer Sheaf, stated that electric
car charging stations are, in essence, a
computer on the street. The roadway
fueling stations are linked to the power
grid electrical system. If cyber hackers
garner access to the power grid via the
charging stations, they could stop the
flow of power to a specific area or alter
energy distribution levels and overload
the system.
Geomagnetic storm environments

can develop instantaneously over
large geographic footprints, solar
geomagnetic
researcher
John
Kappenman noted in an Oak Ridge
National Laboratory report about
the frailties of the power grid.
They have the ability to essentially
blanket the continent with an intense
While a relatively small number of

electric car charging stations exist in
America now, that will soon change.
Ongoing efforts by both federal and
state governments to reduce our
reliance on fossil fuels have resulted
in grants and privately funded vehicle
charging station projects. New York
Issue 2
threat environment and produce

significant collateral damage to critical
infrastructures. In contrast to wellconceived design standards that have
been successfully applied for more
conventional threats, no comprehensive
design criteria have ever been
considered to check the impact of the
geomagnetic storm environments. The
design actions that have occurred over
many decades have greatly escalated
the dangers posed by these storm
threats for this critical infrastructure.
AccuWeather
researcher
Kristen
Rodman noted during a recent review
of weather patterns that, as the power
grid system ages, the threats from
weather become more severe. Heat
waves, blizzards, hurricanes and other
severe weather events have already
shown the numerous vulnerabilities of
the U.S. power grid system by inducing
blackouts and massive power outages
throughout the country, Rodman
added.
Issue 2
Storms of various types are the leading

causes of power outages in America.
Severe weather has caused more than
675 power outages between 2003
and 2012, costing the United States
approximately $18 billion to $33
billion per year, according to a report
by the Presidents Council of Economic
Advisers and the US Department of
Energys Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability. The construction
of the current grid began in the late
1880s, and while portions of the grid
have been updated and changed over
time, more than 70 percent of the grids
transmission lines and transformers are
at least 25 years old.
When Superstorm Sandy rocked the
New Jersey coast in 2012, millions
of largely unprepared people were
without power for weeks. That late-fall
hurricane was a significant contributor
to the $27 billion to $52 billion that
power outages cost the country during
any given year, according to a White
House report.
Solar Flare Dangers

An increase in solar flares near the peak
of the 11-year sun cycle shouldnt be
thought of as unusual, but since this
solar maximum has been noticeably
mellow, scientists are taking note of
the uptick in activity. A solar flare is
defined as a brief, powerful eruption of
particles and intense electromagnetic
radiation from the suns surface. The
sun remained unusually quiet over the
summer months, prompting surprise
among NOAA and NASA weather
experts when multiple M-class and
X-class solar flares began occurring on
October 23, 2013. X-class flares are
the most powerful solar storms. The
current sun cycle is expected to peak
during the first quarter of 2014.
Scientists have only been able to view,
track, and understand solar flares
for about the last 20 years. The most
powerful known earth-directed solar
flare occurred during 1859, and is known
14
as the Carrington Event. Telegraph

lines, the most advanced technology
at the time, burst into flames. If such a
powerful event occurred today, life as
we know it in America would cease for
quite a long time.
During a past interview with One
Second After author Dr. William
Forstchen, the renowned professor
and preparedness keynote speaker
aptly noted that projected death-toll
figures in a grid-down scenario are
decidedly low. Government officials
and scientists did not take into account
the immediate deaths and fires which
would result when airplanes in the
sky at any given moment would crash
during a solar flare. According to the
FAA, there are about 7,000 types of
aircraft flying over the United States
at any given time. When a solar flare
or EMP would render the planes
electrical systems useless, thousands of
passengers and crew would be killed,
and the fires from those crashes would
destroy entire communities. Air Force
One and Strategic Air Command, used
to control nuclear-tipped missiles, are
the only aircraft which are supposedly
EMP-proof.
Firefighters and EMTs would not be
able to rush to such accident scenes
to put out fires or offer medical aid, as
they would be tending to fires caused
by bursting power grid transformers,
downed power lines and gas line
eruptions. Rolling blazes caused by a
solar flare or EMP attack are rarely ever
factored into either FEMA planning
or even discussions by preppers
themselves.
Should the power grid go down for

just a single week, approximately
one million Americans will likely
die. Many scientists agree that such a
doomsday scenario would also cause
trillions of dollars worth of damage.
With the existence of such a significant
segment of society on the line, a logical
person would think that the government
would be taking the idea of a massive
solar storm far more seriously.
By most estimates, it would take a
minimum of three months, and possibly
an entire year to garner new transformers
they are not made in America. If a
grid-down scenario impacts the entire
planet, the companies in China and
elsewhere that make the components
necessary to repair the power grid will
not be able to manufacture spare parts
and ship them to America.
EMP Attack Dangers
Even if the high-voltage protective
boxes around transformers are put
into place and spare transformers are
carefully held in storage until they
are needed, the impact a solar flare or
EMP would have on America is still
extremely dire. Citizens who have not
put their generators, appliances, cell
phones, and basically anything else

with electronic components and a cord
into a Faraday cage, will still be living
an Amish-style existence.
The Earth dodged a bullet in August
2013, when an electromagnetic pulse
strong enough to take down the power
grid sped through the planets typical
orbit just ahead of us. Missile defense
expert and High Frontier veteran Henry
Cooper told the Washington Examiner
the world escaped catastrophe when
referencing the EMP near miss. Cooper
couldnt have been more correct, but
sadly few paid any attention. Except
for a few news segments over the past
two years by Fox News Bill Hemmer,
the main-stream media has simply
dismissed the idea of an EMP attack or
a Carrington Event-size solar flare as
pure prepper paranoia.
Cooper also recently noted that North
Korea could already have the capability
of initiating an EMP attack against
America. According to the missile
defense expert, North Korea tested a
Space Launch Vehicle in December
2012. The vehicle could reportedly
launch a nuclear attack against the
United States by orbiting the weapon
at the South Pole, where missile
Any patient dependent upon electricity

to sustain life will also perish rather
quickly. Once the oxygen tanks of the
ill residing at home or in assisted-living
centers run dry, they will also become
solar-flare casualties. Grocery store
shelves would empty quickly, leaving
those who do not have a backyard
garden or long-term food items stored
on their shelves to starve.
15
Issue 2
more likely to go to heaven if they

could just kill as many Americans
as possible? These guys lust after
mass destruction.
Woolsey added the federal government
was not seeing the big picture clearly.
The former CIA director said that
both China and North Korea present
problems that the United States has
still not fully grasped. He considers the
rogue nation of North Korea extremely
dangerous.
interceptors and radar do not exist.
about one month, the report added.
The EMP Commission was created in

the late 1990s to identify ways that the
United States could protect its military
and civilian systems from EMP attack.
Instituted by a Republican-controlled
Congress, it was later re-initialized
during
a
Democrat-controlled
Congressional session. The commission
was a true bi-partisan endeavor and
garnered unanimous support both
times. The EMP Commission has been
inactive since the Obama administration
began.
An EMP Commission statement about

the domino effect an EMP attack would
have on the United States reads:
Senior military personnel, lawmakers,

intelligence analysts and government
officials
believe
the
Obama
administration is not taking the threat
of an EMP attack seriously enough. The
EMP Commission warned Congress
that an EMP attack could potentially
disrupt the food infrastructure over a
large region encompassing many cities
for a protracted period of weeks to
months. The problem is confounded
because supermarkets typically carry
only enough food to provision the
local population for one to three days.
Supermarkets replenish their stocks
on virtually a daily basis from regional
warehouses that usually carry enough
food to supply a multi-county area for
Issue 2
The
primary
avenues
for
catastrophic damage to the Nation
are through our electric power
infrastructure and thence into our
telecommunications, energy, and
other infrastructures. These, in
turn, can seriously impact other
important aspects of our Nations
life, including the financial system;
means of getting food, water, and
medical care to the citizenry;
trade; and production of goods and
services. The recovery of any one
of the key national infrastructures
is dependent on the recovery of
others.
Defense and strategic analysts at the

Heritage Foundation a Washington,
D.C.-based
conservative
public
policy research institute have urged
Congress to develop, test and field U.S.
defenses against EMP attacks, including
enhanced ballistic missile defenses
able to counter short-range missiles
that carry EMP warheads. Detonating
a ballistic missile with an EMP head
while still at a high altitude would allow
energetic particles released during
the explosion to disable, damage
or destroy all unhardened electronic
devices within the line of sight of the
detonation, the analysts said in a
report.
An excerpt from the Heritage
Foundation report about an EMP attack
reads:
Former
CIA
Director
James
Woolsey made this statement about
electromagnetic pulse threats:
A rogue state would not need a longrange ballistic missile to deliver

a nuclear warhead. Even shortrange ballistic missiles carrying an
EMP device or a nuclear warhead
launched from a ship off the U.S.
coast could impact millions. Today,
over 30 countries, including Iran
and North Korea, possess ballistic
missile capabilities.
9/11 was a wake-up call that enemies

of the United States were looking to
launch massive attacks. What if the
government in North Korea or Iran
really thought that the world would
be so much a better place and that
they themselves would be so much
When Newt Gingrich addressed

members of the House Electromagnetic
Pulse Caucus, he warned those in
attendance that an EMP attack could
end it all in America. Gingrich
detailed how the fallout from even a
high-altitude EMP nuclear blast could
16
destroy the power grid and a multitude

of electronics on the ground in the near
vicinity.
Gingrich also had this to say about the
impact of an EMP attack on America:
This could be the kind of
catastrophe that ends civilization
and thats not an exaggeration.
The reason I began focusing on
this a decade ago is there are very
few events you cant recover from.
You can recover from 9/11, you
can recover from Pearl Harbor.
This is really different. This creates
such a collapse of our fundamental
productive capacity that you could
literally see a civilization crash
and tear itself apart fighting
internally.
Power Grid Readiness
Power grid failure warnings have been
ignored by the federal government,
according to an emergency planner
cited in a new G2 Bulletin by World

Net Dailys Joseph Farah. If the claims
are accurate, disaster responders are
ill-equipped to deal with a massive
blackout stemming from a solar flare,
EMP attack or cyber-attack on the
power grid.
Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, executive director
of the Congressional advisory board
on both the National and Homeland
Security Task Forces and the US Nuclear
Strategy Forum, told Farah that U.S.
utilities have been resisting initiatives
to harden the power grid and local
utilities against a failure of the system.
Pry cited the stalled Congressional
SHIELD Act as an example of the
federal governments unwillingness
to act on the concerns raised by a
myriad of experts. SHIELD stands for
Secure High-Voltage Infrastructure
for Electricity from Lethal Damage.
The legislation was introduced by
Republican
Representative
Trent
Franks of Arizona.
Although
a
decade has passed
since the federal
government
realized
there
was no direct
authority
to
deal
with
a
downed power
grid emergency,
that
problem
has not been
resolved. During
the past three
Congressional
legislative
sessions it has
been suggested
that the Federal
E l e c t r i c
Regulatory
Commission
(FERC)
be
granted the power
to regulate power
grid operations,
but a vote has
never been taken. The SHIELD Act,

the first real attempt to enhance and
protect the power grid, has been
stalled in Congress for several years.
If approved, the legislation would
enhance the governments ability to
initiate protective measures to help
guard the power grid from both manmade and natural disasters. The bill
focuses on protecting the 300 electric
transformers around the United States.
Regarding
the
SHIELD
Act,
Representative Trent Franks said,
It is critical that we protect our
major transformers from cascading
destruction. The
SHIELD Act
encourages industry to develop
standards necessary to protect our
electric infrastructure against both
natural and man-made EMP events.
The power grid protection bill has
bipartisan support, but a vote on the
potentially life-saving legislation has
yet to be called. According to Pry, the
electric utility industry has not shown
any interest in spending time and money
on the repairs and upgrades necessary to
protect the power grid. Representative
Franks recently introduced new power
grid legislation due to the languishing
of the SHIELD Act. HR3410 is referred
to as CIPA or the Critical Infrastructure
Protection Act. If passed, the legislation
would amend the Homeland Security
Act by mandating that an EMP attack
be considered a vital part of DHS
national emergency planning scenarios.
Administratively, a coherent and
effective answer will not likely arise
from uncoordinated decisions made
independently by the thousands of
individual electric utilities and industries
at risk, said Dr. Pry, stressing the need
to safeguard the power grid. Because
cyber preparedness should encompass
EMP preparedness and since EMP is
an existential threat it is imperative
that government play a supervisory and
coordinating role to achieve protection
against these threats swiftly.
Issue 2
Secret Garden of
Survival: How to
Grow a Camouflaged
Food-Forest.
year
ets say you survive The End Of

The World As We Know It
and lets say you survive for a
What are you and your family (and

your livestock) going to eat when your
food stores run out?
How will you replenish a years food
storage, and then feed yourself each
and every year after that?
And how do you keep others from
stealing it?
Look at these two photos below.
Which one of these is a garden?
Which one produces more food?
Which one will the unprepared hordes
attack?
Answer: They are both gardens, but the
one on the left produces five times more
food per square foot than the traditional
row garden on the right.
Issue 2
By Rick Austin
The Survivalist Gardener
Furthermore, the one on the left only

has to be planted once in a lifetime,
provides food for 30 years, never has
to be weeded, never needs fertilizer and
never needs pesticide -- ever.
And it is disguised to look like
overgrown underbrush, so nobody
knows you have food growing there.
What It Is
In the Secret Garden of Survival we
let nature do what nature does best...
the way nature has grown plants for
millions of years. The Secret Garden
of Survival uses what some have
called Permaculture (or permanent
agriculture,) but it does so on a larger
scale and in a more natural way, using
what I have termed, NatureCulture.
The beauty of this for a prepper is that
you only have to plant once - and then
you harvest for a lifetime.
In the Secret Garden of Survival, we
use companion planting, where
you put plants together that have a
symbiotic relationship - a relationship
where each plant supports and benefits
from the other. (If you have ever heard

of the book Carrots Love Tomatoes, its
like that, only bigger.)
We use plants to naturally attract good
bugs that will pollinate your plants
and that will also prey on and kill the
bad bugs that you dont want in your
garden.
We use plants to keep away fourlegged pests too. For example, if you
plant onions around the base of a fruit
tree, mice wont go near the tree in the
winter and gird it. Likewise, if you
plant daffodils around the drip line of a
tree, deer wont go near it.
We plant in guilds instead of rows.
Guilds are like a mini ecosystem of
concentric circles of symbiotic plants
planted around the central tree of the
guild, such as a fruit or a nut tree. This
tall tree ends up producing a canopy
of leaves, and shade-loving plants
grow under the tree. Then, outside
the shade, shrubs (such as blueberries
or blackberries) are planted around
your tree in full sun. Then, herbs are
planted around your shrubs, and then
18
Layers of a Guild (Top Down View)
In this close up photo of our Secret Garden of Survival, there are bush beans, cucumbers,
peanuts, passion fruit, comfrey, mint, mountain mint, clover and oats- all growing in the
same spaceAnd all of this is underneath a pear tree that stands next to blueberry bushes.
(Can you find them all?)
ground cover is planted around your

herbs. Since vines naturally grow on
trees (there are no trellises in nature), a
vine layer (like grapes) grows up your
central fruit or nut tree.
We grow plants in three dimensions so
you can put more plants in the same
area, which will significantly increase
the amount of food you produce per
square foot of garden space. (In fact,
you can grow five times more food per
square foot in this type of garden, than
you could in a traditional row garden.)
Not only can you grow more plants
in less space, but the individual plants
grow better this way too! Amazingly,
the grape vines that we planted next to,
and have growing on, our fruit trees,
have always produced far more grapes
than those vines that we planted on
traditional vineyard trellises.
This type of garden looks wild and
overgrown and just like the art of
camouflage, it all blends in, because
it has no definable shapes or rows. It
looks natural, not man-made.
What It Is Not
Its not work. Once you are finished
with your initial planting, all you do is
harvest, year after year.
Its not weeding. In this garden, you
dont have to pull weeds. For the most
part, weeds are good. You see, weeds
19
are just misunderstood plants. Weeds

are pioneer plants, because they are
generally the first plants to inhabit a
new area. As such, they serve a purpose.
Weeds will grow where other plants
could not survive, and in the meantime,
their roots break up hard packed soil so
that water, microorganisms and other
nutrients can move in. Additionally,
when the weeds die, they create
compost and mulch that will help other
plants to be able to take over where
they left off.
Its not using pesticide. You need to
understand this simple fact: 90% of all
bugs are good bugs. Good bugs are
beneficial insects that in one way or
another are essential to the growth and
health of your plants. Unfortunately,
most insecticides do not discriminate,
so they not only kill the bad bugs that
you want to eliminate, but they also
kill the beneficial insects as well. By
killing the good bugs, you interrupt
the life-cycle of the predator bugs, and
then you leave your plants vulnerable
to numerous other pests, that you didnt
even know could be a problem.
Furthermore, once you have killed the
predator bugs that were protecting your
plants, the bad bugs can invade at
will, and then your garden suddenly
becomes a smorgasbord without anyone
there to protect it.
Additionally, these pesticides end up
in the soil, and they can kill the good
microorganisms that allow your plants

to be able to take up nutrients.
Nature has its own way of keeping
things in balance. When you interfere
with natures balance by using chemical
pesticides, you end up creating an even
bigger problem for yourself and your
plants and you could end up with no
crops at all.
Even worse, some of these pesticides
are systemic. In other words, once
they end up in the soil, they can then be
absorbed throughout the entire system
of your plant. So your plants will then
carry these pesticides through their
roots, into their stems, into their leaves,
and into their pollen, thus killing even
more good bugs. And if you can ever
get fruit to grow under these conditions,
these pesticides will now be inside the
food you are going to eat.
Lastly, where do you think you are
going to get pesticide when the grid
goes down anyway? When there are no
stores and no transportation, there will
be no commercial pesticide available.
It is far better to never start using it.
Its not using fertilizer. In nature, plants
grow just fine without commercial
fertilizer. Yet almost all commercial
farming (and most residential gardens)
relies on it. The problem is that using
commercial fertilizer is a lot like giving
your plants addictive drugs. And once
they are addicted, they have a hard time
Issue 2
to store water for your garden is in the

ground.
In NatureCulture, we use swales
(berms and terraces) to store water.
(See the illustration below.) When
water drains down into the terrace, it
is stopped from flowing further downhill by the berm on the terrace. The
water then seeps into the ground. A
lens-shaped pool of water forms under
the berm. This water is available to the
roots of the plants on the berm.
During droughts, when everyone elses
plants were dying, our plants were
healthy and green.
living without it.

