Are you prepared?

[ngakpa]

I'm no expert on these things, though many years ago I met an incredible old guy called Robert Hart

He was a good 80 years old at the time, still spry and energetic
http://www.risc.org.uk/garden/roberthart.html
he pioneered a system of gardening he called "Forest Gardening" which I will be using when I set up my own self-sufficient system

it draws on many overlooked traditional techniques used in South America and Southern Asia (eg Kerala), though Robert was working at 53 degrees North in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, UK

http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/forgndg.html


I can't recommend enough that people who are interested in becoming self-sufficent check out his work, it's quite incredible what he was able to achieve, and it becomes more relevant with every passing day

he was a pioneer and a true inspiration, and way, way ahead of his time
here is another tribute, with photos
http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/forestgarden/
wiki also has a page, of course

another great inspiration in the sustainability movement is Herbert Giradet
here is a brief intro
http://www.underthesky.org.uk/who_hg.html

 

[NserUame]

That Hart guy has a good idea, however most of the plants and trees that would work at higher latitudes take many years until they're at the fruiting age. However once everything is of the right age you have a good variety of healthy food that can sustain you indeffinently. Not to mention deer love apple orchards, it sounds cruel but when I go hunting I scour the apple fields I know of (on land where I have permission). Of course if you have crops on the ground nearby this blessing can quickly turn sour.

On the subject of hunting which round do you think would be most efficient? I'm leaning towards the 45-70. There are many great rifles chambered for it and there are a few revolvers chambered for this round making it versatile. It was so effective at taking down buffalo it nearly wiped them out, so you know it's good on big game.

 

[vonforne]

Are you working on ways to fertilize everything that you grow. Like finding all the right nutrients on hand.

And what healing herbs are in that area?

 

[tngreen]

this very subject has been on my mind a lot lately and will be doing a lot more research. ive always thought being self-sufficient is the way to be but they way ive grown up, its very hard to imagine. thanks for makin me realize it isnt that far fetched at all!

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

On the subject of hunting which round do you think would be most efficient? I'm leaning towards the 45-70. There are many great rifles chambered for it and there are a few revolvers chambered for this round making it versatile. It was so effective at taking down buffalo it nearly wiped them out, so you know it's good on big game.

Hey there! 45-70 is a good big game round, and would be a efficent killer on large game like Moose, Elk, and Bear, but I believe it would be overpowered and there for slightly inefficent for use on Deer, but still it would get the job done.

Revolvers chambered in 45-70 are purely for novelty purposes, if you ever shot 45-70 out of a Rifle, I'm sure the recoil would scare your wrists from shooting it from hand gun, its just way to powerfull!

I'd only get the 45-70 if I lived in a area with Moose, for Elk and deer a .308 30-06 or .270 should be more than enough, plus the ammo is lots cheeper.

A good rifle to look at is the New England firearms Handi-rifle, it is a single shot rifle that retails for around $200 US. Its made in a variety of calibers, but some versions of it can use interchangable barrels in a variety of calibers, including: 45-70, 30-30(a very good short range Deer round), .223, .357mag, .44mag, 12 and 20 gauge shotgun, plus many others.
This mean you could buy one in 45-70 for big game, and if you decide to go after Deer you can change that barrel out for the 30-30 barrel, and if Turkey or Goose is on the menu you can put in a 12 gauge barrel.

 

[NOKUY]

excellent advice backountry! I'm gonna check out that rifle you mentioned myself.

my fav. hunting rifle is my Remington700

I prefer a 30-06 for almost all game, and 22-250 is my alltime fav. all around

the ONLY things I dislike about the rem700 is its lack of iron sights, and hollow butt.

I was figuring on picking up a "Savage 110" which was my fav. before the rem700, but I hadent heard of that handi-rifle....i'm gonna check that out

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Have you looked at the Stainless Ruger M77s? I have one in .223(it drives tacks!), but I'm wanting one in .308. I need to see if they make a version with their famous built in scope mounts and Iron sites, that would be a sweet work horse!

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Damn! Why don't rifle come with sights anymore?

