Prepper’s Pill Box: NSAIDs.

Aspirin, Acetaminophen (also called paracetamol), Ibuprofen, and Naproxen are all available over the counter without prescription in the United States and most of the world. These Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are very mild painkillers that can help you deal with a headache or take the edge of joint and muscular/skeletal pain. Sometimes this can be the difference between being able to maintain a cheerful disposition or get decent sleep, and not being able to do those things. 

(There are many other NSAIDs, but since most of them are still prescription-only in the United States they are beyond the scope of this article.)

I am not a medical professional, and what follows here should not be taken as professional medical advice. This is simply my understanding of how four over the counter medications work, and how I consider using them as part of my resiliency preparations. Your specific medical situation should be something you control under the care of a licensed medical provider, as there is a lot of “Well, what he wrote is true, but in your case...” exceptions in the medical field.

Aspirin

This is the oldest NSAID on the list, which began as a raw willow bark treatment in ancient times to the modern pills we have today. Aspirin works by completely nullifying the cyclooxygenase-1 (COX1) enzyme, and modifying the cyclooxegenase-2 (COX2) enzyme production pathway to immediately prevent inflammation, and trigger the production of anti-inflammatory molecules called aspirin-triggered lipoxins, aspirin-triggered resolvins, and aspirin-triggered maresins. Aspirin is cleared from the bloodstream through the liver, as it tacks on a urea or gluconate molecule which tags the salicylic acid molecule for excretion through the kidneys.

What Does This Mean? 

Aspirin is a very good anti-inflammatory drug and fever reducer. However, it has one other medically relevant property as an anti-coagulant. Aspirin irreversibly stops platelets from clotting by blocking the thromboxane A2 signaling pathway, which also stops the signal to create more platelets.

In a Survival Situation
If you suspect someone has internal bleeding, from a fall, crush, or other injury, you should steer clear of aspirin, no matter how much pain they are in. However, if someone starts having chest pains and other signs of a heart attack, an aspirin here is very helpful to help prevent a blood clot from further restricting oxygen to heart muscle tissue.

Historical Note

There is some speculation that the mass deaths of the Spanish Flu can partly be explained by aspirin overdoses as doctors tried to get the fever under control. The availability of generic aspirin and the Spanish Flu coincided with each other: the US patent on Aspirin expired in 1917, and the Spanish Flu hit in 1918. Many of the accounts of death by Spanish Flu, including a fluid buildup in the lungs, is consistent with aspirin toxicity.

Acetaminophen

First brought to market in 1951 under the brand name Tylenol, acetaminophen is a pain analgesic and fever reducer. We don’t exactly know how it works, but the suspected mechanism of action is an indirect impact on COX1 and COX2. Acetaminophen is cleared from the bloodstream when the liver tacks on a gluconate or sulphate group, triggering excretion through the kidneys. 

Unlike the other drugs on this list, acetaminophen is not a significant anti-inflammatory drug, meaning that if someone is suffering from swollen/inflamed joints or muscles, this is not an optimal treatment option.

What Does This Mean? 

Acetaminophen is good for reducing pain and bringing down fever, without the blood clotting concerns of aspirin, but shouldn’t be your first choice for joint/muscle inflammation.

In a Survival Situation
Acetaminophen is a low-risk option for aches and pains as well as fever reduction. In fact, it is my go-to choice for fever reduction for my family.

Ibuprofen

First patented in the 1960s, ibuprofen was designed as a better option for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Ibuprofen is a COX1 and COX2 inhibitor, but unlike Aspirin, it doesn’t impact blood clotting. 

The anti-inflammatory properties of a nonspecific COX inhibitor are very appropriate for joint pain caused by swelling. Ibuprofen is cleared from the blood by oxygenation in the liver.

What Does This Mean? 

Ibuprofen is appropriate for joint pain and fever reduction, and should not impact blood clotting ability.

In a Survival Situation

If someone is having a lot of pain due to swelling of the joints, Ibuprofen is a safer option for treatment than aspirin and a better option than acetaminophen.

Naproxen

The Food and Drug Administration approved Naproxen as an OTC medication in 1994. Unlike Aspirin, Acetaminophen, or Ibuprofen, Naproxen is a selective inhibitor of the COX enzyme, specifically COX2. This is good news for people who require long term NSAID use, as the COX1 enzyme is used for other things in the body such as controlling stomach mucus. If you’ve ever heard that too much aspirin/acetaminophen/ibuprofen can lead to ulcers, this is true as inhibiting the COX1 enzyme in the stomach lining can lead to areas unprotected by stomach mucus, creating an ulcer. 

Naproxen is cleared when the liver tags on a glutonate or sulphate group for excretion through the kidneys. Naproxen is an effective anti-inflammatory drug suitable for swollen joints and inflamed muscles.

What Does This Mean? 
What does this mean to you? Naproxen is the only NSAID on this list that should be considered for someone with a history of stomach ulcers.

In a Survival Situation

Naproxen is the safest choice for someone with stomach issues for both fever reduction and pain management, but otherwise is very similar to ibuprofen.

Guidelines for NSAID Use
First and most importantly, don’t mix NSAIDs since they all seem to work on the same chemical pathways in the body, and in this case more isn’t better. If you need an NSAID to work faster, caffeine is your friend here, and a normal cup of coffee or strong tea to wash your pills down can really help clear up a headache or body ache.

