Prepography
The Art & Study of Self-Reliance
Top 10 Preparedness Uses of WD-40 (2,105)
Snake Eater – How to Field Dress a Snake (661)
Prepping with Garage Sales (648)
OCOKA – A Key Survival Acronym (638)
Fan of the Ammo Can – Top 10 Uses (595)
Top 10 Preparedness Uses of Mineral Oil (572)
Top 10 Initial Steps to Preparation (504)
Don’t Be ‘That Prepper Guy’ (419)
Prepper SALUTE Report – An Observation and Reporting Tool (360)
Physical Security and the Forms of Protection (306)
Situational Awareness – An Introduction (271)
Top 10 Preparedness Uses of Diatomaceous Earth (250)
Grossman on Sheep Wolves and Sheepdogs – Today’s Quote
If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself… “Baa.”
Lieutenant Colonel (RET) Dave Grossman
A Mathematician on Insecurity – Today’s Quote
Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.
Adams on Property, Security and Liberty – Today’s Quote
Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist.
President John Adams
OCOKA – A Key Survival Acronym
Every infantryman and Army leader knows the acronym OCOKA, pronounced OH-coke-A. It’s a mnemonic that helps soldiers survive on the battlefield and dominate the enemy by evaluating their terrain. OCOKA is also a key survival acronym for preppers and survivalists. You should use OCOKA to evaluate the terrain around your workplace and home (and your retreat if you have one) but you should also use it to evaluate temporary locations or positions you occupy even for a few minutes if you live or are operating in a degraded security environment. Today’s article will introduce some concepts that we will return to in more detail in future articles.
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Rawles on Knives and Bayonets – Today’s Quote
If your rifle has bayonet lug, then buy a bayonet for it. A bayonet can also be a useful knife, but a knife is not also a bayonet.
The Water is Calm – Today’s Quote
Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.
Malayan Proverb
Physical Security and the Principles of Protection
In Part One of this two article series we introduced Physical Security and Protection by discussing Physical Security Challenges, the similarities and differences between threats and hazards and the five Forms of Protection (Prevention, Deterrence, Passive Defense, Active Security and Mitigation). This topic has been adapted from the U.S. Army’s doctrine on Physical Security for application by the prepper, prepper family or preparedness group. Today we’ll expand our discussion to include the Principals of Protection.
As we discussed in Part One our goal in this series is to help you develop a cognitive model for assessing your own Physical Security in a continuum of security environments from today’s Rule of Law (ROL) environment (at least here in the U.S.) through increasingly degraded security environments, short term WROL situations and all the way to a full, long term, WROL environment.
Army doctrine teaches that successful protection is characterized by the integration of the five principles of protection and these principles can be used to counter a myriad of physical security challenges. Although these principals of protection are applied differently depending on your resources and environment they do provide the prepper, along with the Forms of Protection from Part One…a way to approach protection and improve your Physical Security situation no matter the security environment. Remember that your plan should be tailored not only to the hazards and threats you face, but also to the legal and political environment you face…and might face. It’s a sad testament to our society that a man or woman isn’t judged just by their actions but are also, often judged by how their actions are perceived through racial, gender, political affiliation or economic (class) charged lenses.
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Prepper SALUTE Report – An Observation and Reporting Tool
The SALUTE Report, also known as the Spot Report is(as in ‘I spotted something’) is a U.S. Army Skill Level 1 Task (Skill Level 1 Tasks apply to everyone from the brand new recruit to the senior General Officer) that makes it easier for a soldier to observe and report information of intelligence value or information that can be used to immediate advantage. Essentially the SALUTE Report is an observation and reporting mnemonic and technique. The Prepper SALUTE Report is an easy skill to learn and it’s definitely worth learning whether you’re a prepper and just a concerned citizen.
SALUTE is actually an acronym and does use a little military jargon so I’ll interpret and help you apply this tool to situations as diverse as use in a Neighborhood Protection District (neighborhood watch on steroids when law enforcement can’t be relied upon) or by a concerned citizen who sees potential criminal or terror activity like the recent bombings in Boston.
