On Firearms and Preparedness

 (Just some things that came to mind today while I was perusing the internet. We as prepared individuals have a tendency to get way to worked up on the gear, as opposed to skills. Gear only helps us accomplish a mission.-Kyle)

One of the first things many people look at when they start to become prepared is firearms. Firearms are a “fun” part of preparedness, especially if you are a gun person already (we are!). On the preparedness forums we frequent, the firearms section is easily one of the busiest sub-forums. People will endlessly debate what rifle is “the best” for a disaster scenario. There is nothing wrong with that debate, or people having different opinions on the matter. The problem (and this is a common theme in the preparedness and firearm worlds) is when people get too wrapped up in gear selection, instead of letting the mission dictate the gear.

                 

           You must decide why you need a firearm, and what you need it to do for you, before you can think about which firearm is best for your situation.  Let the mission, or what you want to accomplish, drive your selection of equipment. If you do it the other way around, it’s quite likely you will end up trying to adjust your preparedness plans to fit a specific firearm. If you plan on increasing your level of everyday preparedness, you may be looking at a handgun for concealed carry. If you are worried about home invasion, you may be looking at a rifle or shotgun, depending on your preference (and a lot of other factors, but that’s a different post entirely). Finally, if you are concerned about a Black Level (Click for the Dragoon Disaster Scale) event, where the grid is down and there will most likely not be any police to come when you call, you might be looking at a fighting rifle.

                 

           Remember, you can’t eat bullets. On the other side of that, all the stored food in the world does you no good if you can’t defend yourself and your supplies. Preparedness, like most other things in life, is all about balance. Only two sorts of people think that all they need to survive is a weapon and plenty of ammo. One group is made up of those that are simply uninformed, and their idea of survival comes from zombie movies. The others are like this guy (Link thanks to the Organic Prepper), and think they don’t need supplies because, with their firearms, they will simply take yours. Do yourself a favor, and don’t be like those people. If your only plan is to take from others by force, it won’t end well, I promise you. 

Kyle

DSPS

18FEB2014

ESEE/ RAT Advanced Escape and Evasion Kit

If you frequently go to the wilderness, as a hunter, backpacker, or bushcrafter, you need to have a last ditch survival kit. Prepared individuals build small kits and call them PSK's, or personal survival kits. They are the last line of survival, if everything has gone wrong, and all your other gear has been lost, stolen, or destroyed. They are small enough to strap to your belt, or carry in a pocket, so that they are always on you. As a Special Forces medic once told me, "If it isn't strapped to you when everything goes sideways, you don't own it."

Generally here at Dragoon Solutions we advocate building your own survival kits. Usually that allows you to put together a kit that fits your needs specifically, without wasting money on something that you don't want or need. However, we have found a kit that meets a need, and leaves you with plenty of room for customization.

Randall's Adventure and Training/ ESEE Knives has been building no-nonsense survival gear and knives since 1997. Their equipment has been used in combat zones and law enforcement operations all over the world by warfighters and counter-narcotic special operations teams, and by every day men and women who know the importance of solid blades and survival equipment. If you have read much on this blog, you may have noticed we are big fans of ESEE knives. Recently, through a contest of theirs, we have come into possession of their Advanced Pocket Survival/ EE Kit. Read on to see our initial thoughts on this ready made Personal Survival Kit

The Bug Out Bag Series Part 1- Theory

 Part I- Bug out Bag Theory

What Is a Bug Out Bag?

  

If you could grab one thing on your way out of the house, knowing you may not be able to come back for anything else, what would that be?

    Imagine that tonight you wake up to the fire alarm blaring, and the smell of smoke on the air. You have time to get you and your family out (because you practice this, right?), but what now? Hopefully you are lucky enough to have some sort of support network to fall back on until life gets back to normal, but leaving home with nothing but the clothes on your back (at least that, hopefully) will instantly put you in a “survival” situation. Think about a different scenario. What if its not a fire that forces you out of your home? It could be a chemical spill, a weather emergency, or civil unrest. Any of these things could force you out of your home… possibly forever. It would be a scary thing to face unprepared. Having a Bug Out Bag can help you in any of these situations. 

Military style 72 hour bag

Read on after the break, and we will talk a bit about what the Bug Out Bag is, and what it is not.

Gear Review: Entrek Backup Utility

Recently, we left our carbon steel comfort zone here at Dragoon Solutions. Kyle picked up an Entrek USA Backup Utility, to see how the knife would fare as a small, light, all around field knife. The initial review is definitely a positive one. Stay tuned after the jump break to see what this little "knife with muscle" is all about.