All NSAIDs are associated with temporary reduction in kidney function, so anyone dealing with a kidney disease should avoid all NSAID use unless directed by a medical professional. 

Do not limit water intake when on NSAIDs. In fact, you should probably drink more. 

Never take more than the maximum dose listed on the bottle. If you need more medicine than that, you really need the guidance of a medical professional and likely a prescription for a different medicine.

Different pills have different release rates, so liquid gels and caplets will deliver the drug faster, as well as headache powders such as Goodies or BC, which are NSAID + caffeine cocktails.

Use the smallest effective amount for the shortest possible time. For people with chronic conditions the time span may be “the rest of their life,” but using the least amount that allows you to function is critical.

If NSAIDs Aren't Working...

1. If you can’t reduce fever enough with an NSAID, cold towels are a better option than more medicine. 
2. If you can’t reduce pain enough with an NSAID, rest and recuperate. 
3. If you can’t reduce swelling enough with an NSAID, remember RICE for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate.

In conclusion, NSAIDs are useful tools but they aren't a silver bullet. Use them wisely, but also be prepared to ditch them for other solutions if necessary. 

Physical Fitness, Firearms, and Prepping

The old joke “What do you call a fat, out of shape prepper? A resupply point!” hits home for a lot of us. The rebuttal of “Don’t mess with old people; they're too tired to fight and too broke to run. They’ll just shoot you!” also hits home. A firearm can make up for a lack of physical prowess as long as the operator is capable, but the truth remains that having stuff isn’t the same as being prepared. We must also have situational competence to get through the interruption of normalcy in order to be prepared, which means both physical fitness and firearms skills are important to maximizing your chances for a successful return to normal.

So how fit is fit enough? How well-trained is well-trained enough? These are serious questions without hard answers. I hope that this article can frame this situation as one of risk management, allowing readers to apply some context to their prepping goals to come up with a personal answer. What follows is purely my opinion, based on the assumption that you won't need to "escape and evade" through fifty miles of enemy infested territory, but might need to deliver some food or medicine to some people just on the far edge of handheld radio range. 

Fitness

There are two ways to be athletic: the first is to move objects, the second is to move your body. I believe that the second type is the most applicable type of athleticism to a prepping lifestyle. You should be able to:

• run two miles without stopping to walk;
• do 20 push-ups without going to your knees;
• do 40 sit-ups with your hands crossed over your chest. 

If you can’t run for medical reasons, an eight mile bicycle ride without stopping is about the same level of endurance fitness, as is a three mile brisk walk. Even if you go the “power lifter” fitness route, a brisk three mile walk is a good thing to do on the regular.

There are no time limits for any of these, but this level of fitness means that should you need to “get out, on foot, right now” you have the endurance to go several miles, and the upper body strength to negotiate moderate obstacles. Anything beyond this level of fitness is absolutely great. 

One benefit for running as exercise is that other than shoe costs, it is very, very cheap. Running shoes can get expensive, so learn what type of runner you are and what type of shoes work best for you. There are a lot of online articles on how to do a wet footprint test, or how to analyze your running stride, but to get started just head to a shoe store that you can afford and purchase a dedicated set of running shoes that give you enough room to wiggle your toes and feel good throughout the entire range of motion. Once you wear out those shoes, you should have a better idea of what you want in the replacement pair.

An additional benefit of fitness is that eventually you don’t look like a victim. In the victim selection process, human predators look for the ones very unlikely to offer resistance, and physically fit people, whether they be skinny endurance runners or big fit power lifters, don’t look like easy prey. Ironically, being fit means you are less likely to encounter one of the scenarios where being fit is a benefit to your survival outcome! However, even if you cannot achieve that outward appearance of fitness, a level of confidence and awareness can make up for that in dissuading predators from selecting you as prey.

Firearms

I believe that for most people, “well-trained enough” is when you can draw your pistol from concealment and engage three different six-inch round targets at three, five, and seven yards with first shot hits in under five seconds. Once you can do that, it is less about attending “gun school” and more about dry fire practice and live range repetitions to hone the skills you have (tighter groups, faster split times, etc.). This is definitely a minimum, but it is a challenging minimum for many, many gun owners. I won’t go into rifle and shotgun skills here, but I do encourage every rifle owner to attend a Project Appleseed class if they haven’t.

The obvious benefit for firearm training is that you are confident in your ability to accurately place fire under stress. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are emotionally ready to deal with the aftermath of using a firearm, no matter how justified; it just means that you have an increased probability of survival. Even if you’re completely out of shape, I believe it’s worth it to find a firearms instructor who can help you hone your skills under relevant scenarios (such as drawing and firing from concealment). Don’t “wait to get in shape” to get to training; participate to the maximum extent you can, because the body you have is the one you have to operate.

Final Thoughts

I practice what I preach, and since 2015 I’ve lost 20 lbs, started running half marathons (one or two a year), and joined a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school where I train two to five times a week. I’m objectively in better physical shape now, and am likely a better shot with a pistol (probably about the same with a rifle).

I hope this article give you food for thought and inspiration to action. Remember: we don’t rise to the occasion, we sink to our lowest level of competence. Raising that baseline of competence for fitness and firearms training is well worth the time and energy.

Summer Checkups

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

Checkups aren't just for cars, as there are many other things that can use looking after on a regular basis. 

Well... I did happen to start with my car, but that was just the beginning.

