The Shotgun and My Reasons Why You Need One

The shotgun is probably the most versatile firearm that you can own and I believe that every prepper needs to have at least one in their home armory.

Now I know that there are folks out there that disagree with me, but it is more powerful than a handgun, but it does not have the range of a rifle. It also lack in its limited magazine capacity.

But what I wanted to do is give you my reasons why you should own a shotgun.

Reason 1 - Price.         

Like it or not, the first question everyone is concerned about is money. Good news is that you can go to just about any sporting goods store that offers firearms and find shotguns. They are everywhere and they are cheaper than the other alternative a AR-15 or a AK-47. 

If you have $200-$300 dollars you can walk into your local sporting goods store, gun shop or megastore and easily walk out with a shotgun under your arm.   

Knowing this, you can quickly save the money needed and within a week or two, you can upgrade your preps plan and add a shotgun in your home armory.

Now I did mention an AR-15 or AK-47, but those cost considerably more and the goal of this book is to get you ramped up with your preps as fast as possible. Once you are adequately prepped, you can then start expanding.

Reason #2 - Diffferent types of Ammunition

As I mentioned in a previous chapter there is a whole mix of different ammo that you can purchase for the shotgun and you can very your loads also.

Assuming you can carry at least 5 in the tube. You can make your first round bird shot for close range. They will not blast through walls and if it does, they lose its velocity really quickly.

Secondly you can put a couple of "00" buck shot followed by a couple of slugs.

Here is a home defense scenario.

It is late at night and you hear a noise in your home. You then hear multiple voices coming from the front of the house. Sitting next to your bed is your trusty Mossberg 500 and you have prepared just for this type of situation.

You know your home so you use the corners and concealment to your advantage. You see the first bad guy and he  has got a gun sticking out of the front of his pants. He is at a close range, and your first round in your shotgun is bird shot. At this range it will cut him to ribbons and take him out.

You fire and bad guy #1 goes down.

The second bad guy you see is coming towards you , he is to be a bit further but that is ok, your second round in the stack is buck shot  and it will take that person out before he reaches you.

You do not know if there is another bad guy, but you have another round of "00" Buck ready and waiting.

All of a sudden bullets are coming through the front window.  There is another bad guy who was driving the car. You have that Buck shot chambered already, so you fire busting out the car windows. But that is not all, you have some slugs that will go some distance in the stack and they do a lot more damage.

Bad guy #3 took up a position outside the car and is now shooting blindly through the blown out car windows. He is using the ol' spray and pray method and is not coming even close to where you are. You chamber the slug knowing these will go through walls as well as car doors. BLAM…CLICK CLACK…BLAM. Two slugs down range and both right on target. It is quiet. Taking more buckshot from you’re the rifle butt carrier you load more buckshot into your shotgun.

You have eliminated the bad guys. Your practicing this exercise over and over again has paid off, you and your family are safe and the bad guys are finished.

Yes this is kind of glorified, but this is a good example of stacking the different rounds in your shotgun anticipating the need.

There is bird shot, which is good for small game for food, or can be used for close quarter indoor defense.  There is upland game rounds where the "BB's" are bigger and pack a meaner punch. 00 buckshot, which is like sending 8 rounds of 9mm down range and then there is the slug. I big 50mm hunk of lead that is like a cannon ball hitting you. There is also many different types of rounds in between these I have named.

Shotgun even has the ability to shoot rounds that contain non lethal bean bags, rubber bullets, even small nets that deploy when the exit the shotgun bore.

So the variety of shotgun rounds are pretty extensive and for every need, there probably is a round to meet that need.

Reason #3 - Power and Performance

The power that the shotgun delivers beats a handgun hands down. Where the handgun has maneuverability and high capacity; the shotgun delivers a deadly volly of BBs, Buckshot and slugs .  They have been the weapon of choice for law enforcement. In fact the term "riding shotgun" comes from when there was a driver of the stagecoach and then the person acting as security who carried a sawed off double barrel shotgun. Shotguns were used during the bloody trench warfare  of WWI. The allies brutalized the Germans so badly with the shotgun that they protested their use and threatened to instantly execute any of the troops found in possession of them.

During Vietnam they were used by the tunnel rats who went deep into the Viet-Cong tunnels clearing out the enemy.

Fast forward to today and our military boys stationed in Iraq have used the shotgun effectively to clear out buildings in building to building searches seeking out the enemy.