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The Quartermaster’s Report – X CALIBER Shotgun Gauge Adapter System
Andrew’s Note: Today we introduce The Quartermaster and The Quartermaster’s Report. The Quartermaster brings us information on cool gear and equipment as well as the availability of cool gear and equipment. Today’s report is on the X CALIBER Shotgun Gauge Adapter System.
Ever wished you could carry one gun and have it shoot multiple calibers and guages? I’m not talking about .38 Special and .357 Magnum either…I’m talking about a tool that can hunt grouse as a 12 Gauge shotgun but quickly convert into to a 7.62×39 to drop a deer and even to .22 Long Rifle to bring down a squirrel…well now you can.
Paine on Commerce & Defense – Today’s Quote
No country on the globe is so happily situated, so internally capable of raising a fleet as America. Tar, timber, iron, and cordage are her natural produce. We need go abroad for nothing. Whereas the Dutch, who make large profits by hiring out their ships of war to the Spaniards and Portuguese, are obliged to import most of the materials they use. We ought to view the building a fleet as an article of commerce, it being the natural manufactory of this country. It is the best money we can lay out. A navy when finished is worth more than it cost. And is that nice point in national policy, in which commerce and protection are united. Let us build; if we want them not, we can sell; and by that means replace our paper currency with ready gold and silver.
In almost every article of defence we abound. Hemp flourishes even to rankness, so that we need not want cordage. Our iron is superior to that of other countries. Our small arms equal to any in the world. Cannon we can cast at pleasure.
Thomas Paine
BLT on OPSEC – Today’s Quote
The first rule of Walled Fortress in the Woods is: You do not talk about Walled Fortress in the Woods.
The second rule of Walled Fortress in the Woods is: You do not talk about Walled Fortress in the Woods.
Stealth Prepper – Top 10 Reasons
Today I’m running a Best of Prepography article on Stealth Prepping that first ran in July of last year. I’m rerunning this today in response to a request I saw over the weekend at another preparedness site encouraging folks to publicly identify themselves as preppers in an attempt to shatter the Doomsday Prepper narrative that the media usually attaches to those prudent enough to prepare. I understand the reasoning…it seems that anytime a criminal is found to have more than one firearm or a deep larder they’re labled by the news media as another crazy prepper or wacko survivalist. I hate that our movement is having it’s reputation tarnished but I’ll bet you got into prepping for your family…don’t risk everything you’ve accomplished (or intend to accomplish) with your preps by ‘going public.’
Being a ‘Stealth Prepper’ means keeping your preparations to yourself and practicing what we call OPSEC (Operational Security) in the military. The journey towards self-reliance and preparedness for life’s unexpected situations is exciting…you will want to celebrate your successes and discuss how to rectify your failures with like-minded people…but don’t do so until you put a lot of thought into who you’re talking with, who they’ll tell and so on. Here are the Top 10 Reasons to be a Stealth Prepper:
- The words “I won’t tell anyone” are almost always a lie, even if said with proper intentions at the time. Keep your preparations to yourself.
- You will be ridiculed in good times by those well meaning people in your life that think nothing bad can ever happen to them… or that the authorities will always protect them from danger…in other words the sheeple.
- You could be inundated by requests for ‘assistance’ in hard times that will have you weighing the well being of your family against that of strangers, acquaintances and friends.
- You can’t afford to buy enough for ‘everybody.’
- You don’t have enough space to store for ‘everybody.’ Continue reading
Guns Save Lives
I found an interesting interactive map over on the website GunsSaveLives.net. The editors at GunsSaveLives.net catalog news articles from around the United States that report on firearms used by citizens for self defense. They’ve been cataloging and geotagging articles for several years and what they’ve come up with is a great interactive tool that’s tailor made to refute those who claim that ‘a gun never solved anything’ or ‘nothing good comes from guns.’
A special thanks goes out to U.S. Navy Vet, Lil Chantilly of the website HeelsandHandguns.com for introducing me to the map. It’s now been included in our Online Prep Resources Page.