Car Checkup

I take my car through the wash at the local station about once a month, which is when the dust starts to show on the white paint. The last time I went, the overhead blower didn't do a very good job of clearing the water from the windshield so I turned on my wipers as I drove out. Bad idea: both arms struggled to move, and when they did, the blades partially tore off the frame. In my defense, I wash the windshield every time I fill up, but I don't necessarily lift the wipers up every time. 

I live close to 3 different parts stores, so the shop with the easy access got my business. I don't have a good picture of the old blades as this was after dark, so just imagine a good half of the rubber edge flopping on each side. I believe the past three weeks being in the high 90s to low100s signed the death warrant on these wiper blades.

Wipers, washer fluid and spare tire pressure check are things I do twice a year, 4th of July-ish and Christmas, so these were due. 

Get Home Bag Checkup

My bag is always being refreshed as I use some of its contents every month. What isn't looked at regularly is the Purple Pack Lady's bag; her schedule is so janky that I'm lucky if I see her car once a week!

The only thing needing to be refreshed was her older model Nitecore P12GT, so I recharged it with the boxy charger. This exact kit appears to be not available through Amazon, but the flashlight is still a current model, just with different charging options.

Available at Amazon for $69 (nice!)

Home Checkup

Since  I live in a rented condo, I don't have to worry about fixing leaks, physical faults or even smoke and CO2 detectors. That being said, there are items I do keep an eye on, and the security lights in the carport are one of the things I don't leave to the maintenance folk. Due to spotty coverage, we've added motion detector lights to ensure the cars and my motorcycle are visible without having extra  spotlights running 8-10 hours a night. 

I try to keep a gas shutoff tool by the meters for our fourplex, but the last one disappeared from where I had it somewhat hidden and hooked to the gas meter. However, our building is having foundation drains installed, and dirt was removed around the meters to the point where I guess the wrench was exposed.

I won't not be trying to replace it at the meter for at least another month, because the situation looks like this:   

Sorry, but I couldn't take a picture that really shows the depth of the trench. You'll have to trust me when I say it is 8' to the bottom of the bracing gear. My front door moat is even deeper, at almost 10' deep.! The plywood shown at the top is the sides of the 'bridge' leading to the front door.

We have another 2-4 weeks of this work before the trenches will be filled, landscaping replaced, irrigation run and the whole house air conditioner replaced. It's been an interesting 5 months, in the Chinese proverb definition of 'interesting'.

Medical Checkups

I have had myself looked at this year as well, and there is nothing major wrong with me: blood pressure is good and cholesterol is a bit high (it's hereditary), but I can't get new glasses until my cataracts are fixed. This isn't a shock; I knew I was due for this surgery two years ago, but now there's no avoiding it. I'm hoping to get everything done this year, as the chance of taking an actual, no-joke vacation early next year is possible! Wish me luck!

Recap and Takeaway

• Regular checkups should be scheduled so that when a disaster hits, everyone is confident in what is packed and ready to use.
• Be certain that bags and kits in your second (or third) vehicle are checked too.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

 

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Disjointed Thoughts

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Two very random thoughts whose only connection is "they pertain to prepping" as I try to get my brain to cooperate. 

The Simplest and Best Prepping Tip Ever

Yes, that's a bold claim, but I'm prepared to defend my position. I say this because this idea is so simple that I just assumed everyone did things this way, but apparently some folks don't and when I mention it I'm looked like I just invented something brilliant.  Ready? 

Always have a second, unopened container of whatever non-perishable items you frequently use, so that when you empty the old container you have a new one ready to go.

It's wordy, yes. I couldn't think of a pithier way to say it, although I imagine there's such a way of saying it. And it would likely work on perishable items, too, if you're going through them quickly enough and you have the storage room for them. 

Let's use coffee as an example, since it stores well and people who drink coffee (like me) are going to be grouchy if they wake up one morning and their supply is gone because they forgot to put "coffee" on the grocery list. What you do is you buy TWO packages of coffee the next time you go grocery shopping, and the second package goes into your pantry. When you deplete the first package, you have a second package right there ready to be used without interruption. Then, before you throw that first package away, add "coffee" to your grocery list that week. This ensures that you will always have a secondary coffee supply because you are replacing the backup, not the primary. 

This tip will obviously not work in every case. Sometimes an item is used so rarely that it doesn't need an immediate backup. Sometimes (like with some food items) the backup will expire before you finish consuming the primary. Perhaps the item is bulky enough (such as a gallon jug of milk) that there's no room to store a backup. 

Despite all this, I've found this practice to be exceptionally helpful to me, especially in the case of hygiene and over the counter medicine: antihistamine tablets (this may require a family member to buy the second package if they contain decongestant ingredients), distilled water for my CPAP, and shampoo are just a few supplies that I have stashed to prevent interruption. If I menstruated, I'd treat tampons and sanitary pads exactly the same way. 

This is quite naturally the basis for the Prepper's Deep Pantry where you stock up well in advance and use those items on a first in, first out basis. However, some people lack the money or the storage space to lay in months' worth of supplies at a time, and this is an excellent interim step towards that goal. 

Doom Fixation

I was on a "Bug In or Bug Out?" panel last month, and after every single panelist declared "It's almost always better to bug in than out", the questions quickly turned to preparing for the big, "sexy" catastrophes like grid failure, total anarchy from loss of rule of law, growing all your food because the economy has collapsed, etc. and yet nothing about smaller and more likelier disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, electrical failure during the winter, etc.