Reason #4 - Easy To Maintain

Most shotguns are very easy to maintain.  In fact breaking down a pump shotgun is easy and with a little practice you can even change out to a different barrel depending on the situation that you are using your shotgun. There are plenty of different cleaning solvents and oils, that you can use and most if not all can be used on the common shotgun with no problem. In fact if things get bad, you can even use gasoline or diesel fuel with a bamboo pole with a cut up "T" shirt and get your shotgun clean. It isnt rocket science and it is made to keep it simple.

Reason #5 - Different Roles a Shotgun Can Play

The basic pump shotgun can play a vast array of different roles and gladly takes on those roles and performs. For example you can pull your long hunting barrel off and put on the  shorter home defense barrel and already your shotgun has changed from recreation tool to a "get the bad guys" defensive weapon. You can swap out the the common wooden stock and replace it with a cammo or flat black nylon stock and front forearm. You can even get dual pistol grips, one for the trigger and one for the forearm and you have a tactical weapon at the ready.

There are flashlights, lasers, 20 round bandoleer slings. You can get scopes, red dot sights, even holographic heads up sights for your shotgun. You can get a short barrel or a long barrel, even one the is between the two sizes. Folding stocks, collapsible stocks, even no stock using a single pistol grip. If you can think it up, odds are they have it for the shotgun.

The shotgun is capable of wearing many different hats and with each one, be just as effective for the role you have made for it.

Reason #6 - Protected by the Law

Even with all the different roles the shotgun can play, it is still seen as a sporting arm by legislators and because of this it will be the last type of weapon to be banned or have legislation drawn up against it. You can even own a shotgun is some of the most anti-gun havens in the US. New York they are legal to own, even in Chicago where handguns have been completely banned, a shotgun is legal to own.  This in and of itself is something that the modern day prepper needs to remember and why I say every home needs to have at least one shotgun in the home armory.

So we have discussed why "I" think ever home needs a shotgun, now lets talk about the type of gun that is good for you.

Choosing the Gauge

Ok I can hear it now, "what is the gauge?"

The gauge is the size of the diameter of the barrel measured from the rear of the weapon. It is the gauge that determines the size of round your shotgun can fire.

There are different "gauges" of shot gun, the most popular, starting with the smallest is 410, then 20 gauge, then the most popular, 12 Gauge.

There are other big bore gauges like 10 and 8, but these are not very common and ammo is at a premium, if you can find it.

The 410 Shotgun

The 410 is a small bore round, about half the diameter of a dime or a little bigger than a #2 pencil is round. This shotgun is usually a boy's first shotgun. Commonly it is a breach break and you have to feed one round per shot. These are good for small game and dove as well as taking  care of vermin like rats, snakes and mice. They have very little kick at all and I do not recommend them to be used in a home defense role. They really do not have the firepower, but can be used as a backup weapon if a fire fight ensues.

Rounds include snake shot, bird shot, upland game, buck shot (3-4 balls) and slug with some other sizes in between.

The problem is that because the round is so small in diamieter, it does not carry enough projectiles to be used as a primary home defense weapon. But I think it is a good weapon to have if you have a young teenage boy or girl learning to hunt and shoot. It is a good gun to start them out with.

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The 20 Gauge Shotgun

The choice most people get when it comes to a shotgun is usually a 12 gauge, but once they really start shooting it, their shoulders wished they would have taken a 20 gauge.

For a home defense weapon that everyone in the family can use, I recommend a 20 gauge. It has enough fire power to it to be effective but not quiet the kick that a 12 gauge has. This is a very woman and teenager friendly shotgun. Teaching everyone how to use and be effective with a 20 gauge is a very good home defense solution. One can not say that the "man of the house" will be within arms reach of the shotgun. Having one that both the wife and kids can effectively use is a very smart tactical solution. This is why I like the 20 gauge for an all around general home defense shotgun as well as a good weapon to hunt with.

The 12 Gauge Shotgun

For most preppers out there, the hands down standard for the shotgun is going to be a 12 gauge pump. As we discussed you can pick one up just about anywhere that sells firearms.

There is also the semi-auto shotguns which are great, but with more working parts calls for more chance of something going wrong. And you just cant break down a semi auto shotgun and do a quick repair on it; where with a pump you can usually pull it apart, find the problem and get back in the action.

