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Review of PMC Bronze 9mm Luger from Lucky Gunner

August 22, 2012 by

ammunition

I had first heard of Lucky Gunner earlier this year when a reader made a comment in another article. I decided to go and check them out. I was impressed enough with what I saw, to become an affiliate of theirs.

For full disclosure, that means that if you click on any of the links or images to Lucky Gunner, I will receive a small commission. Also for full disclosure, they provided the ammo I am going to review today PMC 9mm Luger, free of charge.

First let me tell you what impressed me enough about their site to become an affiliate. Searching is made very easy. Let’s say you’re searching for 9mm. The information you are given is the price per box, the price per round and how many they actually have in stock. If they’re out, it shouldn’t be shown on their site. The other thing that impressed me was that they guarantee same day shipping if you order by 3pm EST and next day shipping if you order after 3 PM EST, or you’ll be refunded 110%.

Now onto the Ammo Review!

I received a box of PMC 9mm Luger. PMC is a South Korean owned company. I have never fired any of their ammo and was looking forward to it. I took my stepson with me to enjoy some guy time and waft in the smell of gunpowder (insert Tim the Tool Man caveman grunt).

I fired all 50 rounds of the PMC 9mm Luger flawlessly, with the exception of one casing bouncing off the range dividers and smacking me in the face, which my stepson found humor in.

Afterward we shot a box of Winchester ammo that I had picked up at a local store. It might just be me, but it felt like it had a bit more recoil than the PMC 9mm Luger, but we didn’t have a single failure with either.

I had the targets set to 10-15 feet. It turns out that my stepson is a better shot then I am, though I think he moved the target closer while I was reloading. In any case, we both made plenty of holes in targets that would be center mass at handgun self-defense ranges.

I would happily buy from Lucky Gunner and shoot with this ammo again, even if I was not an affiliate. I give the PMC 9mm Luger four stars.

Filed Under: Reviews, Security Tagged With: ,

Building a Defensive Battery

August 13, 2012 by

Please bear with my soapbox for a moment.

With all of the talk about the small arms treaty and the comments from the President on guns after the recent tragic shootings, I decided it’s time to write this article while there is still time for you to legally build your defensive battery.

Does this mean that I think the UN small arms treaty will pass or that the President will come after arms if he gets reelected?  The truth is, I don’t know.  What I do know is that our liberties have slowly been stripped away for decades, much more rapidly in the last four years.  I also know that the left hates private gun ownership.  Enough soapbox, on to the main article.

 

What is a defensive battery? 

That is a subjective question.  It’s subjective because it depends on what you think you’ll need the firearms in your battery for.  Since I can’t answer that question for you, I’ll just cover some popular types of firearms to have in a defensive battery.  This article might sound a bit similar to Finding the Best Home Defense Gun to Meet Your Needs
Finding the Best Home Defense Gun to Meet Your Needs but a defensive battery isn’t just for home defense.  It could and possibly should include firearms that you would never use for home defense.

 

Handguns

I covered some things to look for in a handgun in Buying Your First or Next Handgun , so I’ll not go into detail here.  If you’re in range to use your handgun, your training is more important than your caliber, so to me that argument is mute.  I have consistently seen three brands that are always highly recommended.  They are (in no specific order), Glock Smith & Wesson and Sig Saur.  I’m not saying other brands aren’t as good.  I’m just saying that I see these three rated higher more often than others.  Do your research and shoot it before you buy it.  I’ll leave it at that.

 

10-22 Rifle

In a defensive battery?  Yep.  Remember, a defensive battery isn’t just for protecting the homestead.  It could be used in providing for the homestead as well.  There have been many pots filled with a 10-22.  These are usually $150-$200 new.  I got two for the family to learn to shoot with.  Ammo is cheap enough that you could shoot all day for very little. I wish I would have purchased Ruger 10-22’s as they have set the standard, so-to-speak.  I have heard many survival experts, when asked the “If you could only bring one gun, what would it be?” questions, say they would bring their 10-22.  It can take small and large game with a carefully placed shot.  It can help you stay in practice.  For these and other reasons, this one is a must in my opinion.

 

Shotgun

I covered shotguns in some detail in Finding the Best Home Defense Gun to Meet Your Needs, so I’ll just glaze over it here.  For sheer versatility, this is a must.  You can take small game and birds with birdshot or larger game with buckshot and slugs.  I mentioned this in the other article, but it needs to be said again.  If you only buy one shotgun, the smallest framed person in the home that might be called upon to use it, has to be able to handle it.  That might mean you need to go with a youth model 20 gauge, but it will still do the job.

