Last Updated on February 5, 2021
Do you ever reminisce about the old days? I do quite frequently. I often think about how I have managed to acquire a repertoire of valuable “prepper skills” that could help me to survive today – if, an unexpected accident, casualty, or disaster were to occur in my life, that I had little or no control over, that affected my life a truly detrimental way. This is my new Prepper World that I have found myself in.
What could possibly happen to me, you say to yourself? Well, this depends on what you do from day-to-day; and the type of lifestyle you lead. Let’s see just what this means to a variety of different people.
To hypothesize about divergent lifestyles in a true SHTF occurrence, I will attempt to set forth circumstances for people in differing lifestyles that could encounter life-threatening events or what we true preppers call SHTF scenarios. These are too numerous to analyze, but I will discuss enough scenarios to give people who want to be prepared for scary times, a place and position of comfort, which so many of us need and believe are unquestionably going to be necessary one day soon. Maybe sooner than most of us are prepared for – so let’s get prepared! What do you say?
Here are just three possible SHTF events that could arise that preppers should consider the possibility of happening:
- An EMP (electromagnetic pulse) event like North Korea claims to have perfected, which if somehow projected upon our country, could leave us without any power for an extended period of time.
- A local power outage occurred leaving us without power for several days like with transformers being compromised in any number of ways.
- Any number of natural disasters leaving us without power. These are too numerous to mention but are very real possibilities. Some could even be from extraterrestrial sources — as so many wise people are conjecturing.
So, how do we preppers prepare for such events if we are in a compromised life situation, which to me is a person or family who lives in a city that is large enough to be a possible target for those who would do harm to us in any number of ways? A lights out, no power debacle for an extended period of time is going to result in total chaos in any community. The bigger the city, the greater the turmoil will be, I suspect.
My family situation is that I live in a city that is a little over 200,000 people, and that is not a major city, but we have a military base on the outskirts of our city and it also has a number of military training facilities. So, we are definitely a potential target for our enemies. How does such a person (family) prepare for a SHTF scenario like this?
First of all, one needs to look at survival in a given circumstance and what the primary needs are for that scenario. I have decided to address several different situations in a series of 5 or 6 articles, and the first is a situation like I, myself live in.
My life situation is I am a retired person who lives with his wife in a small home in the city described above. What should we have at a minimum? Because I am a prepper, I have prepared for a SHTF scenario and I will give my advice as to what I would recommend for others who wish to be ready for life-threatening events so they can avoid serious ensuing problems. Both my wife and I are on medications that certainly would not be available in a long-term life-threatening SHTF scenario. What should we do to prepare:
Water
Even though we are both on meds, we can’t take some of these monster pills without water. I have put away lots of water because without it you will die in about 3 days, meds or no meds. I have enough water to last a minimum of 90 days for my wife, myself, and lots of extra for you name it issues. I may want to help a neighbor or friend who is unprepared. I have also treated it with chlorine to assure it does not become contaminated while being stored. I have access to a large quantity of water I can access by bicycle if my car will not run due to an EMP. I have a number of filtration devices and water treatment pills I may use to purify water. You should have enough in your storage preps for months of purification, should the need arise.
Spare Medications
Secondly, we keep about 90 days of meds on hand in case we run into problems. If a SHTF scenario goes beyond this, we will have to do our best by drinking lots of water and staying well hydrated and thus, detoxified. Water is a wonder drug for keeping the toxins out of your body or put another way, it is the best way possible to keep your body clean and working harmoniously with God’s life plan if nothing else exists to complement it. This could happen! Be prepared!! (Most of us elderlies would probably do better if we were not on so many meds doctors prescribe so freely. I could spend hours discussing this problem, but rather will move on to more important issues.
Shelter
Thirdly, with water and meds out-of-the-way for us old folks, we must be sure the home shelter is secure. How long will it be secure if there is no power and most likely, no water after a few days? Now, think about this for a minute. My guess is about 2 or 3 days in a city my size (200,000), and marauders and thieves will be everywhere looking for water and food and anything, for that matter — like booze, cars, cigarettes, drugs, gas, guns, anything.