Where pump shotguns are pretty inexpensive, the cost of a semi-auto shotgun is three to four times that of a pump. Sure you can find some that are less expensive, but they jam up, break and aways at the worse possible moment. Now are you willing to bet your life and the life of your family on a cheap semi-auto shotgun?

Then there is the issue of  parts. It takes more parts to cycle that semi-auto than there are parts in the standard pump shotgun. These parts will wear out and eventually break and again usually at the worse possible time.

There is the issue of bad feeds and finicky ammo. Where a pump shotgun will "eat" almost any round you put in the magazine. Semi-autos have been known to not like all rounds or sizes which result in the weapon jamming. If a pump jams up, it is relatively easy to clear, were if a semi-auto jams up, well you are basically out of the fight till you can clear that jam.

My Choices of Shotgun

Well when it comes right down to it, there really are only two choices. The Remington 870 and The Mossberg 500.

Mossberg 500
Personally I like the Mossberg 500 but when you butt up weapon to weapon, both are excellent and dependable shotguns. These two are probably the most famous and the most owned shotguns out there. They are both affordable, you can find them at almost any sporting goods store, mega mart and gun shop out there. Both Mossberg and Remingtion make different varieties of the individual shotgun.

For example, I own a Mossberg 500® TACTICAL TURKEY™ Series pump shotgun.

 

Here is the same model but it has been totally made into a tactical weapon

This Mossberg 500 has a  front and rear pistol grip, a modified butt that holds 6 extra rounds, the Tactical Turkey is already drilled for a scope but this person has added a weaver rail to the top so that they can use a red dot or a holographic rear site. This is a fine example of how one can modify their shotgun, specifically the Mossberg 500 Tactical Turkey series.

Remington 870

The Remington 870 Sportsman Synthetic.

As I have said, it is a toss up between the two. They are both fine weapons and the Mossberg wins by just a hair.

Actually when I was going to purchase my shotgun, I was using an older gun for a trade in. I had limited amount of cash and I had my eye on a Remington 870 Sureshot Super Turkey. I really liked the feel of this weapon with its Monte Carlo stock with built in pistol grip. But it was slightly out of my price range on what I had budgeted myself.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a shotgun. With the Monte Carlo pistol grip set up, this was a very comfortable shotgun.

Both of these shotguns come in 12 gauge and in 20 gauge. What you need to do head on down to your local gun shop and feel both of these. Look at all their features as well as the third party add ons.

In fact, regarding third party add ons, the Mossberg 500 has a few more things out there over the Remington 870 and besides the price, it was that ability to have the opportunity to add a few more modifications that finally won me over to the Mossberg 500.

Either of these will fit the bill and will serve you for a long time to come.

Get a shotgun while you still can and while they are still affordable. A day may come when you wish you did.

Ray Drinks Skanky Water & Lives! WATCH NOW

Survival 4 Christians - New Video

Ray Drinks Skanky Water & Lives! WATCH NOW

New Survival 4 Christians video to our Ramping Up Fast series. In this series I am going to give you tips, products and How To's so that you can ramp up your preparations quickly by getting the bare essentials.

The key is once we have the bare essentials in place, we can then start building on that foundation.

Today I am going to talk about Ramping up on water and introduce to you the Berkey Sport Water Bottle, The WaterBOB, 55 Gallon Drums water storage systems. 

I would love to hear what you think, please leave questions and comments below. 

ALSO, please rate our blog by giving it 5 stars.

 Get your Berkey Sports Filter bottle at Survivor Mall

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Water Bob

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Bank Day Coming - Taking Advantage of Hyperinflation

By Ray Gano

Bernanke: Shut down banks if they threaten system

WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system.

"If the crisis has a single lesson, it is that the too-big-to-fail problem must be solved," Bernanke said Thursday while testifying before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.

source - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_financial_crisis_bernanke

Here is a major "telegraphing" of the Fed's intentions. Bernanke is letting people know that a bank holiday is coming, or what I am calling "Bank Day."

Imagine all the banks in the US closed, ATMs closed, Credit Cards not working, no one taking checks.  Can you imagine the chaos, riots, crime and so forth that will take place? That's what will happen.

This type of event has taken place here in the US before when FDR declared a "bank holiday." What resulted was the savings of many of the middle class being wiped out literally over night.

When Will "Bank Day" Take Place?