 

As for brands, I have heard good things about Benelli but don’t know much about them.  I have also heard good things about and have fired a Mossberg 500.  My favorite thing about this gun was the safety placement in the top, which is very easy to reach with your thumb.   The shotgun that I have seen the most praise for and my personal choice is the Remington 870.  It’s not as easy to find a range that will let you rent a shotgun, so if you don’t have one, see if you can find a friend that hunts.

 

 

Rifles

 

I’m going to break this up into two separate classes; hunting guns and long guns. The reason I am separating the two is because, to me, they have different jobs and also because one of them is going to be in more danger of being regulated than the other.

 

 

Hunting Rifles

 

Hunting is a skill set I don’t have.  My dad wasn’t a hunter and I didn’t have anyone else to teach me.  Even if you’re not a hunter, it might still be a good idea to have a rifle capable of taking game in the state you live.  From Semi-auto, bolt action, lever action and more calibers than I can name off the top of my head, there are many options.  What might be good in one state, where average ranges are a mere thirty to one hundred yards, is nothing to states where ranges could go a few hundred yards.  If you’re not a hunter, this information can be quickly gathered in an internet search.

 

 

Long Guns

You may have heard these called “black guns”, “assault rifles”, “machine guns” or other silly names.  These are the guns that fell under the Assault Weapons Ban and are in danger of it again.  These are semi-automatic rifles that can have high capacity magazines.  I have said that, to me, long guns have a different job than hunting rifles.  While some are very capable and often used to hunt with, let’s call a spade a spade.  These are the firearms used to fight wars.

I’m not saying that as detraction, so why then would I say this is a viable option for one’s defensive battery?  There are a few reasons.  The first is that the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States says I have the God given right to.  Now, some might say “the Founders never meant for the average citizen to own an AR-15 or AK-47” but I disagree wholeheartedly!  If those platforms would have been around then, you can bet the revolutionary war would have been fought with them.

My second reason is that there is no better weapon to defend yourself.  They have the range, stopping power and capacity to stop an enemy and keep him at a distance.  Hence the reason they are the firearms used to fight wars with.

My third reason is, look at places like Mumbai or even the bank robbery in Los Angeles County in 1997.  In Both cases the criminals had far superior firepower then the police.  Or in the case of Mumbai, any nearby gun store or civilian.

There are, again, many platforms and calibers, too many to list.  I will just touch on two popular choices that I am semi familiar with.  They are the AR-15 and the AK-47.  Again, let me say that I started out as a prepper with no firearms experience.  I was in the Navy but we were not required to shoot a firearm to be enlisted.  I fired both an AK-47 and an AR-15 without having a clue how either worked, and got no training on them before using them.  I was easily able to figure the AK-47 out.  It was designed that way, to be reliable and easy enough to teach “peasants” quickly.  I am embarrassed to say that when I tried to “rack the chamber” of the AR-15, I ejected the magazine.  That was entirely my fault, not the guns.  It does take more training than the AK-47.  I’m not  saying one is better, then the other, that might be for another article.

Long guns will be the first gun to be regulated.  If you want one, now is probably the time to act.  If you want more high capacity magazines, the same holds true. The President’s comments that “I think a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals,”

Oops, I keep bumping into this dang soapbox. Yes he was wrong on the type of gun our soldiers are issued, but he means all long guns, not just AK-47’s. I have read reports that every household in Iraq is allowed to have one fully automatic AK-47 for home defense. I have also read that as part of conscription, every Swedish adult serves in their Army and is allowed to bring their fully automatic rifle home. American’s are required to have a special permit to own a fully Auto rifle. But I would happen to agree with the Swedish and Iraqi Governments, that yes, they in fact do belong in the hands of the citizenry.

 

Ammo

You may have heard the saying that “without ammo you just have an expensive club”.  How much you store is up to you and what you can afford.  I have seen many recommendations that you should have 500-1000 rounds for each firearm you own.  I guess the thinking here is that if it did hit the fan, you might find it difficult to restock easily.  I have also seen plenty of stories where someone was arrested for something illegal, and it mentioned that he has “thousands of rounds of ammunition.”  I also just read that there is a bill being proposed now that would require any purchase of 1000 rounds be reported to Homeland Security.  Depending on where you live, it may be easy to purchase ammo, though for some, purchasing any volume online might be the only option.

If you belong to a shooting league, you can go through a thousand rounds in a weekend.  This would really hamper them.  If you’re someone that just likes to enjoy range time with friends, you can go through rounds fast as well.

In both the case of the shooting at the screening of the Batman movie and the shooting at the Sikh reports have come out that suspects were on law enforcements radar.  Adding new legislation isn’t the answer, using what is already there is.

