Posted: 6/8/2008 5:51:33 PM EDT
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Can't own pistols in NY until I receive a pistol permit, which will be 6+ months (if ever) after I apply, which will be 6+ months after I moved here. So it's long guns and sharp stuff for now. First, the AR:  -RRA Entry Tactical .223/5.56 (wylde) with chrome lined barrel and faux suppressor. -Blind pinned and epoxied CAA CBS buttstock with 4 CR123 batteries in the compartment. -Some storage A2-style grip I picked up somewhere, with 2 CR123 batteries inside. -Three point sling from specter gear with emergency release buckle. -Wired up front lower sling adapter to prevent noise. -Cut sandwich bags around the CR123 batteries in each compartment to prevent noise. -Paracord wrapped around the middle plastic loop on the sling to prevent noise. -Trijicon front and rear iron sights set to the large 200 yard aperture. -Surefire M500A integrated weapon light, requires 3 CR123 batteries. Two spare sets carried between the grip and buttstock. -30 round preban dated NYS hippy legal magazine (with another 25 or so friends). -Federal American Eagle .223. -China Marker'ed rollmarks. -I think I have the gapper on it, though I don't recall. Feels like I do. -Yankee Hill EZ Pull takedown pins (these rock! the RRA is made tight) -Yaesu FT-60R VHF/UHF with AA battery pack. -Blackhawk MOD ATFK knife (manual, not automatic) with a cheap cell phone belt pouch it fits in. -Pentagon MOLLE LED light. -Ka-bar Kukri and sheath, with a leather belt section removed from the sheath to reduce noise. The magazine carrier shoulder strap is threaded through the sheath's ring. -Magazine shoulder carrier from Cheaperthandirt -1 magazine per pouch on the inside, 2 per pouch on the outside. I found that's more comfortable and easier on the shoulder than 2 in all pouches. So, 9 total rather than the 12 it could fit. Total capacity: 9 CR123A batteries (three full sets for the M500A, for 3 hours total runtime main light and basically indefinite runtime for the tiny navigation LED's) No spare AA's for the radio or LED light (those are in BOB's) 9+1 30 round magazines for 300 rounds even (they aren't down loaded). The knife and flashlight are EDC. Now, the AK:  -SSR-85 7.62x39 rifle from Atlantic Firearms -American made green furniture set -Meprolight night sights front and back. Windage adjustable, which is nice. -Short rail section from somewhere bolted on to the front handguard -Leupold qrw one inch ring mount attached to the rail section -Surefire G2 LED in the ring mount, with the tailcap set to sensitive so it can be activated with a simple motion -Three point Specter Gear sling with emergency release buckle. -Replaced the front sling snap with paracord to eliminate noise. -Wrapped the middle plastic loop with paracord to eliminate noise. -30 round preban hippy legal magazine -30 rounds of golden tiger steel cased 7.62x39. -No muzzle brake, as it flew off the very smooth muzzle it was welded to on the first few shots, and bleh. -Added foam inside the buttstock to eliminate noise from the cleaning kit, without impeding the cleaning kit's accessibility (much). -Same radio, knife, and LED light as above. -Different kukri, but set up identically to the AR's above. -Green magazine carrier, almost identical to the above, with 6 preban NYS hippy legal 30 round magazines. Total capacity: 2 CR123 batteries in the G2 LED, for a total 8-12 hours runtime. 7x30 rounds in magazines for a total of 210 rounds. I acquired this when my AR was down for a month or two due to busted buttstock threading when I pulled the stock off to install the EZ Pull takedown pins and a single point sling adapter (which I later removed since I'm just too fond of my patrol carry slings). I also wanted something I could loan a friend in an emergency, or use when the AR is down for cleaning or whatever, and vice versa. And, I liked the idea of being able to pile up 7.62 for emergencies, even though I'm not as fond of the cartridge as .223. And, I just wanted some variety in my rifles. Now, the shotgun:  -Remington 870 Express (not a magnum) -XS tritium bead on the front -China Marker'ed the rollmark on the left side just because -Wired up the front sling adapter to eliminate noise -Tried a sling on it, but it handles better without one. -6 Federal Tactical reduced recoil buckshot shells. -Same radio, knife, and LED light as above. -Simple duty belt -Maxpedition dump pouch on the left side of the belt, with about 40 more shells of Federal Tactical low recoil buckshot. Also 10 shells of Federal Tactical slugs in two 5-shell strips cut from a $4 sporting goods store bandolier to keep them separate. -Nylon strapping in a reasonably successful