This is very common in prepping circles but I'm convinced that it applies to more than prepping. The human mind seems obsessed with the spectacular-yet-unlikely over the probable-but-mundane. I call this doom fixation, and I haven't yet fully figured out the "why" of it all. It's at least partly the allure of novelty, and there's probably some "the mundane is boring" as well, but I think there's also just something in the human brain that is wired to be obsessed with the huge and powerful, no matter how unlikely. This fascination explains a lot about our love of religion, celebrities, and big government.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a holdover from our paleolithic ancestors who hunted megafauna during the last ice age, but I have no real supporting evidence for it other than "lots of other human weirdness can be explained by prehistoric conditions, so this is probably the result of that as well. 

My point of this is that if you are aware of your brain's "caveman tendencies", you can take them into account and compensate for them. If you're reading this blog then you're already on that path, because Blue Collar Prepping is about preparing for the small, personal tragedies that affect individuals and families over doomsday prepping. 

As always, stay prepped or get wrecked. 

Product Review: Victorinox 6" Semi-Stiff Pro Boning Knife

Victorinox makes several styles of boning knife, and the one which I've used quite a bit over the last years is the 6" Curved Fibrox Pro. 

Bottom Line

It is an excellent value and is a pleasure to use in the hand. I've broken down several vacuum-packed cuts of beef and discounted turkeys with mine. Buying meat in bulk costs less per pound, but unless you like really big roasts, you'll need to do some final butchering yourself to make it worth the purchase in the first place, and this knife excels at that. 

6" Curved Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Semi-Stiff Blade ($25 at Amazon)

The rest of this article is a point-by-point review. 

Edge Retention

The Victorinox boning knife holds an edge very well for a boning knife. These knives are designed for flexibility and toughness, and therefore aren't as hard as shorter, thicker, stiffer blades, which means that you'll want to know how to touch up the blade from time to time. However, as long as you aren't cutting straight into bone you won't need to hone it all the time.

Flexibility

The model I purchased said the blade was "semi-stiff", which translates pretty well into "slightly stiffer than a fish filet knife." You probably could filet a fish with this boning knife if you needed to. I find it easy to use when trimming the bones from turkey legs or pork shoulder roasts.

Corrosion Resistance

Top notch. Some stainless blades will develop spots of discoloration, but so far no such thing on the Victorinox blade. However, please note that I forbid my children from using or washing this blade; I hand wash it every time, then put it back on the magnetic knife holder.

Comfort in the Hand

If there's anything to nitpick, it's the plastic handle. While it is entirely functional, it feels like a plastic handle. Yes, it fits nicely in my hand; yes; the built-in finger guard is a good feature to have; but for such a well-made blade it is a bit of stark utilitarianism. If you prefer the feel of a wooden handle, Victorinox sells the same blade in a wooden handle for $15 more. 

6-Inch Curved Rosewood Boning Knife with Semi-Stiff Blade ($40 at Amazon)

Value

There are cheaper brands of boning knife on Amazon, and they will work. However, I watched a lot of comparison videos by people who use boning knives to earn their pay, and the Victorinox is really the bottom end of acceptable for their needs in that you can use it all day and not get fatigued.

Final Thought

Butchering an animal from start to finish is a lot of work, but even if you aren't cutting on a freshly cooling carcass, you should have some idea of what you are doing. If you didn't grow up on a farm, the "University of YouTube" is a great resource for watching professionals and dedicated amateurs process large slabs of protein into cuts ready to cook. So if you find a good buy on a "flat iron roast" and want to cut it yourself into two flat iron steaks, there's a video for that. Want to buy a "chuck roll" from Costco or Sam's Club and turn it into rib steaks, hamburger, stew meat, and roasts? There's a video for that too. The search function works wonders. And if you mess up, it's no big deal; just make stew meat or ground meat out of your mistakes.

RFID-Blocking Wallets

When it comes to vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements, I have a category of “Not harmful, likely helpful” for things that have no obvious downsides and some potential benefits. When it comes to your personal information hygiene, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) blocking wallets/sleeves fall under that same category.

Cash is the “network independent” form of currency, but digital currency has largely become a very widely accepted form of “settling a debt.” This can be done using a physical token such as a credit or debit card, or through a smart device linked to your banking information. If you see “tap to pay” on a gas pump or payment terminal, you are seeing a near field communication (NFC) capable system. 

Because debit/credit cards or “pay by phone” requires a communication from the terminal back to the financial system to do all the accounting, if the network goes down, you can’t pay with  that digital currency. This means that cash is going to be part of the “right mix” of resources for prudent prepping. For example, I was recently at a gas station while a thunderstorm rolled through and severed the satellite link from the station to their payment processing provider. Having cash on hand allowed me to purchase fuel, while other patrons sat around and waited for the network to come back up.

However, carrying around enough cash to pay for everything all the time is problematic from a risk standpoint, as people with lots of cash tend to get targeted. There is a place for “digital, network dependent currency” in a prudent lifestyle. Reduction of risk for being targeted for your cash means accepting the risks associated with using digital currency, and the hope that the networks necessary for financial transactions stay up.

How much actual risk is there from a “tap to pay” payment? Any communication that goes over radio frequency is subject to reception by an unintended party. The stronger the signal, the further away unintended parties can listen in; the weaker the signal, the closer they need to be. Luckily, NFC communications are very weak, and so all demonstrated attacks require the listening device to be within yards, if not feet, of the targeted area. 

