Discussions
Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 9, 2023

I agree with everything you are saying about the need for training, and in many ways that is what is motivating my suggestion of a revolver. Considering the context of this discussion we are having – on a website devoted to preparedness in a thread dedicated to new gun owners – I suspect there are a lot of readers who don’t have the time or capacity to do the type of training you refer to but will still insist on purchasing a handgun. I don’t advocate for this, but I think we both know this happens far more than it should. For that individual, who has never owned or fired a gun in their lives, and doesn’t have the capacity for hundreds of hours training, it is my opinion that a revolver is a simpler and safer gun to learn on. Hopefully they do train, and they do outgrow it, but at least they might not end up in Doctor Tom’s ER. One thing we agree on 100% is that those people likely shouldn’t be gun owners in the first place. Striker fire pistols being more reliable than revolvers is news to me, and conflicts with everything I’ve read or been told over the years. The article linked to above does poke some holes in the revolver’s reliability reputation, but even it seems to come down on the side of agreeing that revolvers are more reliable, just maybe not to the extent their reputation suggests. In my personal experience, I’ve never encountered any problem with a revolver, while I have had more than one jam with my semi-autos. I encourage anyone reading this to do some additional research before deciding what’s best for them. Furthermore, I’d like to encourage you not to refer to elderly women as “grandmas,” that’s just plain disrepectful. It’s this type of attitude that keeps many people away from the gun community, while also pushing others to acquire firearms that are frankly too much for what they are capable of handling. Someone reading this might think “I’m not a grandmom, so I better not get a revolver or people will laugh at me at the range” and then proceed to purchase a firearm they shouldn’t, and then end up in Doctor Tom’s ER room.  This whole discussion has reminded me exactly why I stopped posting in this forum. I wish you all the best.

Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 9, 2023

Did the military include revolvers in these trials? I seriously doubt it, as a revolver would not be the ideal sidearm for a soldier today. This is literally the first time I have ever heard anyone remotely suggest that a semi-automatic pistol is more reliable than a revolver. Please be careful about the information that is being shared here. By no means am I suggesting a revolver is a “better” overall gun than a striker-fired pistol, but if we are strictly speaking of reliability, I believe that 99% of gun experts would agree you can’t beat a revolver. What I think is being overlooked here is the context of this discussion. We’re not talking about “the best hand gun” or “the best sidearm for militiary or law enforcement,” we are talking about the best gun for absolute beginners who are interested in obtaining a gun for reasons of preparedness. In this very thread we have people stating that they don’t plan on shooting the gun more than a couple times a year, one poster even asked about vacum-sealing a gun. The people coming to this website for information about firearms are not ex-military or gun enthusiasts, they are people who have likely never fired a gun in their lives and are interested in purchasing a gun for “just in case” scenarios. It is very important for us to keep that audience in mind. I recently demonstated different handgun platforms to my 75 year old mom, who had not fired a gun since she was a teenager. We started with dry-fire and dummy rounds. She struggled with loading a magazine, struggled with racking, and was terrified at the idea of not being 100% sure whether a round was in the chamber and really struggled with the process of both checking to see if a round was in the chamber and ejecting an unwanted round. Concurrently, she intrinsically understood how a revolver works and pretty much picked up its various functions immediately. At the range, she struggled with recoil accross the board, but found .38 Special no worse than 9mm. So, for any readers here who are decidedly not gun enthusiasts, and who don’t have the time or interest in spending 100s of hours training but still feel compelled to have a handgun for reasons of preparedness, I strongly encourage you to consider the good old-fashioned revolver. It’s not the sexiest, fanciest, or deadliest handgun out there, but it is unquestionably the simplist to understand. Additionally, I want to advocate for the overall idea that the first gun that a beginner purchases need not be the only gun that person ever owns. When you learned to ride a bike, you likely started off with a single-speed bike with coaster breaks. Of course you outgrew it, but just think of how many additional crashes you’d have experienced had you immeditately started out with a 21 speed mountain bike. There are ample reasons to start with a simple platform, and then with time and practice expand to more complex ones.

