Food & Health
- Field Medicine : (part 3) of 3.
How to
- Twister : A personal account.
Living
- Paranoia,
Suspicion, & Government Infiltration :
- The guide : A starting point
- Expo '98 : dates and places
Weapons
- Survival Gunsmithing :
Departments
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Vol.2 No.6 - Who we are, the publisher, editorial contributions.
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Q & A
Q:what would be the best way to trap animals ( rabbits squirles ect.)using
readily found materials???
A:
Q:I was wondering if it would be possible to live on dry dog food for any
length of time? It keeps dogs alive, wouldn't it work the same way for
humans? Dogs have better diets than most people, so I've been told. Dry
dog food would be cheap and easy to store too. It could be made into a
sort of mush very easily, taste would be a problem though.
A:You may want to check with a doctor as far as the compatability of the diet. I have eaten some pretty bad food but I once ate some dog biscuits, gave me the trots.
Q:I interact on all the weapons bulletin boards, are there any survival
bulletin boards(message boards)
A:Not many of the BBS's are left. The newsgroups are good, try Misc.survialism
or Alt.survival. Lots of people on them. There are alot of other "survival"
related groups too, camping, self sufficiency, food preparation, candle
making, etc.
Q:I used to read this really great magazine called
Practical Survival, but it stopped shipping here
to the Philippines. Is it still around? What's
their email? Where can I get back issues?
A:Practical Survival was a one of a kind. It
wasn't so much about burying yourself as it was about surviving everyday
life. I stopped finding it with the december 92 issue. If I remember
right, and I rarely do, I called the publisher to try and get a
subsrciption and was told it had gone under.
Q:What sort of air filtration system is best for
an underground nuke shelter and where can I
get more info on such stuff...?
A:Check out www.radius-defense.com, they manufacture underground shelters and have HEPA filtration systems that also filter out NBC particulates.
Q:How can anyone take a regular vehicle (car or truck) and turn it into a survival or bugout vechicle? What supplies,kits extra tools etc, should it carry and what should be done to the car/truck itself? I need it to take family/survivalist from point a to b, be able to be almost self contained and be able to handle all terrains and survival situations like civil riot.
A:Go to the March 1998 issue of OSM.
Q:Where can I find a dosimeter for sale? How much does one normally cost?
A:Try JRH Enterprises, P.O. Box 3986 St. Augustine, FL 32085.
Q:What would be the shelf life on canned goods (Spam , Corned Beef, Vegtables)
A:Most canned goods have an expiration date on the top or bottom of the can. They are usually in the form; OCT 99 or something similiar. Since most manufacturers now use the "lined interior" cans, shelf life is about 18-20 months from date of purchase.
Q:Having just purchased 3 NEW M-15 masks, with 3 extra filters,
for a total of six filters. Question is- How many filters should one keep on hand?
and how does one know when to change them?
A:Check the expiration dates on the filters. If the filters in the mask are kept dry, they can last for about 4 years if uncontaminated, indefinate for training. After your first chemical encounter, you want to change the filter as soon as tactically permissible. Max exposure time, about 36 hours.
Q:I have a drilled well and would like to find some type of hand pump or other non electrical set up which could be hooked into the water pipe where it enters the home near the pressure tank as a backup in case of loss of electricity.
A:
A simple alternative would be a power inverter, and a 12 volt car
battery. Some well pumping systems offer AC/DC power compatibility. I'm sure
you could work something out by bridging 2-3 car batteries together, and using
a solar charger to replenish the power used in a temporary power outage. For
a longer term scenario, I'd suggest putting the system in place, with out the
batteries, and attaching the batteries as you need them. I'm sure many
stranded cars will have functioning batteries you could liberate.
Q:Where can I find the M-40 gas mask?
A:The M-40 is very hard to get. Some manufacturers are prohibited from selling the M40 mask commercially.
Right now, the military requirements are still not totally fulfilled, so
they are the top priority. Try your local military surplus supply store.
They may have them as the military starts to receive the M-40 A-1 model.
Q:Plans on how to build a bomb shelter.
A:I have
found a place on the internet that gives out free plans, all you have to
do is download the files ( thought they do need the program Adobe
Acrobat reader to view them, you can download it free from the Adobe
internet page at http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/ ). The internet address
for the free bomb/fallout shelter plans is
http://www.envirolink.org/issues/nuketesting/civildef/
"The Jackel"
A:Get to your free public Library or Telnet to a Library database to search for a particular topic.
Q:How do we pull water from a well that is 600 ft deep
without electricity?
A:You might look into the possibility of using a wind mill and a deep
in well pump.
Q:I have been wondering for a while what gas mask that is available to non military personnel is the best. I have seen ads for the air forces new mask but was wondering about the legality of its ownership, as this appears to be a high quality mask. I would appreciate any input youmight have as to a good mask for general to heavy duty purposes. Thank you.
A:Any mask that fits you well and is maintained per manufacturers instructions will provide you the best protection.
Some masks used by the Air Force with the full face lexan shield, like a fire fighters SCBA, become brittle and yellow after time and may tend to leak. They are very high maintenance.
Q:I would like to know of bookstores in Chicago, Dallas and Houston selling survival related books. Though I can order online, I´m living in Mexico and customs is a nightmare. Thank you
A:Try www.amazon.com, they have tons of books and you can order right from their web site. I have personally used this service and was very pleased.
Q:Where can somebody get a indepth list of "survival supplies" like a checklist of sorts?
A:I have a list I made up from other list and my own requirerments that covers just about every need.I wiil be happy to send it to anyone who sends me their e-mail address that can take an attachment or their snail-mail address.
