SHTFblog.com - are YOU ready?

First off, thanks to all the SHTF homies that have sent or left notes thanking me for posting again. It’s encouraging . . . kinda leaves me all teary eyed and shit. I particularly like the notes from SHTF homegirls saying stuff like, “Welcome back you sexy SHTF stallion. We neeeeeed you.” . . . . . . . . okay, no chics sent a note like that, but let’s make pretend.

So yesterday I kicked a post off about the demise of Fatty the groundhog. I have his distant relative now roaming my yard space gobbling up clover and sniffing the potato patch. My raised bed is built out of concrete blocks and fenced for deer, so he’s not going there. In any case, I’m done with these little bastards.

BUT, Ranger Man did feel a little bad about DESTROYING Fatty, so I’m opting to give this new character the opportunity to walk into a Havahart Trap and save his own life. I’ll even give him a free ride 10 mile ride in the car before setting him free . . . . but NOOOOOOO, do you think he’ll walk into it after a few organic carrots and an apple? No, I only got THIS:

Friggin’ Raccoon!

Oh my God, didn’t he stink. I’m guessing he was trapped during the night - logical guess. The Mrs told me about him when I got home from work. Poor bastard sat in the sun all day, standing in his own piss and shit with flies buzzing everywhere. You can see where he tried to dig out. Didn’t happen. I contemplated giving him a one way trip up the road, but I couldn’t be bothered. I popped the door and he happily exited.

Ironically, I was bitching about the groundhog today, and someone told me they’d caught one in a Havahart trap with peanut butter smeared on fresh lettuce. That’s my next attempt, but if that doesn’t work . . . . there’s always the bow.

All of this bring us to a valuable SHTF lesson, party peeps. A lesson beyond protecting your garden turf from vicious and wild woodchucks, a lesson about Havahart traps . . . they’re so friggin’ SHTF sexy. I mean, think about it. When TEOTWAWKI hits and your food supplies are running low you’ll want to conserve energy, so hunting won’t be a good use of your time . . . but if you can set a trap - yessah! The Havahart traps keep your food FRESH, too. No need to tell the family what’s in the SHTF stew, it’s whatever landed in the trap. Don’t ask, don’t tell - just eat, or make a game out of it - “Guess what’s in today’s soup.” Yummy!

Havahart traps, YOUR gear for post-TEOTWAWKI eats.

- Ranger Man

BTW: ummmm . . . . . . . yeah.

I’m having trouble with these little bastards again. When we moved into our house 4 years ago I had a groundhog living under our shed. I knew I wanted a garden eventually, so it was clear his living near it would be a problem, but I was not at the stage of planting a garden, so I figured - hey, he’ll move away when I rip down the shed anyway. The shed was very old and virtually falling into the ground. It could’ve been salvaged with some serious work, but it wasn’t worth it, and I didn’t like the location anyway.

The next year came and I was determined to DESTROY the shed. I did . . . but the groundhog didn’t move. He still chomped, chomped away getting bigger and bigger. We called him Fatty. Then I figured - well, in a few years I’ll build a garden, he’ll be gone by then. Meanwhile Fatty became more and more bold, eating closer and closer to the house, hanging out longer when we came outside. Then . . . one day, when I was walking into the basement, Fatty saw me coming and he pissed and moaned at me, hissing and doing his little aggressive groundhog thing.

“That’s IT!” I said. I can’t discharge a firearm where I live, so enter . . . the compound bow. The first shot came a few days later when his head was sticking out from under a pile of stacked slab wood. He was close - real close, and I was firing from the deck, the shot happened fast, and I figured he was so close I wouldn’t have to put the sights on him. That was a mistake. It went just above his head and landed hard in this piece of wood:

Yep, can’t get the arrow out. I’ve been meaning to cut it out since then, but I haven’t gotten to it. And that was a target tip. In any case, the arrow is likely toast.

The second shot came a few days after that. Fatty was further away, standing up, looking at me on the deck with a notched arrow.