 

[NOKUY]

I'm a big ruger fan and have shot the ruger77 many times and love it! I have several other rugers too. but not a 77. It would def. be in my top 3. (the .223 is such a fun round too)

how much does the .223 cost new?

when I bought my rem700 I paid $699 and was given a ration of shit from many many people for it. I def. think it's worth that tho....plus they threw in a free bushnell elite scope.

 

[NOKUY]

Damn! Why don't rifle come with sights anymore?

I find that odd too

 

[genkisan]

Gimme a really good crossbow anyday.....

Silent, just as deadly as a rifle, and I can make my own ammo.

 

[Guest]

Yep, Ruger is my steel of choice as well.

1-Ruger pre-ban P89 9mm
2-Ruger Mini-14 (.223) with all of the hardware. Lets just say it doesn't look civilian anymore.
3-Ruger Mark V .45-70 govt. breech loader. This gun knocks the dog-shit outta me everytime.
4- Ruger Model 77 .30-06 "Ol' meat in the pot"
5-Ruger single-six .22 revolver. A gift from my Dad
6-Ruger 10/22 semi-auto .22 rifle. So accurate I can knock the asshole out of a gnat at 50yds.
Yep, I'm ready. I used to have the M77 .300 mag but I traded it for pot like a dumbass.

 

[genkisan]

Gimmea good crossbow fer everyday use, an Anschutz Model 2013 .22 fer accurate fun and killing rabid animals, and an H+H 375 mag fer heavy use.

Oh yeah...can't ferget the .50 BMG sniper rifle with a necked down chamber to fit .30 cal....so I could use the .50 BMG casing to make the ultimate high velocity round..like a 220 Swift on steroids.

The necked down .30/.50 BMG I'd use for long range selective pumpkin breeding.....every ear, when the punkins is ripe, ya'll git yer buddies to the shootin' shack fer a punkin' killin' party...yer punkin patch is 1-2 KM away, and you only shoot the biggest ones.....the seeds thorwn everywhere by the impact and explodin' punkin make sure they get seeded fer the next year. That way yer punkin patch always gits bigger punkins.

I'd make my own lead free frangible rounds, leave the blasted punkin bits fer the animals to eat, and give the unblasted smaller punkins to charity....and have the most fun every fall, planting and selectivly breeding punkins at long range with a giant benchrest rifle from hell....

 

[NOKUY]

I thought I'd post a bit of info regarding firearm selection.

I know for most people who dont hunt or shoot that talk of different callibers and cartridges is like a foreign language.

For some people they guns are sporting equipment like a Spaulding racquet or a Big Bertha golf club, and for others they are objets d’art like Patek-Phillipe wristwatches or Waterford crystal. For most of us, though, they are tools.


And, very definitely, power tools. Remote control drills, with the width and depth of the hole adjusted by the choice of bore size and ammunition. Tools of survival, in many ways.

Countless working ranchers have used guns to save their lives from stock animals gone rogue. The legendary Elmer Keith was an early 20th century cattleman when a bronc went wild, and Keith would have been dragged to death with his foot caught in the stirrup if he hadn’t been able to unholster the single action Colt revolver he carried and fire upward, killing the animal and saving his life. On another day, a fast draw with his ranch revolver saved him from being bitten by a rattlesnake.

More commonly, the “survival” element involves food. The high powered rifle in the pickup, the .22 or shotgun on the tractor, or that holstered handgun can turn a random sighting of a meat animal on the property into food on the table. It can also eradicate the fox that raids the henhouse, the coyote that has been stalking the family cats, or the wolf that is licking its chops for the newly-birthed lamb. Not to mention keeping the bounty of the produce garden for the family’s bellies instead of those of the varmints.


…and folding stock, which makes the gun much more compact for readily accessible storage…


There is also the protection factor. An Alaskan backwoodsman, about to be mauled by a huge brown bear, kills it with his Ruger .357 Magnum revolver. Fishing in the same state, a sportsman and his partner are attacked by a great bruin. The shaken partner fumbles and drops his slug-loaded 12 gauge shotgun in the water, but the first man empties a 16 shot Taurus 9mm semiautomatic pistol into the huge ursine head, killing the beast and saving two human lives. In the lower 48, a game ranger’s Smith & Wesson .357 kills a mountain lion poised to spring on him, and a young boy’s .22 rifle stops a maddened dog from ripping his baby sister apart. Camping in the wilderness, a man is set upon by a gang of thugs who must have thought “Deliverance” was a training film. But, the camper has a Ruger Mini-14 .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle with him, and this leads to an acceptable outcome.