 

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: , ,

Review: Tactical Bible Stories: Personal Security Tips from the Bible

May 30, 2012 by

Personal Security Tips from the Bible
By Rob Robideau


Today I am going to review a book authored by a reader.  Make sure to read the end to see how, for one day, you can get a free copy of this book.

 

Description from Amazon:

 “Tactical Bible Stories” takes the most important aspects of personal security and uses Bible illustrations to make them fun and easy for anyone to understand, remember, and apply.

Did you know that the Bible has examples of tactics, concepts, and ideas that are still used and taught by modern security professionals?

Tactical Bible Stories” will help you learn how to prepare for, avoid, and deal with violent confrontations.

 

My Take:

Navigating self-defense and Christianity can be tricky but Rob does a very good job.  He introduces topics using scripture and paints a picture of how this self-defense principle was being used at the time the scriptures were written.  This book is aimed at someone who may have some understanding of self-defense concepts but, as Rob puts it, “was written for the readers that may not be a part of the typical “self-defense circles”.”  I consider myself fairly tuned in when it comes to self-defense and Rob still made a few points that I either hadn’t considered previously or had seen from a different perspective.

He explains that there is far more to self-defense than shooting, fighting or using any tactical gear. He covers training and gear, but also covers awareness, mindset and touches on avoidance and de-escalation as well.  However, he makes it clear that your goal is to keep you, your family and friends safe; avoiding a fight if possible, but finishing it if it is brought to you, to meet your goal of keeping your loved ones safe.

If you or someone in your life is new to self-defense concepts or has some doubts about it being biblical, this would be a good book to read.

“Tactical Bible Stories” will be launched on June 5th and Rob will be giving away the Kindle version free all day.  He will be selling the paperback version at his cost.  You don’t need to own a Kindle to read a Kindle e-book, there are free versions available for PC, Mac, Smart Phones and Tablets

Filed Under: Christian World View, Reviews, Security Tagged With: ,

Finding the Best Home Defense Gun to Meet Your Needs

April 30, 2012 by

Everyone has their opinion on what the best choice is for a home defense gun is and they could all be right. This topic, like many others, isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are cost factors, training concerns, legal restrictions and even the area in which you live to consider.

Instead of giving my opinion, I’ll give you some general guidelines and my take on different platforms so that you can find the perfect home defense gun for you. I’m going to speak in generalities in this article. I don’t know your local laws, please look to them for your firearm regulations.

What Makes a Good Home Defense Gun?

 

These are the factors I use for CCW or home defense guns.

  1. It has to work every time I pull the trigger or misfires have to be so seldom that the number might as well be zero.
  2. It has to be a common caliber; the more common the caliber, the more common the ammo. This is for people building their primary defensive battery; if you have go to handgun, by all means get something nonstandard.
  3. I have to like the gun; how the grip feels and how it feels when shooting it. I was talking to someone who said his dad owned a Glock for many years. His dad was involved in a car accident that caused some nerve damage to his hand. Afterward his dad could no longer shoot the Glock because of the way the polymer grip vibrated. If you don’t like the feel of it, you won’t shoot it, if you won’t shoot it you won’t be proficient at it.

 

What is your budget?

I could say that the hands down best home defense firearm is a $1000 carbine, but if you only have $200-$300 in the budget, nothing else matters. I’ll speak in generalities because it will always be possible to find a firearm that is more or less expensive. That being said, rifles and carbines are usually going to be the most expensive, followed by handguns and shotguns being the least expensive.

 

Will each adult have their own firearm, or will there be one home defense gun?

If this firearm is going to be the only home defense gun in the home, the adult with the smallest stature has to be able to fire it efficiently. Gentlemen, if you only have one firearm and your wife cannot fire it effectively, she might as well be without a firearm. This is not a knock on you ladies. Some women do not have the upper body strength to wield a loaded 12 gauge or the like. Some women just don’t like the recoil. There could be another suitable option available that is easier to handle and has sufficient stopping power.

 

Where do you live?

There is a huge difference between living in an apartment versus your nearest neighbor living a half mile away. If you live in an area that has neighbor’s very nearby, penetration is a concern. This all but rules rifles out. With handguns you can limit this some by choice of ammo. You have more options with a shotgun but you have to be sure you aren’t compromising on stopping power. More on this later.

 

What do you have the most practice with?

Let’s say you have a 12 gauge loaded with buckshot for home defense but you have only shot it a handful of times. Let’s say you have the gun you wear for conceal and carry that you have fired hundreds of rounds downrange with. Which of the two is the better choice?

There is a caveat here. Since this is a gun for defense, it must have stopping power. If you’re in a .22 league and have the most practice with a .22, enjoy the league but practice with something that has more stopping power for home defense.