And just like pesticide above, where are
you going to get commercial fertilizer
after TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The
World As We Know It)?
By the way, since the day we started
our Secret Garden of Survival, we have
never used one single ounce of pesticide
or one single ounce of fertilizer on our
plants, and we have always had more
food than we could possibly consume.
Its not watering. Once your plants are
established, there is little to no need
for watering in the Secret Garden of
Survival. That is because the best place
We went from red clay terraces...
Issue 2
So to sum up, The Secret Garden of

Survival is a garden that takes up very
little space; that you only have to plant
once in your life-time; that will provide
food for you and your family for the next
30 years; that can grow five-times more
food per square foot than traditional or
commercial gardening; and is a garden
that you never have to weed, never have
to treat with fertilizers and never have
to treat with pesticide -- ever.
Swales slow downhill water flow,

creating an underground pool for
your plants.
Now that you know the basics of what

it is, and why it works, if you would
like to find out how you can do this, get
my book: Secret Garden of SurvivalHow to Grow a Camouflaged FoodForest, a simple, straight-forward,
step-by-step approach to creating
your own Secret Garden of Survival,
on any size lot, in just one growing
season. Available in hardcopy at
amazon.com or electronically, in
Kindle and Nook versions. Or, to find
out more information, go to www.
SecretGardenOfSurvival.com.
Here is an example of
how well it works.
In two years, we went from red clay
to 12-ft. high blackberries, 15-ft. fruit
trees that were bearing fruit, and a lush
green food forest that passers-by could
not recognize as a garden.
We went from red clay to a lush food forest in

just two years.
...to 12 high blackberries in just 2 years.
20
HAND-TO-HAND CLOSE
OBLIGATION T
By Richard Fike
lose quarters combat is

exactly what it sounds like:
it is up-close and personal
combat that is in your face, and
youre either prepared to deal with
it or you die. It is the most extreme
and most emotionally driven method
of fighting that exists. To release
large amounts of lead down range
at an enemy, not knowing if you hit,
killed, or wounded your target is
one thing; to engage another human
being at close range, to smell his
sweat and to look into his eyes and
fight with emotional content, as
the late, great Bruce Lee would say,
is another.
To many students of hand-to-hand
combat, fighting in-close is not a
regular practice or even considered.
Boxing, even mixed martial arts,
starts with both opponents at a
distance outside what we call close
quarters. Once the action begins,
the fighters close the distance or
reactionary gap, then engage with
a purpose. This gap allows for
each fighter to prepare, however, a
2 1
(Left) Attacker begins attack - defender

in close.
(Middle) Attacker delivers right hook defender steps inside - applies double
hand block immediately.
(Right) Delivering knife hand strike to
Brachial Plexus Origin area of attacker.
surprise, in your face attack leaves

little room for preparation. This is
where instinctive survival needs to
kick in.
For me, close quarters combat,
or CQC, must employ both the
psychological as well as the
expected physical fighting skills
necessary to survive.
Pain exists on two levels. First is
the psychological or emotional
level where a person is psyched
out before the fight even begins.
The second level is physical. Pain
is your ally. Use it often and make
it a part of your direct action. By
administering pain, you will gain
momentum in your counter-attack.
By instilling both psychological and
physical pain, you literally can stop
the attacker in his tracks. At this
point, it is imperative to strike back

in a systematic or connect the dots
approach. Once you have regained
control, follow through and dont
stop until they drop. Hesitate, and
your ability to connect the dots fails,
allowing your adversary to regain
the momentum, thereby connecting
his own dots of attack.
Most people simply do not get
the chance to stand toe-to-toe
against a real threat and deal with
it. When it does happen, it takes
them by surprise. The victim is
usually shocked and often hesitates,
not sure what to say or do. This
reaction provides the bad guy with
an edge or advantage. Consider
four words or four reactions: fight,
flight, fear or faint. When attacked,
you experience one of these four
reactions. Which one would you
experience?
It is imperative to quickly and
decisively kill the will of the
attacker. You must immediately
engage with the intent to violently
overwhelm and overtake anyone
or anything in your path. The
Issue 2
E QUARTERS COMBAT
TO SURVIVOR
military likes to use the phrase
Speed, Surprise and Violence of
Attack. With more than 26 years
of service in the Army, I claim the
right to modify this slightly. I prefer
Surprise and Violence of Attack.
Speed is also important in the
sense of urgency, but not everyone
possesses the necessary speed to
facilitate this action. Move too fast
or too soon and you may jeopardize
the mission.
Coming from the unconventional
world of combat, I choose the
element of surprise.
Taking
advantage of this will allow you
to engage and overwhelm a much
larger attacker or stronger military
force by stealth. Fight by your rules,
never your enemys. Be sneaky and
clever. The same goes for CQC. Be
smart, be sneaky and cheat! Thats
right, I said cheat. There is no clean
fight! If forced to fight, never give the
attacker a second chance, PERIOD.
Rule number one: there are no rules
when it comes to defending against
someone determined to harm
you. Hit first, hit hard and with
violent intentions, and always take
advantage of the element of surprise.
Issue 2
This means taking advantage of the

emotional pain that you are capable
of inflicting on your attacker by your
image. Your eyes, your voice, your
mad-dog expression, all set the tone
that sends the message You made
a big mistake! Beat him mentally
first destroying his will to continue
physically, second.
An immediate strike to a nerve
point sends a signal through the
sensory nerve system to the brain
that registers as quick pain. I like to
relate this to being stung by a bee.
The sting is immediately painful
and disrupts whatever you are doing
at the time. For a moment, all that
youre aware of is that stinging pain.
Be like the bee and sting violently.
Some time ago, a great fighter by
the name of Ali once said, Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Once you have initiated your sting,
(Left) Defender connects to attackers
BPO - following through.
(Middle) Delivering full impact strike
stunning attacker.
(Right) Close up of BPO impact point
which includes carotid artery and vagus
nerve (see red pointer).
the pain that follows allows you

to continue your business without
interruption. Pain followed by a
forceful attack will lead you to a
predictable and logical conclusion.
Dot one: violently enter inside
your attackers zone, closing the
gap. Dot two: strike with authority,
causing immediate pain.
Dot
three: overwhelm your opponent,
and dot four: dominate and control
the outcome. Follow your direct
action path and connect the dots,
and never stop until they drop.
So, where do we strike and what
do we strike with to cause this
pain? There are many choices
of targets and personal weapons
when striking an opponent. In
this issue I will discuss one of my
favorites, The Brachial Plexus
Origin (BPO).
Before we go there, we need to
understand that prior to attacking
(or counterattacking) we need to
first get inside the attackers zone.
This is the zone between his arms
and shoulders that will provide us
with an avenue for attack. One
scenario could be the attacker
walking up and grabbing your
22
lapel and pulling you in close in an

effort to intimidate. I like this. Here
is the essence of CQC. What the
attacker doesnt realize is that you
are ready for him. This is your zone
of preference and in this zone you
own him! You say to yourself,
Darth Vader-ish, You are mine and
I will now destroy you.
Experience has shown that a single

solid impact or blow to the side of
the neck will temporarily interrupt
the nervous system and stun the
recipient; however, I recommend
that multiple and repeated strikes to
this area be administered, which will
enhance the overall effectiveness of
this technique.
In future issues, we will look at

techniques that drive us inside to
this zone, however, for this article,
we will assume we have already
penetrated his perimeter and are
prepared to deliver an effective
strike to a selected target.
So, it is safe to say that solid,

focused blows to the side of the
neck generate more than one
physiological response from the
body, due to the numerous nerves
and arteries found therein. Breathing
is reduced, confusion is induced and
legs start to buckle. The end result
that you have created is a window of
opportunity allowing you to dictate
the conclusion of this encounter.
Lets take a look at the BPO, which

is located on the side of the neck and
contains a bundle of nerve fibers that
run from the spine, through the arm
pit into the arm. It contains both
a nerve point and a pressure point.
Yes, there is a difference. Contrary to
many CQC instructors knowledge,
these points are not one-in-the same.
When a nerve point is impacted, a
signal travels up a sensory nerve
to the brain, which translates this
sensation into pain while often
interrupting muscle performance.
When a pressure point is impacted,
blood and oxygen flow to the brain
is restricted, while additionally
causing pain (remember your Basic
First Aid training on where to apply
a tourniquet?) Note that not all
nerve points contain pressure points,
but all pressure points contain at
least one nerve point. Also located
deeper inside the neck is the carotid
artery, which supplies blood and
oxygen to the brain. And finally we
find the vagus nerve, located on the
side of the neck near the surface.
The vagus nerve regulates heartbeat
and breathing, and, if impacted
sufficiently, blood pressure is
reduced and the heart rate slowed.
23
To those instructors of CQC, it is

imperative that you fully understand
that any blow or strike to the side
of the neck can cause serious injury,
if not death. These impact points
should be considered dangerous.
Blows to this area can also lead to
the risk of stroke, due to the potential
damage to the arterial wall. When
training, take responsibility for the
lessons you teach and to whom you
teach them. Emphasize the dangers

associated with all strikes to the
head and neck region and combat in
general.
CONCLUSION:
Remember, once we commit to our
survival, we never stop. Once you
pull the mental trigger, then connect
the dots until you have destroyed the
emotional will and physical skill of
the attacker. If you hesitate, expect
to lose the forward momentum that
you have gained. So dont hesitate!
Over thirty years ago, I adopted
my CQC motto: You are obligated
to survive. Your mission success
depends upon your survival, and
the survival of those soldiers to
the left and right of you. Many
people depend on you for so many
things. So right now, this minute,
consider what you would do what
you could do if faced with a violent
encounter. Will you be the victim
or the survivor? Personally, I prefer
returning home to play with my
grandchildren while the other guy
goes to the hospital. No brag, just
fact. In the meantime, write in and
let me hear from you. Till then,
peace, brother!
Richard Fike is a career Special Operations Officer serving over 26 years

with extremely aggressive special mission units. He is a regular advisor
and trainer to various federal, military and private organizations across
the United States and abroad on small unit tactics and individual survival.
He is the Director of the Close Quarter Combat Skills Institute (CQCSI),
which regularly conducts unadvertised training and introduces at
risk resolution technologies for special teams preparing for their next
mission. The motto of the CQCSI is Obligation To Survive. He is a
licensed instructor for the Ohio Peace officer Training Council and holds
an 8th Degree Black Belt in Karate, Judo and Ju-jitsu. Recently, he was
appointed National Director for Self Defense for the United States Ju-Jitsu
Organization (USJJO).
His seminars are high speed and high energy, while focusing on as much Live Environment training
as possible. He bases his close quarter training on his core three: Tactical Knife Fighting, Combat
Cord Fighting and Hand to Hand Offensive Target Elimination.
Mr. Fike is considered an expert in personal security and threat recognition/mitigation and has
authored two best selling books: Staying Alive - a Family Guide to Crime Prevention, and How
to Keep from Being Robbed, Raped & Ripped Off both from Acropolis Books. In addition, he has
written for numerous publications such as: Black Belt Magazine, Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated, Karate
International and United Kingdoms - Combat Magazine.
Issue 2
By Andrew Blanchard
ow many times have you been in
the woods, or elsewhere for that
matter, and thought, If I only had
BLANK? Thoughts like these can lead
to a hefty pack load and a sore back if
left unchecked. Whatever banner you
find yourself under prepper, shooter,
sportsman, survivalist, etc. we tend
to have equipment or a kit that goes
with these pursuits. In a perfect world,
I would prefer a semi-truck to follow
me around with all my various gadgets
and doodads at my beck and call. But
since this is not a possibility, I have
over the years begun a journey to see
how low I can go on my kit contents.
Truthfully, once you build up your
skills toolbox to a reasonable level, the
kit becomes a cushion. Its the fluff in
a chair pad that simply serves to make
it more comfortable to use. The reality

is though, that some things shouldnt be
left to chance. I have developed a simple
philosophy with regard to my knife
kit. I chose the knife as my platform
because I am a knife guy; I simply
always have my knife on me. This is
the center of my woodland system and
most of my survival skills are built
from it. For some of you, this might be
a machete, axe, saddle bag, holster, or
gun scabbard. The philosophy remains
the same. If, for example, I am hunting
and track an animal to the point that I
get lost or injured, what would I wish
I had, and how small can it be? Again,
these are relative to the level to which
you have built and practiced your skills.
Do not take chances, use what works
for you, and pare down your kit as your
skill level increases. The question I ask
myself when I am building an addition
to my kit or testing a change is, Would

I feel stupid for not bringing this into a
potential survival situation or could this
save my life?
My favorite kit platform is built around
a custom knife set I had commissioned
by a friend of mine, LT Wright. I
wont go into the knives much since
they are secondary to the kit items, but
suffice it to say that the set is a threeblade set consisting of a larger knife
capable of chopping and batoning, a
smaller detail and skinning knife, and
a spearhead that is also usable as a
makeshift tomahawk. Both knives and
the fire steel are outfitted with lanyards
that have reflective material threaded
through them. There is no use losing
your knife or fire steel just because you
sat it down in some leaves or cover.
The sheath is the real pack-horse here,
though. The sheath platform is made
from Kydex mounted to leather for
wearing on your belt.
I do some Kydex work for knife sheaths
and weapon holsters and as such I have
a propensity to fashion what I need.
Issue 2
24
grommet, and a
Chicago screw is
threaded through
it. Usually, a
rubber washer is
used between the
items being bound
as well.
This isnt an option for everybody.

That is OK! I dont want you to copy
my kit. It is mine and it works for me.
Make your own kit. All kidding aside,
you need to make a kit that works for
you or it will not work for you. My
intent here is to stir you into using your
imagination. Think of your sheath, or
whatever you are going to attach your
kit to, in this concept as a MOLLE
platform. It is fully customizable to
your specific wants and needs. Make it
simple on yourself starting out, just get
a pouch that will attach to your sheath
or even your belt and go from there.
Over time, whittle your system down
until you are left with your essential kit.
My sheath system can be broken down
into a few simple parts. The leather
backer and belt loop serve to suspend
the knife from my belt. Leather also
provides some flexibility when sitting
or kneeling. This is where my spear
point rides, right between the steel
rivets. This backer also has a leather
loop for my fire steel, a ferrocerium rod
that produces 3000-degree sparks when
struck from steel. I maintain a sharp
edge on my knife spines so I do not
need to carry a striker or use the blade.
Next is the main-blade Kydex sheath,
.060 Kydex with grommets around
the edge. These grommets allow the
attachment of various items by what is
referred to as a Chicago bolt or binding
post. The binding post fits through the
25
On top of the main

blade sheath is
a smaller sheath
for my detail/
skinning
knife.
This is the same
Kydex and attaches the same way.
Also attached with Chicago screws to
the main blade sheath edge is my tinder
tube holder. This is an aluminum vial
with an O-ring seal. I carry Vaselineimpregnated cotton balls in it for use
with my fire steel. Moving to the back
of the platform, I have a simple bracket,
again made from Kydex, for holding
an Altoids-type tin.
This bracket
attaches the same way as everything
else, by drilling a hole and running
Chicago screws through it. I admit it
is somewhat clich to use these tins,
but they are extremely handy and small
enough to tuck just about anywhere.
Not to mention that they can be used to
make char cloth for tinder, should the
need arise.
On the back of the sheath is my saw
blade. I like to carry a medium-length
reciprocating
saw blade just in
case. You can get
many
different
lengths, material
capabilities,
and
tooth
combinations
in these blades
and all are cheap
enough to think,
Why wouldnt
I have one?
Choose one that
is sized right for
your setup and go with a metal cutting

blade that has a medium tooth count.
This way you can still cut wood fairly
well and have the option to cut metal.
The finer-toothed blades do not do well
on wood, as the teeth load up quickly. It
may even save you from the temptation
to use your knife on things you should
not be cutting with it. I round the rear/
saw ends off these so they wont dig
into my leg and drill a hole in them
big enough for the binding post to go
through to secure them.
Along the bottom end of the sheath,
I have a simple cable with a screw
attachment. This can be used for many
things, like snare anchors, binding, or
pot hanger, to name a few. I use it on
the sheath to attach my signal whistle
and a paracord hank in a daisy chain.
If you are reading this and do not know
what paracord is, then I cant help
you, the zombies are going to win.
Seriously though, paracord is a must.
Paracord or 550 cord is actually 7 inner
cords, which can be separated and used
for various tasks. The 550 designation
is from the fact that it can support a
550-pound static load. It also happens
to be mildew-resistant, so if you get it
wet, it is no problem.
Next, we will dig into the survival tin
on the back of my sheath. My survival
tin is pretty basic and covers four
main categories: immediate aid, food
Issue 2
sanitary
than
scraping out a
wound with your
knife tip. The
Krazy Glue is for
wound closure as
well. As with all
this information,
it is strictly my
opinion
and
experience
none of it should
be taken as
medical advice.
But, I use Super
Glue all of the
time to close
cuts.
It only
binds to the skin
and not to the
wound
itself.
Of course this is
another multiuse item for
repairs as well.
procurement, water, and utility items.
First, I will cover the immediate or firstaid items as they are fairly self-evident.
NO ONE IS COMING TO HELP YOU!
If you are called upon to use these kit
items, it is because your need to address
an injury is immediate and possibly
life-threatening. Wound closure is the
name of the game here. I carry a single
suture, six sterile wound-closure strips,
two iodine swabs, a small tube of Krazy
Glue, and a sterile splinter pick. With
these items, I can at least clean a wound
and get it closed if it is manageable.
The suture and wound closure strips
are obvious as to the use, but could also
be used for gear repair if the need was
dire enough. Iodine swabs can also be
used as a last resort squeezed into water
to purify it. However, the splinter pick
and Krazy Glue might have some of
you scratching your heads. Although
useful for digging out a splinter, the
splinter pick is a sterile probe for wound
debridement as well. This is much more
Issue 2
The
second
category in the tin is food procurement.
A simple fishing kit with a cable leader,
three lures, several hook-and-split
sinkers, as well as a length of fishing
line wrapped on a Popsicle stick round
out the kit. If your climate is not
conducive to fishing, perhaps a set of
small snares or the wire to make some
would be a better choice. You could use
the fishing hooks and cable leader in
conjunction with inner paracord strands
to fashion several snares. Likewise,
traps of various kinds can be made with
the same components.
Category three is water. I carry two
oven roasting bags, the kind you cook
turkeys in, for gathering, containing,
and transporting water. They are not
very resistant to puncture from thorns or
other sharp objects; however, they are
extremely resistant to rupture. You can
fill one with water and beat it against a
wall until your arm wears out without
breaking it. You could also use these to
make solar stills or condensation traps.

Their compact size is another bonus.
With these, I carry two Chlor-Floc
powder packets. Each one will purify
and clarify one liter of water in about
fifteen minutes.
The fourth category is utility. What
else is small enough and important
enough to cram in the remaining space?
I tape the inside of the tins lid with
black tape and duct tape to have some
on hand. Inside the tape, I store two
stitching needles. Make sure the eye
is big enough to use with the fishing
line and the inner strands of paracord.
A button compass fits in the tin as
well. While these are not designed for
precision navigation, they work great
for keeping a reasonable heading. I
also carry a decent penlight. The Fenix
brand LD01 is a great light. It runs
on a single AAA battery and has low,
medium, and high settings of 3, 26, and
72 lumens. The runtime for 3 lumens
is 27 hours. In the kit, I also have a GIstyle can opener because it fit, and you
never know when you may need one.
True, you can beat your knife through a
can lid, but I work hard to keep a good
edge on my knives. Another redundant
item is last: WetFire brand tinder. The
name says it all here. This stuff will
light wet, burn wet, and burns a decent
amount of time. It will actually burn
floating in liquid. You can shave off a
small portion, or use the whole cube. It
burns above 1300 degrees and leaves
no residue. Even with a somewhat
damp tinder bundle and small twigs, I
have faith in this little beauty to get a
fire going.
I hope this breakdown provides you
with some ideas. But more than that,
I hope it inspires you to develop those
useful skills that will last a lifetime. As
the old saying goes, knowledge weighs
nothing. Make your equipment serve
your individual needs, and take the
opportunity to test it out before you
need it.
26
YOUR LOCAL EMERGENC

AS A PREPPE
By Scot Loveland
Were
from
government
were
here
help.
the
and
to
hose nine words can send

chills through even the most
hardened prepper. That is
a sentence that conjures up images
of post-Katrina ineptitude, overregulation and bureaucracy at its worst.
Russell Sobel and Peter Leeson of the
Cato Institute wrote in their policy
analysis paper, Flirting with Disaster:
The Inherent Problems with FEMA,
that, The federal governments topdown disaster response system is
fundamentally flawed. The federal
government usually has neither the
incentive nor the information needed
to effectively coordinate relief
management. Thus, the best reforms to
the Federal Emergency Management
Agency would take control away from
the federal government, not give it
more. Most of us would agree that
the esteemed Mr. Sobel and Mr. Leeson
are right on the money. My only
complaint would be that they applied
this argument only to FEMA and not to
the federal government as a whole.
Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency Building
27
However, we in the preparedness

community would be remiss if we did
not consider FEMA to be one of the
best tools in our toolbox. Perhaps a
better analogy would be to consider
them one of the necessary items in
our bug-out bag. This statement was
designed not to shock, but to enlighten.
Almost everyone reading this right
now has an outstanding, though underutilized, prepper resource right in
their community: their local office of
the Emergency Management Agency.
It should be noted that not all local
Issue 2
CY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
ER RESOURCE
offices of the EMA, whether county
or municipally run, are created equal
in terms of funding, manpower, and
helpfulness. Results definitely will
vary.
S. Luke Newbold, Director of the
Columbiana
County
Emergency
Management Agency (CCEMA), is an
interesting man. And although he is
only the second EMA Director that I
have met, I would guess that he is not
typical of the position. What makes
him unique is not the fact that he is a
volunteer firefighter in his hometown;
that is pretty common within the EMA
system. Neither is it the fact that he is
a 15-year veteran of the military. What
makes Newbold unique is the fact that
his 15 years of service came in the Navy
SEALs. Also, consider the fact that he
is one of three brothers who all gained
entry into this elite warrior fraternity
(talk about a unique gene pool).
Now, most people would rightfully
question the qualifications of this
snake-eating, door kicker to lead
an organization tasked with civilian
emergency preparedness. However,
when Newbold wasnt acting as
a sniper and point man in combat
zones, training indigenous forces
in Close Quarters Combat and
maritime operations, or deployed on
interdiction missions against narcoterrorists, he was tasked with bringing
aid and support to areas hard hit by
natural disasters. Newbold states that
humanitarian efforts were instrumental
in building relationships with allies and
a fundamental component of SEAL
doctrine. He worked in areas ravaged
by floods, sink holes, mudslides,
hurricanes and volcanoes. He was
SOC Souths Operations Chief for the
Caribbean during the Haiti recovery,
and thus in charge of all Special Forces
Issue 2
personnel in the country. His time

in service prepared him well for his
current position.
Although his days in Lisbon, Ohio,
are typically a bit more serene than
his days in the SEALs, the potential
consequences of his job are every bit as
crucial. He guides a full-time staff of
five as they work to protect the wellbeing of the 207,000 people in this
mostly rural county in northeast Ohio.
Despite the relatively low population
density and little heavy manufacturing,
the county has some very high-risk
enterprises in its region: a hazardous
waste incinerator, a nuclear power
plant and the second largest oil and
gas infrastructure in the state of Ohio.
Although the Beaver Valley Nuclear
Power Station, operated by FENOC
(First Energy Nuclear Operating
Corporation), is not actually located
in the county or even the state, it
dominates the majority of planning for
this EMA staff. The plant sits just across
the Ohio River and casts its shadow
over 22,000 Columbiana County

residents. In EMA-speak, the residents
living in this 10-mile radius are in the
Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).
The CCEMA annually mails these
residents evacuation routes, specialneeds cards and potassium iodide.
FENOC is by far the largest contributor
to CCEMAs 2013 operating budget of
$319,000. FENOC contributed, as per
federal mandate and not just because
of corporate largesse, $234,000.
Theoretically, Newbolds budget is
derived from FENOC, federal sources
via the state of Ohio, and the county.
But the remaining $85,000 of his budget
came from a federal grant administered
by the state. Newbold states that,
Funding is always a struggle. Whats
going to happen when we dont get the
funding and certain incidents happen in
the future, is that people will die, which
is what we dont want to happen. That
is when we will see the funding. Right
now we are trying to mitigate that, and
we are fighting as much as possible to
try to get funding to support that critical
EMA equipment on display that goes all the way back to Office of Civil Defense days.
28
CCEMA Communications Station
DOWNLOAD
NOW
Documents of Interest
Available from
FEMA
The National Preparedness
System Document
This
document
summarizes
the components of the National
Preparedness System. This is the FEMA
bible mandated by PPD-8 in 2011.
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/prepared/nps_
description.pdf
infrastructure.
The county had experienced 16 general
emergencies by November of 2013,
when this interview took place. There
were two additional unusual events at
the nuke plant. That rate of 1.5 incidents
a month is pretty typical, according to
Newbold, and consisted of significant
storms, major power outages, chemical
spills, pipeline ruptures and oil well
explosions. During major incidents,

the five-person staff is supplemented
by many others from various county
agencies. The CCEMAs Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) is made
up of the EMA, fire services, health
services, school services and law
enforcement. All told, when things
go south in the county, more than 20
people staff the EOC. It is Newbolds
job to oversee this alphabet soup of
governmental agencies. The EMA is
the civilian equivalent of the militarys
tactical operations center (TOC) and
indeed, their primary responsibility
is to facilitate and coordinate. My
main goal is to make sure that all
responding agencies are using the
same playbook; and that playbook is
the National Incident Management
System (NIMS), says Newbold. (See
Download Now sidebar for information
on NIMS.)
While Director Newbold is tasked with
coordinating many agencies below
him, he has an equally difficult task in
managing the chain of command above
him. Who is at the top of the food chain
in emergency management in the United
States? The ever-popular Department
of Homeland Security (DHS). Between
National Incident Management