 Although I know of no instance where RFID skimming has occurred “in the wild” for monetary theft, I still use a radio frequency blocking wallet to hold all my “smart cards” for personal or work use. There are a lot of options on Amazon, but this is the make and model I’ve used for the last several years. I also keep my “smart passport” in an RFID-blocking sleeve similar to this. On the other hand, I also know that penetration testing teams routinely capture NFC signals to clone identification cards, and if penetration testing teams do it, it is the most likely bet that other organizations do it as well for less noble purposes than security testing. Therefore I protect my information with RFID blockers, and this gives me a bit of peace of mind in airports and similar locations.

This does not eliminate all my risk, but between a bit of cash and a bit of digital currency, the biggest risk remaining is simply losing my wallet. Much like I take a daily multi-vitamin because it is “Not harmful, likely helpful”,  I make sure I use an RFID-blocking wallet.

So if you need a new wallet, or are purchasing a gift for a young person about to embark on the start of adulthood, an RFID-blocking capability is a very nice feature. 

Prepper's Armory: Ammo Mishaps, part 2

In my previous post on this topic, I discussed what can happen to guns when the wrong ammunition, or ammunition loaded to excessive pressure, is fired in them. In this installment, I'll look at ammunition which, while having similar external dimensions, are actually two distinct cartridges.

One that’s not heard about as much today is the .38 ACP chambered in early Colt semi-automatic pistols. The original loading of .38 ACP had very similar ballistics to .38 Super, enough to damage the firearms of the time, and so the cartridge was reduced in power. However, the later-designed .38 Super has nearly identical case dimensions and can be chambered in those older guns. Modern .38 Super fired in antique .38 ACP pistols can damage the gun and possibly even injure the shooter.

Similarly, the older 7.63 Mauser and more recent 7.62 Tokarev are nearly interchangeable as to external dimensions, but their current loadings are not comparable in power. I had the misfortune of being shown a pre-World War I C-96 Broomhandle Mauser that had been fed a regular diet of 7.62 Tokarev rounds. The shooter hadn't been injured, but the gun was ruined.

Data from Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading

Another common issue of concern is military surplus rifles being rechambered in cartridges well beyond their pressure limits. Years ago, Bloke on the Range participated in a video about a Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle rechambered for 7mm Remington Magnum. 

Understand that .303 British, the original chambering for the SMLE, has a maximum pressure of 49,000 psi according to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) standards. British and Commonwealth arsenals use intentionally overloaded ammunition called proof cartridges to certify firearm safety. These generally develop around 10% over maximum pressure of a standard round, or approximately 54,000 psi in the case of .303 British. In comparison, the 7mm Remington Magnum has a 61,000 psi maximum. That’s a 12,000 psi increase over a standard pressure cartridge! By the end of the video, the rifle was not in good shape.

Data from Lyman Reloading Handbook

There are also military rifles that were rechambered during their service lives due to a change in the issue cartridge. For example, right around the turn of the last century, the German military changed their standard cartridge from the Patrone 88 to the S Patrone. The cases were nearly identical, but the bullets differed in shape, weight, and most importantly, diameter.

The Patrone 88 fired a .318 inch bullet at around 2,100 FPS. The later S Patrone was a .323 inch bullet that traveled at nearly 2,900 FPS. Now, .005 inches may not sound like a lot, but we are talking about a significant pressure increase in rifles over a century old at this point, the earliest of which were originally designed for black powder.

Data from Lyman Reloading Handbook

In fact, unless the owner really knows what they're doing, some of these early rifles probably shouldn’t be fired at all. The new (or rechambered) barrel should have the current chambering stamped into it, but this isn't always done. If the chambering of a rifle is in question, a chamber casting can be made for proper measurements.

There are other examples, but I hope by this point the message is clear: know the firearm and its appropriate ammunition. As mentioned previously, a good resource is SAAMI, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute.

Be careful, be safe, and enjoy many more years of shooting without blowing up any guns.

Two Quick Product Recommendations

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

I was at LibertyCon last weekend, and anyone who has attended conventions knows that they can be noisy from everyone talking, which can lead to headaches and possibly sensory overload. Conversely, some of the convention rooms can have poor sound systems -- or sometimes not even have microphones at all -- and when combined with guests who mumble or refuse to raise their voice, they can be hard to hear even for people who don't have hearing damage like I do. 

Standard Version

If you are easily overstimulated by loud noises, or wish you had a way to amplify conversations, or both, then I have a solution for you: Walker's Hearing Enhancer Earbuds. These earbuds have 29db noise reduction, making them suitable for use at the range, but like bulkier electronic earmuffs they also come with a microphone to amplify conversations. As you can see from the picture below, the controls are on the earbud "rope" itself, which makes turning them on and off or adjusting the volume easy and convenient. 

These earbuds are rechargeable via a micro-USB port and have a battery life of approximately 15 hours. I used mine nearly all day Saturday and I didn't run out of battery, nor did I experience any discomfort.  

Like nearly all amplified hearing there will be an audible "hiss" when them in their powered mode, but this is an unavoidable characteristic in all but the most expensive devices; my father had a set of prescription hearing aids by Signia and they had a similar hissing sound when active. 

Bluetooth Version

If I had one complaint, it would be that there is no way to toggle between "Amplify everything around me" and "Amplify only what is in front of me", which would be great for conversations in noisy areas, but that's asking an awful lot from a $50 piece of equipment. 