 

Platforms

Speaking in generalities again, when it comes to stopping power, rifles are better stoppers than shotguns, which are better than handguns. Rifles and shotguns don’t conceal well without the police being called (haha). When out in public the handgun is the best option. For home defense, penetration is often a concern, whether a round goes through interior walls or exterior walls, you have to think about others in your house and your neighbors. Shooting through walls is an article from The Box O’ Truth. In it, he shows that most handgun, rifle and many shotgun loads will penetrate walls.

 

Handguns

I have seen all kinds of arguments for and against using handguns for home defense. Some will say that the handgun is what you use when you can’t carry a shotgun or rifle. There is a similar argument that the handgun is what you use to fight your way to your rifle. Both are very valid points. Handguns do not have the range or stopping power like the other options. If it is what you are trained with, it could be the best option for you.

My concern with using a handgun for home defense is over penetration. Most rounds will penetrate multiple interior walls and punch through an exterior one as well. With frangible ammunition this can be mitigated to some extent. This type of ammunition is made to expand upon impact and limit penetration. This isn’t to say they are not man stoppers. This type of ammo is more expensive but you should shoot with it to ensure it works well with your gun. While it is expensive, it is not nearly as expensive as a funeral.

One plus that the handgun has over other platforms is that it can be shot with one hand. If you have a child that you have to carry, or have a disability that would make using the larger framed platforms prohibitive, a handgun might make a good choice.

 

Rifles/Carbines

Having the longest range, the most rounds per magazine and the best stopping power, these are the most expensive option. As with handguns, over penetration is a concern. Frangible ammunition does not work well in rifles in most cases and is only available in a few select calibers. If you live in an area that penetration is not a concern, this is a great option.

 

Shotguns

Most often the least expensive option, a brand new shotgun can be purchased for $200-$300 and I have seen them at pawn shops for less than $200. In home defense ranges, a shotgun with the right ammo can be an effective man stopper. Shotguns come in a variety of gauges, The most common are the 12 gauge and the 20 gauge; the smaller the number, the more powerful the shotgun. Many people will say that a home defense shotgun should be a 12 gauge. If this is the only firearm in the home, I’ll go back to the point I made about the person with the smallest stature being able to handle the firearm. If that person still has trouble with the weight of a fully loaded 20 gauge, youth models are available. With the smaller frame, maneuvering through the home might be easier and with the right ammo, the youth model will still be an effective stopper.

Shotguns have a variety of ammunition available; birdshot, buckshot and slugs. Slugs, while a very effective stopper, are not a great choice for home defense due to over penetration. Buckshot and birdshot come in varying shot sizes. Birdshot is not defensive ammunition and should only be used on, well, birds. Here is a link to The Box O’ Truth where he shows just how effective 20 gauge #3 buckshot is. For home defense loads, #3 or #4 buckshot would be sufficient to stop Mr. Dirtbag and will have far less penetration than bullets.

Shotguns have less capacity than the other platforms. You can compensate for this with a stock shell holder. There is a belief carried by some that shotguns don’t have to be aimed. This is simply untrue. Practice and training are still needed in every case.

Another plus too shotguns is that they are multi-lingual. The person breaking into your house might not speak English, but everyone speaks shotgun.

 

Things you should have with your home defense gun.

  • A light. Whether mounted or not, you need to be able to see your target and make sure it’s not one of the kids sneaking in at 2 am. You can kill them (figuratively) in the morning (haha).
  • Training. Save up and spend money on good quality training. I know there multiple places within an hour of me that offer training specifically on home defense.
  •  Night Sites. If your firearm can have night sites I would recommend getting them. It will help you with target acquisition.
  •  If you have older eyes or problems with target acquisition, a laser might be a great option.
  • Did I mention training? TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

Your firearm is useless for home defense if you cannot get to it quickly, here are some of my thoughts on Being Armed at Home.

 

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: , , , ,

Trudee’s Tactical Purse

April 27, 2012 by

(Today’s article was written by my wife Trudee.)

I have been discouraged by the gun holster options available to women.  The purse idea works best for me but if Mr. Dirtbag steals my purse, he gets my gun too.  Not to mention the awkward drawing from a purse.  It’s something we have to train for should that be where we decide to carry our firearms, ladies.

All that being said, I decided that a cross-body purse would be my best option for retention.  Yes, the straps can still be cut but I’m likely to feel that fairly quickly, since my situational awareness is engaged and I’m alert.  Much more of the strap comes into contact with the body in a cross-body purse as well, creating a more secure option.

I had been carrying concealed in a regular purse, purchased at JCPenney.  I had been using an inside pocket for concealment.  After repeated drawing drills, I realized that this was just not practical.  There was NO way I was getting my gun out quietly or quickly if I needed it. 