System (NIMS)
This is the government playbook for

just about any disaster that occurs
within U.S. borders. This is exactly how
the government is supposed to react.
http://www.fema.gov/media-librarydata/20130726-1824-25045-1942/
national_incident_management_
system_2008.pdf
2013 Radiological Emergency

Preparedness Program Manual
http://www.fema.gov/media-librarydata/20130726-1917-25045-9774/2013_
rep_program_manual__final2_.pdf
Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fdsk.pdf
29
Columbiana County EMA Command Center
Issue 2
CCEMA Director Luke Newbold
the CCEMA and DHS are a myriad

of other entities to include the county
commissioners (to whom Newbold says
he has a fiduciary responsibility),
Ohio EMA, Ohio Department of Public
Safety, and FEMA. While NIMS is the
playbook for emergency operations,
Newbold is quick to point out that
the Ohio Revised Code is their Bible.
Additionally, according to Newbold,
the EMA has no actual authority, either
pre- or post-disaster. We advise and
assist. We make recommendations
to the appropriate authorities. When
a (emergency) declaration needs to
happen within our county, we have to
get a local official to get action. We
have no authority to make changes in
mitigation. We advise as an expert in
our field regarding protective action,
but we cant enforce it ourselves, he
states.
times of crisis and they have no powers

of arrest or detention. However, it
is important to note that martial law
scenarios are part of the Emergency
Preparedness Plan (see Free Courses
from FEMA sidebar on courses
covering this topic) and, if put into
effect, the EMA would coordinate
all such activity in cooperation with
a chief law enforcement or military
official who would become the incident
commander. Additionally, the EMA
does have the ability to leverage
other county officials to requisition
or appropriate facilities that would
facilitate disaster response. Newbold
says that they do everything in their
power to create those arrangements
far in advance of any actual disaster,
and with the full acquiescence of the
facility owners and managers.
As potentially nervous as that last
paragraph may make some of our
readers, never forget that the EMA
system is a great tool to be utilized in
our own personal preparations. Most
preppers only see government as an
instrument of obstruction; an obstacle to
overcome. But their vast, and publicly
accessible, resources are a treasure
trove of information. Newbold agreed
when queried about what the EMA can
provide the prepping community. The
biggest thing I can tell them is if they
are passionate about prepping, their
Furthermore, your local EMA has no

martial or law enforcement authority in
Dosimeters given to all emergency service

personnel countywide.
Issue 2
FREE COURSES
FROM FEMA
IS-22: Are You Ready? An In-depth
Guide to Citizen Preparedness
Learn how to protect yourself and your
family against all types of hazards.
To be used as a reference source or
as a step-by-step manual. The focus
of the content is on how to develop,
practice, and maintain emergency plans
that reflect what must be done before,
during, and after a disaster to protect
people and their property. Also included
is information on how to assemble
a disaster supplies kit that contains
the food, water, and other supplies in
sufficient quantity for individuals and
their families to survive.
IS-360: Preparing for Mass Casualty
Incidents: A Guide for Schools,
Higher Education, and Houses of
Worship
This course provides leading practices
and resources to assist elementary
and secondary schools, institutions
of higher education, and houses of
worship in developing emergency
plans for preparing for, responding to,
and recovering from mass-casualty
incidents.
IS-75: Military Resources in
Emergency Management
This course provides an overview of U.S.
military resources potentially available
to assist civilian authorities, and
procedures for obtaining and integrating
military resources into disaster response
and recovery operations. This course is
intended for a civilian audience desiring
an awareness-level knowledge about the
use of military resources in emergency
management.
IS-916: Critical Infrastructure
Security: Theft and Diversion What
You Can Do
This
course
introduces
critical
infrastructure
personnel
to
the
information they need and the resources
available to them to identify threats and
vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure
from the theft and diversion of critical
resources, raw materials, and products
that can be used for criminal or terrorist
activities.
30
local EMA is one of their best friends,

because we are the original super
preppers. Being prepared is our job
and we have been doing it for a long
time. We are a great clearinghouse for
information and educational resources.
If you are passionate about your
community, your local EMA is a great
place to volunteer because we are your
friends and neighbors.
There is an incredible array of materials
(books, documents, DVDs, courses,
etc.) available from the local, state and
federal EMA. Here is a tremendous
opportunity
to
enhance
your
preparedness library and learn about
topics that assist you and your family
in survival. Much of it is available via
download from their websites. The
fact that all of this information is free
only sweetens the deal. If you are
not computer literate, or would just
prefer not to use the computer, much
of this information is also available at
your local EMA office or your local
library. Once you have gorged yourself
at this informational buffet, consider
becoming active in disaster preparations
for your community by volunteering
at your local EMA. They rely heavily

on volunteer help at times of disaster,
particularly in the communication
department. Not only is it a good way to
share your emergency prep knowledge
with your friends and neighbors, but
it is a good way to make sure that you
are kept in the informational loop when
something does occur.
Regardless of whether or not you agree
with Director Newbolds assessment
of his agency as super preppers, its
value as a potential resource for all
preppers should not be disputed.
VOLUNTEER: BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

CERT - The Community Emergency Response Team Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their
area, and trains them in basic disaster-response skills. CERT members can assist others when professional responders are not immediately
available to help following an event. CERT members are also encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active
role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
LEPC - The Local Emergency Planning Committee is a federally mandated entity comprised of state and local officials, business representatives and members of the press. The role of the LEPC is to form a partnership with local governments and industries as a resource for enhancing hazardous materials preparedness. Depending on your jurisdiction, this may be an appointed position with a 2-year term.
VOAD - National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership-based organization that serves
as the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cyclepreparation, response and recovery to help
disaster survivors and their communities.
SATERN - The purpose of the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is to acquire and train personnel skilled in
emergency communications and message handling, who will support Salvation Army operations in local, regional and international disaster
situations.
ACS - Auxiliary Communication Service volunteers utilizing the RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services) protocol are vital to
local EMA offices in times of emergency. Depending on the situation, these may be the only amateur radio operators authorized to transmit
during an emergency.
Additional EMA HAM Stations
31
Issue 2
By Leroy Thompson
hen I first starting training
military, law enforcement,
and civilian close- protective
personnel in VIP Protection, I learned
that unless those being trained were
ex-infantry, they likely did not have a
thorough understanding of the ambush
as a tactic. Before I could train them
in counter-ambush tactics, I first had
to train them in the basics of the
ambush so they would have some idea
what they were facing. Should there
be a societal breakdown for any of the
possible reasons that inspire readers to
prepare, a knowledge of the ambush
may be useful in case one has to face
an ambush set by marauders intent on
taking food or other necessities, or in
case it is desirable to ambush intruders
coming onto ones property.
All I really have space for in this article

is a quick overview of how ambushes
are set, some hints on spotting one
in advance, and maybe a few hints
about how to react to an ambush.
Today, much military counter-ambush
training is devoted to ambushes of
Issue 2
vehicles, often involving IEDs. For

the average person preparing for
disasters, however, an ambush when
on foot would appear most likely,
though a vehicle attack while heading
to a bug-out location might certainly
be a danger.
In simplest terms, the ambusher
normally sets the place for the
ambush, while the target sets the time.
A target that follows a rigid time
schedule also allows the ambusher to
set the times in many cases. It is also
likely that in a worst-case scenario,
ambushers may launch attacks of
opportunity. In any case, ambushers
normally attempt to hit fast and hard,
then withdraw, though the type of
ambush likely to be faced during a
breakdown in order would entail the
ambushers attempting to scavenge
from those ambushed.
path down which the targets will be

traveling.
Often, a linear ambush
will be sited with concealment along
the side from which the ambushers
will fire, while there is a ditch or dropoff on the opposite side of the road or
path, which appears to the targets to
offer some cover. However, det cord,
claymore mines, or other explosives
have been placed to sweep those
who use this cover. The primary
disadvantage of the linear ambush is
A quick overview of some basic

types of ambush should be helpful
in understanding ambush tactics.
See the accompanying diagrams for
each type. A linear ambush puts all
attackers on one side of the road or
32
Linear Ambush
parallel ambush.
The V-ambush has some similarities
to the parallel ambush, but the
shooters are located along the arms
of an inverted V while the targets
are inside the V, thus allowing the
ambushers to fire down the length of
the target column. Once again, fire
discipline and arcs of fire are critical.
Other types of ambush can include
a demolition ambush, which uses
an explosive device that can be
command detonated from a distance
or that is rigged as a booby trap to
be exploded by anyone passing. A
sniper ambush involves one or more
snipers at a distance ready to engage
anyone entering the killing zone.
Normally, the ambush site will be
chosen to channel the target into the
killing zone. It will have good fields
of fire from prepared, concealed
positions.
If possible, it should
contain natural obstacles to make
it difficult for the target to flee or
counterattack. Finally, it should allow
rapid withdrawal of the attacking
force. Dense tree and plant cover
in hilly terrain will offer a perfect
ambush site. A flanker will usually be
placed to warn the ambushers of the
approach of the target. Before the
ambush is sprung, 90% of the target
that it may be easily flanked.

The L-ambush is normally sited along
a path or road that curves.
This
allows the placement of some shooters
along the side and some in front of
those moving along the path or road.
Care must be taken in positioning
those firing along the length of the
target party that they do not change
their angle of fire to hit their fellow
ambushers. An L-ambush also offers
the possibility of launching what is
termed staggered engagement, in
which some portions of the ambush
team do not immediately engage,
but wait until the targets are fully
committed against the original
33
attackers.
The parallel ambush can deliver a
great deal of fire quickly to sweep
the killing zone, but it requires very
well-trained ambushers. To prevent
the ambushers from firing into each
other, the parallel ambush will only
be used when those firing from both
sides of the road or path are on higher
ground than their targets and are firing
downward, or when those on one side
are on high ground firing down and
those on the other side are on the same
level as the target. Fire discipline and
arcs of fire are very important with the
Issue 2
L-Ambush
force should be in the kill zone

preferably 100%. Every square foot
of the kill zone should be covered by
fire. During night ambushes, tracer
ammunition gives the attackers an
advantage, though it does pinpoint
their location to some extent.
An ambush should be impossible
to detect until the target enters the
killing zone, but there are warning
signs that can give away an ambush
in advance. Highly trained special
operations troops learn to avoid
these, but a group of post-apocalyptic
marauders is unlikely to be that welltrained. Watch for areas that have
obviously been cleared to give fields
of fire. Also, watch for dead foliage
that may have been cut and used for
camouflageleaves turning brown
are often a good indicator. Unnatural
piles of rocks may indicate that
attackers have been creating cover.
Also, be on the alert for wires along
the path or the side of the road.
A
Issue 2
Parallel Ambush
small piece of cloth caught on a

branch might indicate someone has
passed by, but might also be a wind
gauge for a sniper ambush.
Another indicator can be local
wildlife. If the ambushers have the
discipline to arrive at a site 24 hours in
advance and settle in, then the wildlife
may resume its normal routine;
however, the average marauder

probably wont have that much
discipline.
Ambushes have been
compromised by birds reacting to all
of the ambushers flicking off their
safeties at the same time or by target
personnel hearing and recognizing the
sound. AKs are especially distinctive.
Smell can also give away an ambush
party.
Cigarette smell, body odor,
34
a quick reload of another fourchambered magazine of 16-rounds to

keep fighting.
anything that smells wrong may well

be! A common military rule of thumb
is to look for anything that shines,
an outline that doesnt blend in, or
something that contrasts with the
background. These may give away
hidden attackers.
Countermeasures for an ambush
would best be covered in another
article, but I will make a few
comments.
Trained personnel
constantly practice immediate action
(IA) drills. The SEALs are known
to burn out the barrels of M4s in a
week or two because they practice IA
drills so intensively.
The simplest
IA drill for two or more persons is that
while one shoots to keep the attackers
occupied, the other(s) moves to
cover. Even highly trained shooters
normally cannot acquire and engage a
moving target in under three seconds.
Therefore, if those moving drop for
cover after two seconds, they will
normally make it. They, then, engage
while those who had been shooting
move.
In this manner, they can
leapfrog out of the kill zone or launch
a counterattack.
One of the primary rules is dont
freeze in place. Upon being attacked,
try to immediately gain fire superiority
and attack or attempt to flank the
ambushers. If some of the target party
35
are engaged and others arent, those

initially engaged can take cover and fire
on the ambushers while the remainder
attempt to flank the ambushers. One
other technique worth mentioning
is the Drake Shooting or Cover
Shooting Technique.
In simple
terms, this technique is used when
it is not clear from exactly where
the ambushers are shooting.
In
reaction, the target immediately puts
rounds into any cover
in the vicinity. With
trained
personnel,
almost any potential
hiding place can be
engaged quickly.
To
gain
fire
superiority
while
in the kill zone,
fast-firing
highcapacity weapons are
desirable.
An AR15 with a 30-round
magazine and lots
of spares works
well.
One of my
own favorite counterambush
weapons
when on foot is the
SRM1216 shotgun,
which allows the
firing of 16 rounds
of 00 buck quickly
on semi-auto and
This has been a quick overview.

I would also recommend Paladin
Presss Ambush: A Professionals
Guide to Preparing and Preventing
Ambushes by Lt. Col. Joshua Potter,
Commander Gary Stubblefield, USN
(Ret.), and Mark Monday.
This
work is very good on the basics of all
types of ambushes and is especially
good on lessons learned in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The sections on
executive ambush are useful for
those working in close protection as
well. The inclusion of a wide array
of case studies allows the reader to see
how the tactics discussed work in the
real world.
For more information, check:
www.paladin-press.com
V-Ambush
Issue 2
ith AM, FM, and satellite radio,

why do you need shortwave radio
in your car? The answer is short
more information and another way to
get it. For those of you not familiar with
shortwave radio or for those of you who
have not read the shortwave radio article
in our first issue, shortwave radio can
pick up stations from thousands of miles
away just with an 8 telescopic antenna
and the technology is almost 100 years
old! Thats right, shortwave is really the
upper part of the AM band and has the
ability to circle the globe it is really
long-range radio. One of the great
things about listening to shortwave in
your car is that you could drive across
country and listen to the same radio
stations anywhere you wind up.
HOW
TO
LISTEN
TO
SHORTWAVE
RADIO
IN
YOUR
VEHICLE
BY
SHORTWAVE
SAM
When there are tensions in the world,

such as Russian military action in
Ukraine and the U.S. tensions between
Russia, your AM/FM radio may not be
covering these type of events that could
lead to international conflict when you
want to learn about them. Maybe the
baseball scores and a plane crash are the
topics of the day; this is where shortwave
comes in and gives you information
options. When/if the SHTF, and during
a bug-out situation, some AM/FM radio
stations may not be giving the type of
information you are looking for and
you may have to rely on an international
source of information. Also, when there
are large-scale weather disasters, such
as hurricanes, you may want to listen
to Hurricane Hunters directly from the
air. In a wide-scale national disaster, the
military frequencies on shortwave would
have very valuable information.
There are two things to know about
shortwave reception before we get started.
The alligator clip method, with the radio on

the passenger seat.
First, shortwave radio frequencies are

greatly affected by interference called
RF, which is emitted from sources like
florescent lighting, generators, power
strips, transformers, etc. What this means
is that your radio cannot be plugged in
to the 12-volt cigarette lighter/power
socket while your car is running, as the
alternator will completely overcome
the reception and all you will hear is a
buzzing noise. Your radio must run off
of batteries, but dont worry that this
will limit your listening time. You see,
the greatest power drain on a portable
radio is the speaker, and since you
will be listening to the radio through
the earphone jack, the battery drain is
really minimal since you are using your
car speakers. Second, shortwave radio
reception is greatly affected by metal
structures when the radio is inside them,
much like AM radio is, but to a greater
extent. Since your vehicle (unless you
have a convertible) is essentially a metal
box with windows, you will need to
place the antenna outside.
First, you will need the following:
A) Digital shortwave radio (not an analog
or analog with digital readout) with a
frequency range of at least 3 MHz 20
MHz (3000 KHz 20000 KHz) and preset
buttons (I really like the SANGEAN
ATS-505 for price and performance). If
your shortwave receives up to 30 MHz,
then it will pick up all CB transmissions,
as they are in the 27 MHz range. Be
sure that the radio has SSB if you want
to hear most HAM radio or government
broadcasts. Now, there are car stereos
that receive shortwave bands, but these
are generally available in Europe, and
the ones I have seen available through
mail order have limited frequency ranges
and not SSB.
B) A roll of plastic-coated, multi-stranded
copper speaker wire (a very flexible thin
gauge is fine).
C) Audio input jack that is wired to
your car radio (many times it is an 1/8
earphone jack) OR if you have an older
car with cassette player, a cassette player
adapter with cord (1/8 earphone plug).
D) Velcro tape or some type of holder or
mount for the radio.
36
There are hundreds of different types of

broadcasts every day from all over the
world. Here are some examples.
Talk shows - There are hundreds of talk
shows from the political left or the political
right and everywhere in between. There are
shows that deal exclusively with finances,
vintage music, health, and alternative medicine. If you are looking for conservative,
pro-gun, Libertarian, Constitutionalist talk
radio, then shortwave is your place for
patriotic radio with dozens of programs
broadcast out of stations like the 50,000watt powerhouse WWCR in Nashville.
News Almost every country in the world
has a daily government news broadcast via
shortwave, as the signal covers their entire
country, and, unlike here in the U.S., most
people throughout the world own radios
that have the shortwave band in addition to
AM and FM.
Sangean ATS-505 shortwave radio mounted to open ash tray, with audio out to tape player and
the antenna plugged into the antenna jack (red plug).
E) Electrical tape.
F) Optional: an alligator clip or 1/8 male
plug and ability to solder it on a wire.
STEP 1
Get the antenna outside by taking your
speaker wire and running it along the
roof of the car, van, or SUV from the
area of the vehicle where your car stereo
is to the end of the vehicle leaving an
additional two to three feet of wire. You
only need a single side of wire, so if you
have the double wire type, then split the
wire down the middle and pull it apart,
using one side (sometimes the plastic
coating will come off the copper wire so
be careful not to separate it). The wire
can be tied to a luggage rack, if available,
as you run it along. When I did this on a
car, I ran the wire from the rear part of
the front passenger door, over the roof,
and tied it to the car antenna, which was
conveniently located in rear of the car. I
left a couple of feet to flap in the wind,
and although you may have someone
trying to tell you that something is
hanging off of your car (this happened
to me a few times), it is what you need
for reception. A minimum of five feet
outside the vehicle will work very well,
and if you have a motor home, you can
run it along the entire roof.
37
STEP 2
On the inside of your car, secure the
other end of your wire using small zip
ties or other means, or just tie the wire
to different objects like your seat belt
support, and run it under the seat to the
location of your shortwave radio.
STEP 3
Position your radio where you would
like it. Try to get the radio as close to
the dashboard as you can, as you dont
want your attention distracted (thats
the other reason to have pre-set buttons
as a feature). You can Velcro it to the
dashboard if you have the room, just
be sure not to Velcro the radio over an
airbag, as this will cause the radio to
Religious Programs - Whether youre a

Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist,
shortwave has many programs for you.
There are literally hundreds of different
Christian radio programs alone broadcast
weekly from the U.S.
Communications (On Single Side Band,
or SSB) - Ham radio operators, ship-toshore telephone (used by travelers on cruise
ships), MARS telephone (used by military
personnel for calling home), and Morse
code all operate on SSB, which is picked
up on certain models of shortwave radio.
SSB is where a frequency is modulated on
either side of a carrier wave and needs to
be tuned in.
Military Transmissions - The U.S. Air
Force, Army, Navy, NATO, department
of defense, and foreign militaries broadcast primarily on SSB, and are very active
during emergencies and war time.
Emergencies One of the greatest information survival tools to have when disaster strikes, a shortwave radio will pick up
transmissions by FEMA, Hurricane Hunters, NORAD, international Red Cross,
Homeland Security, etc.
Educational Programs Listen to language classes in Russian, German, Arabic,
French and more.
Entertainment Tune in to old-time radio shows, comedy and shows from many
countries, as well sports broadcasts, like
soccer and rugby games.
Cassette adapter for older cars
Music Listen to ethnic music from where

it originates.
Issue 2
become a dangerous projectile if the

airbag is deployed. Also, keep the radio
out of any area where the sun will shine
on it, as this may damage the radio the
sun in Phoenix will turn a radio into a
puddle of plastic.
STEP 4
Now, attach the wire to your telescopic
antenna. You can do this by simply
stripping the wire and wrapping it tightly
around the antenna. The only issue here is
if the wire is not wrapped tightly enough,
you will get a static sound from the wire
coming in and out of contact with the
telescopic antenna. A way to remedy this
is to solder an alligator clip to the wire
and attach it in that way. Most shortwave
radios have an antenna jack, so you have
the additional option of soldering an 1/8
earphone male plug to the wire and just
plugging it into the radio. This makes it
convenient if you will be taking the radio

in and out of the car.
STEP 5
Go ahead and turn on your radio. You
will need to set the volume on the
radio so that you dont have too much
sound output going into the car stereo.
I recommend setting it at the halfway
point to start.
Shortwave radios also come with AM and
FM bands, so your radio is also a great
backup if your car radio goes out for any
reason. I have listened for over 30 hours
with cheap AA batteries. Another good
item to have is a solar or 12v battery
charger with extra batteries to keep the
power fresh for extended trips. You can
use an analog radio with this set-up, but
keep in mind that the radio signal will
drift and you will have to keep re-tuning
The antenna drops in from the trunk and

attaches to the license plate screw.
your dial not something you really

want to be doing while driving.
Now you have a great addition to the
bug-out vehicle! Happy listening!
U.S. SHORTWAVE RADIO STATIONS

WEBSITES FOR FREQUENCIES
AND PROGRAM INFO
WWCR
wwcr.com
WINB
winb.com
WHRI
whr.com
WTWW
wtww.us
WBCQ
AFN
wbcq.com myafn.dodmedia
Antenna run through rear door, over trunk and secured on license plate.
.osd.mil
WWRB
wwrb.org
familyradio.com
KAJI
kaji.us
WRMI
wrmi.net
WYFR
INTERNET SOURCES FOR SHORTWAVE FREQUENCIES

www.qsl.net/e/ecara/swfrequency.html
www.ac6v.com/frequencies.htm#AF
www.primetimeshortwave.com
www.shortwaveradio.com
www.support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/communications/swave-6.htm
www.qsl.net/n2sln/shortfreq.html
www.mygreenmustang.com/radio/forum/index.php?/topic/131-american-disaster-shortwave-radio-frequencies-list/
www.milaircomms.com/mil_hf_freq.html
Issue 2
38
hen I was a kid growing up

in the 1980s, I did all of the
normal kid stuff: played
baseball, rode bikes, and joined the Boy
Scouts. I eventually progressed into the
Explorer Scouts. For those of you who
dont know, the Explorer Scouts was
the senior division of the Boy Scouts
back in the day, just without the super
cool short shorts and neckerchiefs.
Our Explorer Post was sponsored by
a local search and rescue unit. This
particular unit received its gear from
a government-run military surplus
program. As a result, the unit was clad
in classic OD green BDUs (woodland
camo if you wanted to pony up the
39
cash), drove deuce-and-a-half trucks,

and had access to the finest in Vietnam
War-era C-ration cuisine. Oh, ham and
lima beans, how I dont miss you.
All of this had a great impact on my
adolescent mind. I became a military
junkie. Luckily, my dad was an officer
in the search and rescue unit, and
he indulged my fantasies. I did not
have to spend the $3.95 for American
Survival Guide, Survive!, and Soldier
of Fortune, since he would often
bring those titles home with him. One
ubiquitous thread running through all of
these publications was gun ads. Please
bear mind that in the early 1980s, there
was not the vast cornucopia of militarystyled rifles, and accompanying ads,
that there is today. But there was one
in particular that fueled my imagination
and became the gold standard for
rifles in my impressionable mind: the
HK91. Why did I place the HK91 on
such a pedestal? (1) It was one of the
most expensive .308 battle rifles, thus,
obviously one of the best in my eyes.
(2) It had an excellent reputation and
was touted by all of the biggest-name
gun writers. (3) Most importantly,
Heckler & Koch had by far the coolest
magazine ads ever created in the history
of human existence, period.
Those
images of obviously super-human, elite
Issue 2
warriors with grease paint-covered

faces, emerging from dank, primordial
swamps or cavalierly rappelling down
treacherous rock faces made my head
spin. While this type of ad is more
common today, H&K created the genre
and no one today does it as well as
H&K did back then.
The bad news is that Heckler & Koch
stopped exporting the HK91 to the
US in 1989, due to the import assault
weapons ban, which was promoted
and signed by then-President George
Bush Sr. The good news is that a new
company has picked up the mantle that
was so carelessly dropped. The even
Issue 2
40
better news is that the product they

produce is of the highest quality and
at a price that is much lower than an
original HK91. The company of which
I speak is PTR Industries, Inc. If you
have never heard of PTR, thats a shame,
because they build an outstanding line
of weapons. Additionally, when it
comes to the Second Amendment, they
just dont talk the talk, they walk the
walk. PTR was founded in Connecticut
in 2006. However, when that state voted
to impose draconian gun control laws
on its citizenry, PTR decided that they
could not morally support the economy
of such a government and left for more
gun-friendly pastures. They landed
in Aynor, SC, and the first weapons
produced at that brand new facility
should be rolling off the assembly line
as you read this magazine. Currently,
they have only one design; the PTR
91 is the foundation for each carefully
produced, U.S.-made battle rifle that
leaves their facility. However, they
have expanded the original HK41/91
design into a number of new variations.
The rifle that Prepper & Shooter tested
is the PTR 91 KPFR.
This base PTR 91 is a clone of all the
rifles of the same design that preceded
it. Unfortunately, the term clone has
come to be used as a pejorative by some
4 1
in the gun community. It is often used

to denote lack of innovation and poor
quality. That is a mistake. Please bear
in mind that the HK91 was also a clone.
So are all of those AR models on the
market today, including the one with
the rampant horse on the side of the
receiver. Just like the HK91 was the
finest clone of its time, the PTR 91 is
the finest one currently available.
I will not launch into a long dissertation
on the history of this type of rifle. I
actually covered it pretty extensively
in an article about the Century C93
rifle in the last issue of Prepper &

Shooter (back issues are available at
www.PrepperAndShooterMagazine.
com). It utilizes a classic delayed roller
block action that has proven itself
ridiculously reliable over the decades.
It traces its roots back to the StG-45,
to the CETME and to the German G3.
More than 70 countries have used this
rifle, or still use it today, as their main
battle rifle.
The PTR 91 KPFR has an MSRP of
$2,015. Before you go into sticker
shock, please note that if choosing
Prepper & Shooter Editor-in-Chief, Vince DeNiro, takes some shots.
Issue 2
the cash option, you can purchase

this model from BudsGunShop.com
for $1,640. That puts it comfortably
into the price range of a wide variety
of AR-10 clones and considerably
less than a SCAR or ACR. It is of
course chambered for .308/7.62x51mm
NATO.
It comes with two highquality H&K German surplus 20-round
aluminum magazines. It utilizes an
H&K Navy-type polymer trigger group
housed inside a polymer lower receiver.
Unfortunately, the controls are in the
standard position for this type of rifle.
I say that because in order to utilize the
safety or magazine release, the user has
to shift his hand from the firing position
an H&K paddle magazine release
would help. The fire-control group

would greatly benefit from some more
modern ergonomics. Additionally, this
rifle has made it into the 21st century
without a bolt hold open. While that was
entirely acceptable when this design
was introduced, many people would
say that this is a must-have feature on
any serious battle rifle. It has a classic
collapsible paratrooper stock that is
sturdy and locks firmly into place (the
stock is either fully open or fully closed),
yet lacks the ability to change length
of pull or get a good cheek weld when
using an optic. The charging handle is
located on the left side of the anodized
aluminum handguard and is a bit stiff
upon first inspection (this is something
The great quality of PTR Industries can be seen everywhere on this rifle.
Issue 2
that would dissipate with shooting and

lubrication). The handguard has three
removable rail sections located at 3, 6
and 9 oclock. The 16 match grade
bull barrel terminates in an A2-style
flash hider. There is a permanently
affixed rail section on the upper
receiver for mounting optics. No need
for Hensoldt claw mounts! The sights
are of the standard H&K variety and
are excellent.
This rifle weighs in at a beefy 10.5
pounds without an optic or a loaded
magazine. This is partially due to the
design of the weapon (the standard
PTR 91 weighs in at 9.5 lbs) and
partially due to the combination of
the collapsible stock unit and the bull
barrel. Due to the heavy barrel, the
rifle is front-heavy and balances far
forward of the receiver, a situation that
is only exacerbated with the addition
of accessories such as a bipod, vertical
grip or flashlight. Compare the PTR
91s 10.5 pounds with the 7.7 pounds
for the Smith & Wesson MP-10 or 7.9
pounds for FNHs SCAR 17S.
Overall fit and finish were excellent
with one exception: the rear edge of
the polymer lower receiver is finished
on a very abrupt 90angle, and does not
fit flush with the leading edge of the
42
collapsible stock assembly. Since any

reasonably competent 6th grader armed
with a Dremel tool would be able to
radius this edge in a matter of minutes,
it is somewhat curious that this has not
been done at the factory. This flaw is
not very evident when shooting off a
bench or in a methodical, controlled
manner. It only becomes evident
when running CQB-style drills. Any
excessive shifting between high ready
(hello, SEALs) or low ready (hello,
everybody else) and the firing position
will soon result in skin loss followed
shortly thereafter by blood loss. I do
not care entirely for the configuration of
this model. The match grade bull barrel
is heavy and would be better suited to
a fixed stock model. I would love to
shoot this configuration with PTRs
tapered barrel. At the engagement
distances that this rifle is intended for,
I do not feel that accuracy would be
adversely affected.
bipod. I equipped the PTR with a

Burris Fullfield 30, 4.5x-14x-42mm
scope. While this was not the best optic
for the defend near portion of my
testing, I decided that a bit more oomph
in the optic would allow the PTR to
showcase its match grade barrel in the
defend far testing element. Sighting
in and accuracy testing were done at
100 yards. I utilized a variety of .308
FMJ ammunition to include Winchester
white box, Federal Premium BTHP,
1974 Chilean surplus, and Magtech.
The Federal was 168gr, the Winchester
and the Magtech were 147gr, and the
Chilean surplus was manufactured by
FAMAE. During later testing, I also
shot Wolf WPA 145gr Military Classic
and Prvi Partizan 147gr. I chose to
include the Russian ammo because, lets

be honest, most people will be sending
affordable steel cased or surplus ammo
down range, not the Federal Premium.
Three different shooters fired multiple
five-round groups of each brand of
ammunition. I threw out the flyer in
each group to account for a loose nut
behind the trigger (a.k.a. shooter error).
The rifle functioned flawlessly without
a single documented malfunction
throughout all testing, regardless of
rate of fire or shooting position. Brass
ejection was impressive in its distance
and consistency. All brass was thrown
approximately to the shooters two
oclock. The distance varied according
to the brand of ammunition, but was
up to 30 ft. All brass was striped with
powder residue from the fluted chamber
and consistently pushed-in midway
down the case, where it made contact
with the receiver upon ejection. While
the ding did not make the case unreloadable, it certainly would shorten
the lifespan of the brass and increase
the time in the reloading room.
The groups at 100 yards varied quite
a bit in size. Due to the rifles 1:10
twist rate, it clearly preferred the
168gr bullets of the Federal Premium.
Groups with this ammo were mostly
under two inches in diameter, with the
smallest being 1 7/16. The Magtech
finished second with the smallest group
measuring 2 even. The Winchester
FIELD TESTING
I initiated field testing by shooting for
accuracy from the bench. I bypassed a
rifle rest and instead utilized a mounted
43
The retractable stock makes the PTR 91 KPFR pack-friendly.
Issue 2
was next with the best group measuring

2 3/16. The PTR hated the Chilean
surplus ammo the way an eight-yearold hates vegetables. The smallest
group measured 3 7/8. It should be
noted that despite the heavy weight
of the rifle, there was a good deal of
recoil, requiring the rifle to be reset
back onto target after each shot. There
is no doubt that this was due to the rifle
sporting a simple A2 style flash hider.
The addition of a quality muzzle brake
would undoubtedly alleviate much of
this issue. Accuracy was also adversely
affected by two other factors. (1) The
trigger is far from great. While it is
entirely acceptable for a battle rifle, it
is creepy, heavy and a bit long. (2) The
collapsible stock makes it difficult to
get a great cheek-to-stock weld.
With the full-value winds now gusting

10-15mph, I shifted our testing a bit.
I set 10x12 steel plates at 400, 500
and 600 yards. Shooting was done
using a combination of Prvi Partizan
and Wolf ammunition. At 400 yards,
the hit rate with both types of ammo
was over 98%. At 500 yards, the hit
rate for the PPU was 74%, and 66% for
the Wolf WPA. At 600 yards, target
was not protected from the swirling,
inconsistent winds, and the hit rate
dropped to 61% for the Prvi Partizan
and under 50% for the Wolf WPA.
Shooting was not conducted beyond
this distance as conditions dictated
that this was probably the maximum
range for truly effective fire on this day.
There is no doubt that hit rates would
have improved with the use of heavier
168gr bullets, but I know that the vast
The X-91 50-round drum by X-Products is an awesome complement to the PTR 91 KPFR.
Issue 2
majority of our readers will not be

using this load.
During earlier CQB testing a few
weeks before, I used an oldie but a
goodie, a Mepro RS22-P dot optic with
a 45-degree mount. It worked well, but
I feel that this rifle would truly benefit
from a low variable-power tactical
scope like the 1-4x Burris Extreme
Tactical LRS or the 1-3x Leupold Mark
4 CQ/T mounted on the top of the
receiver. At this point, I decided to strip
all of the optics off the rifle and run it
old-school as I adjourned to the tactical
range. The problem with the difficult
cheek-to-stock weld disappeared, as
the rifle was now being run with iron
sights, as it was designed to be decades
ago. The diopter rear sight has long
been considered one of the finest battle
sights ever developed and my opinion
did not vary from that point of view.
Cardboard IDPA silhouette targets
were set up in a line. Barricades were
set up between seven and 25 yards. I
then engaged the targets from both
static positions and on the move. The
rifle functioned flawlessly throughout
the rapid-fire exercise. A zone hits
were not hard to come by for the most
part, however, follow-up shots would
be much faster with a good muzzle
brake instead of a flash hider. Due to
the rifle being so front-heavy, it was a
bit sluggish to bring onto target. Also,
the poor distribution of weight caused
me to overswing the rifle through the
target at first. I am certain that further
practice would minimize that issue.
Additionally, being unfamiliar with
the rifles characteristics caused me to
pull the trigger on an empty chamber
several times. Remember no bolt hold
open? Also, something that most folks
find pretty unacceptable in a modern
battle rifle is the fact that the magazines
dont drop free when the release is
44
PREPPER & SHOOTER MAGAZINE PRIMARY SURVIVAL GUN EVALUATION

Category
PTR-91 KPFR
Score:
Evaluation Criteria
Military Use
50+ Years
Military Use
40-49 Years
Military Use
21-39 Years
Military Use
11-20 Years
Military Use
1-10 Years
Multiple Offerings
Stock, Fore-end,
Receiver
Multiple Offerings
Fore-end, Receiver
Limited Offerings
Fore-end, Receiver
Fore-end Only
Custom-Made Only
Hundreds of Mfrs.,
Surplus Dealers &
Distributors
Some Mfrs., Dozens

of Surplus Dealers &
Distributors
Mfr. Only
Surplus Only
Accuracy
Center Mass
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Recoil
Recovery
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Proven Design
P-Rail Adaptable
Source Availability
of Spare Parts &
Accessories
Out of Production/
Custom-Made Only
Rapidly Engage
Multiple Targets to 200
Yards:
5
2
Drop-free magazine
Rapid Reload
Long-Range Shooting
Center mass at 300 600 Yards
.22LR Conversion
Available in Semi-Auto
Small-Game Hunting
Large-Game Hunting
Excellent Accuracy
Magazine insert
& removal slight
rocking motion
Magazine insert &

removal major
rocking motion
Fixed magazine
Very Good Accuracy
Good Accuracy
Fair Accuracy
Poor Accuracy
4
Readily Available:
Need only bolt & mag
Readily Available:
Need barrel or barrel
insert, bolt & mag
Available, need barrel

or barrel insert, bolt
& mag
Completely
Discontinued: Used
market only
Single-Shot .22LR
Adapter Only
Accurate at 75 yds
w/.22LR conversion in
semi-auto
Accurate at 50 yds
w/.22LR conversion in
semi-auto
No conversion
available, Original
Caliber acceptable
No conversion
available, Single-Shot
.22LR Adapter Only
No semi or singleshot conversion avail.