Reply to: Favorite source for storm warnings? Posted January 8, 2023

This is an issue I’ve put a lot of energy and research into the past few years, and I hate to say it but the best resource that I have found is Twitter. I created a Twitter account in which I only follow regional weather, traffic, and safety related accounts. The National Weather Service has national, regional, and local Twitter accounts that are excellent, as does my state and region offical transportation departments. Due to my location, I also follow several wildfire related accounts.  It takes some time and energy to locate the various accounts for your area, but I have found it significantly better than any news service or weather forecast for up-to-the-minute information. I’ll also throw in the caveat that I hate social media and this in not an endorsement of Twitter overall. But that said, the very finely curated Twitter feed on my mobile device has repeatedly been the fastest source of information for storms, floods, road-closures and power outages.

Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 8, 2023

I’m going to agree with Doctor Tom on this one, with the gentile reminder that he is not replying to the question “what is the best gun” but rather “what is the best gun for beginners.” Glocks and other striker fired guns are excellent guns, I don’t think anyone is debating that, but I agree with Tom that they can be both tricky and intimidating for the beginner shooter who does not have military or LI training and/or access to frequent training opportunities.  “…no other handguns are as ridiculously reliable as striker fired handguns, that’s been proven time and time again…” – can you point me to any of these trials you are referencing? This is the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest a striker-fired handgun is more reliable than a revolver. Again, nothing against striker fired pistols, but in my experience nothing beats the reliability of a good revolver. For what’s it’s worth, IMO, a revolver is the best handgun for new gun owners – maybe not the best gun long term, but it’s an excellent safe and simple platform to learn on. If you are looking to start with a long-gun, my suggestion is a 22LR rifle; there’s an excellent reason why those were likely the first guns our granddads taught us on when we were kids!

Reply to: Dehydrating food at home Posted January 17, 2022
Reply to: Dehydrating food at home Posted January 17, 2022
Dehydrating food at home
11
13
Posted January 16, 2022
Reply to: (Official Discussion) Survival Clothing 101 Posted August 5, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021

Thanks Bill.  The weather in the UK and the Pacific Northwest are similar in may ways, which is exactly why this is such a challenge; nobody, from individuals to government organizations, are prepared to deal with this kind of heat.  That is the horrifying reality of climate change- the infrastructure and systems we’ve built over generations are simply not designed for this, and the update they will need to meet the challenge is staggering.  We had been experimenting with various ice-bucket/cold-water remedies, but we decided to stop once it became clear that our refrigerator/freezer was struggling we pulled back, not wanting to add any additional stress to it by repeatedly cooling and freezing water.  If this fridge makes it through this heatwave it will deserve a medal. I have been periodically dosing the roof with our garden hose, but we’re also in an extreme drought so that too is unsustainable.  It really is a dangerous and miserable situation we are in. 

Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021
Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse
34
15
Posted July 1, 2021
Reply to: What is some bad prepping advice? Posted May 21, 2021

There is a plethora of bad prepping advice circulating around, and in my opinion much of it boils down to too many preppers focusing on, and offering advice for, a zombie-apocalypse style societal collapse while overlooking the far more likely scenarios like natural disasters and such.  Some of the bad advice, or simply overlooked topics in my opinion include: Focusing on guns and ammo at the expense of potentially more important and useful items.  For instance, if you keep a gun by your bed, but not a fire-extinguisher, then you need to re-evaluate how you research and analyse threats. Same if you have a larger stockpile of ammo than you do food and water.  Now I’m not saying guns and ammo are not important, but it’s clear that many use prepping as an excuse to indulge their gun hobby.  The idea to avoid roads in anything other than a war-zone is ludicrous.  Anyone offering that advice has clearly never done much off-trail hiking or trekking.  Walking or riding a bike on an unkept surface is at best exhausting and at worst dangerous.  If your goal is to move your body as fast and as far as possible, then stay on roads and paths unless you honestly fear you may be murdered.   And speaking of bikes, far too many preppers fixate on bug-out-vehicles and fuel storage while completely overlooking bicycles.  While the masses sit in traffic jams or run out of fuel, those with bikes will zip on by.  Corporeal transportation is a neglected topic in the prepping community, in my opinion. Not enough emphasis on physical and mental health, with extra emphasis on mental health because it is clear that the prepping community is rife with folks who struggle with stress and anxiety (obviously all of us do to a degree or we wouldn’t be here!).  While we all know we need to keep a cool head in a time of crisis, we very rarely discuss the challenges of mental health or ways we can care for ourselves and others.

