November 7, 2024

Shortages of Needed Medications

One of the things I’ve had my eye on for the last couple of years is pharmaceutical shortages.  I have read many reports, both local and national, about shortages on certain medicines.  We have actually been affected by it a few times, with delayed refills or only getting a partial refill and having to go back after a delivery for the rest.

I see two dangers here; not having the medication for people who require them for quality of life or for sustaining life itself.  The other danger happens when people who are mentally ill don’t get the medications they need.  I have, through the years, seen many stories of people who refused to take their medications committing violent crimes that they wouldn’t have committed if they had been on their meds.

The FDA has a webpage called the Current Drug Shortages Index, which lists voluntarily reported shortages.  Pharmaceutical companies can’t require companies to inform them of shortages or any other information about the shortage, so that list is only a list of what the FDA knows about.

 

If you don’t have a good supply of your medication, read the article I wrote called Building a Stockpile of Medicine for some tips on stocking up.

As for people with mental illness not having the meds they require to be productive members of society, let’s pray they don’t commit any crimes they normally wouldn’t.  Practicing your Second Amendment right is recommended as well.

 

Dressing For Survival

Today I want to talk about a subject I never thought I would have a conversation about or write an article on, but since it has survival in the title I feel better about it (haha).

How you dress can greatly impact you in a survival situation.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

 

Cotton Kills

This is often mentioned in forums.  What it means is that cotton wicks your body’s heat away from you when it’s wet.  Wool on the other hand will retain your body’s heat even while wet.  If you live where it gets cold, having some good wool winter gear is a good idea.  Since cotton wicks away your body’s heat, it may be preferable in hot climates.

 

Dress in Layers

This again is geared more for cold climates.  The reason one dresses in layers when out in cold temperatures is to make sure you’re warm enough and to give you the option of removing layers if you begin to sweat.  For example, here in Minnesota the temps can get to -20, not including wind-chill.  If I have to go out to shovel, I’ll normally wear a white t-shirt, thin long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and my winter coat, along with long underwear and jeans, wool socks and good winter boots.  I’ll also wear a hat, the hood of the coat and a scarf.  Even though I’m not in a survival situation, shoveling Minnesota snow can be a workout.  If I start to sweat, I’ll take off the sweat shirt and put the jacket back on and maybe lower the hood.  I think you get the idea.  If you are in a survival situation in cold weather and are sweating, you are in danger and are increasing the odds of hypothermia.  Take off a layer or two and give yourself a rest.

 

Put Some Clothes On!

When you’re out in direct sun, especially in hot climates, it is advisable to have all of your skin covered, especially your head.  The sun will draw the moisture out of uncovered skin.  You’ll also be susceptible to sunburn, which can be detrimental in a survival situation.

 

Do you have any other survival clothing related tips to add?

Building a Preparedness Based Community

I’d like your input on today’s topic.  If you have any thoughts, please post them or email them to me at chrisATpreparedchristian.net.

I was recently having a conversation with a friend and fellow Prepper.  He mentioned that he has had thoughts of four or so Prepper families moving to adjacent land and building a small community.   He said he looks around the neighborhood he lives in now and everyone has a riding lawnmower, a snow blower and miscellaneous other expensive items that could easily be shared amongst a community that was closer knit.  He then went on to say that if someone had an area they were gifted in, they could share that gift with the entire group.  For example, if someone was good with gardening, they could manage either a community garden, or one for each family.  They could also teach the other members.  The same could be said for home repair or any other gifted area.

This wouldn’t be a socialist community, where all wealth is communal or anything like that.  I wrote about Mutual Aid Groups in the article “What is a MAG?”.  A MAG is essentially a group of people who agree to band together to aid one another, sharing workload and resources if needed.  This preparedness community would the MAG a step or two further.  In most MAG’s, households don’t live adjacent to one another.  They have an agreement on where to meet when things go sideways.

 

In “What is a MAG?” I mentioned that a unique twist on the MAG would be having it built entirely of Christians, following the book of Acts as a model.  In Acts, everyone shared their wealth and donated it to the movement, which then met all of their physical needs.  As I mentioned, I don’t think that would need to be a part of the preparedness community.