Original caliber is
overkill.
Grizzly Bear, Elk,

Bison, etc.
Black Bear, Deer-sized

game, (out to 500 yds)
Deer-sized game
(out to 300 yds)
Deer-sized game
(out to 100 yds)
Deer-sized game
(Head-shot only under
50 yards)
Under $750
$751 - $1,000
$1,001 - $2,000
$2,001 - $3,000
>$3,000
Cost
(Street price)
Ergonomics:
Easy to manipulate
selector, mag release,
charging handle,
bolt catch/release,
ambidextrous options,
etc.
Non-drop free, straight

insert and removal
3
Bolt catch, selector,
charging handle,
mag release all
ambidextrous, all wellpositioned
Bolt catch, selector,

charging handle,
mag release some
ambidextrous, all wellpositioned
No bolt catch.
Selector, charging
handle, mag release
some ambi, ambi
parts avail, some
well-positioned
No bolt catch.
Selector, charging
handle, mag release
none ambidextrous
nor avail., some wellpositioned
No bolt catch.
Selector, charging
handle, mag release
- none ambidextrous,
nor avail., none wellpositioned.
4 5 lbs.
6 7 lbs.
8 9 lbs.
10 11 lbs.
12+ lbs.
Carry Weight
Common Caliber
Quality & Durability

Pack-ability:
Option for folding or
retractable stock, or
can be broken down
for storage in a bugout bag, etc.
5
Removable barrel;
under folding or
telescopic stock or
bull pup
Fixed barrel;
telescopic or underfolding stock or bull
pup
Fixed barrel and sidefolding stock
Removable barrel and

fixed stock
Fixed barrel and fixed

stock
Available wherever
ammo is sold
Available at most gun

retailers
Available at some gun

retailers
Mostly special order
Custom hand-loaded
Simple
Moderate skill required
Proficient skill required
Difficult
Ease of Field Repair:

Replacing extractors,
firing pins, ejectors,
etc., field-stripping and
cleaning
5
Gunsmith/Armorerlevel
Overall Rating Out of Five Stars

This firearm evaluation chart was developed by Vincent DeNiro for PREPPER & SHOOTER MAGAZINE - 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
* Current .22 conversion cost is $575, not readily available, but new polymer magazines are being produced for it.
** With HK Germany .22lr conversion kit.
3.8
**
Field strips without effort.
manipulated. Reloads were slowed

considerably by this, but again, practice
would help to eliminate the issue.
Overall, I liked the PTR 91 KPFR. It
is American-made by a company that
truly respects your Second Amendment
rights. It has superior fit, finish,
functioning and gorgeous aesthetics. It
is by far the best H&K clone currently
being produced. Accuracy was good.
Magazines can be had for less than $5
apiece. It will absolutely go bang
every time that you pull the trigger. It
used to be that was the highest praise
you could give a rifle in this segment, but
the market has become so competitive
and modern manufacturing has come
so far, that is no longer the case. PTR
has done a nice job of upgrading some

features (quad handguard and optics
mount), but has not modernized others,
which I feel are needed, such as better
fire control ergonomics, bolt hold
open latch, shell/case buffer, paddle
magazine release, drop-free magazines,
hybrid muzzle brake/flash hider, and a
three-position stock with cheek rest.
If you never had the opportunity to live
out the fantasies conjured up by those
H&K ads of the 1980s, this gun is an
excellent way to relive your youth. Call
it a great mid-life crisis the firearms
equivalent of a red convertible. It is
also an excellent way to protect you
and yours by defending near, defending
far.
PTR 91 KPFR .308 & 7.62x51 - 100 YARDS

BRAND
WEIGHT/TYPE
GROUP SIZE
Issue 2
Federal Premium
168 gr./BTHP
1.4"
Magtech
147 gr./FMJ
2"
Winchester
(white box)
168 gr./FMJ
2.2"
FAMAE
(1974 surplus)
147 gr./FMJ
3.9"
Features:
H&K Navy-type polymer trigger
group,
tactical
handguard
machined from military spec.
hard anodized aluminum, three
6 1913 rails on handguard at
the 3, 6, and 9 oclock positions,
welded top P-Rail scope mount,
flash hider, two 20-round
magazines (H&K aluminum),
plastic foam-lined hard case,
lock, and manual.
Specifications:
Caliber: .308 or 7.62 NATO
Action: Delayed Blowback
Roller-Lock System
Overall length: 31 collapsed,
39 extended
Weight: 10.5 lb
Barrel: 16 match grade bull
barrel
Magazine: 20rd
Stock: telescoping paratrooper
stock
Item number: 915191
Suggested Retail Price: $ 2,015
Common Price: $ 1,600 - $1,700
46
By Tara Dodrill
that most lived in.
urvivor Jane is a female

preparedness phenom who has
taken the internet by storm.
The woman who once lived a typical
When I flip a switch, there will be
light and When I call 9-1-1, someone
will answer lifestyle, transformed
herself into a renowned self-reliance
resource in just a short number of years.
In addition to being a sought-after guest
on preparedness radio shows, Survivor
Jane is also a consultant for National
Geographics Doomsday Prepper
series, a frequent prepper expo keynote
speaker, and recently launched her first
sustainable living book.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: When many

people conjure up an image of a prepper,
a burly man with immense knowledge
of survival skills and weapons comes
to mind. You have managed to retain
femininity and preparedness flawlessly.
When you first began engaging with the
prepper community online and started
the now-viral Preppertalk hashtag on
Twitter, what type of reception did you
receive from the men folk and longtime survivalists?
The #Preppertalk creator sat down

with Prepper and Shooter Magazine to
share her journey into the world of selfreliance and preparedness tips for both
men and women.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: You were
once living a life blissfully unaware
of the potentially deadly woes and
the end of the world as we know it
(TEOTWAWKI) scenarios looming
on the horizon. But now, you are often
regarded as one of the most noteworthy
preppers in America. What spurred
your lifestyle change?
Survivor Jane: As Ive shared with
others so many times before, it wasnt
one event that spurred this lifestyle
change, but in fact a series of major
events throughout a several-year span
that brought me to the realization that
the world that I knew was not the world
47
Survivor Jane: Its true that most have

this postage-stamp image of what a
prepper should be and looks like. I
have been able to break through this
stereotype by being myself. Instead
of relenting to the camouflage fatigues
and the AR-15 slung over my shoulder,
I have retained who I am a girlie girl
who now understands how unstable the
world that we live in actually is.
done every two weeks. I now do my

own nails and cut my own hair. I can,
preserve and dehydrate all my own
home-grown food. And the shock of it
all: I now bake and cook! So, in answer
to your question, I lead by example.
PREPPER & SHOOTER:
Why
did you decide to create a website
especially for female preppers?
Survivor Jane:
SurvivorJane.com
was born out of frustration. New to
Prepperdom I began to surf the
internet for as much information
as I could find on disaster survival
and preparedness. I went to some of
the most reputable sites on the web.
The problem I found was these sites
were way over the head for most
beginning preppers, let alone a girliegirl. I really didnt have a clue what
PREPPER & SHOOTER: Part of your

overall goal with the Survivor Jane
projects is to educate others about the
need to prepare and about the benefits
of living a self-reliant lifestyle. How
do you introduce those concepts to
your girlfriends and family members
who dont give much thought to how
vulnerable the nation is to either manmade or natural disasters?
Survivor Jane: Actually, it has been
quite easy, coming from a girl who
ate her dinner out every night, had
a cleaning service come in to do her
cleaning and had her hair and nails
Issue 2
they were talking about most of the

time, simply because I wasnt familiar
with ammunition types, firearms, and
military terms. I was actually spending
more time looking up a topic, word or
phrase than I was on the site itself. I
figured if I was having this much trouble
understanding things, possibly others
were too especially women. I decided
to take the information I was learning
and put it into an easier format to help
others understand the importance of
being prepared.
PREPPER & SHOOTER:
What
advice would you give to men who
want to engage their wives, daughters,
girlfriends, mothers, or sisters more in
their preparedness plan?
Survivor Jane: I have this question
come up a lot by men. What I tell them
is men and women think, act and talk
differently. A womans priorities are
different than a mans. So, it could very
well be the mans approach to how he
discusses preparedness with the women
in his life. For instance, if a man
begins his conversation with the need
to have lots of food, an underground
bunker, a closet full of fatigues, and an
arsenal of weapons, this sounds dark
and frightening to most women. A lot
of these items are foreign to women.
Men, on the other hand, were raised
as Boy Scouts, hunters, or were in the
military, so they understand them better.
If the man took an

approach, like, say,
using current events
as a jumping-off
point, and then
discussed the world
that we live in and
specific risks to the
area they live in,
the
conversation
would be little
less
frightening
and
more
understandable.
PREPPER
&
SHOOTER: What tips, hints, and
common obstacle-avoiding advice
would you give to novice female
preppers, especially to those who do not
have a survival-experienced significant
other to lean upon during the learning
process?
Survivor Jane: I always suggest
approaching preparedness like you
would eating an elephant. Really. You
cant eat a whole elephant in one sitting
and you cant prepare yourself and
family for a disaster in one day. You
need a plan. And with that plan, make
another one and continue. We are each
individual. We all have specific needs
in our lifestyle. Some have families,
some not. Some are married, some not.
Start with the basic needs of water,
food, shelter and protection. Then
research the risks
in your immediate
area and work out
from there.
PREPPER
&
SHOOTER:
From a female
perspective, what
most concerns you
about civil unrest
scenarios that will
most
assuredly
evolve during any
type of medium- to
long-term disaster?
Issue 2
Survivor Jane: Groups unnerve me. It

only takes one, and an event can turn
into pandemonium. This could be at
a sporting event, a music concert, the
county fair or your childs sporting
event. Tempers flare for one reason
or another, one shoves another and all
heck breaks loose. THAT is in peaceful
times. Now take a time where there
is no food, no water, no money and
people will take matters into their own
hands. By planning ahead of time, you
wont have to put yourself in those
circumstances, as you will have your
provisions and can stay in place.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: When your
preparedness enlightenment occurred,
you were living in a suburban area. Now
you are obviously more experienced in
self-reliant concepts and live in a rural
area. What are the main differences you
see between living in the two different
types of environments?
Survivor Jane: Correct. I moved from
my suburban home in a metropolitan
city to another state and the top of a
mountain, literally a rural mountaintop at that. What this meant was, there
were no more shopping malls, grocery
stores or hair and nail salons on every
corner and no neighbors on your zerolot line. The nearest store to me is about
45 minutes away and neighbors are
miles away. Trips to the store are now
planned to conserve gas and money.
48
PREPPER
&
SHOOTER:
Some survivalists, preppers, and
homesteading families prefer to prepare
alone or with a close-knit family group
others opt for a more communal
approach. Do you favor more of a
lone wolf or mutual-assistance group
approach to preparedness?
Survivor Jane: Initially, I was a lone
wolf. But, when you consider all the
scenarios that could happen or take
place around your homestead or retreat,
it is really more prudent to have a
mutual-assistance group; whether it
is with extended family, friends and
neighbors or a group of preparednessminded people.
bring more preparedness awareness, I

began to create paracord bracelets with
a little sparkle and shine to complement
a womans outfit like a piece of
jewelry, so it would feel more natural
for a woman to wear.
power-grid in mind for just about every

decision I make. This is the one event
the failure of our power grid through
numerous means that could actually
send us to our grandparents world.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: The failure

of our antiquated and overly taxed
power grid is but one of the many
ways Americans could find themselves
rapidly jetted back into an 1800s-style
existence. What type of alternative
energy sources did you craft as part of
your self-reliance plan?
PREPPER & SHOOTER: Paracord

bracelets are a popular seller
with preppers, outdoorsmen, and
survivalists. Your signature line of
paracord bracelets and hair accessories
differ significantly from the kind found
at local Army/Navy surplus store and
Wal-Mart. How did the fashionable
and potentially life-saving accessories
come about?
Survivor Jane: Fortunately for me,

when I moved from the city, I took
what little money was left from the sale
of my home and my cashed-out 401K
and built a sustainable homestead with
a southern exposure for heating and
argon windows. I also designed and
use a summer kitchen for cooking and
washing in the summer. And for the
winter, I have a wood stove for heating
and cooking if need be. I keep the
Survivor Jane: My paracord bracelets

were created as another outreach to
women. I, myself, did not like the
idea of just wearing a piece of rope or
cord around my wrist for the sake of
wearing emergency rope. In fact, most
people dont even realize that paracord
bracelets are actually a preparedness
item that could help save your life
with so many uses. Most think theyre
just wearing a bracelet. So to help
49
PREPPER & SHOOTER: You and

Rick Austin (a.k.a. The Survivalist
Gardener) have become involved with
National Geographics Doomsday
Preppers series. Each week, the two
of you conduct a Budget Build
project based upon one of the largescale survival devices highlighted
on the reality show series. The stepby-step instructions, complete with
corresponding photos of each page, are
then published on NatGeos website.
Why did you choose to become
involved with the project and why have
the inexpensive builds become a labor
of love for you and Rick?
Survivor Jane: Actually, National
Geographic Channel approached both
Rick and I and asked if we would write
a few articles on the builds that would
be featured in Season 3 of Doomsday
Preppers. We told them we could do
even better; we would create budget
builds to correspond with each of their
episodes. Needless to say, National
Geographic Channel was thrilled,
because the number-one complaint
they receive over and over from their
viewers is that the builds on their
Doomsday Preppers episodes are too
expensive for the normal person to
Issue 2
make. We were given a small budget

$50 for each build and set out to
show that preparedness is not all about
money and that anyone with a little
creativity and ingenuity could make
these builds.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: Soon your
book, which I feel will be the ultimate
girlie-girl prepper guide, will hit store
shelves. Please share the focus of the
book as well as when and where it will
become available to the public.
Survivor Jane: The title is Where
There is No Cosmetic Counter How
Not to Look Like a Zombie Even After
the End of the World as You Know It.
The products that most women use,
cosmetics and grooming-aids, I dont
think have really been addressed by
anyone. Most women at least wear lip
gloss and mascara each day, others a
full-face of makeup. I am a what if
person, and wondered, What would
happen when your makeup runs out and
you can no longer buy it? I scoured
the internet in search of alternatives

to just about everything womanly;
foundations, eye shadows, lipsticks,
hair spray, waxing, shampoo, facial
peels, lotions, washes, and I can go on
and on. My focus was on how to make
these products using items in our pantry
and gardens. Im not sure about most
of the readers, but I am not a natural
beauty in the morning and in fact
Im sure most of us look a little like a
zombie. My book is to show women
that there are even options to looking
and feeling good even after the end of
the world as we know it. And think of
the great morale booster it would make!
Where There is No Cosmetic Counter
is sold on Amazon in paperback and
Kindle.
PREPPER & SHOOTER: You
created the most-used prepper hashtag
on Twitter. Why do you think the
hashtag has become such a popular
virtual gathering place for the prepper
community, and how can Prepper
& Shooter readers join in the chat
sessions?
Survivor Jane: I created the hashtag
#PrepperTalk to find like-minded
preparedness people on Twitter.
Unfortunately, unless your profile
name indicates that you are a prepper
or preparedness-minded person, its
hard to tell. So the hashtag allows
preparedness-minded people to come
together to discuss preparedness
ideas and suggestions and, at times
just talk with one another on a daily
basis. To join in, you can use the
direct link: https://twitter.com/search/
realtime?q=%23preppertalk and
save it to your favorites on Twitter,
or do a search for #Preppertalk in the
search box on Twitter and then add the
hashtag PrepperTalk to each of your
tweets to comment. The people there
love meeting new people beginners
and experts alike. As I always say,
were in this together.
You can find all my links on www.
SurvivorJane.com.
THE US M1 CARBINE
AS A PREPAREDNESS WEAPON
By Leroy Thompson
any who prepare for an array of

natural or societal disasters are
also shooters who already have
the weapons upon which they will rely
in dangerous times. Others want to
be prepared, and purchase a weapon to
allow them to defend themselves, their
family, their home, and their disaster
preparations. Im sure many readers
have had the same experience I have
had of friends who want to purchase
a firearm to protect their family in bad
times, but who are not really shooters
as we would use that term.
Normally, the first recommendation I
give is to purchase a .22 rifle. I like
Rugers 10/22, especially the takedown
model with the Ruger 25-round
magazine. In fact, that is the rifle my
wife uses. I have recommended it to
some friends. I have also recommended
the Smith & Wesson M&P .22, as it can
easily pass as a more formidable M4
5 1
carbine, but is cheaper to shoot and to

stockpile ammo, as well as easier for all
members of the family to use. Those
who have more than one firearm may
well have a .22 rifle as well as a centerfire rifle, one or more handguns, and at
least one shotgun.
Where you live can influence what your
weapons choices are as well. Those
in rural areas will probably want a
center-fire hunting rifle, though these
days, the advent of AR-type rifles in
7.62x51mm and 7.62x39mm, as well as
AKs in 7.62x39mm, allows one rifle to
perform combat and hunting functions.
Actually, in most parts of the USA, the
5.56x45mm AR-type rifle will perform
multiple functions.
Urban dwellers
may find a handgun and/or a shotgun
more useful.
Readers familiar with me know that I

write about an array of modern combat
weapons including shotguns, handguns,
assault rifles, sniping rifles, and SMGs.
Therefore, it may come as a surprise
that one of the weapons I consider best
for preparedness is a 70-year-old U.S.
military weaponthe M1 Carbine.
Let me explain my rationale. First, the
M1 Carbine, though a semi-auto that
takes 5-, 15-, or 30-round magazines
is not an evil black assault weapon,
as some anti-gun politicians would
have you believe. It is a U.S. military
collectible that you might own to honor
your father, grandfather, uncle, etc.,
who carried one in World War II. Some
locations that have magazine capacity
limits set them at 15 rounds. OK, that
is the standard magazine capacity for
the M1 Carbine, though the 30-round
magazines developed for the select-fire
Pictured Above: The M1 Carbine is light, handy, and has low recoil, which allows fast follow-up shots.
Issue 2
Century International Arms

M4 Bayonet
By Leroy Thompson
On arsenal-rebuilt M1 Carbines, the adjustable rear sight is quite usable to 200 yards.
M2 carbine are often used.

An M1 Carbine can also be used
for decades and appreciate in value,
especially if it is not one of the most
recent imports, which were worked
hard. Still, some of those imports that
are mechanically sound will still work
just fine. With some shopping, a good
M1 Carbine should be available for
somewhere between $500 and $1,000,
depending on condition.
I am not
referring to the most desirable collector
M1 Carbines that will be found in the
$2,000 range.
These are examples
that remain in original World War II
condition with flip-up sights, highwood hand guards, cross bolt safety,
and no bayonet lug.
Actually, for preparedness, these
collector carbines are not as desirable
as the ones that were arsenal-upgraded
after World War II. These examples
Issue 2
will have adjustable rear sights, a

rotary-style safety, a bayonet lug,
and low-wood hand guards.
The
two important features here are the
adjustable rear sights and the bayonet
lug.
It is much easier to zero the
sights and to shoot accurately with the
later sights. I also like the idea of the
bayonet lug, as I feel the attachment
of the bayonet can make the carbine
a more effective deterrent weapon to
keep any suspicious individuals at a
distance. It also gives a quiet option if a
shot might bring additional marauders.
An additional advantage is that the M4
bayonet for the carbine was designed
to function as a close-combat knife
when not affixed to the carbine. It can
also be used as a utility knife. Some
arsenal-refurbished M1 Carbines will
also have the sturdier magazine catch
for the 30-round magazine.
This is
not a necessity to use 30-round mags,
but it gives the heavier magazine more
In my article on the M1 Carbine

for Preparedness, I argued for the
advantages of having a bayonet for the
carbine. One problem, however, is that a
nice World War II example will probably
sell for $150-$200. Since we are talking
about using the M1 Carbine and its
bayonet for practical purposes and not
for collecting, a viable alternative is the
reproduction M4 bayonet offered by
Century International Arms.
The M4 bayonet is nicely made and
incorporates the same type of stacked
washer handle as the original, as well as
the same blade, shaped like that of the
M3 Trench Knife. The barrel ring and
bayonet latch are also the same as the
original and work on my M1 Carbine.
An M8A1 sheath carries the M4 safely
and ready for easy access. At a suggested
retail price of $46.95, this is a reasonably
priced fighting knife/bayonet to go with
your M1 Carbine.
For more information, visit the Century
International Arms website at
www.centuryarms.com.
52
support.
Another advantage of the M1 Carbine
is that it is a compact, light, and very
handy carbine.
I set up the one I
often carry in my truck with one of the
double magazine pouches that will fit
on the stock. This carries two spare
15-round magazines. I normally carry
a 30-round magazine in the gun. That
gives me 60 rounds without having to
carry any magazines on my belt or vest.
I also affix a sling to my carbine using
the oiler, which also acts as a rearsling mounting. This allows enough
lubricant for a few cleanings to be
carried on the rifle as well.
The M1 Carbine allows shooters who cannot accurately shoot a handgun at 25 yards or more to shoot
quite accurately at that or longer distances.
The size of the M1 Carbine and its

lightly recoiling semi-auto action make
it an easy weapon for family members
to learn to use.
The only problem
females and children sometimes have
is that the semi-grip on the stock may
seem fat.
Overall, though, the M1
Carbine is a very shoot-able and handy
weapon.
Most shooters will shoot
the M1 Carbine more accurately at
ranges past 25 yards than the handgun,
especially those who do not shoot a lot.
Of course, one criticism that often
arises in regard to the M1 Carbine is
its cartridge.
Standard specs for
the round are a 110-grain FMJ bullet
at 1,990 fps for 967 foot pounds of
muzzle energy.
For use in hunting
or to enhance stopping power against
humans, various higher-performance
loads are available for the M1 Carbine.
One that performs very well is CorBons 100-grain Barnes Triple-Shock
X Bullet, DPX.
I should note,
however, that not all carbines feed this
round reliably, so anyone planning to
use it should test it in your individual
weapon. Winchesters 110-grain HSP
(Hollow Soft Point) load also expands
well. I have found, too, that this load
shoots to basically the same point of
aim as 110-grain GI loads.
I would
recommend that anyone planning on
using the M1 Carbine as a preparedness
weapon lay in a good supply of
110-grain GI ammo, which can still be
53
The M1 Carbines bayonet adds an additional option for dealing with an enemy and can also function
as a fighting/utility knife.
The double magazine pouch, which can be affixed to the stock, allows easy carry of two spare
15-round magazines.
Issue 2
Thompson sometimes stows his carbine in his truck with the bayonet sheathed, but affixed, so that by grabbing the carbine, he has 60 rounds of ammo as well
as the bayonet.
found, though certainly not at the prices

for which I bought many thousands of
rounds in the past. Note that all U.S.
GI M1 Carbine and, normally, foreign
GI M1 Carbine ammo, is non-corrosive.
The exception is some French surplus
ammo that was imported quite a few
years ago that is highly corrosive. In
addition to a good supply of 110-grain

FMJ loads, I would also recommend
a few hundred rounds of Cor-Bon or
Winchester hollow point loads for use
in hunting or, possibly, self-defense.
Certainly, there are better combat rifles
than the M1 Carbine and, definitely,
better hunting rifles. Some handguns
have as much or more stopping power.