It will be truly a horror story, and no matter what you have, if you can’t keep it, your prepping efforts will have all been in vain, because you will lose it in short order. The unprepared, especially those with kids who are dying of thirst or are starving for want of food, will be out and about and will be killing if need be to provide necessities for them and their families. How do you protect yourself and your home from these thieves? I will tell what I suggest starting with primitive protective devices, and work my way up.
Security options
How about an effective blowgun? Got some 3/4′ PVC pipe? If not, go get some immediately. Then you can make a simple and very effective blow gun and darts with paste and 2″ roofing nails. Go online for the simple instructions. You can be putting darts into cement blocks in a matter of minutes by following some really simple instructions. You will be amazed at how easy this is and how powerful this blowgun is.
Secondly, I recommend both a hand crossbow and a rifle cross-bow (with lots of extra strings, string wax, arrows, and accessories). These weapons are both very powerful and very quiet. (The hand crossbow can have up to at least 80 pounds per square inch availability and the rifle style cross-bow up to 180 pounds per square inch availability. These are both awesome and silent weapons.
Thirdly, I recommend two high-powered pellet guns. There is about a $50 Pumpmaster that shoots pellets at up top 750 psi and bb’s (loads up to 300 bb’s at a time and has 6 round pellet clips of which I recommend having at least 3 extra clips loaded and ready) and about a $120 Crossman Storm XT pellet gun that has around 1500 psi (along with about 5,000 bb’s and 5,000 pellets (one which shoots BB’s of which I have about five pounds of BB’s put away). Once again, I love these weapons because they are good for small game and they are quiet. In a SHTF scenario, I have an abundance of squirrels in my yard and many more nearby, that these guns will take care of in a survival situation.
- Muzzle velocity 1300 FPS
- Whisper Noise Dampening
- IGT 10X Quick Shot
- Standard trigger and 4X32 optics
- Sport type: Exercise & Fitness
Black powder guns (2 – 1858 Remington pistols in 36 caliber and 44 caliber and one 50 caliber rifle with a scope, and loading accessories to last for years. This classification of bigger weapons I will leave to your imagination. My knives, machetes, and other scary forces of protection are also something to ponder.
Food Stockpile
If I can make it to day 3 in a SHTF scenario, I for sure I am going to be hungry if I have not had time to eat. I know I would be a busy boy in a SHTF scenario, so I indeed would have to be eating something, and in my situation, I would have to have been providing sustenance to my partner and wife of many years who is not super mobile. (She recently has had a knee replacement and has previously had her other knee done, and prior to that she has had a double hip replacement [in one operation], and also has previously had 2 major back surgeries.
The poor lady has had a lot of surgeries, but thank God, she is a real trooper. Rarely complains, and she is a sweetheart and I will love her to the end in this realm. Me, I have had a knee replacement due to a lifelong knee issue from a football injury in high school that plagued me all my life; an aneurysm on my aorta that was found from an ultrasound being done preparatory to back surgery [revealed to be from an infection that literally ate up my 5th lumbar vertebrae contracted from an infection obtained in a hospital that could never be cultured – scary to say the least]; and lastly, the back operation that was put off, until the aorta aneurysm could be repaired.
[Obviously, my wife and I have had our share of issues over the years.] Our food stores are adequate for a SHTF scenario. That is all I will elaborate on about this, but we will not starve. If you are wise, you will have put away adequate food for at least a year that you must be sure will not spoil or deteriorate. Always be sure to rotate your food stores.)
First Aid Kit
What about injuries? What do you need to have for first aid? Where should it be? Whow!! This could be a real puzzle, couldn’t it? My advice to any prepper is to take a First Aid Course like offered by the Red Cross. I have read about 10 good survival handbooks and the best of all, in my opinion, are the “SAS Survival Handbook” and “Survival Wisdom & Know-How,” both of which give great aid advice as well as a wealth of other survival skills and techniques far too numerous to mention in my first go-round on survival and prepping. I plan to go well beyond this in a series of articles that I hope the Prepper Journal may find of value to people who may encounter a true SHTF dilemma.