This preparedness community could work with any group that agreed on some ground rules, but one of the advantages of having the group of Christians would be the bond of Christ.  Conflicts could be resolved much faster going vertical when strife arose, bringing the problem before God and getting out of the horizontal.  Being angry and frustrated with the other party would be greatly lessened.  As I mention in “What is a MAG?”, we’re given a model to use for conflict in the church Mathew 18:15-17.  This could be adapted to the group.

“”If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

For this to work I think it would need to be a handpicked (preferably by the Lord) group of people.  I think it would be necessary to enjoy one another beforehand and be willing to put the community before oneself at times.  For example, I have a neighbor who has a recording studio in his home.  He frequently has his music up so loud I can hear it as if he was playing in my kitchen.  The neighbor on the other side has a doggy door for their little dog.  The dog goes in and out freely.  The problem here is that when they go to work, he spends several hours outside barking nonstop.  I work from home and actually had to get a white noise machine to drown him out.  There are reasons that I won’t go into for not having made a complaint.  My point is that there would need to be bonds within the group.  If I know my neighbor is enduring a hardship, the formed community could surround them and help them with whatever is necessary.   Growing old and retiring surrounded by a group like this sounds perfect to me! Forget those retirement homes!

There would need to be some ground rules.  Here are a few that have come to mind:

  1. Everyone must own their own land.  I think one person buying the land and letting the others put up a house on it is just asking for trouble.  If everyone pools their resources and purchases a large acreage, it could be subdivided.
  2. What you do on your land is your business, unless it is a danger to the community.
  3. No doggy doors or recording studios!
  4. If there are shared items, such as a riding lawn mower, boat, snow blower or anything else, all expenses need to be shared.  A schedule for use might also need to be established.
  5. I think a basic level of preparedness should be required.  It shouldn’t be cumbersome, but knowing that everyone can provide for their family for three months or more would give the entire group peace of mind.

I have given this a lot of thought and see many upsides, with everyone agreeing that there would either be permaculture encompassing the entirety of all properties or different things grown on each property and shared amongst the group.  Each household could have a CB to maintain communication.  This could be very useful for security as well.   If there was a need to defend the community, there are three other families to help.  If there is any livestock, neighbors could be counted on to take care of them while the owners are away.  The bond that could be built surrounding this community could be awesome.  Let’s say one of the families can’t move completely but want to buy the land and treat it as their BOL (Bug Out Location).  There would be other people to watch over their property.

There are also some downsides.  How do you handle it if one family decides they want to move?  Finding a piece of land that everyone agrees on could be difficult.  I’m sure there are more, but I think if this is approached with much prayer, asking for the right people to be shown, and all of the ground rules accepted ahead of time, many potential obstacles can be avoided.

 

I mentioned earlier that I would like your input, so here are a couple questions for you:

  1. Is this something you would consider?  For me the answer is possibly, unless I knew the Lord was prompting me.  If that were the case, there would be no question.
  2. Would you be willing to relocate to another state?  For myself, if it was the right piece of property at the right price, it’s not out of the question.
  3. What are some of the ways you could meet others with whom you might be interested in taking part in this community?  I know one couple from church that I wouldn’t even question and a couple others that might be potentials.    One of the things I plan on doing for the site is starting a forum.  I just need to set it up.  This could be a great way for you to connect with one another.
  4. What are some other upsides, potential downsides and ground rules you think should be in place?

 

If you have thoughts on this subject and are willing to post them in the comments, please do.  If you would rather send an e-mail, that’s fine as well.

 

Cover and Concealment

Random gun violence has and will continue to be a problem. Because of this, I think it’s important for you to understand the difference between cover and concealment. Let me emphasize now that cover and concealment are not the end goal. The end goal is to get away from the area. Cover and concealment are what is used to get you away from the area.

Concealment is something that hides you, but will not stop a bullet.

Cover is something that hides you and will stop a bullet.

Here are a few examples that you might see in daily life in places where there has been gun violence in the past.