Sears.  That’s where I was.  I stopped there to pick up a new grill cover since ours didn’t do so well over the winter.  While I was there, I decided to browse their cross-body purse options.  I found one.  I had my regular purse with me.  And my gun was in it.  I don’t know about your state but here in Minnesota, there isn’t ANY way I’d have gotten away with taking my gun out of one purse and putting it into one I hadn’t paid for yet.  I had to use my imagination to decide if I thought one of this purses’ outer pockets would conceal my Glock 19 well enough.  I decided it was worth a shot.

I paid for the grill cover and this new “gun holster” and headed home, excited about what I might be able to accomplish with this purse that I hadn’t been able to with any of the others. 

I’m no seamstress.  I can fix a button and have recently learned to darn wool socks.  I cross stitch and crochet, sometimes latch hook.  That’s the extent of my “yarn and thread” experience.  I was nervous about how I’d get my purse holster attached.  It has hook and loop (Velcro) on either side of the holster itself, so I knew that it would involve somehow attaching more hook and loop to the inner lining of the purse.  I was prepared to 1earn how to sew the hook and loop into the purse, regardless of the work it might be for such a novice.  It turns out that 3M makes an adhesive hook and loop “tape” that actually sticks to cloth!! Imagine my amazement and excitement!!

I experimented a little bit, hoping not to waste very much.  It worked!!!  My holster now sits in an open pocket of my new cross-body purse!  One of the two front pockets holds my pepper spray and my tactical flashlight.  The pepper spray is attached to the purse via the paracord keychain I made.  These things are designed to distract while I draw.  Chris tells me he’s impressed with my “tactical purse”.  That’s a big deal to me, since he’s the preparedness guy around here. 

You don’t have to go to Sears to find the purse, I found the Relic Organizer Crossbody Purse available at Amazon in multiple colors, much to Chris’ chagrin.

The flashlight is a 5.11 Atac Plx Pen Light Blk and the pepper spray is Cold Steel Inferno .38 oz pepper spray

Filed Under: Kits, Security Tagged With: , ,

Self-Defense: Real World Self-Defense

April 20, 2012 by

Today I want to talk to you about real world self-defense; martial arts that teach you how to defend against attacks commonly seen in the real world.  First let me say that I have nothing against traditional martial arts.  I’m just not sure they’re practical for the average person who doesn’t have years to devote to learning but wants to be able to defend themselves.

I think this type of training is a great idea for everyone, whether you’re someone who doesn’t know how to throw a correct punch, or someone who carries a firearm whenever you leave the house.  Knowing how to defend yourself from attacks will not only increase your chances of survival, but will also give you more self-confidence in general.  Some of these attacks are used literally thousands of times a day, from someone who might have had too much to drink to someone who won’t take no for an answer or even worse, someone who means to do great bodily harm.

There are many different types of real world self-defense.  The one I am trained in is an Israeli based system called Haganah (which translates from Hebrew to ‘Defense’). Haganah was created by Mike Lee Kanarek, who served in the Israeli Special Forces. In Israel everyone must serve in the IDF, their army. They developed a system call Krav Maga to quickly train every individual to competently defend themselves in hand to hand combat.

Mr. Kanarek moved to the US and developed Haganah, which is based off of Krav Maga and other aspects of Israeli training.  It is composed of 4 parts; ICS – Israeli Combat Shooting (Defensive Handgun), ITK – Israeli Tactical Knife, F.I.T. 2 FIGHT – Combat Fitness, the only one I am going to discuss today is FIGHT, which stands for Fierce Israeli Guerilla Hand-to-hand Tactics. You might be asking “why not take Krav Maga instead of Haganah ?”  FIGHT is the aspect of Haganah most similar to Krav Maga.  From my understanding FIGHT is continually enhanced and improved from lessons learned in Israel and from studios across the USA whereas Krav Maga is not (or at least not as much).

FIGHT is a defense based system that teaches how to quickly end a threat and escape from an attack. For me, the beauty of FIGHT is that there are not hundreds of moves that need to be learned like in many traditional martial arts classes.  It goes in a four month cycle; every four months you will learn defenses for hand-to-hand attacks. Rotating every other cycle, you will learn gun and knife defenses.  FIGHT is built to take someone from zero martial arts background and make them proficient to defend themselves in months, not years.

Do you need to be young or in shape to take FIGHT? No, absolutely not.  When I started I was not in shape.  Some of the first classes were more activity than I was used to but nothing I couldn’t handle. If you get winded and need a break, you let your instructor know. As far as age goes, I was 37 when I started and there were many classes where I was the baby in the group.  In fact, we had one gentleman was in his 60’s.  Because of my Asperger Syndrome, I’m a bit clumsy and awkward, a regular “bull in a china shop”.  There is no way I could do Tae Kwon Do or many other traditional martial arts, due to the need for fine motor skills.  FIGHT isn’t designed to be pretty.  It’s designed to quickly deliver significant pain to anyone who violates your safety. Instead of kicking with a specific part of the foot to a specific part of someone else’s body, FIGHT teaches a few different kicks that you use to kick as hard as you can aiming for a general area.

