/johnny
/johnny
Please pick up the white courtesy phone.
freeze dried lasts longer than military MREs but pretty much requires potable water for reconstitution. MRES are good for maybe 5-10 years. some of the contents seem to last longer than others. Gun shows are the best source of ammo IMO because there’s no paper trail. .45 acp would be more difficult to obtain than 9 mm in a total meltdown. It can easily be reloaded with a minimum of experience and equipment however and you should be prepared to reload it. The lee hand press with a set of .45 dies, a case trimmer, and a set of powder scoops would probably get you going for less than $100.
As far as seeking ammo goes - try this site: http://ammoseek.com/
They’re not perfect but they do seem pretty good at querying the different sites for current ammo prices. Then go support your local gun show. Check out pricing there and compare. Remember the extra that you may be paying in shipping and taxes depending on which way you go - figure all the associative costs to find the real deals.
Also, FR links:
10 Things That Every Survivalist Needs
The ULTIMATE checklist for emergency preparedness supplies
If you go here and scroll down a bit, here are some great PDF's to save to your desktop or print:
Mossberg 12ga good choice, feed it some 3” #4 Buckshot if it is chambered for 3” shot shells for home defense and stock up on bird shot for SHTF food supply gathering.
For online orders I like www.ammoman.com Sign up for there news letters. Watch for specials and I like the free shipping.
Always visit the gun shows for local bargains on ammo.
MREs for short term needs (6 mth to a year). Freeze dried for 10-15 year out planning.
We’re a bit “over”weight; so are storing some of our provisions “on the hoof” so to speak. I’d suggest not getting too crazy trying to store every possible delicacy known to mankind in your provisions. We got several big cans of Provident Pantry stuff, but didn’t go overboard on that. Have stored a few cans of Alaskan salmon, but rotate them; nothing like some good protein to keep you going. Also got a couple of large cans of freeze dried heirloom garden seeds (we have a bit of garden space). If you have a water well or a fresh water spring near your house, that’s a good thing - because water storage is - to me - sort of a grim proposition. - We stretch and don’t waste our food, make corn cakes instead of pans of cornbread, small batches of pancakes out of whole grain pancakes. Husband is in charge of the ammo; I depend on bear spray for my defense. Nasty No Trespassing signs help, too. You hate to do that; but we’ve had some problems with trespassers off the river over the years.
How long do you want to prepare for?
May I suggest that you down load and review my Preparedness Manual at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
You will find articles on many of the questions that you are asking as well as many questions that haven’t occur to you as of yet. It’s written for those just starting or for those who are old hands at prepping.
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
Also suggest the single serving size cans of fruits, vegetables, meat (yes Spam has a small size can), tuna, cheese whiz, ect.
They are easy to store under the bed, under the couch, and that way if you have a situation were you can’t get any water for cooking you will at least have something to eat.
To compliment that we've also put back some big jars of crunchy peanut butter, honey, crackers and vitamins.
So, in summary, MREs for eating on the move and freeze-dried meat products to compliment beans and rice.
(Also, don't forget to store tobasco, various spices, etc. to go with that beans and rice.)
We get good, competitive prices for ammo at Walmart. We get our mylar bags from:
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/mylar_food_storage_bags.htm
Also, there are some decent video tutorials on YouTube that cover vacuum packing beans and rice in mylar bags.
It’s not a popular opinion among preppers, but IMO most stored food should be canned goods.
The only real advantage of freeze-dried foods and even wheat, beans and rice, relative to canned goods, is weight. And unless you plan to be moving that just doesn’t matter. And if you are planning to be on the move you won’t be able to carry much.
Most types of foods other than canned goods require cooking, for which fuel may not be readily available. With canned goods you can always just eat them cold. Also their not needing water is an advantage, IMO.
Obviously shelf life is an issue and your stock should be rotated, but most canned goods can if necessary be safely eaten long after their posted expiration date.
Perhaps most importantly, if purchased in bulk and/or on sale, cost is MUCH lower than most alternatives.
They will send you a free sample - something like a 4 person dehydrated entree.
I ordered one but haven't tried it yet.
Here is the link:
Something to consider if you plan to rely on wild plants and animals for food:
In a true, widespread SHTF scenario, when you are out looking for dandelion greens and other edible plants there will be millions of others doing the same thing.
When you are out hunting for birds, squirrels and varmits to cook up there will millions of others with the same idea.
People living alone miles from nowhere probably won’t have a big problem running into scavengers, but people living in suburbs and towns will have a lot of competition for any wild edibles in the local area.
What kind of vehicle do you have? Can you pack out your gear? What have you got to make trades with? Do you have anything to store water? What about purify water. Think about prepping in terms of loss:
Loss of clean air (gas mask / seal up apartment)
Loss of clean water (hand pump water filter)
Loss of clean food (check out emergency essentials)
Loss of electricity / heat / cooking (charcoal, rocket stove, ?)
Loss of fuel / gas (transportation ???)
Loss of access to medical (first aid)
Loss of police protection (sounds like you got that already)
Get a pressure cooker and learn how to can.
If you do a good job, most canned food is good for 10+ years.
walmart has winchester 100 round value packs of 45acp reasonable.