Sooner or later the Feds along with the Gov will have to declare a bank holiday to devalue the dollar so that US debt can be paid. They will "default" on a loan and  that is when "Bank Day" will take place.  This will most likely take place also on a Thursday or Friday so that the powers that be will have a full weekend to cook the books and manipulate the numbers.  

Some have speculated that this will take place end of the government  fiscal, which ends Sept 30th with the new fiscal year beginning October 1st.

Another speculated timeframe would be the week between Christmas and New Years. Many companies are closed for the holidays and people are on Christmas vacation.

What Will Take Place and What Will Be The Effects?

What many believe will take place is that the dollar will be "split." How this works is much like the "splitting" of stock. So if you have 100 dollars you will now have 200 dollars. This sounds great, but it has killed your buying power and your "money" or medium of exchange is being manipulated outside your control.

Things that were already expensive, will double,  triple even quadruple in price and what happens is a mad tail spin of ever rising prices.

Here is an example - You can walk into a hardware store, pick up a hammer for $30.00, look around the store. When you  go to pay and the hammer and say fifteen minutes have elapsed, the cost of the hammer  has increased in price to $40.00.

It is this type of cause and effect that took place in countries like Argentina where their currency  was split and the prices of goods and services increased overnight.

In fact,  it is said that if you went to a restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine and consumed it there at the restaurant. The money you could get for the empty bottle the next day is more than what you would have originally paid for the bottle of wine the night before.

This is hyperinflation run amuck, and this is what is coming to this nation.

Why Would The Government Hyperinflate?

How this helps the Government is due to much of the "fixed debt" that this nation has aquired. Say that there is a fixed debt of 200 million and they only have 100 million to pay the bill. Over night the money is split and they are able to pay the 200 million and the debt is wiped out.  What is happening is the Government is playing a numbers game so that they can benefit literally at the cost of the people.

The good news is that like the government, you too can take advantage of the situation if you plan ahead. During the Weimar  Republic in the early 1900s one ounce of silver was selling for 1.3 billion marks.  People were able to pay off fixed debt and also purchase property  that had a fixed number debt for just ounces of silver.

Let's put this in terms closer to home.

Let's say your mortgage is a fixed debt of $100K. If you have tangible assets that maintain a medium of  wealth like silver or gold, you will be able to pay off that mortgage rather easily. Imagine silver selling for  $500.00 a oz. You can pay off your house with 200 oz of silver or possibly just a couple of oz of gold.  

This is how many people who saw the coming storm during the Weimar Republic were able to take advantage  of hyperinflation / depression. This is how the Fed will also be able to take advantage by  hyperinflating the dollar and then paying off US fixed debt.

Hyperinflation helps when you have a fixed debt like a mortgage, car loan, any type of fixed debt loans. Because  one has a fixed number, hitting that number becomes easier because you are dealing in numbers not money  any longer.

But what happened back then is happening now. Stock markets are in flux wiping out savings,  millions on unemployment, rising costs of goods and services, all of these things drain the common man's bank  account. So the common man does not think of maintaining a medium of wealth, such as gold and silver,  they are running the rat race just trying to stay ahead. So they work only in what is called a medium  of exchange... aka the dollar that does not preserve their wealth.

So if one only has dollars, their "wealth" can be manipulated by raising and lowering inflation, cost  of goods and services, APRs, etc. This is how so many lost their life savings when the stock market  took a dump.

 Remember Enron and MCI/Worldcom crash?

Remember all those retirees who lost most if not all of their retirement?

When "Bank Day" or a bank holiday takes place, it will do the same thing but on a far larger scale.  That is unless you have your "wealth" stored in an asset that maintains its wealth like gold, silver,  and other hard assets. Then you will be able to operate outside the dollar because your wealth is maintained in a tangible asset not a piece of paper that can be manipulated by the powers that be.

See cash is trash, and those who have precious metals or other tangible assets will be able to move outside the cash circles where most of the US population will be restricted to working with paper cash. Those people will be able to take advantage of paying off fixed debt because the government changed money into plain numbers.

Question - What fixed debt would you be able to pay off if Silver was worth 1.3 million dollars per oz?

What would you be able to purchase with the "change" you get from paying off that fixed debt with that 1  oz of silver?

Hyperinflation is bad, but those who have prepared for the coming storm will be able to weather the  storm and possibly even fair well out of it. 