There are different tools for different jobs. Durability is an important factor in selection, of course, but so is power level. So is portability. And so is ease of use, in the hands of every dweller in that particular backwoods home who may need to use that particular tool.


Shotguns

The smoothbore musket was the weapon of the Pilgrims, and the “blunderbuss” remains an icon of Thanksgiving imagery as a result. Historians tell us that when the wagon trains bore the pioneers westward in the 19th Century, each Conestoga wagon was more likely to bear a “scattergun” than a rifle. The shotgun has the longest and richest history of any American firearm, and it remains a cornerstone of the backwoods home gun rack. In many farm households, the shotgun is the only firearm the family finds necessary.

Supremely versatile, the shotgun can fire birdshot to capture the fowl of the air and rabbits and squirrels, or single-projectile slug loads for the beasts of the field, accurate enough to slay the deer and powerful enough to kill the marauding bear. The 20-gauge is ample for most needs, but the more powerful 12-gauge is more versatile, and is by far the most popular choice among farmers and homesteaders. The shotgun is a useful tool in all its forms, but the two most commonly seen as heavy-duty working guns are the single-barrel and the slide-action.

Simple, rugged, and cheap, single-shot break-open shotguns remain popular as rural working guns.

The single-shot break open shotgun is cheap and easy to manufacture in a sturdy and functional form. The Harrington & Richardson seems to be the most popular brand, one rich in history as a workingman’s gun, but there are many others on the market, all very affordable. Very safe to handle in that it can be kept unloaded, then quickly “broken” open and a shell inserted into its barrel, the “single” demands careful one-shot, one-kill discipline since it will take so long to reload a follow-up round if the first shotgun blast does not accomplish the necessary task.

The slide-action repeater, with several shells in the tubular magazine beneath its barrel, is more forgiving of error in aim, and altogether more practical when
This old Mossberg .22 rifle has served generations as a farm rifle for work and recreational needs.

there might be multiple targets or one determined creature which must be shot multiple times. The most affordable of the sophisticated shotguns, this “pump gun” is also the most rugged and the least demanding of maintenance, and hence particularly well suited to the rough working “life” of a tool on a farm or a ranch. it has crushing power at close range, and the accuracy of a Kalashnikov battle rifle out to 100 yards, a perfect range of versatility for my particular needs.


Rifles
I would venture to guess that the humble .22 is the most popular of backwoods home rifles. It’s the right size for the varmints who plague the vegetable garden, and the right size for stewpot rabbits and squirrels.
Properly cared for, today’s working firearms become tomorrow’s precious heirlooms.

When butchering livestock, it’s powerful enough to slaughter instantly and humanely with a brain shot placed with surgical precision at very close range. Trappers like .22s for humanely euthanizing captured animals, because they make only a tiny hole in the pelt. The ammunition is cheap, the sound of the shot is soft, and recoil is nonexistent, all of which encourage shooting practice, which is a helluva lot of fun and hugely practical when you live in the boondocks.

The typical .22 farm rifle may be an old Mossberg, a fine vintage Remington or Winchester, the ubiquitous Marlin, or the hugely popular modern Ruger 10/22, or any of several others. It may be bolt action or lever action, slide action or semiautomatic. It will, however, be too light in power to handle large creatures efficiently, particularly under the widely varying conditions of the real world, which can make accurate shot placement difficult.

Lever action .30/30s like the Marlin Model 336 have served as working rifles in millions of backwoods homes.

In the larger caliber guns, the .30/30 is probably the most popular every-day “working rifle” of the hinterlands, and has been so since its introduction in the late 19th century. Flat in silhouette and usually weighing under seven pounds, your classic .30/30s, like the Winchester Model 94 and the Marlin Model 336, are easy to carry and easy to scabbard alongside your horse, your ATV, your tractor, or even your snowmobile. Millions of both have been produced. Their “cowboy style” lever action design allows efficiently fast shooting, and is evocative of a classic time in rural American history.