There is also a Bluetooth version which can be used to listen to music, but not make telephone calls. This version used to be much more expensive but is actually a dollar less than the non-BT version, so if you want to be able to listen to music while blocking out other noises get that one instead. 

Changing the topic completely, a few weeks ago I discussed the benefits of using UV cured liquid plastic resin for repairs. Well, my Bondic ran out of juice and instead of paying $15 for 8 grams of resin, I decided to buy in bulk and got myself a 100 gram bottle of it for $10. While I am happy with this resin, it is thicker and my usual methods of UV curing took longer. Being an impatient person, I sought to remedy this with a stronger light, preferably one that I didn't have to hold. I found that solution with this UV LED lamp. With over 15,000 ratings and priced at only $7, I thought it was worth the gamble. So far, I am very happy with its performance, and even if it breaks within a few months of use (unlikely given its reviews) it will have paid for itself in its convenience.
  

https://amzn.to/4eHixvB

One click of the power button turns it on for one minute, a second click for three minutes, and a third turns it off. Pressing and holding the button turns it on without a timer. I haven't had to use that setting; I've found that 60 seconds is enough for most resin, and 3 minutes will definitely handle the rest. 

As a bonus, if you or a family member use gel nail polish on your nails, then this can be used to cure that as well. (It won't work on traditional nail lacquer). 

Other than saying that I'm very happy with my purchases, that's all I have for now. As always, stay prepped or get wrecked.

FTC disclaimer: I bought these items with my own money and I wasn't paid for this review. Go away. 

Negotiating Skills for Preppers

I’ve written about interpersonal communication for this blog previously. Rather than focusing on conflict resolution as a specific skill, this time I’d like to address negotiation skills as a way to help people deal with each other.

“Diplomacy is the art of being able to say “nice doggie” until you have time to pick up a rock.” – Will Rogers

This quote reflects a fundamental truth: that diplomacy is a way to change relative advantage between two parties. While Roger’s quip makes it easy to understand that the “dog” needs to be mollified until the person saying “nice doggy” has attained a position of power, not all negotiations are inherently win/lose or advantage/disadvantage; some are win/win and some are lose/lose.

Sometimes the interest of both parties is to gain something for themselves because the other has it, which can result in a trade and both parties go away happy. Sometimes the interest of both parties is to build a relationship that benefits both parties, which can result in an agreement and both parties become more prosperous.  And sometimes, one of the parties desires a position of advantage that is disadvantageous to the other party; this is pretty dangerous, as the difference between begging, mugging, and murder is only how far the party seeking advantage is willing to go to get what you have.

Civilization is built on trade, and trade is built on negotiation. Negotiation is both an art and a science in that doing it well requires experience as well as an application of the appropriate technique or style to the problem at hand. Listed below are some of the skills and techniques.

Separate the People from the Problem

People are emotional beings, and often have irrational belief systems and behaviors. But people are also generally creative, so when you open up negotiations with something like, “You want something, I want something, are you willing to think about options where we both get what we want?” you may be able to separate the person from the problem and come to a place of mutual benefit. 

Some people cannot do this, or if they try they cannot keep it up for very long. The band Fleetwood Mac makes a lot of money every reunion tour, but the relationship between the band and Lindsey Buckingham is a good example of the person being the problem.

If you can get the emotions out of problem solving, it's easier to solve the problem. This can take some patience, as logical, rational thought is not a native thinking style for everyone, but with enough brainstorming something can usually be worked out. The danger here is that you have to negotiate in good faith, be honest about what you want, and trust the other side to be honest about what they want in their own self-interest. The book Getting to Yes covers this technique in depth.

Using Your BATNA

BATNA stands for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. This means that if you can’t come to a settlement where you achieve what you want, or enough of what you want, then you are completely valid in creating an alternative that doesn’t involve the other party to negotiation. When a person is the problem, whether through behavior, belief, mental illness, or personality, you need to separate yourself from the problem. On social media this can be as simple as  muting, blocking, or unfriending; in real life, sometimes this means enforcing your personal sovereignty and letting someone know they are not welcome in your life as long as they remain a problem.

If the other party says “Until you stop that heathen sinning you can’t be my friend! Stop that heathen sinning to gain my friendship!” as part of a traditional give/take negotiation strategy, then you saying “I am who I am. My heathen sinning is not hurting you, only your sensibilities. I am not willing to give up my heathen sinning to gain the friendship of someone willing to give or withhold friendship as a manipulative act.” is a perfectly rational response. Here, “heathen sinning” is just a cover for any sort of moral behavior that someone might object to such as drinking, smoking, atheism, etc. If you reach a point where you and the other party cannot generate options where you get what you want from the negotiation, exit out if that is an option. Sad to say, sometimes the only power you have left is to leave.

US Army Field Manual 3-13, Information Operations, covers BATNA in greater depth.

Favor and Ledger

Doing favors, lending a hand, and generally being a decent human being are things that are a form of “social currency.” In normal times, having a lot of social currency is a good thing. However if times are not normal, people can easily forget all that social currency you have built up in the past and say “Times have changed, none of that matters now.” My rule of thumb on this is that if I have the ability to do good, I should do good if it does not come with serious risk. This can be an act of kindness to help them on their way that costs me a little time and effort, such as towing someone out of a ditch or snowdrift. However, when someone asks for concrete resources (lending/giving money, equipment, etc.), it is much harder for me to say “yes” as that increases the risk to my family.