10 Practical Steps That You Can Take To Insulate Yourself (At Least Somewhat) From The Coming Economic Collapse

Most Americans are still operating under the delusion that this "recession" will end and that the "good times" will return soon, but a growing minority of Americans are starting to realize that things are fundamentally changing and that they better start preparing for what is ahead. These "preppers" come from all over the political spectrum and from every age group.  More than at any other time in modern history, the American people lack faith in the U.S. economic system.  In dozens of previous columns, I have detailed the horrific economic problems that we are now facing in excruciating detail.  Many readers have started to complain that all I do is "scare" people and that I don't provide any practical solutions.  Well, not everyone can move to Montana and start a llama farm, but hopefully this article will give people some practical steps that they can take to insulate themselves (at least to an extent) from the coming economic collapse.

But before I get into what people need to do, let's take a minute to understand just how bad things are getting out there.  The economic numbers in the headlines go up and down and it can all be very confusing to most Americans.

However, there are two long-term trends that are very clear and that anyone can understand....

#1) The United States is getting poorer and is bleeding jobs every single month.

#2) The United States is getting into more debt every single month.

When you mention the trade deficit, most Americans roll their eyes and stop listening.  But that is a huge mistake, because the trade deficit is absolutely central to our problems.

Every single month, Americans buy far, far more from the rest of the world than they buy from us.  Every single month tens of billions of dollars more goes out of the country than comes into it.

That means that every single month the United States is getting poorer.

The excess goods and services that we buy from the rest of the world get "consumed" and the rest of the world ends up with more money than when they started.

Each year, hundreds of billions of dollars leave the United States and don't return.  The transfer of wealth that this represents is astounding.

But not only are we bleeding wealth, we are also bleeding jobs every single month.

The millions of jobs that the U.S. economy is losing to China, India and dozens of third world nations are not going to come back.  Middle class Americans have been placed in direct competition for jobs with workers on the other side of the world who are more than happy to work for little more than slave labor wages.  Until this changes the U.S. economy is going to continue to hemorrhage jobs.

The U.S. government has helped to mask much of this economic bleeding by unprecedented amounts of government spending and debt, but now the U.S. national debt exceeds 13 trillion dollars and is getting worse every single month.  Not only that, but state and local governments all over America are getting into ridiculous amounts of debt.

So, what we have got is a country that gets poorer every single month and loses jobs to other countries every single month and that has accumulated the biggest mountain of debt in the history of the world which also gets worse every single month.

Needless to say, this cannot last indefinitely.  Eventually the whole thing is just going to collapse like a house of cards.

So what can we each individually do to somewhat insulate ourselves from the economic problems that are coming?....  

1 - Get Out Of Debt: The old saying, "the borrower is the servant of the lender", is so incredibly true.  The key to insulating yourself from an economic meltdown is to become as independent as possible, and as long as you are in debt, you simply are not independent.  You don't want a horde of creditors chasing after you when things really start to get bad out there.

2 - Find New Sources Of Income: In 2010, there simply is not such a thing as job security.  If you are dependent on a job ("just over broke") for 100% of your income, you are in a very bad position.  There are thousands of different ways to make extra money.  What you don't want to do is to have all of your eggs in one basket.  One day when the economy melts down and you are out of a job are you going to be destitute or are you going to be okay?

3 - Reduce Your Expenses: Many Americans have left the rat race and have found ways to live on half or even on a quarter of what they were making previously.  It is possible - if you are willing to reduce your expenses.  In the future times are going to be tougher, so learn to start living with less today.

4 - Learn To Grow Your Own Food: Today the vast majority of Americans are completely dependent on being able to run down to the supermarket or to the local Wal-Mart to buy food.  But what happens when the U.S. dollar declines dramatically in value and it costs ten bucks to buy a loaf of bread?  If you learn to grow your own food (even if is just a small garden) you will be insulating yourself against rising food prices.

5 - Make Sure You Have A Reliable Water Supply: Water shortages are popping up all over the globe.  Water is quickly becoming one of the "hottest" commodities out there.  Even in the United States, water shortages have been making headline news recently.  As we move into the future, it will be imperative for you and your family to have a reliable source of water.  Some Americans have learned to collect rainwater and many others are using advanced technology such as atmospheric water generators to provide water for their families.  But whatever you do, make sure that you are not caught without a decent source of water in the years ahead.

