Category Archives: Survival Skills

Rob Pincus on Shooting From Seated Positions

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The good survivalist shouldn’t really be getting into shoot outs, although some violent confrontations may be avoidable post TEOTWAWKI. The truth is that most so-called survivalists will spend more time and money of firearms and gunfighting training than they will on food storage and learning what wild edibles will can be harvested in their areas. This creates the Survivalist Paradox, as I like to call it. When all these supposed survivalists run out of food they will fall back on what they “know” (shooting people) to try to get a hold of the food you’ve worked so hard to learn how to procure. Ergo we survivalists end up having to train not just in the essential skills (farming, trapping, hunting, building, nursing etc) but in the mall ninja dominated arts of “combat” shooting, counter sniping and small unit tactics.

I have never been in a gunfight per se but I have had guns pulled on me several times and had a guy empty a clip at me one late night in Newark, New Jersey. I will no doubt scandalize the legions of Internet pistoleros when I say that with my limited experience being on the wrong end of guns I find Shooting to Live by Fairbairn and Sykes to be the most realistic tome on gun play by badmen. Of course, my experiences are from living in a crime ridden inner city so Shooting to Live (written based on the authors service in 1930s Shanghai which put the worst American ghettos to shame in terms of criminality) speaks to my personal observations of how these things unfold. I know nothing of full on force on force conflict and thus cannot recommend any trainer or material.

I will relate a story however I read about Wild Bill Hickok that I read reprinted in an old outdoor magazine. Buffalo Bill Cody once told a reporter that Hickok actually wasn’t a particularly fast draw, but that if he thought would have to shoot you he simply did it before the other party had even decided whether or not there would be trouble. Learning to recognize the intentions of others, and acting on those intentions rather than re-acting to actions may be the best advice for post-TEOTWAWKI gunfighters to think on.

Here Rob Pincus from Personal Defense Network runs through the mechanics of how to engage a aggressor with your firearm when you’re seated. Books and videos don’t replicate training, but if you’re surfing the web in the middle of the day or night chances are you don’t have a few hundred to slap down to take a course so this is better than nothing:

Primitive Predator Trap

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Living history guru Le Loup has a great video on snaring predators that may come in handy for TEOTWAWKI situations. Many states don’t allow snaring of fur bearers so check your local laws but should there be a situation when you’re on your own and feral dogs and cats, coyotes, wolves and even larger animals become a problem this set up should help eliminate them.

Fur prices are actually pretty depressed though there is still money to be made in furs, albeit not enough to support a family but for some it’s a fine part time gig that can put a little extra money in the bank. The new issue of Fur-Fish-Game predicts wolf, fox and bobcat pelts to be moving at decent prices … if you can find a buyer. Some pelts aren’t selling at all as fur buyers are stuck with supplies that have been difficult to move.

After a civilization altering event though that will change and furs, needed for warm clothing, will again be very valuable. Learning the basics of trapping and preparing skins is not the worst way to spend your time. This trap uses a snare as a leg hold which is not legal in any state, but will preserve the catch if you’re running a long line after peak oil for example.

Part I:

Part II:

Left Wing Icon Ted Rall Writes Book Calling for Violent Marxist Overthrow of America

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And Liberals are ecstatically embracing it. Have you stocked up on ammunition yet? Read through Rall’s new book The Anti-American Manifesto and you’ll see why I have.

Here’s a review in the Washington Post’s Express which sums up the reaction of the Left:

So what is Rall proposing? A complete overhaul, which he details in “The Anti-American Manifesto.” (He’ll discuss the book on Sept. 27 at Busboys and Poets’ 14th Street location.) Mismanagement has left the U.S. teetering on collapse, he argues, and only with an out-and-out revolution will citizens be able to reclaim the country. And the left-wing has to do it before the right-wing does.

I started thinking, ‘OK, someone’s gotta say this,’ but these are dangerous thoughts. … They may even be illegal, they may even get you thrown in prison,” says Rall. “You keep waiting for someone else to do it, but if you have any integrity, you start thinking to yourself, ‘I can’t wait for someone else to say what needs to be said.’ So this is probably the most radical book written in the last 40 years.”

It may sound over the top, but that’s the point. Rall, who trashed two previous drafts for the book because they weren’t as direct as he wanted, is certain people are angry enough to seriously consider taking action against the U.S. government. “What I’m really trying to do is empower them to think of these ideas as legitimate,” Rall said. “We’ve been propagandized into thinking something like revolution and overthrowing the state only takes place in Poland and Senegal, but why not here?”

The left is realizing the country doesn’t want to Sovietize and their sending out their fringe elements to whip up violence, just in time for the drubbing Democrats will be taking in the polls. Prepare for violence in this country after the elections as Marxists like Rall whip the left into a frenzy.

h/t Newsbusters

The Scoutdog Shelter

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Grimbo of Wolf Bushcraft posted this video of a nice, quick shelter that can be set up on the run with minimal tools and a low profile. All you “I’m going to bug out when SHTF” types should learn how to make these in case that 4×4 of your is disabled. It’s also useful for scouting trips where you may not want to make your presence or trail easy to detect, such as may be the case in a financial collapse when many of you will take to survival poaching and the illegal harvesting of edibles on state owned property to feed your families.

No judgments from me; as a young man I did my share of “urban exploring” just for fun so don’t expect a lecture from me on the evils of poaching the king’s geese when the king has collapsed the dollar. Post-TEOTWAWKI (and not a second before, breaking laws for no reason is self-defeating and morally wrong) I’ll be right there with you using a bait net to trap any fish that can fit down my gullet and won’t be too worried about DNR regulations and the like.

Enjoy:

h/t Ghost of the Woods

Modern Day Gunfighter Lance Thomas

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By “modern day” I mean about 10-15 years ago, but Thomas was and is the real deal. The watchmaker survived four shootouts in his L.A. store and killed several of his assailants. His secret is simple. He practices a lot and thought realistically about what sort of threats he would face and made plans on how to deal with them. Given the predisposition for many modern survivalists to buy AKs and train in jungle fighting even though they live in suburbs I thought this would video would help them learn how to really prepare for a break down in law and order: