Who Is Peter Schiff?

Here's one of two US Senate candidates I'm supporting this year, Peter Schiff. You'll see why when you watch the video.


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Transferring Fuel

The final touches are being done on the (yet to be named) device for transferring unleaded fuel from one place to another. This can be used to either transfer fuel from a tank to a gas-can or to another tank. Based on rated specs (fuel filter not included) the Holley Red should transfer 97 GPH of fuel. I suspect this number will be much lower given the two filters in place. There are many pumps available for the transfer of Diesel however I've yet to find a production unit built for unleaded so I decided after someone recommended a regular fuel pump, to build my own.


**Note: Test has not been done to verify that the Holley fuel pump will run in this orientation but there should be enough room to move things around if its not optimal.



First, the container... $19.00 on-line 11"W X 16"H X 5 3/4"D



All fits neatly into the ammo can for transportation/storage



The components, mounted on a piece of 1/2 inch plywood and some pine...
starting from the "goesinta" side (left)... Visual fuel flow filter and mesh, into a priming bulb, Holley Red 97 gph hour fuel pump, fuel pressure gauge, fuel filter and water separator with visa-bowl drain, onto the "goesouta" Fuel pump powered by 12V maint free battery.



The yet to be installed 12V switch, mounting plate and of course the fuel lines for in/out.

This setup is not yet tested because of both the switch needing to be installed and the weather... Since I will be doing a live test with a few gallons of gas, I'd like to do this well away from the house when its NOT raining.

Rechargeable batteries

Last year we spent some time both investigating as well as experimenting with small scale solar panels as well as rechargeable batteries. Although I do not have any pictures currently the two panels shown here keep a rotation of 3 separate 12V 105 amp hour deep cycles (from TSC) topped off and ready for use. A small inverter with two 110V plugs gets attached to the deep cycle and is ready when we need it. In the last few years, with the advent of CFL Compact-Fluorescent-Lights, you can now maintain a very good backup lighting system without the need for oil, propane lanterns and its 100% renewable for longer term use. Running these lights is not quite as efficient as running 12V lighting however having an inverter that will power up your more common household items has its advantages as well. Each of these is listed as a 15 Watt panel and under ideal conditions should be able to put 1 AMP of power back into a battery for each panel for each hour in the sun. Another example would be for every hour of Sun these panels have, we get 2 hours of light from a 40W equivalent bulb... The 105 amp hour battery can be used for approximately 27 hours or 20% draw down for optimal lifespan. During bad weather, car battery chargers do the work of keeping the 12Volts topped off.



Here is a tiny charge controller that can accommodate up to seven 15W panels and attaches to your 12V deep cycle.



Another side project was to start maintaining a supply of rechargeable batteries for flashlights, radios and other small devices. In case you have been out of the rechargeable battery world for a while (I know I was) you may find it interesting that they only come in the AAA an AA sizes, shown here. In the event you want to use the battery in a device that takes C or even D sized cells, most of the kits come with the plastic blanks that are the same size as normal C or D cells which keep the AA in the center as shown in the bottom left. A plastic Ammo carrier for large rifle cartridges keeps them nice and organized. + up means the battery is full and - side up means that it needs to sit on a charge next time its convenient. These are readily available from Amazon and you can add a few at a time every once in a while... In theory they should be capable of recharge up to 1000 times. If you end up getting a couple kits you can recharge 8 or even 12 at a time.



Being a 100% renewable option was important here as well for any kind of long term need. Run time on these rechargeables has been about equal with any of the standard throw aways, so I'm very happy with their performance.

Recently Joined NH Prep Network

Hi All,

I ran across the site and decided to join after it was mentioned on another forum that I follow regularly. Sounded interesting and I was hoping to learn from others as well as share what knowledge that I have... A little about myself/family… My Wife and I have been on a path toward a more self sufficient lifestyle for almost three years now (to varying degrees) and that path has morphed and branched out in many different directions, especially in the last year or so, given the current conditions. I’ve always considered myself to be on the slightly more prepared side than most and you wouldn’t find me in lines at the grocery store for batteries or milk before a storm because well, I would tend to already have those things. My wife works very hard on several fronts including raising chickens and taking care of dogs. We decided three years ago to build an off-grid camp with limited assistance and none of your standard infrastructure or supplied services. This meant that we would try to build it from the ground up to have its own electrical power, water and hopefully someday a percentage of food growing capability. More on camp life later as I’d like to start contributing to the community on some more manageable items that anyone can do. My personal areas of interest/knowledge include: General Survival skills, All associated gear, Firearms, Firearms Safety, Water Filtration, Archery, Solar Power, Rechargeable battery technology, Security, First Aid, Communications, Small Engines, Generators Any form of Carpentry/building, Tools (Hand Powered, Gas and Electric) and cooking. My Wife has some specific areas of interest as well including Firearms, Firearms safety, Food Preservation, Food Gathering, Gardening, Raising Poultry for meat and eggs and caring for our two dogs (training, medical needs where possible etc).

Things have sure changed over the years…. If you were to ask me ten years ago what survival meant, I probably would have replied that I was all set because I had a Hunting knife, AR-15 and three MRE’s and that would be enough. Looking back, that wasn’t even a good plan for 24 hour period. Instead of starting my first posts with Firearms (because well, its common and there are many resources) I figured I’d start with one of the other three areas that I consider extremely important. Food, Water and Shelter as these are the first three things that will challenge someone in any kind of short or long term situation. If your stuck in your house for a week due to an ice storm/blizzard or if something were to happen that would require you to stay indoors longer these items are going to be on everyones mind very quickly.

Starting with Water Filtration…

Several months ago, our whole house water filter broke, fortunately within a 48 hour timeframe we were able to get the replacement parts from the vendor and get things working again. What occurred to me during that time was that we were VERY unprepared to clean our own water in any kind of quantity and definitely not enough to provide for a family of four, two large dogs and 10+ Chickens. Sure, there are small personal water filters that we use regularly for hiking in the white mountains and we always have a few days worth of water (in bottles or gallons) but none of which can get you beyond a few days. The search was on for a good filter that had one very important criteria (gravity fed with NO power usage). This specific filter came highly recommended via several web recommendations and reviews. I have seen similar setups that are much less expensive through a popular shooting catalog (CTD) and from a DIY perspective if you had the filter cartridges you could fashion something similar with a few buckets and a spout, very easily and cheaply. One very nice advantage to this filter (other than not requiring any power or moving parts) is that with the addition of multiple cartridges you can increase the output. The “crown” which is the largest unit they make will hold 6 gallons and can also filter 6.5 gallons per hour with (two supplied cartridges)… This can be increased to a maximum of 8 cartridges all working together to produce 26 gallons of fresh water per hour.



Water is one of the most important things we’ll need in any kind of disruption to day-to-day life and if you are unable to get it clean you will very likely introduce illness to the group or yourself very quickly…. That would really make a bad situation worse IMO. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know, I also found a very reasonable resource for this unit through ebay/paypal as web searching will return a rather wide range of prices.

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

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

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