Often overlooked but uniquely suitable for use as a heavy-duty farm tool is the surplus military rifle, particularly the bolt action guns of WWII and even WWI vintage. Designed to work in the mud of the trenches and the sands of Pacific islands, and to function even when there is no time to clean or lubricate them, these guns were built to be dropped and kicked around and keep on working and shooting straight. The ugly full-length wooden stocks and upper wooden handguard of the typical military rifle was there to protect its barrel.

Among the best are the classic Springfield (‘03) and American Enfield (P-14 and P-17); among the best and most affordable are the Mauser and the British Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE). The Springfield and the P-17 fire America’s most loved hunting rifle cartridge, the .30/06; the P-14 and the SMLEs are chambered for the .303 British round, still popular among Canadian hunters. The Mausers can be had in a variety of calibers, perhaps the most useful being the 7mm Mauser, aka 7X57. This load is great for deer, and with its long, narrow 175 grain soft nose hunting bullet offers enough penetration to be adequate for moose and black bear, yet its soft recoil reminds you more of a .30/30.

It used to be in vogue to “sporterize” these old guns with lighter, sleeker stocks, more modern sights, and so on. But that was in a time when a commercially made Winchester or Marlin .30/30 cost about $70, and a Winchester Model 70 maybe a C-note or a little more, but the surplus bolt guns went for $25 to $30 each in good condition. Today, you’re looking at about $250 for one of the more usefully sized surplus bolt actions, such as the Enfield Jungle Carbine or the short Spanish Mauser 7mm carbine, which is the same or a little more than a used .30/30 in the same condition. The economic advantage of the surplus rifle has been lost, though its rugged durability under the most extreme conditions remains.

British military surplus SMLE Jungle Carbine is a heavy-duty working rifle for backwoods home needs.

In semiautomatics, the military style guns tend to be a bit too clumsy in the large caliber range, but that’s also true of the bolt actions. Also, any military-style semi-auto will tend to be expensive, and you have to remember that in most states, the game laws prohibit hunting with any semiautomatic rifle having a greater than five-cartridge magazine capacity. They’re also pretty expensive. For farm work as opposed to hunting, the most logical choice in terms of both economy and functionality is the SKS, in surplus or newly manufactured form. Still available for under $200 if you shop carefully, they fire the 7.62X39 mm military cartridge of the AK47. With soft nose hunting ammunition, this cartridge gives you practical ballistics that can best be described as “.30/30 Lite.”


Handguns
As with rifles, the .22 is particularly popular and particularly useful for rural home and farm handgun needs. Semiautomatic pistols like the Ruger or the old, classic, and aptly named Colt Woodsman, are popular choices. However, a revolver will give you more versatility. The auto will cycle only with conventional .22 Long Rifle ammunition. With the revolver you can use mild .22 Shorts or even lighter .22 BB and CB caps to shoot mice and pest birds in the barn without tearing up the walls and floors too badly; you can use .22 “ratshot” loads for close up, reactive shooting at snakes; and of course, you have the full range of .22 Long Rifle options. At my current backwoods digs, the handgun that gets the most use is a Smith & Wesson K-22 target revolver. On rainy days, I can sit under the porch roof and plink at a little steel Birchwood-Casey target set against the range backstop 50 yards away. The .22 will do nicely for that damn possum that tore up the neighbor’s cat, and similar chores. If you think you’re a good enough a marksman, the .22 handgun is an extremely sporting tool for hunting rabbits and squirrels.

Ruger SP101 is a great choice for an easily concealable, powerful handgun for all-the-time carry.