6 - Buy Land: This is a tough one, because prices are still quite high.  However, as we have written previously, home prices are going to be declining over the coming months, and eventually there are going to be some really great deals out there.  The truth is that you don't want to wait too long either, because once Helicopter Ben Bernanke's inflationary policies totally tank the value of the U.S. dollar, the price of everything (including land) is going to go sky high.  If you are able to buy land when prices are low, that is going to insulate you a great deal from the rising housing costs that will occur when the U.S dollar does totally go into the tank.

7 - Get Off The Grid: An increasing number of Americans are going "off the grid".  Essentially what that means is that they are attempting to operate independently of the utility companies.  In particular, going "off the grid" will enable you to insulate yourself from the rapidly rising energy prices that we are going to see in the future.  If you are able to produce energy for your own home, you won't be freaking out like your neighbors are when electricity prices triple someday.

8 - Store Non-Perishable Supplies: Non-perishable supplies are one investment that is sure to go up in value.  Not that you would resell them.  You store up non-perishable supplies because you are going to need them someday.  So why not stock up on the things that you are going to need now before they double or triple in price in the future?  Your money is not ever going to stretch any farther than it does right now.

9 - Develop Stronger Relationships: Americans have become very insular creatures.  We act like we don't need anyone or anything.  But the truth is that as the economy melts down we are going to need each other.  It is those that are developing strong relationships with family and friends right now that will be able to depend on them when times get hard.

10 - Get Educated And Stay Flexible: When times are stable, it is not that important to be informed because things pretty much stay the same.  However, when things are rapidly changing it is imperative to get educated and to stay informed so that you will know what to do.  The times ahead are going to require us all to be very flexible, and it is those who are willing to adapt that will do the best when things get tough.

Where There is No Doctor and Dentist – Free Download

By Ray Gano

As you know I am greatly concerned with a coming social collapse due to economic default of the dollar.

One of the things that will greatly be effected is medical help. Understanding how to treat medical issues when there is no doctor around is going to be critical.

Perhaps the two most well-known books available for this type of information are the Where There is No Doctor and Where There is No Dentist books put out by the Hesperian Foundation. These books — especially Where There is No Doctor — have become the “bible” of primary health care for community health workers and villagers in poor countries around the world and popular among the preparedness community.

Tracye and I now own both these books and they have helped us greatly.

I believe that when social unrest coupled with "Bank Day", one area that will be greatly effected as well as diminished will be medical treatment.

Typically these books go for around $12 each on Amazon but now you can download them free directly from the Hesperian Foundation:

Where There is No Doctor -
http://www.hesperian.info/assets/WTND/doctor_whole_book.pdf

Where There is No Dentist -
http://www.hesperian.info/assets/wtndentist_2009/WTNDentist_2009.pdf

What You’ll Learn

Both books use simple language and hundreds of drawings (not world-class illustrations by any means but they do their job) to teach the layman about recognizing, treating and preventing common illnesses and injuries – it goes way beyond simple first-aid information.

Here’s a sample of some of the information you’ll learn:

Where There is No Doctor

- How to properly administer medicine and dosage instructions
- The proper methods of injecting medicine
- How to deliver a baby
- How to heal without medicines
- Guidelines for the use of antibiotics
- Home cures
- Medicinal plants

- Homemade casts
and more…

Where There is No Dentist

- How to properly examine and diagnose dental issues
- How to treat cavities, abscesses, infected sinuses, and more
- How to prepare and insert homemade fillings
- How to inject inside the mouth
- How to safely and correctly remove a tooth
and more… 

I highly encourage you downloading these books right now as well as purchasing the literal books themselves. You do not know if you will have access to electricity or your computer or not, so having both on hand is very important.

If you have purchased TEOTWAWKI -City Version, these two books as well as other important ebooks, articles and videos are part of that data dvd.

It isn't going to be the cool gear that you have that helps you in the hard times, it will be what you know that will make the difference.

Become The Gray Man

By Ray Gano

A man who can blend in to any scene or situation without standing out , hiding his skills and qualities. Source - urbandictionary.com

Becoming the gray man, it will be an important skill; a skill you will need in the future days to come. You will need to learn how to blend into your environment, look like everyone else, and become the "average looking Joe."

But what makes you different is that you are alert to your surroundings, you suspect everyone that comes within your 20 foot perimeter and you are ready to react if need be. The real mission is to just be left alone while putting off that "sheepdog" disposition instead of being one of the sheep.