attempt to keep the dump pouch from sliding laterally on the belt. -Similar Blackhawk kukri to the AR and AK sets. This time, I left the leather belt part attached, drilled through it and the belt in two places, ran paracord through the two holes, and tied it off on the outside, so that the sheath does not move around on the belt. I might do something similar to the maxpedition pouch one of these days. -Tied paracord to the bottom of the sheath for a simple leg strap. Total capacity: 46 shells of Federal Tactical 00 buckshot 10 shells of Federal Tactical slugs No batteries (I'm reluctant to attach a light to a shotgun, as I do not believe it will survive the recoil for long) I originally acquired this as a truck gun. It may still end up as one, I haven't decided. I'm thinking about how to store it out there in compliance with NYS laws without it rusting. It would be in a truck box, probably inside a rifle case. Part of the logic is that I live several miles away from Rochester, NY, and I regularly drive through or around there, and Rochester has a draconian hippy law on the books that forbids transportation of certain weapons, which basically leaves 5 round hunting rifles, or single action weapons. And, the handiest one I came up with was the 870 (I'm sure a similar mossberg would also work). I was initially concerned about the recoil, but I stuck with those federal shells, and even scrawny little me can comfortably blast them off holding the weapon outstretched in one hand. Same for light target shot like for clays. The slugs are harder on me, but not very bad. Comfortable to fire from the hip, a bit tough on an unprotected shoulder for prolonged periods, but I'm working on it. It didn't like the slugs the first time I took it out, doubtless due to poor cleaning. It's come around a little, but I still don't trust them to not require herculean pumping action to clear once fired. I'll try different ones if they continue to give problems. I also have a bandolier with 50 shells or so on it (supposedly holds 55, but that can screw up shouldering the weapon if you put it on wrong, and screw it), but the belt is the go to kit for the first wave of zombies.  -Lightning Arms Puma M92 .45 LC, based on the winchester 1892 design. -Haven't changed or added a thing to it. -8 shells of Winchester Super-X hollow point .45 LC. -Cowboy action belt from somewhere that holds 25 spare shells. No pistol holster because NYS is run by hippies and criminals. -The buck knife and sheath that came with the M92 courtesy of some Lightning Arms promotion. I have not yet secured it on the belt, so it slides freely back and forth. Total capacity: 25+8 shells = 33 shells of Winchester Super-X .45 LC hollow point (No batteries; no light) This is my nightstand gun now. It's small, light, and has no projections that could catch on anything. It can be chambered upside down, right side up, sideways, etc., with no problems. It's easy to chamber and requires only one hand. I don't trust myself with my other long guns if I'm woken up out of a deep sleep to glass breaking or something. They are too bulky and have too many projections to be grabbed from a bed easily, they are too complicated to ready for action to reliably do so when not thinking clearly, and I refuse to keep any weapon around me chambered and unholstered for obvious reasons. I'd love for it to have some sort of integrated weapon light, but that's not feasible, and any strapped on deal will catch on sheets or whatever during the draw, so bleh. I'd love for it to have night sights, but I haven't figured out how to add any without intense gunsmithing, so bleh. I'm open to suggestions, but I think the outcome will be bleh. It's okay, though. In the absence of pistols, that carbine is as handy as anything can get. Here's the indoor BOB from prior threads, it hasn't changed too much:  I like that chest rig, but I can't put it on fast so f it. I haven't sold it, though, because I do like it. I have a similar one for the AK, and similarly it's the one piece of tactical gear not pictured that I wouldn't likely use but won't sell. Obviously, the pistol holster is packed away now, and I turned the belt into the one for the shotgun, with the same dump pouch used differently. Below is the BOB unpacked. Remember, this is the indoor one, more of a bug in bag. It lacks a sleeping bag or tent, unlike the one in my truck. The truck one is similar, except it's a larger bag (a Kelty Coyote), has a 20 degree sleeping bag, when in use, strapped to the bottom in a stuff sack, has a 4 season tent (since the move) inside, has a second FT-60R radio, both have changed to Pentagon Molle LED lights for their kit lights, it (like this one will in a few days when universal radio delivers) has a grundig 100PE AM/FM/SW radio (bands the FT-60R can't receive since they're too low) that takes 2xAA batteries, and a change of clothes. Maybe some other differences, but those are the main ones. The inside one is designed to work with other gear, the truck one is designed to stand alone in the woods, and is thus heavier and more capable.  