“Pfffffffft!”
Fatty gets hit!

He rolls over, squirming and screeching and shit (I’m awful, I know). I felt bad for Fatty, but hey, he threw a hissy fit at me, and I don’t roll dat way. I start notching another arrow to help the process along when all of a sudden, Fatty rolls onto his feet and starts hauling ass to his little hidey hole, arrow through him and all. I rapidly notch the next arrow, take aim at the hole’s entrance and let it fly. The second arrow missed him by a fraction of a second.

I figure there’s no way he could’ve entered the hole with an arrow stuck through him, so I walk down expecting to see him stuck just inside the hole . . . nope, but I heard him whimpering inside. Sad, sad, I know . . . poor Fatty, evil Ranger Man. As near as I can figure is that the arrow must’ve turned toward the length of his body when he entered, which allowed him to at least get in far enough to be out of sight.

Fatty went down, but he took a 2nd arrow with him. I didn’t feel like recovering that one.

I now have a garden, albeit a small garden . . . . and as for Fatty . . . . I’ve had a visit from his heir to the throne.

- Ranger Man

BTW: Stay tuned for Part II of II

Also, imagine what life would be like with $200 a barrel oil.

The Top TEN Best Guns for Survival post I wrote a while ago still continues to be one of my most visited posts. Agree with my conclusions or not, you KNOW it’s just sweet SHTF debatable action. A recent SHTFblog reader posted a comment on the post just a few days ago, and his analysis and comment was so complete I felt it warranted attention as a single post. Oddly enough, he labeled himself “R-Man” . . . . kinda like “Ranger Man” only . . . . what does the “R” stand for, bro?

In any case, here is his analysis:

I fashion myself as something of a survivalist. I own most of the guns on your list, but not all. Now that 2008 has resulted in an extraordinary price hike in ammunition costs, I have to say that the plinker is stuck with .22 LR and 7.62 X 39 mm. That makes my AKM and SKS all that much more desirable. Like you, I’m sure, I have a stock of ammo: .223 Wolf and Lake City, 7.62 NATO Lake City, 30-06 corrosive 1954 Korean, 7.62 X 39 mm Wolf Classic and Black Box, .45 cal. White Box and Remington Golden Sabers, 9 mm FMJ. In quantity.

So the best SHTF gun(s) fire the ammo you have in stock with the gun(s) you have in stock. Multiple guns mean you can arm your friends and neighbors.

Number 10: Remington 742 Woodmaster.
This rifle has a four round magazine firing 30-06 with a 9x scope. This is the sniper rifle for the average survivalist. Hits close groups at 100 yards, which is the longest range that my gun club has.

Advantages: Knock down power that kills anything.

Disadvantages: Ammo is very pricey. The old surplus Korean stuff requires careful inspection and the barrel must be meticulously cleaned after use. A BAR is a better rifle, but not much.

Number 9: .223 Remington Bushmaster M17S Bullpup rifle.

Uses the ubiquitous .223 Remington round. Has a 16” barrel in a short, compact system. Great for home invaders. Very rare rifle. Much preferred is the S-2000 or Steyr AUG. I don’t own those rifles. I like the S-2000 over the other bullpups. If I owned it, the S-2000 rifle would take a higher score.

Advantages: short length for home defense.
Disadvantages: Jams. When at the range one must check the action and ejection port after every round fired.

Number 8: Yugo SKS

I’ve read that the Russian SKS is of better quality with a SS barrel. However, I only own a Yugo with the muzzle break and bayonet ($400).

Great blond furniture and looks great. I mean it looks great. Beautiful rifle firing the 7.62 X 39 mm AK-47 round. This is my new range rifle due to the high cost of ammo. Described in “Boston’s Gun Bible” as a “great trunk rifle.” ‘Nuff said

Advantages: Plenty of cheap ammunition on 10-round stripper clips.

Disadvantages: 5” MOA. Poor site with Russian-only optical improvements.

