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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Simple Survival Tips - Boots for Winter Use

Re-post courtesy Riverwalker's Stealth Survival




Every person that works or participates in any type of cold weather activities should have a good pair of winter boots for every member of the family. However, it is possible to get a little confused about winter boots and snow boots. Each type of boot is designed for a specific function. Your use for them should be the most important factor in determining which type of boot you will need.

A winter boot is usually an all purpose type of boot designed for general use in cold weather. They are also usually water-resistant but not water-proof. The snow boot, however, is specifically designed for deep snow and very wet conditions. Almost all snow boots will do a good job of protecting your feet in the winter. Unfortunately, many winter boots are not considered adequate for use in extremely harsh winter weather conditions. Snow boots are basically specialized winter boots.

Snow boots are designed to keep your feet warm and dry in extreme winter weather conditions. They achieve this by generally being water-proof and not simply water-resistant. Winter boots will usually not be able to withstand these extremely harsh conditions and they will eventually get soaked due to these harsh conditions or high snow levels.

Another feature of a good snow boot is what is typically known as a “snow gator”. The majority of winter boots do not have a “snow gator”. A “snow gator” is a design feature that keeps snow from getting into your boot. The most common type of “snow gator” is a drawstring located at the top of the boot. This drawstring allows you to close off the top of the boot and thereby prevent snow from getting into your boot.

Another feature of a good snow boot is their height. A good snow boot is usually taller than a standard winter boot. This extra tall feature also helps to keep snow from getting into the top of your boot. The last and possibly most important feature of a good snow boot is their rubber bottom. Rubber provides 100% waterproofing and is absolutely necessary for any extended time outdoors in cold, wet weather. Snow boots are also a lot easier to clean as a result.

Depending on your winter weather conditions and your intended type of activity outdoors, you will need a good pair of boots for winter weather. Your feet will appreciate it very much!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Lever Action Rifle For Defense

Re-post courtesy Riverwalker's Stealth Survival

Lever action rifles have been excellent hunting rifles for close to 150 years. Most people don’t usually consider them for use as a defensive weapon. There are a number of reasons you might want to reconsider it as a defensive rifle. They’re easy to operate, usually quite accurate and carry enough ammo to get the job done. If semi-auto's were banned tomorrow, I'd simply rely on my lever action Marlin 336 as an excellent alternative.

The Marlin Model 336 Lever Action Rifle has a number of good qualities that make it an excellent choice. Its light weight and low recoil, fairly good accuracy, decent range and shot capacity and ease of use are all excellent qualities. Combined with the fact that a wide range of ammo (55 grain to 170 grain) is readily available for the lever action makes it an even better choice for a hunting and defensive weapon combination.

There is another point to consider when talking about lever action rifles in a defensive situation. Using a lever action rifle in a self defense situation would be as close to “politically correct” self defense as possible. It doesn’t look “threatening”. It most assuredly can’t be confused with a “tactical” weapon. It simply looks like someone had to use his hunting rifle to protect himself or his family from a criminal. Unlike the response you may get if they showed what would probably be called an “evil black rifle” to a jury.

Lever action rifles may not be the “best” weapon to have in your arsenal as a defensive rifle and they are certainly not the most modern type of rifle that is available. They are, however, very reliable and more than adequate for most defensive situations and also have a very formidable reputation as an excellent hunting rifle.

Also, don’t sell the .30-30 cartridge short in the ballistics department either. The ballistics of the .30-30 cartridge are also very similar to those for the more specifically designed battle rifle cartridge, the 7.62X39mm Russian which is used for the AK-47.

Here are some figures using the same bullet weight of 150 grain Soft Points for a comparison.

At the muzzle:

1.) 7.62x39mm = 2200fps
2.) .30-30 caliber = 2390fps

At 100 yards:

1.) 7.62x39mm = 1977fps
2.) .30-30 caliber = 2018fps

At 200 yards:

1.) 7.62x39mm = 1769fps
2.) .30-30 caliber = 1605fps


At less than 100 yards, the .30-30 is marginally better than 7.62x39mm.

At 200 yards, the .30-30 is only marginally less than the 7.62x39mm.

At distances over 200 yards, the 7.62x39mm does have an edge over the .30-30.

A similar pattern also occurs with the lighter 125 grain bullet weights.

Note: fps (feet per second)
Source: G&A ballistic tables (factory ammo only):

http://gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite?c=Chart_C&childpagename=IMO_GA%2FLayout&cid=99&pagename=IMO%2FWrapper


I generally use 170 grain Remington Core Lokt in my Marlin 336 lever action rifle. I really like the .30/30 because it is an extremely versatile rifle. Even though it should not be considered a substitute for a long range defensive rifle, it should still be more than adequate in the majority of defensive situations. If this is the only rifle you have in your arsenal, there will be no need for you to feel “under-gunned” in any situation.


Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Dutch Oven - A Holiday Cooking Solution

Re-post courtesy Riverwalker's Stealth Survival

If you are planning a holiday and are stuck with the cooking duty, you may be able to solve your cooking problems quite easily. You may want to consider a little outdoor cooking with a Dutch oven. Instead of standing over a hot stove all day, you can spend your day visiting with friends and family while preparing a delicious meal for your guests.

A Dutch oven is a cooking pot made of metal with a thick wall. It is usually made of cast iron and has a lid that fits tightly to ensure the retention of your food’s nutrients and flavors.

It is believed that early Dutch trader’s cast iron pots gave rise to the name “Dutch Oven”. Since the early days of the American frontier, people have been using Dutch ovens as a method for preparing a variety of foods. This method of preparing food was extremely effective for cooking a large number of food items.

Dutch ovens can be made of aluminum, steel or cast iron. In Australia, a “bedourie” camp oven is a steel cookpot shaped and used like a dutch oven. Named after Bedourie, Queensland, the Bedourie ovens were developed as a more robust (non-breakable) alternative to the more fragile cast iron dutch ovens. It also made them more convenient to carry due to their lighter weight.

One of the best ways to plan your holiday cooking is to prepare it in a Dutch oven outdoors. A Dutch oven is an easy way to cook up something special for your family and friends, while giving the cook a much needed break. Unlike standing over a hot fire at the stove or being smoked out by a BBQ grill or smoker, this is a lot easier and requires less cleanup time.

Cooking in a Dutch oven will allow you to prepare meals that do not take all your holiday time away from your family and guests. Dutch ovens are best suited for slow or long cooking, such as preparing roasts, casseroles, soups or stews. They’re excellent for cooking beans and cornbread. You can also stack Dutch ovens on top of each other to utilize the heat from you fire to a greater extent. Using charcoal is the best and simplest way of cooking food with a Dutch oven. Nothing compares to the versatility and ease of use of the Dutch oven. Dutch oven cooking will also impress your family and friends with the opportunity for a really great meal this holiday season they probably couldn’t get anywhere else.

Many of us have been taught to prepare our meals using electricity or natural gas. There is always a chance of not having the gas or electricity to cook our food. In today’s uncertain and ever-changing world, learning to prepare meals with a Dutch oven may bring a little practical cooking experience to your life, as well as great tasting food!

This year make your holiday meal a unique experience! Go Dutch!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker
New Hampshire PreppersNetwork Est. Jan 17, 2009 All contributed articles owned and protected by their respective authors and protected by their copyright. New Hampshire Preppers Network is a trademark protected by American Preppers Network Inc. All rights reserved. No content or articles may be reproduced without explicit written permission.