I'm selling that VX-7R when I get off my ass, having replaced it with the FT-60R way above. I have a similar mic for the FT-60R, not pictured. I've also ramped up the battery load in each bag, so that each has 16+ alkaline AA's in addition to their existing 8 or so nimh ones. I've mixed the food load since the move between the lifeboat rations and MRE components, though each bag still has over a week of food in it. In DFW, the heat would kill MRE's fast, whereas here they're fine. Now I can actually enjoy the food, comparatively. I also added equivalent food gathering gear to this one as is in the truck bag (fishing kits, speedhooks, snare wire, some other crap). Various other little changes have been made. Here's that bag totally unpacked:  Again, it now has more batteries, a different radio (soon a Grundig 100PE as well), some MRE components, possibly one less lifeboat ration block, more paracord, none of that expiring food, obviously different maps since I moved, and I've fleshed out both first aid kits with far more capabilities, like AD and anti-constipation (whatever) meds, tums, cold medicine, cough suppressants, etc., etc. Too lazy to unpack everything again for new pics, and it didn't occur to me when I packed them last. Here's what's in the pelican case on the left and the antenna bag under it, with only a few changes since the pics (tent stakes and paracord for guying the thing, mainly, and I moved the radio mic to the antenna bag so it wouldn't kink up like that):  The jumble of cords to the left of the radio includes: -Cord running from a powerpole to a two prong connector, with an adapter for the FT-60R (same type as the VX-7R, incidentally) -Power cord for running from the radio to a powerpole in a loop. -Inside that loop, a cord running from a powerpole to two alligator clips for operation from a car battery or whatever. -Something else, but I can't remember what offhand. The blue solar thing on the left is three large panels that fold into a book sized thing that fits over the radio and other stuff in the pelican case. On one of the spines of that book, a cord comes out, and I terminated it in a powerpole. That goes into the white solar charger in the middle, which attaches to the battery's powerpole (or to the watt's up thing and then to the battery's powerpole). The radio is an Icom IC-706IIG HF/VHF/UHF 100 watt (on one or two bands) rig. It has two antenna jacks; one for an HF antenna, and one for a VHF antenna. I plug the Buddipole antenna into the HF jack using the cable to the right of the manuals, and the bendable telescoping VHF antenna to the left of the radio itself into the VHF jack, bending it so that it points straight up. Obviously, this stuff can't be operated out of the pelican case itself; it has to be removed and assembled first. I did my own cutting of the pelican case foam, which was the precut stuff that comes cut into little squares. Fortunately, everything there is square, it was only the depth I had to worry about. Radio goes in the left, battery in the top right (of that pic), white charge controller in the small square in the lower far right lower, cables and such in the larger square on the lower right, which partially goes under the controller square, the VHF antenna goes in the long slit in the middle, and then the solar panel book goes in on top of everything left of the charge controller. And here's a crappy pic of me that I took a couple weeks ago, trying to figure out why the flash wasn't triggering:  And here's a pic of my cat:  And here's a pic of a bunny with a pancake on its head (not mine): 
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From the looks of your set up, you seem to take prepping seriously, like myself. I like your comms gear. Is your CD survey meter calibrated and up to date? You seem to have quality stuff too. It looks like you were careful in your choices. Very nice display. May I suggest a dosemeter kit to measure dose and to compliment the CD meter. And maybe a NukeAlert to provide an audio alert to radiation proximity. Once you get your pistol permit, mail in an application to Pennsylvania for one of their pistol permits, which is honored by many other states. You got the NY hippie, pussy, socialist thing down correct too. Trust me, I know. Now we have a governor that can't see what he's signing. 