Number 7: AKM (semi-automatic AK-47)

Mine is a stamped receiver AKM. It’s a toss-up between this 16” bbl AK and the Yugo SKS with a 20” bbl. I give the nod to the AKM because there are so many adherents on the web. Heaven forbid I select the beautiful Yugo SKS over the butt ugly AKM black rifle.

The edge is really due to the 30-round mag on the AKM, which are cheap and plentiful. I’ve got a ton of them.

Advantages: Plenty of cheap ammo in cheap 30-round mags. Scary looking with a scary sounding bolt slide.

Disadvantages: Accurate as an Iraqi.

Number 6: Glock 30 double stack .45 cal. Compact pistol

This is one of two .45’s that I carry. It has a short bbl, but the Glock is also listed in “Boston’s Gun Bible” as a preferred hand gun. The Glock is the simplest gun to strip and clean and fire. Once you’ve owned a Glock, you will buy more. I’ve got three and I’m looking for an excuse to buy more.

Advantages: It’s a Glock in .45. I may not have ever shot somebody with a Remington Golden Saber .45, but if I do, they are going down. Standard square white site is the best I’ve seen. Good for carry. G21 mags fit. The standard mag is 10-round. After market mags have the pinkie grip.

Disadvantages: Short barrel.

Number 5: Glock 17-L 9 mm long bbl match gun
This is the only gun I have ever hit bull with the first shot. The long bbl is a great advantage when distance is necessary. Mine is second gen, so it has no Picatiny Rail. But who cares? It fits in a standard G17 holster, which leaves a lot of options for carry, including shoulder rig.

Advantages: Very accurate pistol.

Disadvantages: 9 mm is a pussy round.

Number 4: Glock 21 .45 cal. Full-sized pistol (1911 substitute) Ranger Man note: I notice a Glock theme going here

Tough to carry concealed because of its size, but rugged as hell. With Trijicon night sites this is the ultimate home defense pistol. Oil? Optional. It’s the AK-47 of the handgun world. Simplicity of design makes the G21 the big pistol of choice. I’ve got the Fobus paddle holster and Blackwater belt holster with trigger finger release. It fits in any tactical holster. This hand gun may not be right for Zombies; too big, too loud, too much. But it is the one hand gun I would most want to be carrying if the shit hits the fan.

Advantages: Long bbl, plentiful high caliber round, good site picture, stopping power.

Disadvantages: The Glock Model 21? No. None. Get one.

Number 3: ????????????

This was a tough one. I’m down to my favorite and secondary. If you have to have a favorite and a backup, non-hand gun, what would you leave at home? SHTF is a very non-specific situation.

I’m down to three weapons; the AR-15 , the FN FAL .308 metric and the FN Police Shotgun 12 GA. Shit.

I have to make the Fabrique National FAL the number three gun. I love the thing ($650). It’s reliable and fires a big caliber. The .308, 7.62 X 51 mm NATO is one hell of a round, but it’s heavy. There is no Blackhawk or Blackwater assault vest made for the .308. Sorry, too bad. You have to get a suspension harness and clip-on ammo pouches to construct a half-assed ammo/assault vest for a .308 rifle.

Why FAL over the Springfield Arms M1A or the Rock River Arms LAR-8? Because I own an FN FAL and I don’t own a notoriously expensive M1A or reasonably priced RRA LAR-8 in 20” bbl. (bet which one I buy next?)

I liked the FAL in metric pattern over the L1A1 or L1A2 inch pattern. I scoped the FAL and it is very accurate. It’s a nine pound rifle like the M1A and LAR-8.

Based on my criteria, neither the M1A or the L1A2 or the LAR-8/AR-10 would have placed better on the list. The .308 round is going for $1.00 minimum each these days (see 7.62 X 39 at $0.19 per round).

Sorry, but the .308 is a waste for Zombies. It’s also a waste for AQI unless you’re supplied by the US Army, Marines or SpecOps.