Tactical Equipment and Preparedness

Equipment for a Soldier, or for the Self Reliant?

    If you spend any time on survivalist or preparedness forums on the internet or prepper themed YouTube channels, you may have seen a marked increased interest in tactical equipment. Tactical equipment, tactical shooting... the word "tactical" has been attached to just about everything out there. I can think of a few different reasons, such as video games, combat simulation sports, and maybe most importantly, America's longest period of modern warfare. There are a lot more people these days that have had an exposure to tactical equipment, and brought that interest home.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that. Tactical gear sells. Like anything else, sexy sells. In the preparedness world, it is no different. It is hard to sell your point with a video about canning equipment, or freeze dried food. It is much easier to sell the newest "sexy" tactical equipment, rifle, or flashlight.  Again, there is nothing really wrong with that, it just creates a lot of noise to cut through, especially for a new prepper.

The picture above contains a ballistic plate carrier, Kevlar helmet, and "war belt," along with a combat load out of magazines for the carbine and handgun. To many, it looks like equipment only a warfighter in a combat zone would need. To others, it looks like a part of their preparedness equipment. Where do you fall in that spectrum?

Let's try to cut through the hype, and get to an understanding of how tactical equipment fits in to the whole picture of preparedness.

Dragoon's Rules of Survival #2- Always Have a Knife

    Rule #2 Always Have a Knife

    Not only should you have a knife, but it should be right for the job. The knife is probably one of your most important tools not only for every day life, but in an emergency situation. At Dragoon S/P Solutions, we carry a few different knives, and pack others for more specialized uses.

Why Carry a Knife? 

   Its easier really to ask why you wouldn't carry a knife every day. Almost every day I find a reason to pull out a pocket knife, at home or in the field. I can understand if you have a job where a knife is unauthorized. If that is the case, have one in your vehicle kit or get home bag. A knife is one of those things that hard to improvise in an emergency. Not impossible, but also not something you want to have to do before you are able to accomplish the task you needed the knife for in the first place.
  

What Knife Should You Carry?

    I'm not going to go deep into which knife brand, style, or steel type here. That is a different topic entirely. Pick a quality knife (not a gas station or flea market special) that you feel you can truly trust. I carry a folding knife on me every single day. I see a folding knife as much less threatening to the uninformed public than a fixed blade. Remember the concept of preparedness in layers. My folder should do everything I need from a knife until I get to my get home bag or bug out bag.
    In your GHB we suggest a decent fixed blade. Your GHB is built to take care of you in an emergency until
you get to your actual supplies. This knife should also be solid and dependable. You should also consider a multi-tool, unless you usually carry one on your person daily. In an urban environment, a multi-tool may be far more useful than a fixed blade knife.
    In the Bug Out Bag, most people will have at least one fixed blade knife. Some carry several, but I believe that to be overkill. I have two knives in my Bug Out Bag. Because any bug out plan I have takes me through and into rural areas, I have an ESEE Laser Strike. I also have an ESEE Junglas. The Junglas would be over-doing it for anyone that wasn't planning on doing serious wood processing.

  Make sure you carry enough knife for the job, something that is comfortable and more than anything else, something you can rely on. You never know when you will need a good piece of steel at your side.

Kyle
29AUG2012

Glock 19- Small Enough to Hide, Big enough to Fight.

   Small Enough to Hide, Big Enough to Fight

    To me, that phrase sums up the Glock 19. 15 rounds of 9mm in a considerably small package makes for a decent sized concealed carry weapon. My wife found it a little weighty and hard to hide in more feminine clothing, but definitely do-able. I find that the gun disappears in a Crossbreed SuperTuck holster. On my first line battle-rattle, the Glock 19 is very light compared to most "combat" handguns. Its short pistol grip makes for a little bit harder draw, especially off a war belt. The short 15 round magazines are also a little difficult to index and grab from "one size fits all" type MOLLE pouches. Ill break down the weapon in more detail after the jump.

Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack

The Fatboy is a versatile sling bag, I have had this pack for a little over a year. I have used it as an EDC in the past but kind of fell away from that. It seems I was more likely to every day carry it in the winter, I think probably because it was colder and I felt I needed to carry more gear. The good part about this bag is that it has an easily accessible pouch for conceal and carry, which fits my full sized Smith and Wesson M&P .9 perfectly.

Smith and Wesson M&P 9 Initial Review

S&W MP 9mm with 17 round magazine

Smith and Wesson Military and Police 9mm and magazine.

I have had this gun for almost a year now, and I have to say I am a Smith fan.