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lol Thanks for the compliments, you and everyone. Yes, the survey meter was calibrated 9/6/2006, so it's okay until 2010 or 2011. I might get a dosimeter at that time, but right now I don't lose sleep over it. |
Thanks! I hope I never have to use any of it, although of course I've already had to use some bits and pieces like some of the first aid stuff. Booboos and whatever. A couple minor SHTF incidents have convinced me that preparation beats the hell out of regret. Fortunately, none of the lessons have been too rough. I suppose I need to add some cat food to the bags, and the carrier to the pics. |
Like I said in an older version of this thread, I'm not a sheepdog or sheepdog wannabe. I'm just a heavily armed and very aggressive sheep. |
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Hey how do you'll get the pancakes to stay on your pets Heads? Glue, Duct Tape or Staples?he |
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oolong_(rabbit) Incidentally, the wikipedia page has a pic of 
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Here's the chest rig URL from cheaperthandirt: $13.97, holds 6 AK mags or 12 AR mags (two per pouch). (green) www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAA024-56163-2714.html (black) www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAA023-56162-1392.html |
I went to Bergen with a relative, which wasn't a bad range, but a bit far from me, I'm on the other side of Rochester. I hate having to drive around Rochester just because I have those preban high capacity mags with me. I'm considering the Canandaigua range that gets a lot of compliments in the hometown forum. A bit further, but it avoids Rochester, and I like the finger lakes. I'm open to other suggestions, but anything containing "always busy", or "can't shoot at water bottles", or "slow fire or prone/sitting only" is an immediate turn off. Turn ons include deaf neighbors, expansive ranges, and non-Fudd owners and RSO's. |
The kukris are great for getting through underbrush and for chopping wood, and are also an excellent supplement against zombies when no pistol is available. My original plan involved hand axes, but after trying out a kukri, it was love at first chop. It has similar advantages, without the two disadvantages of being easy to grab and easy to miss with. |
I belong to Rochester Brooks, its decidedly south of the city limits so you're safe from the city ordinance. I think they frown on plastic water bottle targets though. It is usually quiet when I go, and the pistol bays allow short-range fire and movement. If you decide to check it out, you'll need to be a guest of a member. Otherwise, use your head, be safe and pick up after yourself 
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I'll quote a glocktalk post I made on the subject:
I've replaced the VX-7R with an FT-60R which has similar (actually a bit more powerful) scanning capabilities, though it lacks reception of FM broadcast frequencies and below (108 mhz and lower). I wouldn't recommend that you copy my setup. There are a range of options at each step, and what works for me might not for others. The 706 is a good radio, but it lacks the integrated filtering power of the 7000. Other radios are also available, with similar capabilities, like the various Yaesu options. Portable solar panels come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Charge controllers vary even more in their capabilities. The pelican case was my choice for transportation. I know ar-jedi and others like the idea of a large box they can operate from without having to assemble stuff. I like the idea, but I like this approach, too. There are certainly other options as well. Some of those Yaesu rigs are designed to be backpack portable. Batteries are a dime a dozen, just make sure what you get can be safely transported (sealed or gel), and can provide the peak current flow that your radio will draw on the highest output settings. The buddipole is another choice that's not at all necessarily the best for any particular circumstance. I like it, but that only counts for me. Here are some of the biggest drawbacks and problems with my setup: 1. I need a separate radio (my second grundig 100PE came in today for the BIB and for apartment use, I love these little things for AM listening) for AM/FM/SW listening, since the FT-60R is not capable of it, and I might not have the 706 with the bag. 2. The buddipole needs to be partially disassembled (basically) in order to configure it for a different band. You can't sit there and go "hmm, 20 meters is quiet, let's try 10", without going through a five minute operation. 3. The 706 lacks the sophisticated filtering capabilities of the 7000. 4. The 706 draws over an amp just turned on, and up to 20 amps on full power yakkity yak. That'll dry up that little 8 amp hour battery in under 5 or so hours of use just on receive, and obviously less than half an hour if you're talking a whole lot on high power. 5. The solar panels are relatively small. I don't recall the specs offhand, but I think it works out to about 1 amp per hour in typical daylight, which means it'll take a good day to recharge the 8 amp hour battery I can drain in half an hour. You can see the problems there for anything but limited or emergency use. 6. The pelican case is waterproof, which, while a good thing externally, also means that it contains moisture and humidity, so I leave it open sometimes to prevent rust and corrosion, and also need to have some sort of dessicant in there. 7. Things are so tight in the case that dessicant wouldn't do much good, since each square is almost completely isolated. 