The .22 is generally considered too light for defensive use against dangerous animals, whether they approach you on two legs or four. A .38 Special revolver or 9mm pistol is generally considered to be the minimum power floor for defensive handguns. Where is the handgun’s place on the working farm’s gun rack? The answer is, its place is not on the rack at all. It’s called a “sidearm” because its place is at your side. Lacking the range and easily delivered marksmanship of a shoulder gun, the handgun is “the emergency reaction tool that is always there.” My friend Clint Smith, Vietnam combat vet and ex-SWAT cop, founded the famous Thunder Ranch training school in Texas and the new School of Arms in Oregon. He’s famous for explaining, “The handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the shotgun or rifle you shouldn’t have left behind in the first place.” Words to live by, especially when you’re extremely remote from assistance from cops and game wardens.

Choice of handgun? In a semiautomatic, as with a rifle, it makes sense to pick a military design expressly created to endure the rigors of heavy duty with minimal maintenance. The Beretta 92 9mm, known as the M9/M10 in American military circles, is a good example. Much more popular, however, is the GI pistol the Beretta replaced, the 1911 .45, which is more powerful and therefore much more suitable for shooting larger creatures. The single action Frontier style revolver is the traditional weapon of the movie cowboy, and is in fact seen in abundance among today’s working cowboys, but I have to say that I’ve seen more carrying modern double action Magnum revolvers, and even more with .45 automatics in their pickup trucks or at their sides.

The Glock pistol should be strongly considered for this application. No semiautomatic is less demanding in terms of maintenance and lubrication. That is, they work well even if they’ve unavoidably become dirty. The Glock 21 .45 is big but light and very accurate; the Glock 30 .45 is much smaller, still very light and very accurate. For shooting large animals, though, the 10mm Glock’s greater penetration with full power ammo makes it a better choice. The big Glock 20 in this caliber was the backwoods choice of gun expert Chuck Karwan, who determined that with all 15 rounds in its pre-ban magazine and a 16th in its firing chamber, it carried more potential foot-pounds of energy on board when fully loaded than any Magnum revolver. Paco Kelly, an experienced street cop and highly accomplished handgun hunter, has had good luck in the latter pursuit with the compact, 11-shot Glock 29, which is to the larger 10mm as the Glock 30 is to the Glock 21 in .45s. If you want something a little smaller, Glock’s standard frame guns are made in compact and subcompact sizes in 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, or .357 SIG. A subcompact Glock 27 in .40 or Glock 33 in .357 will approximate the power level of a .357 Magnum revolver if you choose the right ammo, and will be the same size “package” to carry as a small frame Magnum, but with lighter weight and ten shot cartridge capacity instead of five or six. A friend of mine in the South had his Glock 27 on when an alligator approached his small rowboat; he put a .40 slug in the critter’s head, and it thrashed into a death roll and sank beneath the surface before it could reach the boat.

If wearing a gun visibly on the property is not in keeping with your family values, lifestyle, or local social conventions, you might want something smaller for all day wear with discreet concealment. A small .357 Magnum revolver is the ticket here. Rossi, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Taurus all produce short barrel, five shot .357s which are suitable for this application. My own choice in this category, hands down, would be the Ruger SP101 with two and a quarter inch barrel, loaded with 125 grain hollow point .357 Magnum ammo. The little Ruger snubby is as accurate at 25 yards as a much larger service revolver, and is by far the most rugged of the small frame .357s, as well as the most comfortable to shoot.

Suitable for all-the-time carry, the light and compact baby Glock is available in powerful calibers like .40 S&W. One of the author’s friends used a little .40 cal. Glock 27 like this one to stop an attacking ‘gator with one shot.

If concealment is not a factor, my choice for all day wear on the belt if a powerful handgun was needed would be a .44 Magnum. The recoil is notoriously vicious, but if you’ve paid your dues in training and practice, there is no more practical high-powered handgun for all day carry, whether you’re talking dangerous game or large farm animals that turn ugly on you.


General advice
Backwoods life, whether on the farm or in the woods, can be hard. Hard on the people, hard on the clothing, and hard on the equipment. That’s why a true backwoodsman’s pants are more likely to wear the Carharrt label than Tommy Hilfiger or Gucci. It’s also why the backwoods firearm needs to be a rugged, heavy-duty design.