As long as you recognize that you may never get in return all the favors you’ve given, this negotiating skill can come in handy if you are dealing with people who feel a deep enough sense of obligation to pay back the favor, but if you owe someone a favor, honoring that when it would seriously disadvantage you is a risk you run. Additionally, if everyone in your area bugs out, you might not have anyone around to call in a favor. This negotiating skill does raise your social currency, though, and that is an important thing to have in any community.

Haggling and Bartering

Preppers are generally a skillful and crafty lot, but most Americans are not well versed in haggling for prices or bartering. Some don’t even entertain it, and simply post the price of things and that’s that. But if you are married, you haggle all the time with your spouse: “If you do the dishes I’ll clean the gutters” or “If you clean the house I’ll hire a sitter and we can have a date night.” This is easy because you both have a pretty good idea of what the other person wants (or you will at some point), and it feels natural and playful sometimes. That sense of play is key to haggling, because if you make it a game that you don’t have to win it can be fun, and bartering to trade a basket of tomatoes for fresh bread and some hard cheese might not feel so uncomfortable.

Some People Are Better Than Others

If you are someone who has charisma and the gift of gab, you may be a born negotiator. If you know someone in your tribe who has these gifts, then working with them to negotiate on your behalf or on behalf of the tribe is a smart move. Arm them with all the knowledge of what they are authorized to offer, what you all need to gain or achieve, so that they can use their charm and charisma to the best extent.

Understand that “charisma” isn’t what makes a great leader, but is something that helps make a great negotiator. Wisdom, intelligence, and experience are things that make a great leader, although they need at least a smattering of charisma if they are to keep a group of people working together.

Closing Thoughts

There are a lot of books out there on negotiating styles, theories, and frameworks. This post barely scratches the surface of the subject, but has hopefully been food for thought. I do hope that the next time you find yourself negotiating with someone you find yourself a little better at it, even if you end up doing the dishes to get what you want.

Prepper's Armory: Ammo Mishaps, part 1

I decided to put together this post after two recent incidents on the range. In one, a customer loaded .380 ACP rounds into his 9mm pistol and while they fed, chambered, and fired properly, they didn’t cycle the action.

In the other, a different customer was having a problem with his new AR pistol. The bolt wouldn’t go all the way forward when he chambered a round, and that was because he was trying to load .223 Remington rounds in a gun chambered for .300 Blackout.

Those two incidents were resolved without injury or damage to the firearms. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Most of the time, a firearm will only chamber and fire the correct cartridge, but the exceptions to this rule can be disastrous.

With certain bullets, a .300 BLK round will chamber in a .223 Rem or 5.56mm rifle because the case head is identical and the case is shorter than the .223/5.56. In most rifles, the extractor will keep the base of the cartridge against the bolt face and the firing pin will set off the primer. The shooter is then presented with a .30 caliber bullet trying to make its way through a .223 caliber bore. The best case in this situation is damage to the gun from the pressure spike; the worst case is injury or death to the shooter and anyone else nearby.

A .300 Blackout Bullet Recovered from a .223 Barrel

I can’t stress enough the importance of making sure that correct ammunition is used in a gun.  However, even if it’s the right caliber, it may still be too "hot" for the firearm, which can occur when shooting +P or +P+ ammunition in guns not rated for that energy level. It breaks my heart when I hear about a vintage revolver being blown up because someone fired a cartridge that develops far more pressure than the gun was designed to handle.

For example, many British Webley revolvers originally chambered in .455 were cut for .45 ACP in moon clips when they hit the surplus market after both world wars.  The .45 ACP round will chamber and fire, but the pressure level of 21st century .45 ACP is considerably greater than 20th century .455 Webley. Owners of these revolvers should either handload low pressure rounds or relegate  their Webley to "safe queen" status.

A revolver destroyed by overpowered ammunition

Less dangerous, but not entirely without risk, are surplus revolvers originally chambered in .38 Smith & Wesson which have been cut for .38 Special. The .38 S&W cartridge is both slightly wider and slightly shorter than .38 SPL, and importers would cut the chambers in the cylinder deep enough for .38 SPL to fit and call it a day. Firing .38 SPL out of these revolvers almost always results in ruptured cases and can cause erosion pits in the cylinder walls, both weakening the cylinder and making extraction more difficult.

Something similar was done to .38 SPL revolvers after the introduction of .357 Magnum, since the .357 MAG case is dimensionally identical to .38 SPL other than being 1/10th of an inch longer. Some people would have the chambers deepened in their .38 SPL revolvers so they could chamber .357 MAG cartridges, perhaps because they didn’t want to buy a new gun. Needless to say, this rarely ended well for the revolver.

I will list more examples in a future article, but I hope by this point the message is clear: know your firearm and its appropriate ammunition. A good resource is SAAMI, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute.

Be careful, be safe, and enjoy many more years of shooting without blowing up any guns.

A Liquid Plastic Repair Job

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Back in 2017, I talked about the prepping uses of liquid resin and a UV curing light. This past weekend I had an emergency situation where this method of repair came in very handy. 

As I have mentioned before, I use a CPAP at night. Well, after many years of faithful service, part of my mask broke. Actually, I'm not sure if "broke" is the correct word, as it doesn't look like anything sheared off; instead it just seems like the hard plastic ring inside the soft silicone nose piece, which serves as an attachment point for my headgear, decided it didn't want to stay in place any more. Perhaps there was a spot of glue holding it in place, or maybe the silicone just softened enough over time that there wasn't sufficient friction to keep it in position; regardless, the malfunction prevented proper operation of my CPAP because the nasal pillows wouldn't stay in place. 