However, it is an accurate, easy-touse weapon effective to 200 yards, is
very user-friendly to the entire family,
and stows easily in vehicle, closet, or
over the shoulder. And, for those in
restrictive states, it is not an assault
rifle; its a military collectible!
Emergency
Midland Model 74-200
Alert Radios
By Vincent L. DeNiro
ack in the mid-1970s, I got an RCA
portable four-channel police
scanner. It was high-tech back then
to have any portable electronic device.
You chose the four channels by buying
crystals for them, and the cost that
I remember was about $5 each (even
some jewelry stores sold them) a lot of
money then, as the minimum wage was
only about $2.50/hour. The crystals were
-sized gray metal rectangles with
two small metal rods sticking out like
an electrical plug and each one had its
frequency written on it. As long as you
had a frequency book or list, you could
pick out what you wanted to hear: police,
fire, government, ambulance, voice
pager answering services (those were
fun), etc. There were no programmable
digital scanners at that time, so you had
to be very choosey as to what you wanted
to listen to with only four channels. I
bought extra crystals and if I got bored
with a channel, I just unplugged one
and replaced it with another. I mainly
would have two police channels, one
fire department, and the other crystal
was the local National Weather Service
channel, which broadcasted the weather
24 hours a day.
In the late 1970s, I bought a weather

alert radio from Radio Shack that was
55
crystal-controlled and allowed to you

select one of the National Weather
Service channels that was strongest
on your area. The neat thing about
this radio, unlike the scanner, is that
a siren would go off if bad weather,
like a tornado, was imminent, via the
Emergency Broadcast System (EBS),
which is now the Emergency Alert
System (EAS). This is a very important
feature, as it will awaken you at night or
let you know what is going on in case
your TV or radio is turned off. My first
Weather Alert Radio also had a battery
backup and all new ones have this
feature as well.
Weather Alert Radios are now often
called Emergency Alert Radios (EAR)
as they cover more than just weather
emergencies. The operation is basically
simple once it is programmed, if you
have a programmable. The radio will
activate a siren when the EAS transmits
the emergency, then you press the
listen button to hear the emergency
broadcast. Some radios allow you to
program them to automatically turn
the voice broadcast on after about
10 seconds of the siren if you wish.
Emergency Alert Radios will also go
through a test every Wednesday when
the EAS sends out a test signal if your
radio does not go off once per week,
then it is not programmed properly or
is broken.
Although there are inexpensive portable
radios with the alert sirens in analog
form (old-style tuning dials), I do not
recommend them for you primary EAR,
as they lack the alpha-numeric features.
The alphanumeric LCD displays are
great because they tell you instantly
what the emergency is. Here is a list of
some of the emergencies that an EAR
can display:
TORNADO WATCH
TORNADO WARNING
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING
FLASH FLOOD WATCH
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
FLOOD WATCH
FLOOD WARNING
WINTER STORM WATCH
WINTER STORM WARNING
BLIZZARD WARNING
Radio Shack M
odel
12-382
Issue 2
HIGH WIND WARNING

DUST STORM WARINING
HURRICANE WATCH
HURRICANE WARNING
TROPICAL STORM WATCH
TROPICAL STORM WARNING
COASTAL FLOOD WATCH
COASTAL FLOOD WARNING
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
AVALANCHE WATCH
AVALANCHE WARNING
EARTHQUAKE WARNING
VOLCANO WARNING
IMMEDIATE EVACUATION
SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING
CHILD ABDUCTION EMERGENCY
911 TELEPHONE OUTAGE
EMERGENCY
CIVIL DANGER WARNING
NUCLEAR POWER WARNING
RADIATION HAZARD WARNING
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WARNING
LAW ENFORCEMENT WARNING
FIRE WARNING
TUNE TO TV
LOCAL AREA EMERGNCY
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
HURRICANE STATEMENT
POWER OUTAGE
ICEBERG WARNING
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE WARNING
WEEKLY TEST
I guess TERRORIST WARNING,
NUCLEAR ATTACK or FOREIGN
MILITARY INVASION could be a
few more, but I hope I never see those
across my screen! My radio also has
different tones for each emergency like
fast sirens, very fast sirens, or beeps.
As I stated earlier, the first Weather/
Emergency Alert Radios had some or
all of the National Weather Service
frequencies installed in them. Those
frequencies are:
Issue 2
162.400
MHz
162.450
MHz
162.500
MHz
162.550
MHz
162.425
MHz
162.475
MHz
162.525
MHz
These are in the VHF band. The newer

radios can be programmed for all of
these frequencies and also operate
using SAME, which is the Specific
Area Message Encoding system. Since
Emergency Alert Radios can pick up
the broadcast and emergency signals
from up to 50+ miles away, this led
to some false alarms for some EAR
users decades ago and for those that
use newer inexpensive radios without
SAME. For example, your area may
use the National Weather Service
frequency for say Dallas, TX, but you
are in Ft. Worth. Now if the EAR siren
goes off at 3 a.m. for a tornado warning
in the Dallas area, you would still want
to know because you are relatively
close by and the conditions would be
ripe for a possible tornado in Ft. Worth.
However, you probably would not
want to get up at 3 a.m. if there was
some localized flooding in downtown
Dallas. A radio without SAME would
not differentiate between where you
are in Ft. Worth and where the flood
is in Dallas the signal to set off your
siren will be broadcast to the entire
area using the same frequency. A radio
with SAME can be programmed with
a SAME FIPS (Federal Information
Processing Standards) code, which
identifies the region/country, state, and
county you are in. You can program
your receiver to only set the siren off if
the emergency goes off in your county,
as each county has its own code. You
can also choose several counties or
the entire broadcast area. If there is a
high risk of forest fires in your area,
you may want to include a few of the

counties west of you, especially if the
prevailing winds usually blow in your
direction from that area.
There are many types of digital,
programmable, siren, Emergency Alert
Radios available from pocket models
to base models. I like both versions:
pocket and base. I use the plug-in
model for the main house radio and the
portables for travelling. For you that are
on a budget, I have found 1980s models
as low as $5 on eBay and even though
these radios dont have the digital
display or SAME system, they can save
your life in an emergency. New models
are commonly sold for anywhere from
$29 - $39 and all have digital clocks
with alarms so they can get you out of
bed each day. Accessories such as lights
can be added for the hearing impaired
(or to turn that bunker of yours into a
command center!) and external highvolume sirens can be added for outside
use. Many new radios have jacks so
that these devices can be plugged in
check with Radio Shack and ask them
about the Powerflash Module PF284.
If your school or your childs school
does not have one, ask them to purchase
one or donate one to them. Emergency
Alert Radios are a MUST HAVE
electronic device for any prepper,
survivalist, homesteader, woodsman/
bushcraftsman, camper or hunter.
Midland WR-100
56
Out of the Electric Frying Pan,
Back Into the Fire :
Hearthside Cooking and Baking Basics

By Margie Thompson
ome what may, when my electric

stove and microwave oven become
objects dart rather than useful
appliances, I have a secret weapon in
my arsenal of preps that is guaranteed
to chase away all those creepy nighttime
shadows, keep me snug as a bug, and
even comfort me with a hot cup of tea
and a thick slice of freshly baked bread
slathered with homemade jam: my
fireplace.
When the SHTF, forget about hightech or low-tech --- Im going old-tech!
And if I can do it under less than ideal
conditions, so can you!
Anything you can prepare in your
modern kitchen can be prepared on
your hearth. Anything, including baked
goods!
Almost everything you need to be able
to cook on your hearth is probably in
your kitchen right now. All you need is a
camping-style Dutch oven for baking, a
couple of relatively inexpensive tools to
make the job easier, and a few resources
for tips on how to adapt your own
recipes, because hearthside cookery is so
much more than just placing a camping
grill over the fire and pretending you
have a stove.
Surprised? I was. But then, Id
forgotten that the fireplace is just the
primordial campfire, moved indoors,
shoved up against a wall, and built under
a chimney. Its the way we humans
57
have been cooking for

thousands of years.
Of course, if all you want
to do is boil water or
heat up already-prepared
foods, there are easier
ways. But, if you have a
fireplace and plan to use it
for heat or light, you may
as well multi-task and
party like its 1699!
Using logs as
andirons
made it easier
to start the
fire and
they were
consumed
as the fire
matured.
The preps
Ive kept my hearthsidecooking preps pretty
basic. If I were building a
bug-out location, Id get more elaborate.
Ive tried to stay away from specialized
equipment for cooking, such as longhandled utensils. They were a must
when hearths were enormous, but I have
a simple fireplace. My barbeque tools
work just fine.
I also steered clear of great swinging
cranes on the side of my fireplace to
suspend caldrons directly over the fire. I
settled for a camp grill on legs to provide
a flat, stable burner for boiling, frying,
and grilling, using my own everyday
pots and pans.
For delicate sauces and puddings, I
opted for a couple of bricks from the
hardware store to hold my pans above
the embers for better heat regulation and
control, rather than spiders, small pots
and saut pans on long spindly legs that
straddle the embers.
Position the dutchy over hot embers. Place lid

on the dutchy and place more embers on the lid
than you did underneath.
I ignored a tin kitchen, a three-sided,

spit roasting reflector oven with a peep
window that sits on the hearth. If we
were planning to hunt, I would have
considered one.
Instead, I put my money into tools that let
me bake! I bought three large-diameter
cast iron Dutch ovens with rimmed lids
and little feet -- not to be used as pots
and pans, but to literally act as ovens to
hold my Wiltons for baking bread, cakes,
pies, and crackers. I also purchased a lid
Issue 2
the narrow shelf of brick

in front of the fire screen. I
was game, but my husband
almost had a coronary. So,
I had to bake in the firebox.
an extinguisher or a bucket. Luckily I

did have on real shoes and crushed out
the ember cigarette-butt style. The char
spot is barely noticeable. But if it had
landed on my carpeting . . .
Not that I let a little thing

like that stop me, so dont let
less-than-ideal conditions
stop you, either! Just be
sure to follow these safety
rules: (1.) Hair tied back and
pinned up. (2.) No dangling
jewelry or sleeves. No long,
swishy skirts or bell-bottom
pants. (3.) No synthetic fabrics.
Polyester and its brethren tend to melt
when they come into contact with fire.
(4.) Wear closed-toed, sensible shoes.
(5.) Have a fire extinguisher handy
and learn how to use it. Swing by
your local fire department and ask for
help if you need it. They wont think
youre stupid. (6.) Have a bucket of
The hearth-baked bread got a little too browned, but water or sand handy and a box of salt
it was perfect on the inside. I just cut off the crust. to put out grease fires. (7.) Invest in a
fire blanket, so you have something to
lifter and a lid holder. I bought Lodge
STOP, DROP, and ROLL in. (8.) Invest
brand because their website boasts they
in a fire-resistant hearthrug to protect
are the only American company still
the carpeting or flooring in front of the
making cast iron, and that was important
hearth. You cant cook with your fire
to me. They come pre-seasoned. Shop
screen in front the fire. (9.) Dont use
price. For me, Wal-Mart had the best
your oven mitts. Buy a pair of thick,
deal.
leather, fireplace gloves. I got mine at
Wal-Mart. (10.) Any pot or pan that
Safety first!
you cook with today over the stove can
Back in the day, burns and scalds were
be used for hearthside cooking. (11.)
the number-two killer of women, right
Prepare a heatproof landing pad. My
behind death by childbirth. Even if you
fireplace and kitchen are on two different
manage not to kill or injure anyone,
levels, separated by a flight of carpeted
when the SHTF, the last thing you want
stairs. We also have a large dog who
to do is torch your house.
thinks hes the Sous Chef, so I set up a
sturdy, old, wooden table in front of my
The issue is that today, our fireplaces
hearth to act as a kitchen counter, and
arent designed for hearthside cooking,
used my wooden cutting boards for pot
with embers from the firebox being
rests. (12.) Apply all the cooking safety
moved around and onto the hearth to
rules you learned for surviving in the
provide a heat source for under, over, or
modern kitchen, such as dont stick your
near your pots and pans.
nose directly over a pot and be aware of
all pot handles.
Case in point: my firebox is on a platform
So, to be completely safe, you must

consult the definitive guide to hearthside
cooking, William Rubels The Magic
of Fire. Its legendary. Its also outof-print and outrageously expensive on
the Internet. I got my copy through the
library and took copious notes before it
had to be returned. This is a must-read.
Place a small cooling rack or trivet or

some pebbles in the bottom of a Dutch
oven to keep your baked goods away
from the direct heat of the oven floor.
If desired, use a parchment liner to
protect the inside of the dutchy.
about six inches above the floor of the

hearth. The glassed-in fire screen sits in
front of the brick wall making my hearth
completely inaccessible for cooking,
unless I want to balance my pots on
Issue 2
Ignore the rules at your peril. I spilled a

small ember onto the hardwood flooring
in front of the fireplace. I didnt have
a fire-resistant hearthrug. I didnt have
The first thing Rubel will tell you is

to remove your fire grate or andirons.
Back in the day, wood was piled directly
on the floor of the firebox, not elevated
above it.
The wood burned more
slowly, saving fuel, and direct access to
the fire made manipulating the wood and
embers easier and safer.
The Grand Experiment
On a bitterly cold, snowy Sunday in
December, I got ready to bake in my
fireplace! Following Rubels advice, I
ditched my fire grate, cleaned out the old
ashes, and placed two logs directly on
the floor of my firebox, parallel to each
other and perpendicular to the back wall.
Using logs as andirons made it easier
to start the fire in the first place, but as
the fire matured, the andirons were
consumed and therefore didnt impede
access to the embers.
While I waited for the fire to burn down,
I whipped up a recipe each of white
sandwich bread, butter crackers, and
tart shells. I figured that if I could bake
these, I could bake anything! To keep it
authentic, I ignored my KitchenAid and
mixed the dough with a wooden spoon
and kneaded by hand. Then I pre-heated
my oven so that I could bake each batch
in the oven as well as on the hearth to
compare the results.
After the bread rose, I contemplated my
fire. Hearths dont have thermostats.
Fires have a lifecycle.
Thats why your second must-have
58
reference book is Nancy Carter Crumps

Hearthside Cooking. Crump was the
person who developed the programs
for Colonial Williamsburgs kitchens
based on the recipes of Hannah Glass,
Mary Randolph and so many others.
This one you have to buy. Its more
than a cookery book, its a textbook
for living history interpreters on how
to demonstrate hearthside cooking in
the restored kitchens of historic homes.
But it was also written with emergency
preparedness in mind.
Each recipe is presented three ways: the
original, the modern version for modern
kitchens, and the modern version for
hearthside cooking. By presenting all
three versions, side-by-side, Crump is
able to teach by example how to translate
modern, high-tech cooking techniques
back into old-tech. Youre not buying
Crump for the recipes, per se. Its all
about learning the old techniques.
For example, back in the day, there was
an established order to cooking various
dishes. For the first two hours, your fire
was probably too hot to do anything
but burn food, so this was a good time
for boiling, stewing, and starting soup
stocks. Roasting and sauting need a
more mature fire. Bread was usually
placed on the hearth last, after the fire
had been banked down for the night.
Also, unlike our stoves and ovens today,
cooking on the hearth involves declining
heat. The embers will never be as hot
as when you position them around your
pan. And on the hearth, foods dont just
cook from the bottom up; they cook
from wherever your pot is in relation to
the embers, and embers can be placed
below the pot, on the lid of the pot, or
piled up around the pot.
Cooking times will be different usually
shorter, but they could be much longer
than youre used to, and its easier to get
hot spots, since one side of the pot will
always be facing the fire.
This is why everyone and their brother
is so in love with cast iron and why I
59
bought some, even though

Ive always hated the stuff
unless it was clad in enamel!
Cast iron has the most
uniform heating patterns of
any cooking vessel and tends
to distribute heat more evenly
over the entire surface of the
pot, thereby reducing uneven
cooking and baking.
Once I decided that the fire
was ready, I grabbed my
big, 14 dutchy. That was a
mistake. It weighs 27 pounds.
I wasnt on the hearth; I was
in the firebox.
I should have gone smaller Oven-baked goodies on the left; hearth-baked goodies on
and therefore lighter. It wasnt the right. I baked the poor tart shells too long, but you can
what I was after with oven-baked tart filled with canned
so much a problem for the pot, see
strawberry pie filling.
but manipulating the lid with a
temperatures and the ability to check
full complement of embers on
the progress of baked goods by simply
top was a killer. I used my lid lifter, but
looking through the window on the
my fireplace doesnt have the headroom
oven door, was tough. But the fix was
to let me fulcrum it properly to lift the
relatively simple. I just added an infrared
lid off the pot, out of the firebox, and on
baking thermometer to my Santa list.
to the holder. Thats how I spilled the
embers onto the hardwood floor.
The biggest surprise was that, even
though it takes practice to cook this
The results
way, its not rocket science. Even under
The pictures you see are from my first
less-than-ideal conditions, I can cook
attempt, side by side with the same
and bake on my hearth. And however
recipes made at the same time in my
inconvenient it is, I prefer it to the
oven. Judge for yourself.
alternatives of either doing without
baked goods or trading for them or
The hearth bread got a little too browned,
braving the elements to start a campfire
but it was perfect on the inside. I just cut
in the backyard. Did I mention that it
off the crust.
was 16 F outside the day I did this with
a wind chill below zero and blowing
After seeing how the bread fared, I
snow?
didnt put any embers on the lid when
I baked the crackers, which turned out
More references
perfectly.
For you visual learners out there, to
actually see what Ive been talking
Gaining confidence, I did put embers
about, check out Jas. Townsend & Son,
back on the lid when I baked the poor
Inc. on the Internet. As a resource for
little tart shells. And, okay, I admit they
historical reenactors, they are a treasure
ended up incinerated.
trove of products, advice, and videos on
life from 1750-1840. A DVD series I
Still, I consider the whole adventure a
found extremely useful was Chef Walter
success!
Staibs Emmy Award-winning PBS
series, A Taste of History. Good luck,
Lessons learned
and bon apptit!
Baking
blind
without
standard
Issue 2
Staff Report
f you are in snake country

big snake country and have
experience with .22 or .38 shot
shells, you may already know that
sometimes those calibers dont
cut it, and this is where the Heizer
Defense Pocket Shotgun (model
PS-1) comes in. This very wellmade, high-quality, single .410 and
.45 Long Colt handgun is what you
would expect from a well-known
aerospace company.
What would you use a small singleshot .410 handgun for? Lets
Issue 2
examine its size first. At 3.8 inches

tall by 5.5 inches long, and only
of an inch wide, it takes up only
slightly more room than a wallet and
fits nicely in a back pocket of a pair
of jeans. Chief Operating Officer of
Heizer Defense, Gary Ramey, told us
that this is one of the reasons many
workers in the growing gas and
oil industry are buying them. The
workers keep a Pocket Shotgun in
their back pockets and forget about
it until it is time to kill poisonous
snakes, which are all over oil and gas
fields in the western United States,
as well as hiding in the gas rigs
themselves. Gary also told us that
the Heizer Defense Pocket Shotgun

was the official handgun sponsor of
the Snake Round Up in Texas last
year, which was an event to gather
up poisonous snakes so their venom
could be used to make anti-venom
medicine.
For a survivalist or prepper, the
Pocket Shotgun is a great choice
to put in the bug-out bag or
backpack, as most preppers bring
an MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle)
and defense handgun with them,
so having a pocket shotgun gives
them more options such as hunting
game birds and small game at close
60
15 feet, .45 LC, American Eagle 225 gr. JSP
15 feet, .45 LC, American Eagle 225 gr. JSP
range, where shot would be more

advantageous to use than a single
small bullet or oversized/overpowered bullet. You may not want
to fire a high-powered rifle or pistol
up in the air to shoot a squirrel out
of a tree or shoot a small game bird
that might save you from starvation
but which might be destroyed by a
centerfire rifle. The pocket shotgun
would be a better option.
round and gives you an option that

is stronger than, say a 9mm pistol
you may have when your MSR isnt
handy, like when emerging from a
small tent and confronting a rabid
dog. There are many different types
of .410 ammunition, so that gives
you many options. We really like
the Winchester PDX round, which
contains four defense disc rounds
and 16 BBs. Also tested were rifled
slugs, sabots, and #6 shot shotshells,
so be sure to examine our target test
results shown in this article.
Another feature is that this handgun

will also take .45 LC cartridges and
there is even a compartment in the
grip to store a couple of rounds.
The .45 LC is a decent backup
10 feet, .410, Winchester, 1/2 oz., #6 shot
6 1
One thing we want to mention

is that the recoil is severe, so we
strongly recommend that if you are
going to shoot this handgun more
than a few times in a row, wear a
padded glove. We also recommend
5 feet, .410, Winchester, PDX1 Defender, 3

Discs, 12 BBS
5 feet, .410, Winchster, 1/2 oz., #6 shot
placing an additional piece of

gel padding, such as Impact Gel
(ImpactGel.com), in the inside of
the glove at the base of the hand.
Now, regarding the trigger, it is very
smooth, but very long and weighty
at 10 pounds, but this is actually a
plus, as the gun lacks a safety you
will have to practice if you want
to shoot bullets accurately. The
latch to activate the pop-up barrel
is ambidextrous and the sights are
easy to pick up. The handgun fired
perfectly during our tests. This was
expected, as reportedly, one Pocket
Shotgun recently fired over 5,000
rounds during a demonstration, and
was still going strong. Again, this is
10 feet, .410, Winchester, PDX1 Defender, 3

Discs, 12 BBS
Issue 2
a very well-made handgun.

