Throughout the year we will be posting some of our favorite Survival Quotes, we hope you enjoy and share them.
Survival Quote Series
The Top 5 Survival Pistols of 2019
Are you or intending to face a situation where your life at stake? If yes, a survival pistol is a must-have if you can afford to acquire one. If you are in the market of a new top-quality survival pistol, you are definitely at the right place. Here, you are going to see a list for the best survival pistols available today to help you make an informed buy. But just before we have a look at a list for the best survival pistols available today, you should check this Handgun Caliber Comparison Chart and Guide.
Now, let’s see the top-notch survival pistols of 2019.
1. Walther P99 AS
This pistol originates from Germany and was released to the market for the first time in the early 1990s. It’s a high-quality pistol, and although some people find its grip awkward and slippery at first, it’ll feel comfortable and firm with time when you get used to it. It has minimal vertical movements when in use, thanks to the horizontal serrations at the front, as the palm swell averts side to side movement and offers a better grip. It has a caliber of 9 by 19 Parabellum and weighs just 720g when unloaded while the muzzle velocity ranges from 300-460m/s. The entire pistol is 180mm long and has a barrel length of 102 mm and a magazine capacity of 16 rounds and 50-meter sighing range.
2. Beretta PX4 Storm
Beretta PX4 Storm originates from Italy and is a semi-automatic pistol. Just like Walther P99 AS, It has a caliber of 9 by 19 Parabellum, but it’s a little bit heavier, weighing 780 g to 800g when empty. The pistol is relatively compact as it’s 193mm long and the length of the barrel is 102mm. It shoots at a speed of 360m/s while its magazine can hold up to 17 rounds of ammunition. It features Double-action and single-action trigger modes, with the external hammer changing the trigger pull to single action from double action when cocked back.
3. Heckler and Koch USP
Heckler and Koch USP is another semi-automatic pistol from Germany. It has a 9 by 19 Parabellum caliber and weighs 720g when empty and 805g when loaded. The entire pistol is 194mm long and its barrel is 108mm long. A bullet from this pistol travels at a speed of 350m/s and the magazine can hold up to 15 rounds of ammunition. You can shoot at something that’s 25 yards away with relative ease.
4. FN Five-SeveN
FN Five-SeveN is a semi-automatic pistol from Belgium. It has a 5.7 by 28 mm caliber and weighs 618g when empty and 744g when loaded. So, of the four that we’ve listed here, it is so far the lightest. The entire pistol is 208mm long, and its barrel is 122mm long. A bullet leaves the muzzle of this pistol at a velocity of 650m/s and you can load up to 20 rounds of ammunition in the pistol’s magazine at a go. Being single-action pistol, its internal hammer fully cocks when you rack around the chamber slide. It offers accurate shooting to an object that’s 50m away, although its range of effective fire is up to 100m.
5. Smith and Wesson M&P
Smith and Wesson M&P originates from the USA and features an extended stainless-steel chassis. Besides, the semi-automatic pistol has a high grip to barrel bore axis ratio faster aim recovery and to prevent much vertical movements. Its caliber is 9 mm by 19mm long and the overall weight of the pistol is 680g when empty. The length of the entire pistol is 108mm and a bullet is released from the pistol’s muzzle at a velocity of 370m/s.
Most likely, the pistol you choose has a significant influence on your survival chances in a risky situation. Therefore, you should take time and consult widely, as you’ve done by reading this article, before acquiring one to ensure that you have the best.
How to Sharpen Serrated Edge Knives-Serrated Knife Sharpening
Today I thought I would talk about a little problem that many folks that carry and/or use knives in their homes seem to have all over the country. That little problem is serrated knives. We all own them in one form or another like a serrated survival pocket knife or serrated bread knife or even a serrated carving knife. There is an issue that arises for many people that own serrated knives. That issue is how to properly sharpen a serrated knife? The question of the ages for the modern knife owner. In this post, I am going to address this issue and when I am done with it you will know how to sharpen your serrated knives.
For the most part, your serrated kitchen or pocket knife will stay sharp longer than your straight edge pocket or kitchen knives will and they will even cut when the serrations are getting dull. As the scallops and teeth of a serrated knife get dull the quality of the cuts that you once got will slowly degrade into tearing, pulling and shredding of the item that you are cutting. When this tearing/shredding effect starts to happen then it is time to sharpen your knives.
For many people the chore of sharpening knives is time-consuming and for many, it is a daunting chore. The fact of the matter is that sharpening serrated knives for many is more problematic than sharpening standard straight edges. Proper care and maintenance of serrated knives will keep those scallops cutting cleanly for a long time. Have no doubt though; these serrated knives do need a greater level of experience to sharpen properly. Another thing to consider is that serrated knife blades take longer to sharpen than their plain edged counterparts.
As I said earlier serrated knives can and do stay sharper longer than plain edged knives and because of this it will take longer for a serrated blade to become dull, and this is even true for combination bladed pocket and kitchen knives. The “teeth” of a serrated blade “bite” or start the cutting process first and then the scallops of the blade follow through to complete the cut. The “teeth” take most of the cutting pressure and the scallops take the least amount of cutting pressure. Because the scallops take the least amount of cutting pressure they stay sharper longer.
Now let’s talk about how to sharpen your serrated knives. In order to do this, you will need to obtain the correct type of sharpener designed for sharpening these types of blades. There are many on the market made by many manufacturers that are specific to the chore. Some are good, and in my humble opinion, some are just plain old bad. Some of the types of serrated knife sharpeners are the “draw through” type. (I personally do not care for “draw” or “pull” through sharpeners)Then there are the sharpening rods that come both in standard and tapered versions and made of different materials from carbide to diamond coated. There are specialized serrated sharpening stones that are textured to accept the scallops of serrated knives. Many of the sharpening rods or sticks come in a triangular shape to work on the scallops between the teeth of the knife. The “rat tail” type of file or sharpener is tapered in order to naturally fit the diameter of the scallops of the blade. The one thing to keep in mind when wanting to sharpen serrated knives is that as with sharpening plain edges you will have to take the same considerations with serrated knife edges and that means that you will need to choose the correct sharpener and what materials you want that sharpener to be made of.
Many of the sharpeners that you would use to sharpen a serrated knife can be used to sharpen plain edged knives as well and you can get pocket-sized sharpeners for serrated knives and combo edged knives to carry with you for daily honing and sharpening of your daily carry knife.
When it is time to sharpen your knife whether it is a plain edge or a serrated edge one of the things to keep in mind is the angle that you will use to sharpen your knife. It does not make any difference what type of sharpener you use, keep the angle in mind. Most of the time when sharpening combo edged blades the serrated portion of the blade in the majority of cases will be of the same angle as the plain edged section of the blade. This means that when sharpening the serrated section of a combo edge it should be kept at the same angle as the plain edge section of the blade as well. Now there are many sharpeners out there that are referred to as “guided” sharpeners like the Lansky Sharpening Systems. This type of system will maintain the proper edge angle as you sharpen your knives and you can get stones or diamonds that are triangular in shape to sharpen your serrations at the correct angle with the Lansky System too!
Many people that I have met and many people that call themselves “professional knife sharpeners” for a living have sharpened serrated knives by either drawing the back/flat side of the knife across a bench stone, and in many cases I have seen them sharpened by drawing the back/flat side of the serrated knife across a sanding belt. This is not the correct way to sharpen this kind of knife. I order to sharpen the scalloped part of a serrated knife you can use the serrated sharpening stone or diamond from something like the Lansky System and work it into the scallops in a perpendicular movement to the cutting edge one scallop at a time. You can also do the same thing using one of the many diamond or ceramic files or tapered “rat tail” files and move them in the same perpendicular fashion to the cutting edge of the scallops.
Remember, you have to take your time and sharpen one scallop and one tooth at a time before moving to the next one. When you are done you should be able to feel a “burr” on the flat side of the knife. Many will tell you to lightly grind that burr off. I do not do this and I tell others not to do this. I have a small piece of 2X4 wood and I then lightly draw the serrated blade across a corner of the 2X4 to remove the burr this is also the way many people who sharpen Japanese kitchen knives do it as well. You can also take a hand held ceramic rod and start at the top of the rod and work your way down to remove the burr and polish the flat of the blade. When you “grind” you are removing metal and when you use a ceramic rod you are taking much, much less metal from the blade. I do it this way for the longevity of the blade.
Here is another way to sharpen a serrated knife really quick that I use all the time. Take corrugated sharpening steel and then take your serrated knife and start at the bottom of the steel at the handguard and take the very tip of the serrated knife and stroke the blade across and up the steel holding the blade at your chosen angle. Don’t just put the flat of the blade flat on the steel. Put the flat to the steel flat and then raise it up to your desired angle. If you know what 20 degrees looks like when sharpening on a flat stone then you should know what 20 degrees look like against the sharpening steel. Then after 10, 20, 30 reverse strokes up the steel the burr will be raised on the flat of the blade and I lop it off on the 2X4 and then a few strokes on the ceramic rod to polish the flat and I am good to go!
Secret Uses For Common Household Items
101 Uses for Paracord [infographic]
There’s a good reason why you don’t bring a lot of things with you when you go on an outdoor adventure. You may need a pillow for a more comfortable rest at night inside your tent, or a rope ladder to climb some treacherous terrains. But you don’t bring all of what you think you might need when camping or trekking or whatever you do in an adventure. If you did, you would be carrying your whole house with you.
This is where a modest piece of equipment comes in. A paracord looks like it won’t be much, but it can actually do so much. A paracord, which means a parachute cord, is basically a lifesaver. You need a shoelace? Use a paracord. Your leather watch strap ripped? A paracord will hold it together. You suddenly need to rappel? Paracord can be your lifeline. Aside from the obvious uses—such as tying an object to something or using it as a rope—there are a lot more that you can do with a paracord. You don’t have to be trekking in the countryside or camping in the wild to have a use for it. You can find that even in an urban setting, a paracord can be crucial to you.
Learn how to use a paracord in so many different ways in the infographic below.
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3 Types of Weapons You’ll Definitely Want in the Apocalypse
Scientists have worked out that after just three months of an apocalypse, things would be looking pretty dim for humanity, with only 300 people left alive. This data doesn’t seem to take into account, however, the preparedness of a large group of the population in regards to weaponry. Survival weapons are a necessity, especially when it comes to prepping for an apocalyptic disaster that could force you to alter the way you protect and defend what’s yours. Depending on the situation you find yourself in, you will likely want to have a variety of weapons on hand to defend yourself and your family as well as hunting and gathering food and other necessities.
Machetes & Knives Provide Practicality
If you are properly trained to use a knife, it can be a great way to not only protect yourself but to cut through thick, dense forests and also hunt animals that you can use for food. You will likely need a reliable knife that’s easy to handle, strong, and razor sharp. As you will use it for various purposes, such as self-defense and hunting, it can be a good idea to invest in a multi-tool that has a knife feature included on it instead of one single knife. That is, however, unless you plan on going for a machete. This weapon is best-suited for areas where you will need to clear brush as well as for survival skills such as cutting wood and even defending yourself against smaller predators like wolves and mountain lions.
Pepper Spray Guns for Safety & Tracking
Pepper spray is powerful enough to be used against most bears, meaning that it certainly is powerful enough to take down anybody in your immediate vicinity who is trying to do you harm. Pepper guns are great as they take on the shape of a gun, making these devices easy to carry around. Instead of shooting ammo, however, it uses pepper spray to disarm your enemy or attacker, either human or animal. The Mace Brand Pepper Spray Gun is a great option in this case it is works two-fold by allowing you to deliver a powerful kick of pepper to your assailant while also allowing you to track the perpetrator. The 10% OC Pepper Formula features a UV Dye that will trail behind whoever you shot it with to ensure you can either track it to hunt it and use as food or avoid if it is someone you don’t want around you or your family.
Using Guns for Tough Situations
They’re loud and sometimes heavy to carry around, generally making them less-than-ideal for survival situations. However, guns can be a great asset in an apocalypse that requires you to defend yourself from predators or other dangers, as they provide you with the power you might need to fend off unwanted visitors that other weapons don’t provide. To defend yourself from animals, it is best to have some sort of animal repellent such as a bear spray on hand for your first line of defense. Your next best bet will be a holster pistol that you can carry around on your waist. And, if the situation calls for it, you can upgrade to a rifle or shotgun that allows you to scope out dangers from a distance.
Ensuring the Safety of Your Family
The best way to ensure the safety of your family during an apocalyptic event is to prepare them beforehand. Educate them on the risks involved and teach them how to defend and care for themselves. Have a solid communication plan in place and ensure you are equipped with all of the necessary gear you need to survive whatever might happen, even if it means stocking up on a few defense weapons.
Airbed vs Sleeping Bag – Which is Better for Outdoor Survival?
Preppers who are just starting to learn about survival in the outdoors tend to compare the experience with camping, but besides the fact that you’ll have to live and sleep under the clear sky, the resemblance ends here.
Unlike camping, where you eat the food you brought from home, in a survival scenario you’ll be forced to hunt your own dinner. This is why, when you prepare the BOB, you must consider the type of hunting equipment to include.
You’ll also have to rationalize food supplies, learn how to use the environment in your favor, and last but not least, manage to be comfortable enough to catch some Zzz’s. When I describe the process this way, most new preppers get a bit anxious. And, while they’re quite OK with most of the processes, I get a lot of questions about sleeping outdoors and the equipment one should pack.