More distressing is that it decided to break when I was already in bed and about to fall asleep. I needed to fix this quickly with a solution that didn't take a lot of time, effort, or brainpower:

• I considered using superglue to keep the rings in place, but I didn't know how well it would adhere to silicone, and even if it did I had no desire to breathe ethyl cyanoacrylate fumes all night. 
• I thought that something like duct tape or electrical tape might work. However, trying to wrap a complex curved surface with flat tape is something I find extremely challenging. Additionally, I wasn't sure how well the tape would stick to the silicone; if it didn't stick well then it would slip off in the night, but if it stuck too well then I might damage my headgear when I took the tape off to replace the broken nasal pillow. 
• As you have guessed, I fixed it with UV-cured liquid plastic. I reasoned that if I coated the exterior of the locking ring and then placed it back inside the silicone nose piece, even if it didn't glue the ring in place it would increase the surface area enough that I would have a good enough friction fit to make it through the night. As a bonus, I wouldn't be breathing any toxic fumes or risking damage to anything I wasn't intending to replace. 

I'm pleased to report that my quick fix did indeed solve my problem for that night. Unfortunately, the bond didn't hold for a second night, but by that point I had dug out my backup mask and ordered a replacement part, so it lasted as long as I needed it to last. Honestly, that's all you can ask of a patch job. 

Stainless Knife Steels: 440A vs. VG10

I have a passing interest in the history of both official and unofficial knives used by the US Military throughout history. In WW2,  the Marbles Ideal Knife was never official issue, but was known to be carried in every theater of operations. The Ideal pattern knife had been around for decades by the time WWII came about, and wouldn't have been out of place in any deer camp in America. This made the Marbles Ideal Knife a boyhood dream knife for many an American youth, up through when the Marbles company failed financially and essentially exists only as intellectual property. That being said, the current owner of the Marbles IP offers a modern take on the classic Marbles Ideal pattern knife: 

https://amzn.to/45scaYN

At $16 at Amazon, that Marbles knife is $10 less than what I paid for mine. But what does your $16 get you? Some 440A stainless steel, in a thick blade, with a rubber handle and a sheath to house it. However, that’s almost all you get with a nearly $90 Cold Steel SRK made in San Mai.

https://amzn.to/45se7EB

Cold Steel has been making the Survival Rescue Knife (SRK) pattern for decades and in many different steel types. It's even advertised as the Navy SEAL knife for sailors going through BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal training).

So what gives? 

What makes one a $24 knife and the other a $90 knife? Is the price worth the difference?

First, the Marbles Ideal is a Chinese knife, and the Cold Steel SRK San Mai is a Taiwanese knife; the difference in country of origin reflects in the price. 

Second, the Chinese 440A stainless steel blade is a standard cutlery stainless steel with a decent carbon content,  and depending on the heat treatment it can be awesome or awful for edge retention (the awful reputation comes from a lot of cheap gas station/flea market knives using 440A with a bad heat treatment). The SRK San Mai has a VG10 steel core, which is sometimes called a "super steel" due to toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention. Lots of producers make 440A, but there is only one producer of VG10, so that is reflected in the price difference.

Comparing the steels by chemical makeup, VG10 has more carbon but less chromium, and also has a significant Cobalt content in the alloy. This means that 440A is theoretically slightly more rust resistant, and VG10 is going to have better edge retention at a given hardness level (more carbon to make carbides in the steel matrix). In practice, this means you’ll need to sharpen the Marbles Ideal knife slightly more often than the SRK San Mai. You can’t tell the different by eye or feel; you'll need a chemical assay to do that for you.

Finally, market forces. The Marbles brand may have been a big name in outdoors publications decades ago, but not anymore. On the contrary, Cold Steel has been a big name in the knife industry for decades, and brand equity is a thing, so that reflects in the price as well.

What does this mean for you?
In my experience with both knives, they are both going to get the job done. The Marbles Ideal has a better belly for skinning large game and the SRK has slightly better edge retention. I’d take either one with me into a salt water environment and expect no problems, given the very high chromium content of both blades. However, that same high chromium content combined with the final edge hardness makes sharpening with traditional stones a very poor life decision, so I would use a diamond stone when sharpening both knives.

Given that both work, have good edge retention, which one is better and why?

The SRK is better, because the handle is more comfortable, and the edge retention is slightly longer. The sheath is also a better design in my opinion, but that’s largely irrelevant. However, is it over three times better? No. The Chinese Marbles Ideal knife offers great utility for your money if you're pinching pennies and need a nearly 7” stainless steel Bowie style outdoorsy knife to do outdoorsy stuff. If you could only have one tool, a 4-7" Bowie style fixed blade isn’t the worst option to take with you.

However, if you are in the market for a knife to use as a general cutting tool for a Get Home Bag or use around the homestead, it is hard to beat the Mora Companion which has a more comfortable handle than either the SRK or Ideal knives, and while the blade is much thinner at 1/8th of an inch, that means it is that much lighter on the belt or in the pack. It also means it's the absolute best knife here for food preparation (I know, I've tested all three). The Sandvik stainless steel blade is the softest of the three, but that means it can be sharpened more easily, and by conventional stones, no need for a diamond stone.

It's heavy and thick, but if you need a "big camp chore knife", then for the money the Marbles Ideal really is a great value.