You are not some weekend warrior or paramilitary nut, you are just like everyone else except your every day carry gear probably includes keys, cell phone, wallet, wrist watch.... a folding lock blade knife, multi-tool, pepper spray, maybe even a flashlight and if you are C&C licensed, a handgun with an extra loaded magazine.

This is today and you have adapted to the "new normal" that we now call America.

Crime, looting, blocked roads due to riots, muggings, theft, rape and murder. These are more common place today than the days of yesteryear.

Luke 22:36 (KJV) Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

We live in a time where going to the mega-mart or the grocery store is an act of bravery, determination, logistics and security. No longer is it just running to get a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs.

Not that way in your area yet? Just wait.

How To Be The Gray Man

Look around, what are all the guys wearing? Now I am focusing on the guys because I am a guy. Ladies, this is for you also, take my examples and adapt them to what you would wear and so forth.

Here in the Texas Hill Country, the majority of men wear some sort of "cargo" shorts. They go to just above the knee and tend to be a little baggy. Beige, brownish red, or blue jeans tend to be the color of choice.

For a shirt, one will wear a common "T" shirt that is lose fitting sometimes with a pocket on the left breast. Or if they want to dress it up a little, a button up short sleeve. Usually some sort of cotton print.

When it gets close to hunting season, around the beginning of August, the "Real Tree" cammo "T" shirts become the norm. See here in Texas, hunting is a big deal and everyone gets in the mode. It also helps that the local Walmart sells these cammo "Beefy T's" for only $6.00 each.

On his feet, are ankle socks or rolled over tube socks under sneakers or some form of work boots.

Finally the common baseball cap on top of the head and sporting sunglasses.

This is what an "average Joe" looks like when he is in his casual dress out on the street.

This is how I dress, except I try not to wear loud logo based shirts, no jewelry except my wedding ring, nothing that makes me stand out.

If someone asked about you, could they describe you or would they be describing just about everyone else, the average Joe?

How you DON’T want to dress

Like I said You don’t want to attract attention towards yourself. Don't wear bright colors or "haute de couture" fashion, nothing that makes you stand out.

Example: Here in Texas everyone thinks of the cowboy. We have a lot of cowboys walking around, but they are not dressed in the "A" typical cowboy dress.

The cowboys here are not wearing the long sleeved shirt with fringes dangling, no 10 gallon cowboy hat, nor fancy rhinestone pants. Everyone imagines the average cowboy looks like Roy Rogers or Hop-along Cassidy but they don't.

The average cowboy looks just like the person that I described above except that he probably wears some sort of work jeans. Come fall and winter here in Texas, we all look like the average "cowboy."

Once in a while you will see someone wearing a cowboy hat. Straw cowboy hats are acceptable for guys over fifty during the summer time. During the winter everyone switches from straw to a black felt hat.

Believe me, if you step out of this mold, you will get noticed and that is not what you want to do.

If you are a prepper, you do not want to be dressing in some sort of combat BDU pants, army boots, and definitely no shirts with paramilitary sayings like "death from above" or pictures that you see at all the gun shows. This is a dead give-away and shouts "HEY... Look at me, I am a weekend warrior."

Become The Gray Man

Become the average Joe, blend into your surroundings. But walk with a purpose and be alert to what is going on around you.

While you want to look like the average person, you want to project a demeanor about you that tells the wolves "to leave you alone, you are not one of the sheep, don't mess with me."

See, the sheep will not notice you, just like real sheep, they do not really notice the sheepdog. But the wolves will see you. Wolves are cowards and seek out the weak, frail and innocent. They do not want to have to work too hard, they want to be in and out and be done with the job.

So while you don’t what to be wearing some neon sign blinking " GUN... GUN.... GUN … KNIFE … KNIFE … KNIFE … with an arrow pointing at you; you want to be acknowledged as someone who is alert, aware and not some soft target.

How you achieve this is by training yourself. Look like you are someone alive, not some drained zombie who stairs at the ground, shoulders slumped as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Make eye contact and smile at people, greet them and wish them a good day or just a simple nod of the head will do.

You don't want to seem like some bodyguard type either. You know the guys with the little curly tube sticking out of their ear, dark Ray-Ban glasses, constantly scanning, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. That is going overboard.

I bring up the Mega-stores because that is where America shops, it is also where the wolves hang out for some quick prey.