FIGHT isn’t MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).  In MMA you focus on one person.  The goal is to knock out your opponent or cause enough pain for your opponent to submit. FIGHT teaches you to stay alert, as your attacker could have friends.  It also teaches to overlap and overwhelm your attacker quickly so that you stop the threat and escape your attacker.

FIGHT teaches partner preservation.  This means you do use force in practice but to a limited extent.  I often would go 30-40% of my capability.  That is, unless my partner and I had agreed to push each other harder.

FIGHT is an excellent idea for everyone but I highly recommend it for women.  You will learn how to defend against the most common street attacks and to defend against a variety of men, as well as a variety of body types. 

You can search YouTube for videos on Haganah or FIGHT.  There are many available to watch.  Haganah is a bit expensive upfront, as you have to buy the training book and videos, but they are nice to have as you can watch them before class to refresh your memory.
 
 
Finding Real World Self-Defense Training

The facility where I learned FIGHT mainly teaches Tae Kwon Do but teaches FIGHT twice a week.  I would recommend searching the websites for local martial arts centers; many have a section for other types of classes that they don’t primarily teach.  You could also call and speak with an instructor; they might know of the type of class you’re looking for, even if they don’t teach it.  Doing a web search for “real world martial arts in [Your City]” might give some leads as well.  I only know the name of two of these types of training, Krav Maga and Haganah, but I know there are many more.

You can almost always go in and watch a class to see if it is right for you.  I was able to take a few classes for free to see if I liked it. 

If neither of those is available and you can’t find real world self-defense classes, I would advise my female readers to take a female self-defense class.  These are often a series of just a few classes and will give you tools that are often easy to learn due to the limited time.

 For full disclosure, I haven’t been able to go to FIGHT for a while and I miss it.  I hope to be able to go again soon.  I had zero martial arts training when I started but if asked, I would have said I think I could have handled myself if attacked.  With what I have learned from Haganah, I can say I had a limited knowledge and am much more able to defend myself now.

I know we have multiple people who practice a variety of martial arts, please comment and give your opinion.  If you know of a form of real world martial arts, please leave the name of it as well.

 
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Filed Under: Security Tagged With: ,

The Five Basic Human Needs

April 16, 2012 by

There is a lot of talk about “preparing for economic downfall” or “getting ready for an EMP or solar flare” or “societal meltdown”. The problem with preparing for specific events is that the events you’re preparing for might never happen, or if it does, it could happen differently than you expect.

It doesn’t matter what part of the world you live in, how old you are or even how much money you make, there are five basic things that every human needs to live, let alone survive. If you prepare for meeting these five basic needs, you will have a higher level of overall preparedness and ability to face a variety of situations.

Whether you’re preparing for your entire family or just making a new BOB (Bug Out Bag) or car kit, you should work toward meeting these five basic needs first. Once they’re met, if you want to add in specialty preparations for a specific type of event, more power to you.

Water

I covered The Storage, Filtration And Purification Of Water pretty thoroughly in that article. Here I will just say that people need one gallon a day to drink, more if you want to bathe. Water is so much more important than food. The Rule of Three’s says we can last three weeks without food, but only three days without water. Having some stored is great, but I highly recommend you find a way to purify water that works for you. Boiling will kill any bacteria but will not remove chemicals such as arsenic or chlorine. For that you need a water purifier. I own and reviewed a Big Berkey. The Storage, Filtration And Purification Of Water lists many other ways to purify and filter water.

Food

There are many ways to approach food, from using Copy Canning to build your pantry with the “eat what you store, store what you eat” foods that your family eats most often, to storing staple foods with a 25+ year shelf life or planning long term with gardening and Permaculture and many things in between.

Water might be the most important, but food is the insurance policy that ensures your self-reliance and independence. In a survival situation the more food you have stored, or available in your land, the less of a drain you are on the system and the longer you can go without taking a handout.

I have covered food storage in depth in the articles linked below:

Food Storage Part One: Why Store Food And The Rules For It.
Food Storage Part Two: The Kind Of Foods That You Can Store
Food Storage Part Three: Shelf Life of Staples.
Food Storage Part Four: The Process and Enemies of Food Storage.
Food Storage Part Five: How much food should you store and where should you put it all?
Food Storage Part Six: Tips On Stocking Up and Affording it all.
Food Storage Part Seven: Food Boredom to Survival Cooking .