 

Shopping Mall

Shopping malls are horrible places to find cover, but some things to look for are the big heavy planters that are used to hold small trees. Another option might be an escalator or staircase. Vending machines might also be a good option for cover.

 

Outdoor Area

Look for any building that isn’t lined with glass. Brick and concrete are excellent cover. Hiding behind the front tire of a car gives some cover from the engine block, but it is limited. Hiding behind any other part of the car only offers concealment at best. Trees wide enough to hide behind can offer cover. A dumpster might also be a good option.

 

Schools and Universities

School shootings are something we hear about every year. I think you should find out your child’s school policy and decide if you agree with it or not. Most schools have a lockdown procedure in place. I don’t like it and think it is actually more dangerous. They slide a different colored piece of paper under the locked door and then hide inside the room. If I’m Joe Dirtbag Jr., seeing a piece of paper of any kind near a door tells me there are people inside.

Whether you tell your kids to abide by the lockdown or to safely make an escape if possible, I think explaining cover and concealment is a conversation you should have with your kids. You never know where they may be if a shooting starts.

Kids tend to hide in place out of fear. Make sure they understand that if they are near the shooter, to keep looking for a way out and for more cover and concealment until they are out of harm’s way.

 

Gorilla Gardening

There are two types of gorilla gardening.  One type is where people plant flowers in public places to make things pretty.  The other type is the one I want to talk about today; ways to plant edibles or improve their condition.  By “improving their condition”, I mean making it easier for them to retain moisture, maybe thinning the area out to elevate competition for resources.

 

Introducing New Species

One option is to plant new species of plants in various areas.  A great way to do this is something I may have heard on The Survival Podcast.  You take the seeds for the plants you want to introduce and put them in a clay ball and let it dry.  When you go on a walk, you simply throw these clay balls in areas you think they would be well suited.  Now you just wait for rain.  When it rains, this will dissolve the clay and give the seeds an added boost of nutrients from it.

Native Americans used to plant three plants together that benefited each other.  They have been dubbed the three sisters.  The three plants are corn, pole beans and squash.  The corn grows tall, the pole beans will climb up the corn as they grow and will also bring nitrogen to the soil for the other two plants.  The squash will help protect the soil around the area, the leaves keeping the soil moist and blocking out sun, which can limit weed growth and help limit evaporation.

 

 

Some Things to Keep in Mind

When you gorilla garden you have limited control over what happens.  Someone else could come along and destroy or harvest what you have planted and wildlife can also help themselves.

Because of this you’ll want to plant in places that are off the beaten path but are easy enough for you to get to from time to time.  Keeping a journal of what was planted and where you planted it is a good idea.

I would not plant a gorilla garden and depend on its produce to sustain you and your family.  I would take the approach that anything you may harvest from gorilla gardening is an added bonus.

Gorilla gardening could also be used to draw game into the area throughout the year.

 

Enhancing the Wild

Another type of gorilla gardening is simply enhancing what is already in place.  For example, let’s say you’re on a hike and spot some wild blueberries.  If the area is over crowded with them, you may remove a few bushes to give the others less competition for nutrients.  If you see the path rain takes, you may create a little swale to slow the water down and retain more in the area.

Another option is to take leaves from the area and use them as mulch covering the bottom of the berry patch.  You could also plant things that would help bring in nutrients to the area.  For instance, beans tend to bring in nitrogen.  Planting them near an area and then cutting them once they get to a certain height, leaving them to decompose; called “chop and drop”, returns nitrogen to the soil.

Again, with the wild edibles, I would make note of where you found them and look at anything you harvest from them as a bonus.

 

Do you have any ideas for a gorilla garden?

The Many Uses of Shipping Containers

Over the years I have read many articles and forum posts about shipping containers; how people want to use them or have tried to use them, what has worked and what hasn’t. It’s a topic that interests me for a few reasons, some of which I’ll cover below.