You don’t want a gun that requires constant maintenance. At the same time, you always want to take care of your tools. That goes double for tools whose mission can include emergency rescue, which is definitely the job description of backwoods household firearms. Wipe them down regularly, and lubricate your autoloading guns monthly, even if they haven’t been fired. A semiautomatic’s parts have long bearing surfaces, and won’t work well if not lubricated. Lubricant is generally liquid: it can evaporate or drain out of the gun, irrespective of whether it is actually fired.

Firearms are the ultimate durable consumer goods. Many people get pleasure from hunting and shooting with their parents’ or grandparents’ guns. Few of us use Dad’s old clothes washer or drive Grandpa’s old car. The maintenance you give your firearms will preserve them for generations to come, who will cherish these functional heirlooms.

Don’t neglect safe storage issues. The gun wants to be where you can reach it immediately, but unauthorized persons cannot reach it and activate it at all.

It ain’t easy. It’s about being responsible. But, hey, if you weren’t into that, you wouldn’t be into backwoods living.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

nokuy! Great informative post! I don't like posting alot about the guns I posess online, but here is my ideal line up-

.22 rifle- Ruger 10/22 or 77/22
This rifle is great for small game like Rabbits and such, but a good shot can take down Deer with a bullet that costs a few cents. Cheep cost of ammo allows for lots of practice, and lots of stockpiling. A good shot with a large supply of ammo could supply meat for his camp for a lifetime, fo a few hundred dollars.

12 gauge shotgun-Mossburg 870 with interchangable 18" "riot" barrel and 28" modified choke barrel
Many people reconize the six shooter as the weapon that "won the west", but in truth the shotgun was the pioneer homesteders choice. A very versitile weapon, it can be used to hunt a variety of game, and is a most effective home defense weapon, everyone reconizes the racking sound of a 12 gauge pump.

.308 Bolt action-Stainless Ruger M77 or Savage 110, for large game and area defence
High powered rifles are very effective in taking large game.

.357 Full sized Double action Revolver, Ruger or S&W, for self defence
According to FBI studies, the .357 magnum has the highest one shot stop record of all police service rounds. The double action revolver is also a good choice for those who need to use ammo that may be weather damaged, if you have a misfire, simply hit the trigger again for a fresh round, no reracking of a slide needed.

.223 AR-15 or Ruger Mini-14, for area defence
To protect my Potatoes from scumbags.

 

[NOKUY]

yep that would be an excellent lineup "backcountry" def. not too much or too little

I think I would add genkisans crossbow to the lineup to...just in case I needed a "silent option" (ya never know)

I've done lots of bow hunting (compound and longbow), but never shot a crossbow.

 

[NOKUY]

"genkisan" your pumpkin blastin scenario would be a blast! no doubt.

I love shootin the big .50 cals. to bad the cost of ammo will drain a large bank account very quickly. But the fun factor is thru the roof. (reloading capabilities def. help there)

I've had some fun w/ an SKS .50 but we only had 200 rounds for 10 people and no pumpkins.

 

[NOKUY]

ok to change the topic up a bit I thought I'd throw out some thougts on food storage.

If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be as easy as to achieve as many people think, because the facts are that most people make serious errors when storing food—errors that will come back to haunt them when the food they’ve stored is the only thing that stands between them and their empty, dissatisfied, bellies.

There are seven common mistakes people make when storing food. They are:


1. Variety
Most people don’t have enough variety in their storage. 95% of the people I’ve worked with have only stored four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statistics show most of us won’t survive on such a diet for several reasons. a) Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. b) Wheat is too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their main staple. c) We get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer to not eat, then to sample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible to it. Store less wheat than is generally suggested and put the difference into a variety of other grains, particularly ones your family likes to eat. Also store a variety of beans, as this will add color, texture, and flavor. Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion.

Also, include a good supply of the spices you like to cook with. These flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited. One of the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage cookbook, go through it, and see what your family would really eat. Notice the ingredients as you do it. This will help you more than anything else to know what items to store.



2. Extended staples
Never put all your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home canned and “store bought” canned goods. Make sure you add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast, and powdered eggs. You can’t cook even the most basic recipes without these items.


3. Vitamins
Vitamins are important, especially if you have children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. A good quality multi-vitamin and vitamin C are the most vital. Others might be added as your budget permits.