8. It's a heavy set. The battery alone is not a light object, and the radio and antenna bag add up to over 25 pounds. That's man portable, but the radio case, antenna bag, bug out bag, and any one of those rifle kits, would probably add up to 70+ pounds, which starts to become an issue if you aren't prepared for it. You certainly can't fight effectively without dropping some of the stuff. 9. The pelican case has to be carried by hand, there's no shoulder strap or anything, and as it weighs over 20 pounds, anything short of a full backpack would be ineffective over serious distances. 10. My charge controller gives no visible indicators to what it's currently doing. It's also not very sophisticated. I need to monitor its status with the watt's up meter to know when to unplug it. The watt's up meter, however, cannot tell me the capacity of the battery; only the capacity change that has gone through its connector. Imagine having to determine the capacity of your weapon's magazine by keeping notes on how many rounds you've fired, vs. how many you've added, and knowing that adding too many rounds to it willd amage the magazine. 11. The shoulder bags I use for magazines are not as effective as chest rigs. If you go prone with a bag like that on, it'll swing out in front of you weird and you'll land on it. If I have one flipped so the kukri is on the back, and I fall on back, my spine will land perfectly on the kukri sheath, causing horrific and possibly paralyzing damage. 12. My rifles lack optics. I like iron sights, I'm okay with them, I trust them to not reduce visibility at night, but I also lose the capabilities of optics. There are quite a few other tradeoffs as well, and this is without even considering the economics of this stuff. Fortunately, radios and weapons tend to retain their value well after the initial depreciation. Buy a new IC-706, and you won't be able to resell it for what you paid for it, but you'll probably always be able to resell it for within 20% of what you paid for it, thus reducing the real outlay. If you buy used, you can turn around and resell for what you bought for, meaning you're just changing your liquidity, which is nice. I also unconditionally recommend the anderson powerpoles and the watt's up meter. Any radio operator should have the powerpoles, and anyone using an external battery is probably better off with the watt's up meter to let them know how many amp hours they've used (or charged). All that being said, the radio pic includes: -Solar panel whose identity I forget, but you'd know it if you see it online. It was in the $125 range. -Sunguard charge controller. I think this was around $30. -Simple Fry's or somewhere 8 amp hour gel cell battery. Around $30 maybe. Or maybe that was for the 32 amp hour gel cell I have in here. Either way, not too expensive. -Watt's Up meter. Around $60. -IC-706IIG. I think I paid $800 or $850. There was a $50 rebate involved, so I think it was $800 new, which was a great price. -Buddipole antenna system. I bought this used, in fine condition, for around $200. It doesn't have the bracket for creating V or L shapes, and it might lack one or two other features of the top quality buddipole set, but it has the basics, including the antenna cable. -A few adapters for whatever or whatever. It's a sure bet that nothing will terminate exactly the way you want it, so an adapter with the right impedance is often necessary, but usually very inexpensive. Check with radio shack if you don't have a larger electronics place around. -Anderson powerpoles. I couldn't tell you what gauge I used. 15 maybe, or larger. The radio's power code is thick enough to fry a cat, due to the draw, so I had to keep that in mind. -Extra wire from Radio Shack. I don't remember what, but, again, big. Maybe even 12 gauge. Too small a wire and you'll create a hazardous bottleneck between the power supply and the radio. Again, inconsequential price, though you'll never recoup it. -Pelican... 1500? A bit over $100 at Fry's. -I don't remember where I got the alligator clips. They might have come with the 706 as the original termination of the power cord. It was long enough that I chopped it up and powerpoled it into the unique cords. -Simple earphones. When I'm going out for fun, I'll bring better headphones, because these will not block out background noise, but they'll reduce the power use a little bit and keep half the conversation quiet. -I don't know where I picked up that folding VHF/UHF antenna. They're all over hamfests. I think I put an adapter on it, but I don't remember. Might be a BNC to whatever the radio uses. -I bought a cheap (though 2 watt or so to insure a sufficient gauge) DC-DC converter from somewhere, and cut off the output cord at the base, then added a powerpole to it. That gave me a nice powerpole to two prong adapter cord and a small set of two prong adapters including the typical one that the FT-60R, scanner, and VX-7R use. Over time, I've acquired a bunch of such converters and adapters, so I have a small bag full of them. I had a problem with one set that was too short in the plug itself; the plug fit fine into the radio, but because the radio's jack is recessed a little, the plug wouldn't fit all the way in. -A couple Nifty! accessories books. One for the IC-706, and one for hmmm I don't remember what. Either the DX guide with charts for determining probable location from callsigns and such, or the VHF/UHF monitoring guide with band layouts of typical scanner frequency ranges. I also have a Nifty! quick reference card packed next to each FT-60R. -There's a log book behind the manuals for fun. -You can see the connector I rigged up out of wire and powerpoles (and electrical tape) and appropriate flat connectors on top of the gel cell battery. I think ar-jedi has a similar setup, I noticed it in a recent pic. Because it's heavy gauge wire, it's very solid, and doesn't try to stand up or move when I put the battery in its tight spot in the case. |
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