Reply to: Which roads are safest for travel? Posted March 1, 2021

“If you are going by Foot or Bicycle you need to avoid ALL of the primary and secondary roads and where possible go cross country ( route needying reccying again to ensure you dont trespass someplace and get shot) .  it is better to PARALLEL roads rather than walk on them, IE walk parallel to the road about 100 or 200 yards away from it…” I’m sorry but I believe this to be bad advice.  Any thru-hiker or long-distance-runner will tell you that the surface on which you are walking or running plays a significant role in determining how fast and far you can travel.  The differences between concrete, asphalt, dirt, or sod significantly impact speed, distance, and wear and tear on the walker or runner’s body and equipment.  If you throw in unkept/uneven ground with roots, holes, bushes, rocks, and downed trees into the mix, you are now talking about a situation in which you will be moving much more slowly while simultaneously tearing up your equipment and body at a faster rate. For example, in the road-running community, we measure ourselves by the distance we run, knowing the surface is predictably consistent.  In the trail-running community, we measure ourselves by the amount of time we run, understanding that it is the wear-and-tear on one’s body that is the hard limiter.  Hiking and distance-walking are the same- even and smooth surfaces require less mental and physical energy, while uneven and rough surfaces require mental focus and tire you out much more quickly.  Uneven and cluttered surfaces also raise the potential for falls and ankle-sprains, especially if you are carrying a heavy pack. And if you are on a bicycle- on a relatively flat elevation most people of decent athletic prowess could hop on a bike and cover 60+ miles a day- on a paved road.  But 100 yards off that paved road, I suspect most people would be lucky if they could cover 10 miles, assuming they didn’t crash or get a flat tire.  Riding a bike off-road/path is very difficult, and frankly can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.  Unless you have the right equipment and experience, don’t ride your BOB loaded bike off-road if you can help it. Now sure, if you’re in a WAR ZONE or a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, or otherwise find yourself in a situation in which other humans are the main threat, by all means, stay off the road.  But if you are fleeing an earthquake, fire, hurricane, or one of the other far-more-likely disaster scenarios you may be fleeing from on foot or bicycle, stay on the roads and paths and get your body to safety as quickly and efficiently as possible.  

Reply to: Are you seeing more supply chain jankiness? Posted February 21, 2021
Reply to: Preppers and climate change Posted February 19, 2021
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Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 9, 2023

I agree with everything you are saying about the need for training, and in many ways that is what is motivating my suggestion of a revolver. Considering the context of this discussion we are having – on a website devoted to preparedness in a thread dedicated to new gun owners – I suspect there are a lot of readers who don’t have the time or capacity to do the type of training you refer to but will still insist on purchasing a handgun. I don’t advocate for this, but I think we both know this happens far more than it should. For that individual, who has never owned or fired a gun in their lives, and doesn’t have the capacity for hundreds of hours training, it is my opinion that a revolver is a simpler and safer gun to learn on. Hopefully they do train, and they do outgrow it, but at least they might not end up in Doctor Tom’s ER. One thing we agree on 100% is that those people likely shouldn’t be gun owners in the first place. Striker fire pistols being more reliable than revolvers is news to me, and conflicts with everything I’ve read or been told over the years. The article linked to above does poke some holes in the revolver’s reliability reputation, but even it seems to come down on the side of agreeing that revolvers are more reliable, just maybe not to the extent their reputation suggests. In my personal experience, I’ve never encountered any problem with a revolver, while I have had more than one jam with my semi-autos. I encourage anyone reading this to do some additional research before deciding what’s best for them. Furthermore, I’d like to encourage you not to refer to elderly women as “grandmas,” that’s just plain disrepectful. It’s this type of attitude that keeps many people away from the gun community, while also pushing others to acquire firearms that are frankly too much for what they are capable of handling. Someone reading this might think “I’m not a grandmom, so I better not get a revolver or people will laugh at me at the range” and then proceed to purchase a firearm they shouldn’t, and then end up in Doctor Tom’s ER room.  This whole discussion has reminded me exactly why I stopped posting in this forum. I wish you all the best.

Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 9, 2023

Did the military include revolvers in these trials? I seriously doubt it, as a revolver would not be the ideal sidearm for a soldier today. This is literally the first time I have ever heard anyone remotely suggest that a semi-automatic pistol is more reliable than a revolver. Please be careful about the information that is being shared here. By no means am I suggesting a revolver is a “better” overall gun than a striker-fired pistol, but if we are strictly speaking of reliability, I believe that 99% of gun experts would agree you can’t beat a revolver. What I think is being overlooked here is the context of this discussion. We’re not talking about “the best hand gun” or “the best sidearm for militiary or law enforcement,” we are talking about the best gun for absolute beginners who are interested in obtaining a gun for reasons of preparedness. In this very thread we have people stating that they don’t plan on shooting the gun more than a couple times a year, one poster even asked about vacum-sealing a gun. The people coming to this website for information about firearms are not ex-military or gun enthusiasts, they are people who have likely never fired a gun in their lives and are interested in purchasing a gun for “just in case” scenarios. It is very important for us to keep that audience in mind. I recently demonstated different handgun platforms to my 75 year old mom, who had not fired a gun since she was a teenager. We started with dry-fire and dummy rounds. She struggled with loading a magazine, struggled with racking, and was terrified at the idea of not being 100% sure whether a round was in the chamber and really struggled with the process of both checking to see if a round was in the chamber and ejecting an unwanted round. Concurrently, she intrinsically understood how a revolver works and pretty much picked up its various functions immediately. At the range, she struggled with recoil accross the board, but found .38 Special no worse than 9mm. So, for any readers here who are decidedly not gun enthusiasts, and who don’t have the time or interest in spending 100s of hours training but still feel compelled to have a handgun for reasons of preparedness, I strongly encourage you to consider the good old-fashioned revolver. It’s not the sexiest, fanciest, or deadliest handgun out there, but it is unquestionably the simplist to understand. Additionally, I want to advocate for the overall idea that the first gun that a beginner purchases need not be the only gun that person ever owns. When you learned to ride a bike, you likely started off with a single-speed bike with coaster breaks. Of course you outgrew it, but just think of how many additional crashes you’d have experienced had you immeditately started out with a 21 speed mountain bike. There are ample reasons to start with a simple platform, and then with time and practice expand to more complex ones.

Reply to: Favorite source for storm warnings? Posted January 8, 2023

This is an issue I’ve put a lot of energy and research into the past few years, and I hate to say it but the best resource that I have found is Twitter. I created a Twitter account in which I only follow regional weather, traffic, and safety related accounts. The National Weather Service has national, regional, and local Twitter accounts that are excellent, as does my state and region offical transportation departments. Due to my location, I also follow several wildfire related accounts.  It takes some time and energy to locate the various accounts for your area, but I have found it significantly better than any news service or weather forecast for up-to-the-minute information. I’ll also throw in the caveat that I hate social media and this in not an endorsement of Twitter overall. But that said, the very finely curated Twitter feed on my mobile device has repeatedly been the fastest source of information for storms, floods, road-closures and power outages.

Reply to: New gun owners with questions? Posted January 8, 2023

I’m going to agree with Doctor Tom on this one, with the gentile reminder that he is not replying to the question “what is the best gun” but rather “what is the best gun for beginners.” Glocks and other striker fired guns are excellent guns, I don’t think anyone is debating that, but I agree with Tom that they can be both tricky and intimidating for the beginner shooter who does not have military or LI training and/or access to frequent training opportunities.  “…no other handguns are as ridiculously reliable as striker fired handguns, that’s been proven time and time again…” – can you point me to any of these trials you are referencing? This is the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest a striker-fired handgun is more reliable than a revolver. Again, nothing against striker fired pistols, but in my experience nothing beats the reliability of a good revolver. For what’s it’s worth, IMO, a revolver is the best handgun for new gun owners – maybe not the best gun long term, but it’s an excellent safe and simple platform to learn on. If you are looking to start with a long-gun, my suggestion is a 22LR rifle; there’s an excellent reason why those were likely the first guns our granddads taught us on when we were kids!

Reply to: Dehydrating food at home Posted January 17, 2022
Reply to: Dehydrating food at home Posted January 17, 2022
Reply to: (Official Discussion) Survival Clothing 101 Posted August 5, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 6, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021

Thanks Bill.  The weather in the UK and the Pacific Northwest are similar in may ways, which is exactly why this is such a challenge; nobody, from individuals to government organizations, are prepared to deal with this kind of heat.  That is the horrifying reality of climate change- the infrastructure and systems we’ve built over generations are simply not designed for this, and the update they will need to meet the challenge is staggering.  We had been experimenting with various ice-bucket/cold-water remedies, but we decided to stop once it became clear that our refrigerator/freezer was struggling we pulled back, not wanting to add any additional stress to it by repeatedly cooling and freezing water.  If this fridge makes it through this heatwave it will deserve a medal. I have been periodically dosing the roof with our garden hose, but we’re also in an extreme drought so that too is unsustainable.  It really is a dangerous and miserable situation we are in. 

Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021
Reply to: Report from the front lines of the heatwave apocalypse Posted July 2, 2021
Reply to: What is some bad prepping advice? Posted May 21, 2021

There is a plethora of bad prepping advice circulating around, and in my opinion much of it boils down to too many preppers focusing on, and offering advice for, a zombie-apocalypse style societal collapse while overlooking the far more likely scenarios like natural disasters and such.  Some of the bad advice, or simply overlooked topics in my opinion include: Focusing on guns and ammo at the expense of potentially more important and useful items.  For instance, if you keep a gun by your bed, but not a fire-extinguisher, then you need to re-evaluate how you research and analyse threats. Same if you have a larger stockpile of ammo than you do food and water.  Now I’m not saying guns and ammo are not important, but it’s clear that many use prepping as an excuse to indulge their gun hobby.  The idea to avoid roads in anything other than a war-zone is ludicrous.  Anyone offering that advice has clearly never done much off-trail hiking or trekking.  Walking or riding a bike on an unkept surface is at best exhausting and at worst dangerous.  If your goal is to move your body as fast and as far as possible, then stay on roads and paths unless you honestly fear you may be murdered.   And speaking of bikes, far too many preppers fixate on bug-out-vehicles and fuel storage while completely overlooking bicycles.  While the masses sit in traffic jams or run out of fuel, those with bikes will zip on by.  Corporeal transportation is a neglected topic in the prepping community, in my opinion. Not enough emphasis on physical and mental health, with extra emphasis on mental health because it is clear that the prepping community is rife with folks who struggle with stress and anxiety (obviously all of us do to a degree or we wouldn’t be here!).  While we all know we need to keep a cool head in a time of crisis, we very rarely discuss the challenges of mental health or ways we can care for ourselves and others.

Reply to: Which roads are safest for travel? Posted March 1, 2021

“If you are going by Foot or Bicycle you need to avoid ALL of the primary and secondary roads and where possible go cross country ( route needying reccying again to ensure you dont trespass someplace and get shot) .  it is better to PARALLEL roads rather than walk on them, IE walk parallel to the road about 100 or 200 yards away from it…” I’m sorry but I believe this to be bad advice.  Any thru-hiker or long-distance-runner will tell you that the surface on which you are walking or running plays a significant role in determining how fast and far you can travel.  The differences between concrete, asphalt, dirt, or sod significantly impact speed, distance, and wear and tear on the walker or runner’s body and equipment.  If you throw in unkept/uneven ground with roots, holes, bushes, rocks, and downed trees into the mix, you are now talking about a situation in which you will be moving much more slowly while simultaneously tearing up your equipment and body at a faster rate. For example, in the road-running community, we measure ourselves by the distance we run, knowing the surface is predictably consistent.  In the trail-running community, we measure ourselves by the amount of time we run, understanding that it is the wear-and-tear on one’s body that is the hard limiter.  Hiking and distance-walking are the same- even and smooth surfaces require less mental and physical energy, while uneven and rough surfaces require mental focus and tire you out much more quickly.  Uneven and cluttered surfaces also raise the potential for falls and ankle-sprains, especially if you are carrying a heavy pack. And if you are on a bicycle- on a relatively flat elevation most people of decent athletic prowess could hop on a bike and cover 60+ miles a day- on a paved road.  But 100 yards off that paved road, I suspect most people would be lucky if they could cover 10 miles, assuming they didn’t crash or get a flat tire.  Riding a bike off-road/path is very difficult, and frankly can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.  Unless you have the right equipment and experience, don’t ride your BOB loaded bike off-road if you can help it. Now sure, if you’re in a WAR ZONE or a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, or otherwise find yourself in a situation in which other humans are the main threat, by all means, stay off the road.  But if you are fleeing an earthquake, fire, hurricane, or one of the other far-more-likely disaster scenarios you may be fleeing from on foot or bicycle, stay on the roads and paths and get your body to safety as quickly and efficiently as possible.  

Reply to: Are you seeing more supply chain jankiness? Posted February 21, 2021
Reply to: Preppers and climate change Posted February 19, 2021
Reply to: I had to pepper spray a couple of dogs. Here’s how that went Posted February 19, 2021
Reply to: Crampons (ice traction for your feet) Posted February 19, 2021
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