Advantages: Big caliber, accurate, pick ‘um FAL, M1A, LAR-8.

Disadvantages: The ammo has become too expensive and it’s too heavy to carry in quantity. I have stores of Lake City, but the rifles have become too expensive also. The Springfield Arms is outrageous at $1,300 to $1,850 plus tax. The RRA LAR-8 is not too bad at $1,200, but fuck … I bought my Remington 742 for $350 with a scope and sling. It may not have a high-cap mag, but it will remove your head from your shoulders and drop any game in North America with one shot (other than a Grizzly and maybe a bull moose.)

Number 2: FN 12 GA Police Shotgun

Is there someone with a survivalist mentality that doesn’t own a 12 GA shotgun? A Remington 870 or some other pump-action? No. The answer is no. We all own a 12 gauge. Mine is tricked out with a reflex holograph “scope” and flashlights. It looks ridiculous, but I can strip it down to stock in less than a minute.

With a pistol grip and a long cylinder magazine, this bad boy can take out the worst looter in the worst way. I’ve got a stack of 00 buckshot to do the job. This could, would be the number one gun but for one reason; it doesn’t hold enough rounds. Plus, it kicks like a mule.

The beauty about a 12 GA shotgun is it doesn’t take much maintenance. Drag a bore snake through the bbl and you’re good to go. The fire power of a 12 GA is unsurpassable. Aim and shoot.

Advantages: Buy ammo at Wally World. Right off the shelf for bird shot. Top notch weapon for $650. Probably the most deadly for the uninitiated rifleman.

Disadvantages: Not for pussies or women or little kids. The thing is a cannon, so arm yourself appropriately.

Number One: You know. The M16/AR-15 .223 Remington 5.56 X 45 mm

Mine is a Double Star AR-15 semi-automatic .223 rifle ($1,000). It has only jammed twice, both due to black followers. Similar problem with FAL. Bad mags make for bad rifles. My Remington 742 Woodmaster also had a “failure to feed, failure to fire” due to bad extraction.

With decent ammo and a good green follower magazine the AR-15 is a very reliable rifle. What does it take to kill a hundred Zombies? Marksmanship, ammo, carried ammo. Marksmanship is my problem, ammo is also my problem, but carried ammo is Blackhawk’s problem. And Blackwater’s. They sell the vests that allow me to carry 12 30-round magazines. The ballistics of the .223 are fine. The round will generally fragment and “puff” after it hits. A tumbling .223 round will kill anyone. It may not kill a hopped-up AQI with the first round, but that’s just because a hopped-up AQI drug addict doesn’t know he’s been shot.

Mine has a carry handle 4X scope. The rifle has a flat top weaver rail, so I could make it much more accurate by mounting the scope on rings. Doesn’t matter much, it hits fine at 100 yards. Good enough for Zombies and al Qaida in the neighborhood.

Advantages: Light weight at 7 pounds. Can carry 400 rounds of ammo in readily available assault vest. Lots of optic options available. Bad ass Black Rifle.

Disadvantages: Shitty magazines on-line. Price of ammo has gone up to $.50 per round.

Thanks for the comment, bro!

- Ranger Man

BTW: You neeeeed sweet paperback manuals on becoming a marksman - yes? That’s it, shake your head “yes”. Well go shopping RIGHT HERE. All support is appreciated.

Yowzer, so much TEOTWAWKI action has happened since I last posted. Food prices are higher, energy is higher, more unemployment, more Iranian/Israeli tension . . . it’s enough to make any Doomsday ninja scream for joy. You just gotta love it!

What? You DON’T love it? Oh, come now, there’s much to looooove. In fact, thanks to this article, we can read about ten things to love about a recession. Let me list them for you, and if you want the more boring detail around each, check the link. If you prefer the Ranger Man TEOTWAWKI spin just read on.

Numba 10 - Family Dinners
Wow - more people eating at home to save money? Who’d have thought that a good ole family dinner would be making a comeback? It’s unfortunate that this has gone out of style in the first place. Growing up we always sat down for dinner together and had all of the major food groups served up. It was our chance to not only suck down some grub, but to have a little family discussion. You know, like this:

“What happened in school today?”
“Nothin’. Do I have to eat my peas?”
“Yes. Certainly something must have happened today. Did you get homework?”
“A little bit . . . . I don’t want my peas. I’m full.”

Ah yes, time to dust off the table cloth and sit down together, folks. Cook at home, save money, eat together, and your kids will thank you.

Numba 9 - Shorter Lines at the Pump
The article talks about having time to actually wipe your windshield without the person behind you itching to take your spot at the pump. Fewer people driving as many miles means fewer people buying gas. Fewer people buying gas means you have time, in my opinion, to stretch your legs outside the car, scratch your butt, and pick your nose.

Numba 8 - Less Junk Mail
Consumer spending is down, less corporate spending on sending you annoying CRAP that you just end up ripping in half anyway. My advice? Take out those pre-paid return envelopes, stuff their own flyer back into it, and toss it back in the mailbox. Send ‘em their own CRAP back to them on their own dime . . . or 49 cents.

Numba 7 - More Coupons
This sure excites the Mrs. She loves clipping these babies, and she actually saves a fair amount by using them. The real trick is to not buy something just because you have the coupon. Clip them for things you use, otherwise you’re not really “saving” when you buy something just because it’s a dollar off.

Numba 6 - Free Fitness
More people are walking and riding their bikes . . . . or so I read about anyway. I don’t see much of this happening first hand. I suspect the opposite may actually be happening. Instead of driving to the beach or out for a walk shopping, people are hanging at home more . . . sitting on the couch . . . gittin’ FAT.

Numba 5 - Bargain SUVs
Personally, I was never much of a big SUV fan, even before the gas price insanity. Although . . . the Toyota 4-Runners are kinda cool. I like a good ole American made pickup truck better. Bargain prices on those babies, too.

Numba 4 - Business Startup Opportunities
Laid off employees strike it out and start their own business . . . . . yeah, whatever.

Numba 3 - Growth in Gardening
This is another good one. In addition to families actually eating together, more are actually eating the food they’re growing! Fresh air, exercise, good grub, food security, and family time in the way of: “Son, go weed the garden, will ya? I need a nap.”

Numba 2 - Musical Inspiration
. . . . . Number 2 on this one? Kinda dumb.

Numba 1 - New Perspectives
This one is much better than “musical inspiration” :-S. Tough times are forcing people to rethink their ways, and in many cases, this means more time at home, more family dinners, less busy schedule, less purchasing of useless CRAP, and a greater focus on the more important things in life . . . . like curling up in a ball in the basement with your mighty AR-15.

- Ranger Man

BTW: I still love it if/when people use my site for their Amazon shopping. Just type what you’re looking for in the Amazon search bar. The field manuals are still available, too - still sexy.

This blog has helped pass the short days of winter, but now the days are longer, and there is extensive yard and gardening work calling my name. This is on top of children pulling at my pant legs every time I sit down to blog.

My preparedness efforts are best spent this time of year in the yard building the base for food production, insulating the house, building a pantry, etc. I have spent about the last 6 months helping spread the preparedness word. Now I must focus on my own efforts.

For this reason posts will be very sporadic during the summer months. Rather than check back every now and then for a post, if you want to read them when they arrive, sign up for the e-mail subscription. No worries, I don’t spam, and neither does Betty.

Thanks for everyone’s support the past 6 months. There is a good chance I’ll kick things back up full-on in the Fall, so stay tuned. You know, unless someone wants to buy the whole blog from me.

- Ranger Man

BTW: If this is your first time here, and you’re looking for some survival blogging action, check out these regularly updated blogs:

Frugal Survivalism - Bison Survival Blog

Survival Blog

Total Survivalist Libertarian Rant Fest

Suburban Prepper

Urban Survivalist

Kaiser Von Texas