Mr. Ramey also told us that the
handgun will be available in
an additional version called the
Pocket AR, which will be in
.223 and 5.56mm, and Heizer will
also offer a .22 LR conversion. The
other good news is that if you have
a pocket shotgun, you will be able
to purchase the .223 and 5.56mm
barrel. You would then have a fourcaliber handgun system in .223 and
5.56mm, .410, .45LC, and .22LR,
which fits into your pocket!
For
more information, go
HeizerDefense.com.
Issue 2
to
Pocket Shotgun with box, manual, case and lock.
62
SOME FAQS ABOUT NATURES ANTIBIOTIC

By Vincent DeNiro
learned about oil of oreganos antibacterial properties approximately

18 years ago and I became very
interested in it after hearing alternative
medicines pioneer on the subject,
Dr. Cass Ingram (author of: The
Cure is in the Cupboard) on a radio
interview. Since that time, I have heard
numerous talk shows and have read
many articles on the subject. I have
used oil of oregano many times for
strep throat, cold-related fever, gum
infections, respiratory infections, and
other illnesses with great results. Its
important to note that although the
spice oregano and the oregano for
herbal medicine are closely related, the
oregano we are discussing is a special

species of oregano and should not be
confused with regular oregano, which
has much fewer compounds than herbal
medicinal oregano.
Here are some frequently asked
questions about this herbal remedy.
QUESTION: When was oregano first
used as a medicinal herb and what was
it used for back then?
ANSWER: Oregano has been used
for thousands of years and history
shows that the Greeks were probably
the first to use it. It was used for the
treatment of respiratory problems,
snake bites, insect bites, and for
keeping infection out of wounds.

QUESTION: What types of common
bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens
will medicinal oregano kill? What about
other diseases and health conditions?
ANSWER: Oil of oregano is very
effective in killing Staphylococcus
bacteria, microbes that cause food
poisoning, herpes simplex virus, and
others. Also, asthma due to fungus,
rheumatoid arthritis due to bacteria,
candidiasis/candida yeast (which
has been linked to multiple sclerosis,
cancer, Hashimoto disease of the
thyroid, chronic fatigue syndrome,
cancers, and many other diseases),
cancers, and illnesses such as eczema,
athletes foot, diarrhea, measles,
mumps, sore throat, sinusitis,
venomous bites and insect stings
and more. Almost 200 conditions are
named by Dr. Ingram as treatable
with oregano oil.
QUESTION: Where does the oil come
from?
ANSWER: By processing oregano
leaves, you get a very strong
concentrated oil, which is diluted
with olive oil for use.
Oregano Capsules
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This article is
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The statements in this article do
not constitute individualized medical advice. You must not rely on the information in this
article as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare
provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult
your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering
from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never
delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment
because of information provided in this article. This article is written for entertainment and
informational purposes only.
63
QUESTION: What compounds can be

found in oil of oregano?
ANSWER: There are two main
compounds found in medicinal
oregano oil and those are Carvacrol
(60 80%) and Thymol (around
5%). Oil of oregano gets its
antimicrobial
properties
from
Carvacrol, which aids in all of the
illnesses and diseases that involve
yeast bacterial and molds. Thymol
Issue 2
has very strong antiseptic properties

and is also anti-fungal. It also has
high levels of copper, magnesium,
potassium, vitamins A and K, iron,
zinc, thiamine, and calcium.
capsules; just follow the directions on

the bottle.
QUESTION: What about dosage

for ailments and how are they
administered?
ANSWER:
The
price
varies
depending on brand and whether
you buy caplets, capsules, or liquid.
Liquid bottles usually run $22 for
almost a ounce, but keep in mind
that this is over 200 doses. The softgel capsules can range from $10
- $20 per bottle of 60 depending on
milligram dosage.
ANSWER: A few drops may be

placed under the tongue and then
swallowed for any internal bacterial
or viral infection like strep throat,
flu, etc. Ive done this many times. It
is very effective and you usually need
only do it once per day during your
cold. The only thing you want to be
aware of is that when you swallow,
the oregano oil will get onto your
tongue and it does burn, but you
wont be harmed by it. Another way
is to massage two drops on the soles of
your feet this is an absorption point
and will get the healing properties of
the oil into your body quickly. I have
seen fevers drop in minutes using this
QUESTION: What does Oil of Oregano

cost?
Oregano Oil
technique. For respiratory illnesses,

massage a few drops on the chest
so that you can breathe it in this
works great. Some people have also
put it on the spine, as many viruses
lay dormant in cerebrospinal fluid.
Never put it in the eyes or under
the armpits. You can also dilute oil
of oregano with olive oil to take the
bite out of it. It is also available in
Since I began to use oil of oregano, I have

almost never used antibiotics, and visits
to the doctor for cold and flu are nonexistent. I believe oil of oregano should
be in every prepper and survivalists
medicine stockpile and first-aid kit. Dr.
Ingrams book mentioned previously is
a great addition to any survival library.
Be sure to search the internet for some
of the radio interviews he has done, as
they are very informative.
BUGOUT
BY
BICYCLE
By
Kendall
Rush
65
s we all know, the problem

with being prepared is that
you cannot possibly prepare
for every scenario. A bug-out plan will
take us from our homes if the threat
comes too close for comfort. Bugging
out isnt just for those in urban areas.
All of us should have a plan to bug out.
This summer, my son and I tested a
possible scenario that included both of
us bugging out on our bicycles.
The idea came from a reality TV
program in which the participants
traveled into the unknown on bicycles
to collect supplies and gear for their
colony. I thought that in certain survival
situations, a motor vehicle may not
be available. For example, modern
vehicles have complex electronics that
may not survive an EMP attack. Or,
if you do survive the initial onslaught
of an emergency, fossil fuels will be
scarce. Pedal power would be a likely
source for transportation. Would you
Issue 2
be able to mount your bicycle and

make a multi-day trip, either to trade
with someone from another area, or to
escape a bad situation in your current
area? I thought about this and wanted to
know if I would be able to do it.
The plan was to stop riding my bike for
three months prior to the trip; this would
allow my level of endurance from daily
rides to drop to that of a person who did
not ride every day. I would be taking
my 9-year-old son along for the trip. In
a SHTF emergency, your family has to
go with you! We would ride the C&O
Tow Path and The Great Allegheny
Passage from Washington, DC, to
Pittsburgh, PA. This is a continuous
bike path that incorporates the old
canal and tow paths along the Potomac
River from DC to Cumberland, MD,
and finishes on a recently completed
rail trail known as the GAP, or Great
Allegheny Passage. The trip would be
unsupported; we would take everything
we would need for six days of travel:
food, clothes, tents, bedding and
supplies. This would be my first multiday touring trip via bicycle, however I
was no stranger to riding. The previous
summer, I had planned to ride the same
trail before a knee injury side-lined me
and I had to wait another year.
Preparations started, I knew I would
have to carry almost everything, as
my son could not be expected to carry
his share. I would need a trailer for the
ride. In true prepper fashion, buying
and using a store-bought trailer wasnt
going to work. I ride a Surly Pugsley,
better known as a Fat Bike. I fabricated
a Fat Bob trailer, a single-wheel trailer
using the fork from a Pugsley and
the Fat tire-and-wheel assembly. I
fabricated my trailer from old bikes and
hydraulic tubing. The test rides were
the only rides I did in the months before
the bug out.
My son is a very athletic boy. I, on the
other hand, am obese. When we set out
on our journey, I tipped the scales at
350 pounds. I used the list of supplies
Issue 2
from the group I was to ride with the

previous year as a guide to what we
would need. Our supply list included:
1. 2011 Surly Pugsley front and
rear racks two bottle carriers
2. 2005 Raleigh M50 rear rack
two bottle carriers
3. Home-built FAT BOB trailer
4. 1 spare fat tire
5. 1 spare 26 tire
6. 2 Surly 26 X 4 tubes
7. 2 26 X 2 Tubes
8. 1 new chain
9. Bicycle multi- tool
10. Air pump
11. Tube patch kit
12. A trunk on the rear rack of each
bike
13. 2 panniers on the M50
14. Sven Saw Collapsible saw
15. Medium camp ax
16. 2 Leatherman multi-tools
17. 6 MREs
18. 1 two-man tent
19. 1 6 X 8 tarp
20. 2 ponchos
21. 2 camp pillows
22. 2 sleeping bags
23. 2 sleeping pads
24. Bio-Lite camp stove
25. 2 cans of soup
26. 2 complete mess kits
27. 2 sets of utensils
28. 2 small LED flashlights
29. 2 weather radio/flashlights
30. 6 Paracord bracelets
31. Goal Zero portable solar
charger
32. iPad
33. iPhone
34. iPod
35. Sons clothes
a. Bike shorts
b. 3 pairs of underwear
c. 3 pairs of shorts
d. 3 pairs of socks
e. 3 shirts
f. washcloth and towel
36. My clothes
a. 2 bike shorts
b. 3 pairs of underwear
c. 2 pairs of shorts
d. 2 under shirts
e. 2 t-shirts
f. 3 pairs of socks
g. 1 towel and wash cloth
37. 2 packs of baby wipes
38. 1 container of body wash
39. 12 mini bungee cords
40. Various lengths of Zippy Ties
41. Roll of duct tape
42. 2 large water-proof bags
43. 2 medium water-proof bags
44. 2 MOLLE back packs
45. 1-gallon water bottle
46. 1 package of Pop Tarts
47. Medications for me
48. 1 trail book and map
49. Mr. Stuffty
50. Mr. Tuffty
As our departure day loomed closer, I
began to have second thoughts about
the whole thing. The ride was cut
in half due to time constraints and
real life problems and commitments.
Packing was left until the night before
to simulate a true bug-out situation; I
had collected all the supplies on the
list and knew they were in the house
somewhere. Bringing them all together
and packing them drove me crazy.
The problem with thinking youre
prepared is the fact that you are
not! There is no way possible to
be completely ready for any and
all scenarios on the trail, in life, or
anything. I understood this going into
the trip, but did not realize how true it
was until the last leg of the trip. We can
fool ourselves into believing that what
we have done or what we have will pull
us through. WRONG.
We drove out after work on Friday. My
son and I would start in the morning
from mile 0 on the GAP. After arriving
at the hotel, we learned the room was
double-booked. I was forced to retreat
back towards home about 30 trail miles.
We started in the morning from the
continental divide, the highest point on
both the C&O and the GAP. My wife
and daughter bid us farewell and drove
off towards home. This change in plans
was the first of many.
66
on the trail. I was glad to have met

many very inquisitive people. Almost
everyone we saw remarked at the sight
of my bike, trailer and the amount of
supplies on it. After the first full day
on the trail, I began to understand that
I brought way too much stuff. I would
not need doubles of things and some
of it we did not need at all. This was
one of the best things that I learned
during the trip. You can have too much
stuff. There were things we never used.
These items would come in handy later.
As we mounted the bikes, I was most

unsure of the situation I was putting
us into. Would this end in failure?
The Pugsley was also unsure. With
the added weight of all the supplies, it
did not ride anything like I thought it
would. If you have ever pulled a heavy
trailer that swayed behind you, you will
know exactly what I was dealing with.
The steering was almost completely
unresponsive, and at slow speeds, the
trailer would sway with the shifting
weight.
Our first break came ten miles in. We
pulled up next to a wrought-iron bridge
that was moved to the trail from a local
farm. I phoned my wife to let her know
all was well and that we had already
completed ten miles. From the bench
that the Pug and Fat Bob rested against,
we could see the tips of the giant wind
turbines just over the next hill.
Back on the trail, we would settle in for
mile after mile of freedom. I would later
describe the feeling of surviving on the
trail as something I enjoyed most of
all. Life and all the concerns of modern
technology melt away when you are
simply surviving. I believe that this is
the draw to the prepper movement. We
all long for the opportunity to survive,
to do things that really matter in life.
67
Not to toil with our daily work lives, but

to provide the things that really matter.
I did not count on this aspect of the ride
at all; it surprised me that I was able
to relax while riding and not fill that
time with worries about all the things
that I would have waiting on me when
I returned to real life. I did not think
of them at all, rather, I would think of
our next move, where we would camp,
what we would eat, and how we would
prepare it. Surviving was grand!
The first night was spent at an Army
Corps camp ground. We had ridden 40
miles and I was beat! I started dinner on
a wood-gas camp stove that burnt sticks
and twigs. I heated up a can of Spaghetti
Os for my son and a can of stew for
me. We ate it and drank our water as
though it was our last meal. The food
tasted great, and I was hungry. In the
morning, we broke camp, had breakfast
and started out on day two. Today
would be 30 miles and take us through
Ohiopyle State Park. Our supplies were
tucked away in the trailer and panniers.
I had ridden the Pug around the camp
ground without the trailer and was not
looking forward to adding the weight of
it to the bike again.
We stopped almost every five miles
for a quick break and to talk to others
There was a section of the trail that

crossed a side road it caused the
riders to go down a steep grade then
rebound up it again on the other side
of the road. I was leading and went
down with no problem, but was caught
in the wrong gear on the way back up
the other side. I almost had to stop.
My son, not noticing this, came very
close to ramming the trailer, but instead
dropped his Raleigh to the ground. In
doing so, he reinjured his knee that was
cut open in a bicycle accident at home
a week before we left. He was wailing
in pain. I finished the ascent up the hill,
parked the Pug, quickly gathered the
first-aid kit, and patched his knee.
As we entered the tunnel of trees in
Ohiopyle, we were happy to be in the
shade. We rode several miles before
we heard a very loud noise that I could
not explain. I felt a drop of rain on my
face. Hurry, get the bags covered!
I shouted. Most of our bed rolls and
supplies were in water-tight bags, but
the clothes and panniers were not. The
noise was rain hitting the leaves in the
canopy of the forest high above us. We
got everything covered with garbage
bags just in time. Mr. Stuffty and his
friend Mr. Tuffty my sons stuffed
bears that proudly rode on his trunk
bag or strapped to the trailer to keep
him company were quickly stowed
as well. We rode in the rain for almost
two hours with water being kicked up
onto the bikes and trailer from our tires,
covering them with grime and dirt.
Issue 2
After we set up camp for that night, my

son played in the river. There was also
a pool in which my son could swim
a welcome addition to our camp. His
energy levels surprised me. As long as
we rested for a short period every five
miles on the trail, he was happy. All
of my worries and questions about his
level of endurance were ill-founded.
With the bikes fully loaded, I estimated
his bike to weigh in at 100 pounds. This
was impressive, as he weighed only 80
pounds himself.
By the third day of the trip, breaking
camp was getting easier we knew
where everything went and how it had to
be packed. I loaded the bikes in levels,
and once our supplies were stowed on
our bikes, we set off. Our goal today
was to reach Dravo Cemetery, 45 miles
away. The first five-mile section was
a warm-up period, but we were soon
back to our cruising speed of 12 MPH.
We had ridden this portion of the trail
the year before as a preliminary ride for
the trip we planned to take that year. I
was used to the trailer at this point and
had grown accustomed to its weight
and style of riding. We stopped that day
for lunch at a pub that was located just
above a bike shop along the trail. These
people were used to having bicycle
tourists coming through, but were very
interested in my bike and trailer.
only lasted two revolutions before it

came off completely. My son picked it
up and asked what we were going to do
now.
I removed the trailer, stowed it in the
thick underbrush next to the trail and
covered it with brush to conceal its
location while I pushed the bike back
to the bike shop, where hopefully they
would have a replacement crank arm.
I decided to have my son ride ahead to
tell the bike shop that I was on my way
for a repair, and ask them not to close
before I arrived. He was hesitant at first,
but eventually set off on his own. A
short period later, I saw a rider headed
in my direction and knew it would be
my son. He was upset, and confessed
he didnt know what he would say to
the people at shop, and asked me not
to be mad. I reassured him that it was
okay and that he was doing a great job
on the ride so far.
After pushing for only ten minutes, I
knew that pushing wasnt the answer.
I was faced with a problem that needed
a quick solution. I rummaged through
the panniers on my sons bike, pulled
out an extra long zippy tie and had my
son zippy tie my left foot to the pedal. I
rode the Pug with only one leg pedaling
for three miles to the bike shop.
The bike tech at the bike shop quickly

disassembled the bottom bracket and
told us that he did not have the parts
to fix the Pug. I asked if we could
improvise a BMX bottom bracket to
the Pug, but he seemed uninterested
in thinking outside of the box. Feeling
defeated, I told my son we would not
be finishing the trip. Without pause,
he told me that was unacceptable and
we would finish the trip. His resolve
fortified me, and I approached the tech
once again. He said I could have the
part overnighted, but there were no
other options. I began calculating how
we would get home from there and how
I would collect the trailer from the trail
side. Once again, in my sons words,
I told the tech that not finishing was
unacceptable. By that point, I think he
was tired of dealing with us. He said
that his buddy rode high-end mountain
bikes and might have a take-off part
that would work, so he jumped in his
car and took off.
We waited for 15 minutes. During that
time, I phoned my wife and told her
about the situation, and she was ready
to come save us, but I told her to wait;
there was one last chance of saving the
trip. The tech pulled up to the shop, and
in his hands he had a box with not one
set of cranks, but two! He matched up a
After eating lunch, we both felt ill,

suffering sour stomachs from the greasy
pub food that our digestive systems
were not accustomed to. We had to
make several trips to the restroom
before deciding to mount the bikes
again. Shortly after leaving, I noticed
that the right pedal on the Pug felt as
though it was bent, wiggling underfoot.
I felt sick to my stomach again,
knowing I didnt have the provisions to
fix a problem of this magnitude. Upon
closer inspection, I found the stainless
threaded insert on the crank arm had
worked its way out, so I quickly turned
it back in with the multi-tool I was
carrying. As I set off again, the pedal
Issue 2
68
set with the Pug and put it back together

with the used crank arm. I thanked him
for going the extra mile and he now
seemed content in helping us finish
our trip. I paid the young man and we
headed back down the trail.
As we pedaled toward the trailer, I
realized the full gravity of what just
happened. My son, who had just turned
nine, showed more resolve and fortitude
than I. I was unsure of the source of his
resolve, but I was glad that he had it.
At that point, I knew we were going to
finish, no matter what faced us.
We found the trailer just where I left it.
We had to move quickly now; the pedal
issue had put us behind schedule, and
while speaking to my wife to tell her we
were back in the saddle, she informed
me that there were tornado warnings in
our area and we were right in the path
of the storms. We had 20 miles to go,
so we picked up the pace to 16 MPH
and only stopped once after 15 miles to
rest. The sky overhead was dark, and I
was unsure if it was storms or the sun
receding. I pushed hard; my son and I
were really moving now.
We reached Dravo Cemetery, found
the tent decks and chose one in close
proximity to an older couple also riding
the trail. We were glad to have made it
to the camp site before the rain started
and the sun set! We chatted with the
couple next to us and a young man
that was camping in a site below us
closer to the river. He had lost his job
in Ohio and was on his way to Virginia
Beach for work. He and his girlfriend
were traveling on foot, all their earthly
belongings in a shopping cart that they
were pushing down the gravel trail.
We quickly erected our tent and stowed
all the gear in the vestibule to keep dry
in case of downpour. Just to the right
of our tent was a pile of rocks stacked
into a rough fireplace about three feet
wide by three feet deep and three feet
high, containing signs of many poorly
executed camp fires. I pulled out the
69
camp stove and readied to prepare

dinner. We collected dry wood from the
woods adjacent our tent, using the Sven
Saw and camp ax. I cooked dinner, and
while we ate, I started the camp fire. I
pushed all the current twigs and wood
into the center of the opening of the
fireplace, and poured the coals of the
camp stove into them. I removed the
blower motor from the stove and used it
to supply a steady flow of oxygen to the
coals. This is where previous campers
had failed. The design of the chimney
was such that it blocked all air flow to
the fire, making it almost impossible to
start without a blower of some type. In
no time, I had flames over the top of the
three-foot-high stones.
After the fire was started, we went to
the well to wash up and change into
dry clothes. I thought we could at least
have a sponge bath in the water. We did
try, but it was so cold that it was giving
me cramps, so I used baby wipes to
clean up that night. When we returned
to camp, our neighbors were back and
were trying to start a fire of their own.
I threw a couple more logs on ours and
invited them to enjoy ours with us. At
first they declined, but shortly after
failing to get theirs started, they were
glad to sit at our picnic table. We talked
about our trips so far and I recounted