Shelter

The importance of shelter depends on your situation. Of course, if you’re lost in the wilderness and it’s raining, it takes on more importance. For most of us however, our shelter is our home. There are things you can do now to protect your home, such as general fire safety, or to harden your home with a safe room.

When you’re in your car, it is effectively your shelter. Having a car kit and AAA are ways to make sure your car can be an effective shelter should the need arise.

Energy

This is an area that doesn’t get as much attention as the others, I think mostly because we are so used to always having power, that we take it for granted. You can ensure you can meet your energy needs with a portable generators. A low end unit can cost just a couple hundred bucks. I covered off grid fuels. You can find backup ways to heat and cook for relatively cheap.

If you have no power, it is still possible to keep food cold without electricity. Make note of it now and have a plan just in case.

Energy and shelter often go hand in hand. If your car does become your shelter, or you do get lost in the woods, do you know how to make fire? Do you have a car kit? Do you have a mini kit? I’ll cover fire starting in another article, but knowing how to make fire can be a lifesaving skill; to make heat and a signal for others to see.

Security

I want to start by pointing to an article I wrote on whether or not Christians should practice self-defense for those of you have reservations on the subject. My personal stance is that I pray for my enemy now, but if he attempts to do me or mine harm, I will be a danger to my enemy and will use as much force as is necessary to stop the threat.

The first part of self-defense is situational awareness, Proverbs 27:12 tells us:

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

Because the danger cannot always be avoided, using the Cooper Color Code we can be ready for a possible threat ahead of time. I suggest everyone one of us decides now what we’re willing to do to protect ourselves and those we love, because you will not have time to make a plan in the midst of violence.

Find a means of protection you are comfortable with and get training in it. If that means carrying pepper spray or training in real world self-defense, fine.

If that means using a current handgun, or getting a new handgun and getting your conceal and carry permit, or just being armed at home, then get training and go for it.

 My Take

No matter where you are or what situation you are in, these needs do not change. Preparing ahead of time and building redundancy for these five needs will help to mitigate many situations.

 

Filed Under: Energy/Power, Five Basic Human Needs, Food, Security, Shelter, Water

Self-Defense: Pepper Spray

April 12, 2012 by

I know there are some people who prefer less than lethal force, or are not able to conceal and carry. I believe pepper spray is something that everyone (especially women) who is legally permitted should carry, especially if you conceal and carry.

Before I get in to the why, let me briefly explain what pepper spray is and why it is effective. There are three different types of chemical components used in pepper spray:

CS (Orthochlorobenzalmalonitrile),
CN (alphachloroacetaphenone)
OC (Oleoresin Capsicum).

CS and CN are considered irritants and will cause stinging and tearing. They can take from five to thirty seconds to be effective and may have little to no effect on someone who is chemically altered or in a psychotic state.

OC on the other hand is an inflammatory agent. When sprayed with it, your eyes immediately slam shut. People most often become temporarily blind due to the capillaries in the eyes dilating. From breathing in the agent, there is also coughing and possibly some choking.

Pepper spray is considered less than lethal but there have been cases where people with breathing issues, such as asthma, have died.
 
 
Blowback

Blowback is when some of the pepper spray blows back at you. It is more of a danger outdoors and of course is more likely to happen if you spray it into the wind.
 
 

Types of Sprayers

There are four types of sprayers. They are:
 
 
Stream

Think water gun. This gets a lot of spray on the target quickly and as a result empties faster. There is a mild risk of blowback. That risk increases proportional to the range it is sprayed.
 
 
Forced Cone

The spray pattern is circular and sprays a fine mist of droplets. There is a larger risk of blowback than with stream or foam.
 
 
Fogger

A fogger sprays a wider pattern and finer mist than the forced cone. Foggers are the most effective to use against a crowd, as they put out a large amount of spray. Aim is also less critical. A fogger could be used nicely to defend a home as well. The risk of blowback is higher than with spray or foam.
 
 
Foam

Foam shoots out like silly string and accumulates on the target. Attempts to wipe it off often just rub it in, making it more effective. Foam is the least subject to blowback.
 
 

Why Carry Pepper Spray?

I have a permit to carry, and often do. I am also trained in Haganah, an Israeli-based martial art. Why do I carry pepper spray? Because there are some situations where I believe it is the best choice. If the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, you treat everything like it’s a nail.

One such scenario could be that there are two unarmed men walking toward you, making threats. If I’m armed I could draw. They may or may not back down. If they do, problem solved. If they don’t, I’ve put myself in the position to have to shoot. If I choose to go hand-to-hand, I might be able to take them both using what I have learned in Haganah. Then again, I have no idea of their skill level and could be entirely out-matched. With pepper spray, since it is most often non-lethal, I can draw it earlier than my gun. If they don’t back down I can also use it earlier than I would my gun. I’ll discuss the people that are unaffected by pepper spray next. For now, I’ll just say that if they are unaffected, I can still draw my gun, or go hand-to-hand.
 