 

General Information
 
Shipping containers come in two sizes; 8’x20’ and 8’ by 40’. You can buy them new or used. Many of the used containers have been on ships sailing the ocean and are exposed to salt water, which means they may have rust. The US has an abundance of these. In the CNN video below, the reporter says we received 7 million containers into America, carrying goods, but only 2.5 million left, exporting goods. This means there is a huge amount of these things available. Most are near shipping ports, but many make their way inland via trains. Some businesses have sprung up due to the popularity of them.
They can be used for everything from a shed, essentially placed on property and left alone, to offices or emergency shelters during a hurricane or other natural disaster. They have also been used to make multi-level homes and even fallout shelters.

 

 

 

Building With Containers
 
There are several companies that will sell you a prefab house, or even build one for you out of containers. I list some below and almost all of them want your e-mail or phone number before you can get a quote. The pluses to building with shipping containers is that they are fire and mold resistant. You can be very creative in your designs, as you can see in Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers, which has roughly 46 pictures of some very cool and unique housing designs. 9 Cutting-Edge Modular Homes has 9 more designs. Just do a Google image search for cargo container homes and you’ll be amazed.

Here are a couple of blogs where people are living in container homes, one in Australia and another in Panama.

I have seen several projects that other prepper’s have done with shipping containers. This video is of a group that built a large shelter with two 40’ containers on each side and a large open middle space. They added a roof, which they will use for rain catchment.

 
 


 
Here is another video where they are using a 20’ container as an underground shelter. I have some concerns about the weight of the concrete which I’ll cover later. A warning on the video: the music is horrible in my opinion. You’ve been warned. 
 
 

 

Building Codes

Since these types of structures are fairly new, many municipalities don’t really know what to do as far as building codes go, so I would look at your local zoning laws and talk to local officials. I have read that if you put in concrete footings and set the container on them, it may not be viewed as a permanent structure and can bypass some zoning restrictions and even taxes in some cases. Again, talk to your local officials! (Or completely pretend they don’t exist. It’s your call. Just sayin.)

 

Fallout Shelter
 
This is one of the most often mentioned projects that I have seen on prepper forums. It can be done, but there are some things to keep in mind. Jack Spirko from The Survival Podcast did an excellent interview with a man who has done this. The interview is called Episode-560- Shipping Container Construction – The Good, Bad & Ugly.

For those of you who don’t listen to podcasts, if this subject interests you, I recommend you make an exception. One of the things they cover is the problem of weight on top of the container. You see, these containers are built to be stacked, on one top of the other. All the weight bearing is on the corners and the sides, not on the top. If memory serves, it takes 12“ of concrete and 3‘ of earth to stop radiation. Putting that much weight on top of a cargo container without reinforcing the inside walls and ceiling could likely cause it to collapse. In the Podcast, they explain how this is done, so I’m not going to cover it here. Another option with the concrete is to extend the concrete 2’ wider on each side. This should help displace some of the weight to the earth.

Another problem is water. These containers are made of steel and unless you do something to protect the metal, it will rust through over time. The way “Mike” from the interview said to approach this was to use a roll of EDPM rubber coating, overlapping by 6”. EDPM is the stuff that big stores with flat roofs use to coat the roof to waterproof them. He said to use a roll, but it looks like there is also a liquid rubber version of it as well. I’m not sure which option would be better. This is an expensive route, but if you’re trusting your life to it, the expense is justified to me.

He also said to place rough gravel under the container as well. He mentions also adding 6” of gravel to the sides. This would help with drainage as well as his main reason for it, which is keeping any creatures from chewing through the EDPM and exposing the bare metal to the soil, as once a creature hits the rocky gravel they’ll stop chewing.

You also need to keep the water table in mind. You don’t want to spend the time digging this huge hole to find you’re a foot below the waterline.

There are other topics explored, such as drainage and using a sump pump, and air filtration, but I’ll leave those for the podcast.