Difference Between .223 Caliber & 5.56mm
Andrew’s Note: Prepography reader CCP wrote in to ask: “Why is the .223 caliber designated as 5.56mm by the military? Also, why is the .308 caliber designated as 7.62mm? 25.4mm = 1 inch. I thought it was a great question so I put it to the guy who taught me the difference between .223 caliber & 5.56mm…my buddy, Infidel…
Thanks for your question, I was going to do a article on the difference between the .223 and 5.56 chamberings anyway so I’ll discuss that as well.
.223 and 5.56 are different beasts. In a nutshell, a direct quote (and worded better than I could have) from Wikipedia, “The 5.56mm NATO chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chamber, has a longer leade (also referred to as the throat), which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet.” This longer leade allows the 5.56 to run higher pressures you cannot in a .223 chamber. This is the very reason you cannot shoot 5.56 out of .223 chambers. If you do you can cause damage to your firearm. At the very least you will have popped primers and extraction problems. Worst case you will blow up an AR (short for Armalite Rifle) really quick.
No Police Response to 911 Calls Anymore
The next time you call 911 because you need a police response you might be referred to ‘another department’ that will take your police report over the phone…at least if you live in one of the safest (if you believe gun control reduces crime that is) cities in the country…Chicago. It’s scary to think about no police response to 911 calls…
Chicago authorities are revamping how police respond to 911 calls in hopes of freeing up more officers to respond to the most serious crimes.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that starting Sunday officers won’t respond in person to lesser crimes. Those include vehicle theft or incidents where the victim is safe and doesn’t need medical attention.
Those calls will go to another department and police reports taken over the phone.
The move is expected to make the equivalent of 44 police officers available and comes as the city has seen a spike in murders.
via Chicago police changing response to 911 calls | Fox News.
Sheriff Clarke on Defending Yourself – Today’s Quote
I need you in the game… With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option… You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. … Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. via Wisconsin sheriff urges residents to arm themselves | Fox News.
Building a Bug Out Bag – Part VII, Security
In Building a Bug Out Bag Part I we discussed why building a Bug Out Bag is important and what type of bag to select. In Part II we discussed the Transportation Items to consider, in Part III we explored Water preparedness, in Part IV it was Food preparedness, in Part V we tackled Shelter, Clothing and Protection from the elements and in Part VI we considered Communications options. Today we’ll discuss Security preparedness and some Security elements to consider while building a Bug Out Bag. Remember, this is your last ditch, carry on your back, walk away from trouble Bug Out Bag…not what you hope you can get to your bug out location if your car, SUV, or gyrocopter makes it.
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Biden on the American Public – Today’s Quote
…the vice president indicated that there was a very short timeline for him to get back to the president with his recommendations because the American public has a short memory.
Sheriff Richard Stanek, president of the Major County Sheriffs’ Association paraphrasing Vice President Joe Biden
Andrew’s Note: Reminds me of a quote from another former Administration Official, former White House Chief of Staff and current Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel who said “never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Incidentally, Chicago’s extremely restrictive firearms laws are being considered by some as a model for the nation…the same city that has a horrendous violent crime problem because gun control only disarms the law abiding.
Best Prepper Caliber?
Andrew’s Note: Prepography reader Kim B wrote in to ask our firearms editor, Infidel the following question: “If you had an opportunity to choose between a 5.56mm (.223 caliber) , a 6.8 SPC or a 7.62mm (.308 caliber), what would be your choice? Based upon what factors?” That’s a great question…what’s the Best Prepper Caliber for the rifle? Here’s Infidel’s take on the topic:
Kim, thanks for the question. First and foremost, I am no expert. I consider myself a life time student of the gun and take every opportunity to learn. I have been blessed with some excellent shooting schools,great friends who show the same passion as me and life altering events. Thus I can get opinionated. But hang on, I will answer your question but first I’ll ask you a few… what role will this caliber be tasked to do? (defensive, hunting, target shooting)? Will you be carrying the rifle for long periods of time or distances? What kind of physical stamina do you have?
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Infidel on 911- Today’s Quote
Remember the average response time to a 911 call is over 4 minutes.
Infidel, Prepography‘s Primary Firearms Editor commenting on the average response time for police on his former department