 
What About Those Unaffected?

I heard a story once about a Navy Seal who sprayed pepper spray on his sandwich and ate it. I’ve also heard a story about a guy that used pepper spray like breath spray and just swallowed it. There are many more stories like this. Whether or not they are true, I have no idea. If they are, my guess is that they used CS or CN and not OS. I have read reports that claim a tolerance can be built up to CS and CN but not to OS.

I heard once that 30% of people sprayed with pepper spray will be unaffected. I believe this was related to CS and CN types. People use this as a reason not to carry pepper spray. They are focusing on the wrong number. So what? 30% are unaffected. There are 70% that ARE affected. If there was a 70% chance that you would win the lottery, reservations about gambling aside, the vast majority of us would buy a ticket. That 30% who are unaffected, aren’t completely un-phased. They are just not completely shut down like the rest. They will still have some tearing, blurred vision and other difficulties.

Because I believe in having many tools in my self-defense toolbox, if I were to spray someone and they were unaffected I would still have options. I could either make a tactical retreat, giving me a chance to escape or giving me time to go to a more lethal form of self-defense or I could go right to them. I wouldn’t want to go hand-to-hand, as I’m not one of the unaffected.

That brings up another good point. Your job is not to subdue the attacker like a policeman. Your job is to survive the attack and make it back to your family. Whether that means spraying with pepper spray and making an escape or using your firearm as a last result, so be it.
 
 
What I Carry

I personally carry Cold Steel Inferno .38 oz. Keyring Hardcase Unit Pepper Spray,as does my wife. I even bought a can for my son’s ex-girlfriend when they were together. If I had a daughter, she would carry a can with her.

Inferno is an OC agent and comes out in foam. They have small pen type units, the keychain model I carry and they also have a 10.5 oz.can, perfect for home defense..
 
 
Bee and Wasp Spray

There are people who say they’ll use bee or wasp spray for self-defense. It is a crime to use it in a means that it was not intended for. If you used it because it was close when you were attacked, I can understand. But setting it aside for the intended use of self-defense, I don’t understand. There are products better suited for the job that are legal in most states to use. While the big can of Inferno might be more expensive than a can of wasp spray, it’s not cheaper than a lawsuit or a fine. Since you have time now to purchase it, I can’t see why wasp spray would be an option.
 
 
How to Carry Pepper Spray

It’s not effective if you can’t get to it quickly, I have my can on my key chain and I carry my keys in my hand or in my jacket pocket with my hand on it. If you need in an emergency, you will not have time to fish it out of your pocket or purse and put it to use.

 
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Filed Under: Security Tagged With: ,

Secure Your Personal Data with Low Tech Cryptology

April 11, 2012 by

As I mentioned in Low Tech Data Storage I have always had trouble with memorization, not just with phone numbers, with everything, even ATM PIN numbers. It’s not such a big deal now, but twenty years ago many places didn’t take debit cards, so remembering the PIN for the cash machine was important. I came up with a way that I was comfortable with for writing that number down so I could always have it with me.

The reason I felt comfortable putting the ATM PIN number down on paper was because I used a form of low tech cryptology.  PIN numbers are typically four digits long.  I would make up a name that I would associate with the bank. Then I would make up a phone number using the ATM PIN as the last four digits.  To make it look authentic I would use the area code and prefix for the city I lived in.  For example, If the bank was Twin Cities Federal and my pin was 9999, I might have used Trevor C. Fines 612-555-9999.

Another form of cryptology, albeit low tech, is something I call X-off. You pick a number and add or subtract that, to any number you want to encrypt. For example, let’s say X=+3 and I want to encrypt my pin number 5729, my new number would be 8052. Because zeros are used, you have to count it as a number between 9 and 1.

Another cryptology method is shifting a letter in the alphabet over a set number. Let’s use +3 again, so A = D, B = E, C = F and so on.

 If you have other low tech cryptology methods please post them as a comment.

 
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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips, Security

License Plate Security

March 27, 2012 by

This preparedness tip comes from my cities police monthly newsletter; I’ll paraphrase

With gas prices raising some, some nasty people have been known to steal other people’s license plates, fill their tanks at the gas station and drive off without paying. The surveillance cameras capture only the stolen plate number. To prevent Mr. Dirtbag from stealing your license plates, you can install security screws. They’re cheap, easy to install and available at most hardware and auto supply stores.

 
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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips, Security
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