the troubles we had with the Pug. They
had seen the trailer in the weeds, but
traveled on. I was glad to have met so
many wonderful people on our short
trip and wondered if it would be as
friendly a trip in times after the SHTF.
I loaded the fire for bed, placing all the
wood we gathered onto it. I like large
fires overnight for several reasons. It
keeps rodents away a skunk or coon
would not venture next to a roaring fire
and there is a chance that it will still
have coals in the morning to use. The
wood that was stacked near the site
though was green, almost like it was
freshly cut the day before. I stacked it
as high as the stones in a manner that
it would collapse on itself as it burned.
The wet wood would resist burning at
first, but eventually would relent to the
flames and allow them to reduce it to
ash. We stayed up till almost ten that
night. Once I was in the tent, it did not
take long for me to fall asleep. We slept
until about 2:00 a.m., when I awoke to
thunder in the distance and was wary
of the warnings my wife had given us
earlier. I noticed the fire had grown
from a small camp fire to a large bon
fire. It seemed the wood had finally
dried out.
Issue 2
Soon, I heard the sound of rain on

the tent; it started slowly, but soon
was a full-fledged storm. The fire that
was raging only minutes before was
extinguished in no time at all. It rained
the rest of the night. I was glad to have
set the tent on the gravel tent deck; it
wasnt comfortable, but it did drain the
water away from us. We stayed dry,
as did our gear. The temperature was
going down with the rain to the point
that I was almost cold, and for the first
time, I slept in my sleeping bag.
In the morning, I was reluctant to get
up. The rain continued, and I thought
we might wait a while until it stopped.
I dressed and found our ponchos. I put
mine on and busied myself tearing
camp down. I let my son sleep as long
as I could before needing to tear the tent
down. It rained the whole time, and in
spite of the poncho, I was soaked before
the bikes were loaded. Our neighbors
woke as we were eating breakfast.
Issue 2
They did not break camp; they would

return there later that day after riding
into Pittsburgh.
Our homeless neighbor did not make
an appearance in the morning. This was
our last day on the trail and I knew most
of the supplies we carried would only
lie around the house and most likely
be thrown away, so I took one of our
large water-proof bags and loaded it
full of the things we would not need for
the remainder of our trip. (Remember,
I had supplies to go six days and this
was our fourth.) I was glad to give these
items to him and his girlfriend, as I
knew they would put them to good use.
Not to mention how much weight it
removed from the trailer and our bikes!
We packed the remaining MREs, a roll
of duct tape, a couple hundred zippy
ties, most of the paracord bracelets, the
weather band hand-crank flashlights,
baby wipes, water, and anything else I
knew we would not miss, and my son
took the bag down to their tent and left

it on the picnic table. They never came
out, and I never did learn their names
or if they made it to Virginia Beach, but
we did pray for their safety and a good
trip.
It was still raining when we hit the
trail. There were puddles everywhere.
Rail trails are great in dry weather, but
the rain had loosened the hard pack
and made travel harder than normal. I
was glad to have the Pug on this trail
surface it glided across the top of
the trail without sinking in. We rode
for about two hours in the rain before
coming to one of the small towns on
the trail. It was time for a quick break.
We rested at an information station that
was not yet open. A young lady was
stretching in preparation for a morning
run and asked us the questions that we
had become so good at answering. She
was very friendly and wished us a good
day as she jogged off in the direction
70
from which we had come. As we were

resting, a large group of riders began
to unload their van. They were on a
chartered ride with a tour group that
would carry the bikes from stop to stop.
I prompted my son that we needed to
stay in front of them, so we started off
again.
The trail cuts through Dead Mans
Hollow, then it detours over a large
hill. The detour was due to a working
rail yard that occupied the old rail bed.
While climbing the hill, the group
of cyclists caught up to us. As they
overtook me, I would hear, Passing
to the left. To your left. Passing.
I reached the top of the hill before the
entire group had passed. Down the other
side, I gained speed. They could not
overtake me here! The rain had stopped,
but it was evident that it had rained. At
the bottom of the hill, the trail opened
up onto the road, and there was a very
large puddle there. At this point, two of
the cyclists from the group thought they
could pass. The large tires of the Fat
Bike cut through the deep puddle and
threw a wall of water on the two trying
to pass. They quickly backed off. As we
71
returned to dry trail, they did pass, and I

apologized for soaking them. They said
not to worry and pedaled on.
From this point forward, we played leap
frog with them. They would rest and
we would overtake them. A short while
later, they would pass us again. At one
point, my son stayed with the group for
about a mile. They were young, fit, and
unloaded. I could not keep pace with
them and fell back, so my son did the
same. We could see Pittsburgh in the
distance now. It was almost over.
There were several more inclines as the
trail switched sides of the now-active
rail line. These were challenging, but
at this late juncture in the trip, easily
overcome. The multiple days of 30plus miles on the bike while pulling a
heavy trailer were slowly bringing me
back to my normal endurance level.
Once in Pittsburgh, we had to ride in
traffic. We rode down to Point State
Park, our trip nearly over. As we rode
into the park, we passed under a viaduct
that framed the fountain in the park
perfectly. As we passed under it, I was
an emotional wreck. I felt relieved that

we had made it to the end, but was sad
because I knew regular life would creep
back in. I was moved to tears of joy
from realizing a dream. The end of the
trail laid just a couple of hundred feet
in front of us. We did it! We made the
Point! In more ways than one, I proved
to myself that I could, if need be, travel
via bicycle on a multi-day journey
with a supply-laden trailer and young
man at my side. My son started the
trip as a boy, but proved to me he had
more resolve then most men I know,
including myself. I was proud to have
been able to share this with him.
The bicycle may not be the fastest
mode of transportation, but it will get
you where youre going. You can take
supplies with you, and you need not
be an everyday cyclist to ride. A talent
learned as a youngster and utilized to
enjoy your first taste of freedom could
maintain your freedom. Riding your
bike can be a valuable part of your bugout plan. Even if only as a secondary
or back-up mode of transportation, the
bicycle is a viable option.
Issue 2
The Emergency Vehicle Kit

prepping for the road
By Richard Duarte
ow much time do you spend in

your vehicle? According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the average
travel-time for workers, 16 years and
over not working at home, ranges from
16 minutes to over 30 minutes. Other
estimates suggest that Americans spend
as many as 600 hours in their vehicles
per year thats over 11 hours per week
on average.
The roads are full of hazards, and
emergencies can happen to any of us at
any time - often without any warning.
Imagine that youre on the road and
you get a flat tire, your car battery dies,
or your vehicle develops mechanical
problems. You may find yourself on the
Issue 2
side of a dark and desolate road, or in an

empty parking lot, late at night and far
from any meaningful assistance. While
theres never a good time to break
down, you can figure that it will usually
occur at the worst possible moment.
While many of us are careful to store
and maintain a good selection of
flashlights, tools, supplies, parts and
other necessities at home, our vehicles
trunk is an entirely different story. In
many instances, we have a jack, a spare
tire that we have probably not checked
in years, and an old flashlight buried
somewhere in the glove compartment
with batteries that date back to the
Nixon administration. Sound familiar?
Many of us assume that there is no need
to pack much in our vehicles since most
of our trips are local/short, and if we

ever do have a problem, we can always
call the car club or a friend. But as we
all know, things rarely work out the
way we plan.
Being prepared and having the right
tools and supplies can not only help
get you back on your way faster, but
it can also help keep you safe and
reduce your exposure to unnecessary
risks. And while being prepared is
certainly no guarantee, it will at least
ensure that youll have the necessary
supplies so that you can have a fighting
chance while youre on the road. On
Pictured Above:
Maintain a well-stocked and organized set of
tools and supplies to help keep you on the road
and make necessary repairs in an emergency.
72
buy quality components, they will last for years to come. Other
items you may already have and use on a daily basis; putting
them in your kit just ensures youll have what you need, when
you need it. Here is a list to help you get started.
Flashlight and Lantern You can never have too much light
in an emergency; also maintain a generous supply of extra
batteries.
Light Sticks Large marine-type light sticks are usually
brighter and more durable.
Road Flares Store at least a dozen high-quality road flares
in a water-resistant container.
Basic Hand Tools Screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, socket
set, etc.
Battery Jumper Cables High-quality cables (8-12 feet
Road flares, a quality first-aid kit, local maps, a fire extinguisher, flashlight and
long)
a compass may one day help get you home.
Gloves and Eye Protection Impact-resistant eye protection
and heavy leather gloves.
First-Aid Kit Maintain
the other hand, however,
quality supplies and know
being unprepared will
how to use them.
afford you few options as
Prescriptions Keep
you find yourself squarely
a copy of prescriptions
in the middle of whatever
and a small supply
misfortune has come your
of any medicine you
way. While being prepared
routinely take. You may
should be an easy decision
unexpectedly need to
the time to get started is
spend the night away from
now!
home; if you do, youll
need your medication.
Emergency Vehicle Kit
Folding Knife/MultiTool A good multi-tool
Every driver needs to
has saved me on many
be well-prepared, and
occasions.
being prepared means MREs or Meals-Ready-to-Eat and bottled water work well in EVKs. Extreme cold or
heat will affect your supplies; inspect and rotate them often.

Electrical/Duct Tape, Tie
anticipating and planning
for all those unexpected
events that you may one day encounter on or off the road. A
prepared driver will keep a well-stocked Emergency Vehicle Kit
(EVK) in his or her vehicle at all times. The contents of your
particular kit will depend on your circumstances, where you live,
and the type of roads you normally drive. But all kits will have
a number of common components. I recommend that you start
with a basic kit and expand on it depending on your changing
needs. The important thing is to have a kit, to keep it up to
date and fully stocked, and to be familiar with and know how to
use the kits contents. (Nothing is worse than discovering that
someone raided your EVK for a DIY project and never bothered
to put the tools back, or that your flares are wet or outdated, or
that your flashlight batteries are dead, etc. you get the picture.)
An EVK is easy to put together since you probably already have
most of the components somewhere in your tool shed or garage.
The rest of the supplies are relatively inexpensive, and if you
73
Flashlights, lanterns, light stick, and other emergency supplies to round out
your EVK.
Issue 2
Wraps Duct and electrical tape can

repair just about anything, and tie
wraps also come in very handy to rig
or secure a temporary fix.
Space Blankets Especially in very
cold climates, but even in temperate
zones, these have many uses.
Map of Your Travel Area, Compass,
Note-pad & Pen In case you get
turned around and lose your way.
(Dont forget to keep an extra pair of
reading glasses in your kit a map is
no good to you if you cant see it.)
Water and Non-Perishable
Emergency Food Rotate often and
always store enough for two people.
Open and eat; calorie-dense foods
work best.
Five-Gallon Gas Can (Empty) and
a Siphon Gas may be easy to find; a
container to carry the gas may not be
so easy to locate.
Extra Cash - Small bills and some
coin.
550 Paracord At least 100 feet.
Fire Extinguisher Quality fire
extinguishers are often neglected in
vehicles, yet when you need one, you
will need it desperately.
Extra Set of Warm Clothing, Hat
and Gloves Just in case.
Extra Pair of Comfortable Walking
Shoes Again, you never know when
you will need to change shoes, and
they certainly dont take up much
room.
Towels To help dry off, multiple
other uses.
Self-Defense Tools To help protect
you against threats, human or
otherwise.
Whistle, Fire Starter and Signal
Mirror Especially if you frequently
travel in rural areas.
Contact Information - List of
important and emergency contact
numbers. We all have our contacts
programmed in our cell phones,
but if the phone dies, gets lost or is
damaged, you may be out of luck.
Calling Card You may need to use
a pay phone or a landline to contact
home. If long distance charges apply,
Issue 2
youll be happy you had a calling

card.
Having tools and supplies is important,
but you should also focus on acquiring
the knowledge and skills that will
help you during an unexpected crisis.
Remember the old saying: An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Here are some suggestions to help
keep things rolling smoothly.
also that you know how to use them

effectively.
Stay in good physical health and
address any medical issues before
complications arise. All survival
situations will be easier to manage if
youre in good health. Dont allow
the stress of a road-side breakdown
to develop into a medical problem
because you neglected your health.
If you are traveling out of your
immediate area, make sure to leave
a copy of your plans and anticipated
travel routes with a trusted friend,
relative or neighbor. Make sure to let
them know where you will be, when
you anticipate returning, and when
they should contact the authorities
if you dont return. If you do get in
trouble, at least the authorities will
know where to start looking for you.
At minimum, take a basic first-aid

and CPR class. These classes can
often be found in high schools, or
check with your local Red Cross
chapter.
Become familiar with all the tools
and supplies. Take all tools out and
test them in real-world conditions,
making sure they are up to the task
before putting them in your EVK.
Some of these items/supplies may seem
Become familiar with your vehicle.
like overkill, but youll sure be glad to
Dont wait until you have a flat to find
have erred on the side of caution the day
out that your jack is missing pieces or
something goes wrong. Your personal
that your spare tire is damaged.
Keep your
vehicle in good
working order
and perform
routine service
and repairs as
needed. Tuneups, oil changes,
and routine
maintenance are
all important
in keeping your
vehicle in good
working order;
dont neglect
them.
Learn to read
maps and to
navigate with a
compass. You
may one day
need to walk
out of a survival
situation; make
sure that you not
only have a map
Always carry an empty 5 gallon gas can in your vehicle, along with a quality
and compass, but
siphon.
74
Conclusion
Being prepared requires time, effort and
planning. But its all worth it since it
may one day help save you or your loved
ones. Failing to prepare is always a
gamble. As reasonable, rational people,
we should always take advantage of
every available opportunity to stack
the odds in our favor. Failing to do
so is not only irresponsible, but in
some instances, downright reckless.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the
best. A well thought-out plan and the
appropriate supplies may one day make
the difference between coming home in
one piece and not coming home at all.
Stay safe and be prepared.
About The Author:
An extra set of clothes, socks, hat and comfortable walking shoes. Store your clothes and shoes in a
plastic water-resistant bag to help keep everything clean and dry.
circumstances will ultimately dictate

what supplies you choose to keep in
your kit. Again, review the contents
of you EVK often, update, replace and

replenish as necessary, and dont forget
to rotate.
Richard is a practicing attorney and a

survival and firearms enthusiast. He
currently teaches and consults in the
areas of urban survival planning and
preparation. He is the author of Surviving
Doomsday a Guide for Surviving an
Urban Disaster. For the latest news and
updates, connect with Richard on www.
survivingdoomsdaythebook.com
ubbed The American UZI years before Group

Industries started making UZI machineguns in the
U.S., was the Weaver Arms Nighthawk. Bob Weaver
was the companys owner and the developer of the Nighthawk.
Weaver observed that a local shooting range was doing a lot
of business renting out an UZI carbine, and after examining
the gun for a time, decided that he could build a lighter and
less-expensive UZI-like carbine. So, he got together with a
machinist and built a 14-pound prototype just to test the basic
design, which, although it looked much like an UZI, was
designed much differently in many ways. Weaver was ahead
of his time with a more extensive use of plastics than other
companies making semi-auto rifles in the early- to mid- 1980s,
as the entire grip assembly was made of plastic, as were some
internal parts. Those readers who were around in 1984, may
remember Debbie, the girl in

a yellow bikini holding the
Nighthawk carbine in their
full-page ads.
The Nighthawk was known
for being a very accurate
carbine. Even Clint Eastwood
bought one and there is a
photo of him posing with
his in Weavers office. After
an overseas manufacturing
deal did not materialize,
the Nighthawk went out of
production.
UZI steel grip assembly (TOP) compared

to the plastic Nighthawk grip assembly
(BOTTOM). Although the guns look
similar, there are many differences.
This Ohio plate was for Civil

Defense emergency vehicles.
Some civil defense license plates
also identified the exact job that
the CD vehicle was designed to
do such as Rescue, Road Service,
Medical, Fire, etc.
77
Issue 2
THIS IS NOT A TEST.
Your weather alert radios alarm screams an eerie

alarm sound and the LCD screen reads NUCLEAR
EMERGENCY. You and your family listen to
the instructions. You have maybe 20 minutes to
evacuate. Its written all over your wife and kids
faces, they are horrified. You know that hotels in
a safer area will be overflowing and dangerous
looting, riots, and panic will ensue. Millions of
people will soon be exposed to deadly radiation.
You and your family cannot stay in your home a
moment longer. You have your Timberline Range
Camp trailer ready to go or do you?
prepper expenditure if you could take her to the

beach in it. Well, the Timberline Range Camp may
just be what you (and your wife) are looking for!
Consider also, that the long-term radiation from a
nuclear power plant meltdown makes fallout from
a nuclear missile look like a day at an amusement
park meltdown radiation doesnt decay over a few
weeks and months. If you are within 200 miles of
a meltdown event like Fukishima (and 120 million
Americans live within 50 miles of a nuclear reactor),
your bomb shelter is useless you must get away!
That makes a mobile shelter even more valuable.
Bomb shelters are great, but the problem with

bomb shelters is that after you fix them up (you
know, NBC filter, composting toilet, solar electric,
radio equipment, gun safe, etc.) you have one
very expensive hole in the ground that you cant
do much with pre-apocalypse, except enjoy one
heck of a rec-room. What if you could take your
shelter with you? Your wife might not mind a big
With sizes from 19 feet to 25 feet, Timberline Range

Camps are the perfect size for mobility and fuel
consumption. All Range Camp trailers are built
to be much stronger than the average recreational
trailer for rough-road travel-- roads and trails
that a Range Camp was built for would destroy a
conventional travel trailer. They have and an R
insulation factor that is double that of any standard
Timberline Range Camp

Shelters on wheels.
trailer and are made to be more airtight than

regular trailers. You may run out of heating fuel
with conventional trailers, but these fully equipped
Range Camp trailers are ready for doomsday with
unique wood-burning stoves that are designed not
to release carbon monoxide inside. And Timberline
Range Camps have many other desirable options,
like the solar panel battery charger and an awning
package. But, one of the best features, is when you
buy a Range Camp through Prepper & Shooter
Magazine, we add in a special prepper package,
which may include an NBC air filtration system,
long-term storage food, short wave radio, a water
filter, an AR-15 type rifle, a bug-out kit, quick
deploy rifle racks or all seven items depending
on the Range Camp model you choose, along with
several issues of our magazine!
Check out the Prepper & Shooter Enhanced
Timberline Range Camp RV at PrepperandShooter.
com or call (815) 366-8046.

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Food bars-3600

40S&W 105gr JHP Frangible /20

Sale Price: $17.84

Sale Price: $19.95

4 Mil Volt Inferno Stun Gun/Flashlight

21551 9mm 115gr +P TAC-XP/20

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Basic Survival Kt, Cl

Mesh Tactical Vest

Portable Gasoline Generator

Pocket Water Microfilter

Harvest Pack 1200 Year Supply

Sale Price: $199.00

Prepping for November

Jeff Knox gets you ready for the next election.

Power Grid Down

Secret Garden of Survival

How to Grow a Camouflaged Food-Forest

Want to stop wasting time this spring?

Hand-to-Hand Close Quarters Combat

Master Richard Fike explains why

Survival Kit Sheath Platform

Sometimes packing small is your only option

Local Emergency Management Agency

Leroy Thompson teaches you what

Be sure to check out

Listen to Shortwave Radio

PTR 91 KPFR Rifle

Defend Near, Defend Far

Scot Loveland reviews this battle rifle.

Prepper & Shooter Magazine

47 An Interview with Survivor Jane

Leroy Thompson explains why

55 Emergency Alert Radios

Editor Vince DeNiro explains why every prepper needs one.

57 Hearthside Cooking and Baking Basics

60 The Pocket Shotgun by Heizer Defense

Some FAQs About Natures Antibiotic

72 The Emergency Vehicle Kit

Richard Duarte helps you with your car preps.

Prepper & Shooter Book Review

Prepper & Shooter Product Review

Prepper & Shooter Product Spotlight

Prepper & Shooter Retro Survival Gun

Prepper & Shooter Vintage Civil Defense Item

Living on the Edge: A Familys Journey to Self-Sufficiency

Katadyn Pocket Water Filter

Lightning Strike Fire Starter, Shooters Bible Guide to Home

Weaver Arms Nighthawk

Civil Defense License Plate

Prepper & Shooter Magazine

Letter from the Editor

Prepper & Shooter Magazine

Living on the Edge: A Familys Journey to Self-Sufficiency

veryone reading this magazine is striving

over a concrete patio with a concrete table and

Living on the Edge:

Katadyn Pocket Water Filter

ets face it. You

gallons, and an output of about one quart

My first couple of tries yielded miserable

Prepper & Shooter Magazine

Mil-Comm Products Company Lubricants

Dunhams Sports - A Great Source

Prepper & Shooter Issue 02.2014

Prepper & Shooter Issue 02.2014