 

Shipping Container as a Shed
 
I have a couple different ideas on this, depending on if you want it seen or not. If you have a BOL (Bug Out Location) that is just raw land, having a 20’ by 8’ container could hold a lot of emergency preps. Having it out in the open, with no one to keep an eye on it, could be asking for Joe Dirtbag to break in to see what’s inside. I think if you wanted to hide this, one could dig a hole, say 6 or so feet deep and 22’ wide. Put rough gravel or something similar on the bottom to help with drainage, placing multiple concrete forms to keep the container above the trap rock by six inches or so.
Some of the container may show above ground. Use the same methods as above, using EDPM to protect it from moisture, burying it with only a foot or so of dirt on top of the container. This would greatly reduce the weight on the container, though adding some supports is still a good idea. Now plant whatever local vegetation is around to camouflage it. You’ll need to leave access to the door, but those could be hidden with some bushes that wouldn’t look out of place.
If you want to use it on land that you live on, I would say to add a roof of some kind to protect it and add a rain catchment system to it as well.

 

Some final thoughts
 
If I ever get to buy the acreage I dream of, I would like to set up a couple of storage containers and bunk houses for guests. I’d like to possibly have one buried as a storm shelter/storage. I also like the idea of putting them on concrete forms. That way it would be easier to make them mobile if needed.
Cost isn’t mentioned on most sites. I’ll list the sites below. They want your information to give you a quote. For a bare bones shipping container, I would expect to pay a minimum $2500 for a 8’x20’, and up to $5000, depending on quality. You also need to consider delivery and installation, especially if you’re burying it.

 

Shipping Container Resources
 
I have a bunch of resources. Some are companies that sell fully designed units and some sell just the containers. Others sell design plans. There are a few other resources listed as well. I looked through all of them, more to get an idea of what was possible. I’m pretty impressed with what some of these people have done.

Here is an article on Bob Vila’s site called Home Sweet Container, Steel shipping container homes are strong, safe, and eco-friendly.

Here are some sites that sell fully developed containers. Again, you’ll need to give them your info to get a quote but they’re good for ideas if nothing else.

Container Home Consultants is a blog on the subject. It looks like they may sell some plans and an eBook, but there are many free articles.

Here are a few companies that sell prebuild systems:

Global Portable Buildings, Inc.
ModSpace
Sea Box
American Container Homes, Inc.

Here are two sites that just sell empty shipping containers:

The Big Blue Box
Interport

Here are two sites that just sell plans:

Shipping Container Homes
Container Home.info
Container Homes.net has a variety of services. It looks like they sell some plans and some boxes, as well as blog about their journey.

I realize that this article has just scratched the surface but hopefully you walk away seeing more possibilities for shelter or storage.

 

What Would You Do: Plane Crash

It’s been a while since I have posted a “What would you do?”, so I thought today is about time.

You and your husband/wife/best friend are on a late fall vacation and are given a discounted rate to a local tourist attraction.  It’s a two hour flight leaving at 4:00 PM that explores some of the most popular landmarks and scenery in the area, showing off the fall colors. The flight offers a small snack and drink at the half way point.  Shortly after the one hour mark the plane flies into a flock of large birds, possibly geese.  One of the birds breaks through the windshield and has either killed or knocked the pilot out.  The plane was at an altitude of maybe 1000 feet and you’re quickly crash landing into a wooded area.  From the crash the fuselage is nearly ripped in half, the radio is destroyed and fuel is leaking from the only remaining wing.

There were a total of twelve people on board, not including the pilot.  Only four others including your husband/wife/best friend are responding.  Your husband/wife/best friend has a broken leg, one of the others who is responding is bleeding heavily from the head, but seems alert.  You and one other flier are relatively unhurt.  You cannot tell immediately if the others who have not responded are simply unconscious or dead.

It’s an hour before you’re expected back, but it might be longer before any worry is aroused.  It could be a couple hours before anyone even knows something has happened.

What would you do?

(Check the comments section to see the answers from everyone as well as to add your own.)

 

Survival Thinking; Outside the Box

 

Some people are born with the ability to “think outside the box” or with non-linear thinking.  There are some people who, while not born with this type of thinking, can practice and learn it.  Yet there are still others who will always see things one way.

In The Survivors Club it is explained that the people who have the greatest chance at survival in survival situations, are those who take action.  I think those people who are able to think outside the box are more apt to take action, not because they’re smarter or braver, but because they see more possibilities and act on them.

One of the ways this type of thinking can be applied is by looking at an object, understanding its designed use, but seeing other possible uses as well.