How to Sleep Outdoors and Be Comfortable
When you don’t have a car to serve as a temporary home, or even a tent to keep you warm during the night, how do you get by?
Well, first I want everyone to know that sleep is crucial in an SHTF scenario. If you’re sleep deprived, your mind will get fuzzy affect fast decision making, your hands may tremble while you’re trying to hunt, and you may lose focus during a life and death situation.
Now that everyone is up to speed, I must highlight the fact that the quality of sleep is just as important. This is why you should always try to improvise a bed that provides some cushioning and protects your body from humidity and low temperatures.
For this, the best equipment to have in your BOB is a sleeping bag and an insulating layer. For the insulating layer, you can use either an air bed or a self-inflating sleeping pad, but in my opinion, air beds are a bit more advantageous – learn more about it here.
But, if you’re forced to choose between the two, which one is more important?
Air Bed vs. Sleeping Bag
When you decide which elements go in your BOB, it’s important to understand their use on the long-term. So, I am not just going to tell you that the sleeping bag is more necessary; I am going to show it to you by comparing the two.
The sleeping bag is designed to cover your entire body and fit around you like a protective cover. I recommend getting a mummy type, so you’ll have protection around the head as well. Sleeping bags come with various levels of insulation but for an SHTF scenario, I recommend one that can be adjusted for all seasons. This type of bag has some inner lining that can be removed when it’s too hot outside, so you won’t sweat.
The main purpose of a sleeping bag is to keep you warm, but it won’t provide insulation from the ground or cushion the feel of a hard surface.
On the other hand, an air bed will do just that: provide insulation from the cold ground and cradle your body while supporting the spine. However, it doesn’t wrap around you, so it won’t provide protection from the cold night air or the humidity.
As you can see, if you have the possibility, it’s ideal to combine the two. But, when you can only take one, the sleeping bag wins. It’s lighter, more compact, and can be used in all sorts of situations. After all, you can always create a bed of leaves or tree branches – it won’t be as comfortable as an air bed, but it will provide insulation.
Sounds Fishy: An Often Overlooked Bug-Out Bag Item That I Always Add
I’m always intrigued by what people argue about when trying to decide what to put in their bug out bag or survival kit. You know…. fire starters, water filters, food rations, I need not say more. We all picture survival scenarios that we try to be prepared for. Maybe one of those is being stranded in the woods or lost near a stream or lake.
So here is a question…..Do you have any actual fishing lures and line in your kit? I’m not talking about a bit of string, a few hooks and a sinker. I’m talking about maybe a small 150 yd spool of super high tech fishing line. Maybe you have paracord in your kit but think you have nothing but time to strip one of the 8 strands out of it and use it for lashing or fishing line. Why waste your time and precious resources? The latest technology can give you the diameter of old 4 lb test with the strength of 40 lb test using super braids made out of exotic fabric like trademarked “Spectra” lines. Snares, bed and shelter lashing, trip lines, temporary sutures, and yes fishing, the possibilities are endless and ready to use.
So you have some compact line, what kind of lures could you carry for let’s say a salt, fresh or fly fishing situation? Opinions are close but vary on the top 10 lures in the world for these types of fishing. Most would agree on our sample of a short list of some of the best lures ever invented because all and many more are time tested and proven fish catchers. Do your own research if you wish but consider the possibility of including one or two lures from each category to your well thought out survival kit.
Here’s a list of just a few lures to save you some time…..
Fresh water:
Heddon Torpedo, Red Devil or Daredevil Spoon, Rapala Floating Minnow, Panther Martin, Hula Popper, Mepps Aglia Spinner, and of course the famous versions of the rubber worm!
Salt Water:
Diamond Jig, Gold spoon, artificial shrimp or DOA shrimp, Mirrolure twitch baits, Bucktail jigs and Johnsons Silver Minnow
Fly fishing manufactured lures:
Hares Ear Nymph, Adams Dry Fly- which some consider the most effective, Woolly Bugger, and one of the new modern favorites…The green “mop fly” (That’s’ right, a fantastic lure made from the tiny microfiber fingers in a floor mop. Talk about survival…make your own! It resembles the parachute inch worm which fall from trees and the trout and other fish go nuts.)
We hope this article gets you thinking of the few extra inches of space you could add to your survival kit and of course many arguments can be made of all the amazing lures we haven’t even begun to mention. That is the real point of the article…just to get you thinking and preparing!