When walking in the parking lot, have a determination to your step, enter Mega-Store and look the greeter in the eye, nod your head say hello and smile. Then take a basket, eye the cashier and the customers checking out, assess if anyone is out of place then move on for that gallon of milk, dozen eggs and a few extra boxes of ammo.

BUT for example… if you enter the store, scan the area and notice someone wearing a trench coat and it is 90 degrees outside. This should raise your red flags. If this happens, step up the pace and move into the store, get out of the general area and do your shopping.

Every Day Carry - What I wear

I do not want to go into much detail in this article as to Every Day Carry (EDC), that is for another article, but for your E.D.C. kit carry what you want. The items above are what I carry and I don't look like I am wearing Batman's utility belt either. My clothes do not scream "Hey.. It's Mr. Tactical Guy here" either.

I wear Wrangler brand cargo shorts. These have cargo pockets on each side as well as a cell phone pocket that opens above the cargo flap. They have side pockets which the right pocket has a coin pocket inside the deep right. Finally there are left and right rear pockets.

As for a shirt, I wear a common black, blue, beige, Fruit of the Loom pocket "T" shirt or a short sleeve button up with a left breast pocket. If it is hunting season, which at the time of this writing it is. I also wear cammo "Real Tree Beefy T" shirts because just about every other guy is wearing them also.

An important item that I want to touch on is your belt. I wear a double thick "Justin Boots" black leather belt with a common cowboy belt buckle. Your belt needs to be sturdy enough to carry all your gear if you do not put the items in your pockets as well as hold up your pants. So you do not want some inexpensive belt from the big mega stores. Invest some money in this and you will not be sorry. You would be surprised how much a cell phone, buck knife, and a Multi-tool weighs when you are carrying it on your hip. With a heavy duty belt it will also help distribute the weight of these items more evenly and honestly once you get used to them, you forget they are even there. Another thing, my belt is also a last ditch defensive weapon. The buckle weighs a good 10-12 ounces and makes for a mean bludgeon and can help keep someone at arms distance if need be.

How I developed my EDC was that I slowly carried one item, then added another and another. It took time in getting used to carrying gear, finding the spot where it is easy to access and have it not be banging around on my leg or chest. You will find that some things work and some things don't. Carry what tools and gear you need but don’t make it obvious that you are a prepper or you will look like some paramilitary tactical guy.

If you can get away with it, use a back pack or messenger bag. Look at what others are carrying in your area and adapt to the look. If everyone carries a back pack, carry a back pack. If they carry a messenger bag, well then messenger bag. With this you can also carry a water bottle, small first aid kit and any other gear that is important to you.

Just remember to keep it light, you do not want to turn yourself into some pack mule.

When I dress up, I usually wear black jeans, black cowboy boots, a black long sleeve shirt and a tie. If need be and I need to dress up more, I wear a beige twill sport coat and in all of this, I can still carry most of my gear. This is what the average guy wears here when they dress up, so I am still blending in and looking good too.

If someone would describe me, they would say he had on black shirt, pants and cowboy boots. In other words I look like every other Joe that walks into a nice restaurant or business meeting.

Becoming the gray man will be an important skill for you to develop, specially as crime starts to rise, which it will. You will need to be equipped to protect yourself and possibly others if needed. You will also want to blend in the background.

Above all, your goal is to get home safely that day. You are not some super hero nor are you there to protect the world. You are ready to defend yourself if you have to, but your goal is not having to resort to that.

Finally...

Tactical retreats, AKA running away is totally acceptable. The only one who didn't walk away was John Wayne and that was in the movies. You are not bullet proof nor knife proof, so run don't walk if you think you need to get out of the area fast. Your spouse will be glad you did and so will you.

And as a last resort, always remember it is better to face 12 than to be carried out by 6. So if you have to protect yourself, fight to win because you will be fighting for your life.

RAMPING UP FAST - Food - ER Bar 3600

Ramping Up Fast - Quake Kare's ER Bar 3600 Review

This is a series that I am calling Ramping Up Fast. In this series I am going to give you tips, products and How To's so that you can ramp up your preparations quickly by getting the bare essentials moving.

Once we have the bare essentials in place, we can then start building on that foundation. Today I am going to talk about Ramping up on food storage and introduce to you Quake Kare's ER Bar 3600.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them here.

If you would like to see a certain type of product reviewed or ask what I use in my preps, leave a comment and I will write an article or make a Survival4Christians video on that topic.

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Stay tuned for more Ramping Up Fast and other videos here at Survival4Christians.