I work from home now, but when I went to an office to work, I made note of where the fire extinguishers were.  I’m sure this is something many preparedness minded people do.  But when I look at a fire extinguisher, I see not only an implement that could put out a fire, I see a blunt, impromptu weapon.  I also see something that could be used to break glass, could be sprayed to give concealment if needed or, if used in a certain way, could be turned into a missile of sorts.

You see, in many survival situations, be they plane crash, hurricane or any number of other types of events, resources are usually low and random.  You have to think outside the box and make due on the fly.  A seatbelt that was cut loose could become a restraint or even a tourniquet if needed.  It could also be used as cordage to tether just about anything.

I have read dozens of stories about people who were stranded in their vehicle in poor weather.  Sometimes they are found dead, succumbed to the elements.  Last year I read about a man in Alaska who got lost and was found two or three days later, barely alive.  If memory serves, he said he stayed alive by huddling in his jacket.  If this were me, I would have left the house much better prepared to begin with.  In his shoes, I would have cut the fabric of the seat and used it as a blanket, the carpets could have been cut and placed over the windows to help trap some of the heat in.  The tires could have been burned during the day, giving off a thick black smoke that would have been easy to see far away.

Being able to look at something and see its other possible uses is something most people can relearn to do.  Many of us did it in our childhood.   My brother and I used to turn the picnic table and benches into our own fishing boat and pretend to go fishing.  Now that took imagination and pretending, but those can be a part of what I am talking about.  Not actually acting the scenario out, but running them through your mind.  Or looking at an object and thinking of ten or twenty different uses for it.

Here are just a couple examples of what I mean. You can add your answers to the comments if you wish, but at least think them through.  I’ll add my list in the comments for those who want to see.

–           You happen upon a multicar accident that has just happened; police and ambulance are not on scene.  How many ways can you give assistance?

 

–          Name ten different uses for a standard car tire.

 

Introducing the Prepared Christian Link Library

One of the projects I mentioned I have been working on is making a Link Library of sorts.  These are mostly PDF files that I have come across while researching preparedness.  There is a wide variety of subjects, so to make is somewhat comprehensible the main page will be called Link Library and, as you can see, is visible from the top tool bar.  From there, you will have a multitude of preparedness related topics.  Inside those topics, will either be a sub list, or just a list of PDF files.

 

I chose to go with PDF files so that you could download and save them as well as print them if you like.  I have (for the most part) avoided adding webpages so far, as I wanted to target specific topics.  There are some instances where there is a webpage dedicated to gardening and the entire website is worthwhile.  In those times I have linked the site.

 

The reason I created this Link Library is so that if someone decided to research how to plant a garden in a small area, or learn to use a chainsaw, or how to build an impromptu shelter, they can come here and might just find what they are looking for.  You can also look through the Link Library and find a subject you had not considered before.

 

I would love for all of you to help build this list, but there are some things we have to be careful of; mainly copyright infringement.  There are some preparedness sites out there hosting a wide variety of files, some very helpful, but not all of their content is within the law.  If the author wanted to, those site owners would have a very expensive journey ahead of them.  There are actually lawyers looking for sites like this, then contacting the author and trying to get a job.

 

I always try to link directly to the original PDF, instead of downloading it to my site.  There were some cases where I had to download it to my site as there wasn’t a good source for the information.  In these cases it was usually a government FEMA type document that wasn’t under the same type of copyright as some of the other material.

 

So.,if you have a PDF, or a topic that you would like to add to the Link Library, please post it in the comment section of the page you think it should belong.    Please post the title and the URL, if the link is acceptable I will add it to the Link Library.  If I don’t add it you can inquire why, but I will be deleting comments once the link is decided upon, to keep the comment area manageable.

 

If you have a topic but don’t know how to find a PDF for it, you can go to Google.  For this example, I want to research generators.  In the search tab I would type “generators filetype:pdf” without the quotation marks.

 

All of the links worked at the time of this posting.  If you find a broken one, please let me know and I will find a new one.

 

I hope you all find some of this information as valuable and interesting as I have.  Enjoy!

 

Review of PMC Bronze 9mm Luger from Lucky Gunner

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.