Send request to richtodd1@juno.com Also bomb shelter plans can be got from FEMA
A:Try the The School of Self Reliance,
they used to have an e-mail responder of a great starter check list of preparedness items.
Q:Considering the different calibers of ammunition, what would be the top four ammunition calibers a survivalist should stockpile? And how much should they store of each caliber?
A:That realy depends on what type of weapon you own.
There is no 'perfect' caliber, it all depends on your perceived tactical need of defense or your particular need for a specific type of game you hunt.
As far as the number of rounds you may want to have on hand, a rule of thumb I have heard in many circles is 1,000 rounds for each type of weapon you have.
Q:I AM LOOKING FOR PLANS ON BUILDING A NUCLEAR BOMB SHELTER. CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY HELP?
A:One of the greatest (and free) resources is your library.
Many have books from the early 1950's that have plans on "Fallout Shelters" , or "Bomb Shelters".
Also, they may have past issues of Popular Mechanics from the 50's on microfiche that give you plans and specifics.
Q:
I'm looking for information on assuming a different identity in the U.S. Any suggestions , links, books?
A:
Great info sources are Paladin Press , Delta Press or Butokukai.
They have many publications that cater to a variety of interests. This may be what you are looking for.
Q:
Some people tell me that electric "Stun guns" can be used to treat poisonous snake bite, but I can't find anything in print about this. Does it work ?
A:
Short answer, NO.
There's no proof that it works.
Long answer, yes but....
I know this is long; please read the whole answer because this question
doesn't have a clearly defined answer for everyone.
There was apparently an article published in a respected journal several
years back about the possibility of treating poisonous snakebites with
an electric stun gun. I lost the reference before I could look it up.
Apparently, the stun gun electrical output may either destroy the venom
or cause sufficient involuntary contraction of the limb to "deactivate"
the venom. It could probably be used as a last ditch method if there
was no other choice. The same methods would also probably work for
scorpion stings.
The problem is, no one really understands the mechanism behind how this
works, whether or not it is effective for all venom types, how the
tratment would be applied, (number applications, length of applications,
how soon to first application,etc), and any long-term affects.
I am not aware that anyone has investigated this further. I suspect the
article was more of a research type article saying that this was an
interesting method to pursue.
You could probably get this same or similar effect from a TENS unit
without all of the negative consequences of the stun gun.
There already is an accepted, standardized treatment for deadly snakes.
It's called antivenin. These are well know products, venom specific,
that are accepted as treatments. They work and their use and adverse
reactions are generally well known.
I assume you mean North American snakes. Snake venom differs in type,
quantity and effectiveness of the poison, so there are a number of
variables involved. Some snakes are so deadly that you may not have
enough time to begin treatment or get far enough into treatment to make
a difference.
Note that snakebite also depends upon where you've been bit. If you've
been bitten near the eye, groin, armpit, etc, do you REALLY want to
"ZAP" that part of your body?
For the most part, people in healthy condition without any major heart
or immnune system problems will most (note that I use the term MOST)
likely survive a poisonous North American snakebite anyway. The problem
is, the people most affected by snakebite, young children, elderly and
the very sick, will probably also have a negative response to the stun
gun treatment.
Finally, many snakebite complications result from infection in the
treated area, either from tissue destruction from the venom or else
over-aggressive treatment. Amputation of the affected limb or radical
excision of the bitten area are also possible; they just aren't always
necessary. You run the risk of causing more damage than the bite would
have caused.
Personally, I don't carry a snakebite kit in North America. There are
other more important items I'd rather use the 2 ozs of weight for. If I
was assembling an extensive kit, sure I'd include it, but I'd also
include antivenin.
I'd use the stun gun as a very last resort. Of course, you could always
radically excise the bitten area and perhaps get a better, more
predictable result.
Q:
I am interested in whether there is someone who produces STEEL
blowguns? And, is there any other literature on blowguns, apart from M.Janich's,
Blowguns:The Breath of Death?
A:
about the steel blowgun when i was younger we used aluminum arrow shafts its light and sturdy
A:
I don't know of anyone producing steel blowguns, per se; but it might be
better (i.e.; practical, private, fun, educational, etc) to make your own.
Try a length of steel 1/2" diameter EMT conduit, sold at electrical supply or
hardware stores. They ususally come in 10' lengths, which will allow you to
make a couple of various lenths.
Try to find something to use as a mouthpiece, such as a 1/2"- 3/4" EMT
adaptor, wrapped with electrical tape or other cushioning material. Much
better in cold weather.
Darts can be made from light gauge spring steel wire, such as is used to
suspend insulation batts in ceiling and floor rafters. Use cotton balls
glued on one end for your "piston". You might try gluing one more cotton
ball just over halfway up the dart's shaft to aid in centering the dart as it
travels down the pipe.
A:
When I was just a kid (a long time ago) blow guns and darts were not on the market, but that did not stop us "brats" from building our own. We used the steel tubing earlier mentioned and made darts from long thin common nails.
We flattened the nail tips with a hammer and sharpened them. Then we took a small piece of visquine plastic, about 2 inches square and made a cut to the center of it. We then made a funnel shape out of this plastic and forced the sharpened nail through the center.
We tied the plastic to the nail with thread and put in into our "blow gun". We cut off all that stuck out and had our darts. Did it work ? I could put one of these home made darts through a "Reader's Digest" from 20 feet away.
We ued our blow guns to hunt rats in the avacado grove near my house. The grove owner was very glad to have us kill his rats. The biggest thing we ever killed was a cotten tail rabbit. The darts are easy to make, cheap and last a long time.
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