Posted: 8/7/2008 3:16:22 PM EDT
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I'm sure this has been covered before, but my search-fu returned no relevant results. So I'm in the market for a gas mask, and I would prefer an M17, but they're expensive and not easy to come by. Cheaper than Dirt has these for a ridiculous price, and the ad says they're effective against nuclear, biological, and chemical. I'm not planning on coming into contact with ebola, mustard gas, or radioactive particles anytime soon, but if it doesn't work, it's just money out the window. hinking.gif Thoughts? |
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i picked up a few of those a few years ago with new filters for 4.00 each NIB. the m17 is not a good mask for civi use due to the filters being impossible to change quickly or under use. the m10 is a good general use mask and the filters were rated nbc. that said the interior material is thin and a bit flimsy and the masks tend to be VERY easy to tear when installing the filters. i keep one in the bob in the car with filters preinstalled and vaccume packed, i am more worried about tear gas or an ammonia spill than i am terroism here. for real world shtf i have a SEA mask as well as an m40. you need something that accepts 40mm nato filters. |
+103!I have a couple MCU2P's that I keep for myself and the family.In all honesty though,I think that out of all my preps,this is probably the one that will never get used.I guess a lot of it depends on your AO.But if you're in a CBR attack and all you have is a mask,you're screwed anyway.But it would help for civil unrest things like tear gas or CS and all that good stuff.But if you are going to get one,don't bet your life on the "cheapest one you could find". |
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i slightly disagree with the 10.00 comment. there ARE some good deals to be found on masks IF you know what to look for and how to test them. there is also a LOT of unserviceable junk out there. the NIB m10 chezch masks do make a good one time use disposable mask imho. |
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Just as you buy more than one magazine for a weapons, you should have more than 1 filter for your mask. I'd go with an M40. It uses external screw on filters, and extra filters should be easier to get then a non-standard filter. If you are worried about NBC/CBR attack, you should get a protective suit as well. |
Oh! But if you ever need it, you’ll need it BAD. People here got to pay 10 USD for the cheapo paper disposable masks just because they were so desperate. http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/05/air-and-importance-of-breathing.html You think you’ll never need one, but down here masks became desperately needed because of two completely unrelated incidents. 1) Fires around Bs. As. city had the city covered in smoke for weeks I’m telling you, it was impossible to breathe here, people covered their faces with anything they had. 2) At the same time, volcano activity down south had people evacuating towns and everyone wanted a mask too. Not likely, but sometimes shit simply happens. FerFAL |
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Try this guy ...search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZdevinseven I bought a few off him awhile back. There was a big thread on his masks. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=18&t=612693 Mine were unused and made in like late 2003-04, and the filters were dated like 2023. FB |
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M17's suck. Stay the F away from them. As far as filters go, stay with the standard 40mm NATO style. And only buy them if they are sealed, in foil bags or tuna cans. The filters have a short shelf life if opened. You used to be able to get some rather nice current issue masks from Canada, work nice for scoped rifles... Do your research if your buying masks & filters. Must surplus ones are surplus for a reason - as in worn out, old age, holes, rips, dry rot, etc. |
lots of the canadian masks had bad valves iirc |
Only the crappy C3 masks had a valve problem. The C4's are GTG gear and are still used today... I think the C4's are one of the best SURPLUS masks ever... It also allows easy use of shoulder-fired weapons...  I tried to get approvedgasmasks.com to prove, or even publicly debate their comments about the C4 mask, but never a peep from them. They continue to lump the C4 in with the C3, as to correct it might hurt the gross sales...  Rmpl |
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What about the Finnish masks ? Here take a look: www.centerfiresystems.com/GASMASK-FIN.aspx They also have spare filters. |
haven't looked into the c3's very much. Approved gas masks does have some good info and some valid points for people that know NOTHING about nbc or protective gear. they do however tend to throw a bit of fear into the mix as well to drum up sales. the bottom line is not everyone can afford a 300.00 mask. not everyone is willing to pay for one. some of us that have formal training with this gear have no problem with a GOOD surplus mask a new filters. it's really about what your comfortable with vs your budget. lets face it, a poor man with a 1950's mask and a new filter still has a better survival chance than somone with nothing becuase they were holding out for the 1200.00 scba almost any quality surplus mask with a new filter will be functional enough to perform what it was designed to do... short term GTFO use. |
thats a 1950's era mask that uses 60mm<?> filters. those filters are not safe for use as the media is a known carcinogen.<for sure the us made filter user of the finnish> there is a 40mm conversion ring for them <i have one of those masks as well with the conversion> i have found even with teflon tape applied the conversion rings are VERY prone to leaking as under use the mask will flex around the ring. those masks do work adequately IF they are in good shape and proper NEW filters can be found. Most likely your going to get a filter that is already 30 years out of date. even IF those are new filters i don't believe those are the nbc rated filters, hard to tell from those pics. |
Thank You Sir !! |
i started with one of those years ago before i actually started looking into masks for real use. they seal well and work fine for VERY short use. the filters are the hard part they haven't been made since the early 60's iirc. whatever you get don't expect to realistically spend more than an hour or 2 in it even if it has a drinking tube. if you need to put it on you need to be unassing yourself to a safe area to get out of it. |