4. Quick and easy and “psychological foods”
Quick and easy foods help you through times when you are psychologically or physically unable to prepare your basic storage items. “No cook” foods such as freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation, MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), such as many preparedness outlets carry, canned goods, etc. are also very good. “Psychological foods” are the goodies—Jello, pudding, candy, etc.—you should add to your storage. These may sound frivolous, but through the years I've talked with many people who have lived entirely on their storage for extended periods of time. Nearly all of them say these were the most helpful items in their storage to “normalize” their situations and make it more bearable. These are especially important if you have children.


5. Balance
Time and time again I’ve seen families buy all of their wheat, then buy all of another item and so on. Don’t do that. It’s important to keep well-balanced as you build your storage. Buy several items, rather than a large quantity of one item. If something happens and you have to live on your present storage, you’ll fare much better having a one month supply of a variety of items than a year’s supply of two or three items.


6. Containers
Always store your bulk foods in food storage containers. I have seen literally tons and tons of food thrown away because they were left in sacks, where they became highly susceptible to moisture, insects, and rodents. If you are using plastic buckets make sure they are lined with a food grade plastic liner available from companies that carry packaging supplies. Never use trash can liners as these are treated with pesticides. Don’t stack them too high. In an earthquake they may topple, the lids pop open, or they may crack. A better container is the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods.


7. Use your storage
one of the biggest problems I’ve seen is people storing food and not knowing what to do with it. It’s vital that you and your family become familiar with the things you are storing. You need to know how to prepare these foods. This is not something you want to have to learn under stress. Your family needs to be used to eating these foods. A stressful period is not a good time to totally change your diet. Get a good food storage cookbook and learn to use these foods! It’s better to find out the mistakes you’ll make now while there’s still time to make corrections.

It’s easy to take basic food storage and add the essentials that make it tasty, and it needs to be done. There is a good cookbook out called "Cooking with Home Storage"

It is fascinating to discover what the pioneers ate compared to the types of things we store. If you have stored only the basics, there’s very little you can do with it. By adding even just a few things, it greatly increases your options, and the prospect of your family surviving on it. As I studied how the pioneers lived and ate, my whole feeling for food storage changed. I realized our storage is what most of the world has always lived on. If it’s put together the right way we are returning to good basic food with a few goodies thrown in.

 

[NserUame]

Backcountry, I'll admit most people buy large chambered revolvers for novelty purposes. However if you've ever handled big bore handguns then you'll know their power is overrated. A 45-70 will kick less than a .454 cassul, those of you in Alaska are probably very familiar (if not comfortable) with this round. A pistol is a poor weapon in terms of hunting, it's purpose in my mind is a last resort, you may not get more than one shot. As to the deer issue, I'd agree your small 110lb whitetail (smalliest I've bagged) will be a 'mess' with a full load cartridge however if you load your own you can tame it down significantly. However when you encounter a bear or a moose you'll appreciate the extra oomph.

I'll admit it is overkill for anything smaller than a deer however anything smaller than a deer would ideally be caught in a snare anyways. I find animals like rabbits to be irksome to hunt, much easier to trap I find. As cruel as it sounds you don't need a gun to kill a trapped animal.

The Handy rifles are awesome. Being able to change from a rifle to a shotgun is incredily useful, however as it has been mentioned in this thread in such an event you may have to use your firearm against would be human assailents. I like to think I'm a decent shot, and having never been in a gun fight perhaps my thinking is off however...I want to be able to unload a couple rounds before having to reload.


I don't think anyone has mentioned fishing. If you live near some streams or rivers leaving some lines in the water overnight almost guarantees a nice fish breakfast. In an ideal self sufficient system you won't have to go out hunting more than a few times a year, the rest comes to you.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Naaa, a 45-70 will kick more than a .454 Cassul in the same bullet weight, 45-70 loads run 200-300 feet per second faster on average.

I'd carry a .454 or .480 Ruger if I lived in Grizzly country, the 45-70 would not be size efficent for a handgun due to the case length.

You can however use the same bullets for both .454 and 45-70 in reloading, that may be a better strategy.