Renewable Food Sources – What about when the food starts to get low. What then? You need to have a plan for gardening in the house and outside – even in a small yard. It does need to be concealed as well as possible. I recommend a good supply of seeds and there are a number of good seed storage packs that have all the essential seeds for a good diet.
You will be wise to start a composting area and learn the ropes of composting. I assure you that one person (and two is even better) provide an abundance of composting materials. If you have trees, as I do in abundance, you have loads of composting materials and in my caseloads of acorns. I suggest a little reading by preppers on composting. It could save your life. The two survival books mentioned above are all you will need.
There you go for round one of “prepping for the serious prepper.” Good luck and God bless.
Editor’s Note: This post is another entry in the Prepper Writing Contest from Ol’Farm Boy. If you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly win a $300 Amazon Gift Card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today.
Good article, right up to the point where protecting ones preps is mentioned. All the items mentioned in that section are for hunting game. And in that respect, they are effective tools. Folks, if you are serious about protecting you and your family and your preps, then you need the right tools for the job. You need serious weapons. Period. End. Of. Discussion. Think about it, ok a group of 15 that haven’t eaten in 5 days start down your driveway, they are not interested in you giving them a can of soup. They want all of your stuff and… Read more »
I would add another perspective. I too was not enthused about blow guns although I did recently buy my first compound crossbow for a to me from me Christmas present and am stocking up on bolts. Also standard bows, recurve, and compound can be useful but like any tool requires practice or they might not as well be counted on in the first place, I put a lot of faith in guns, pistols, revolvers rifles, bolt and semi and have several versions of almost all 30, 284,270, and 223 of which you speak regarding the AR15, with tons of loaded… Read more »
A 22LR can lay down a lot of bullets, but those bullets very often won’t stop the person from doing what they are doing (attacking you), and that is the only reason it is (or should be) legal and moral to shoot someone. Not to say that there are not valid uses for a .22 and its small, light, relatively inexpensive (particularly in the “good old days”) ammo. Just that defense is not one of them.
22lrs won the Civil War. Think about that kill count, then tell me they won’t stop someone. It wasn’t until the 1990s that this myth came about that “they don’t do any damage.” I take deer with mine just like my dad and grandfather did.
They did? I thought the first 22LR came out in 1887, which coincidentally was 22 years after the Civil War ended. But you are right, 22s have an unexpectedly high kill count, but many of the deaths were rather delayed from the shooting, meaning the victim could continue his dastardly deeds for a while before succumbing. In other words, they don’t reliably stop someone or a large animal without exceptional shot placement. Sure, it is possible to become a good enough shot to effectively use a .22LR under decent conditions. But since I’m not interesting in killing, only stopping, I… Read more »
You are right on the money about this John.
Lmao! Dude, you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.
I am old enough to know how to grow, hunt and preserve food. I know how to be frugal and to use what is on hand. We have weapons and ammo. But I am afraid that there wouldn’t be enough bullets in the world to protect my preps.
Debra, If you really want to know where to buy good ammo., at a cheap price, just email me: [email protected] —Also visit my Blog: TOM’S JOURNAL. –Disabled Vietnam Vet: 68-70.
I hear what you’re saying Debra. The only thing we can do is train to be effective with our weapons and gear and give them the fight of their lives. They will have to earn it!
The AR-15 is a really good platform, firing a fairly ineffective round unless you spend big bucks for that hi-tech ammo. The same receiver can have an upper which fires the 7.62×39 (AK round) which is more effective. And the AR-10/AR-308 is very similar and fires the .308 cartridge which is about as effective a defensive round as you can get. But all of these are not optimal in a city environment under many scenarios. The good old 12 ga shotgun would often be a better choice. And a good handgun always on your person. You are not looking for… Read more »
I dont know about the 223/5.56 round being useless,, maybe FMJ but i hand roll Sierra Blitz King rounds for my AR, they blow apart after entering and kill anything they hit, judging by the damage to stuff ive hit with them it will definitely ruin somebodys day if the ever get up again,,, its all in the bullet design
Other part of that is the accuracy, im hitting dimes at 200 off a bipod and velocity is far higher than stock ammo or stuff like a 22.
The velocity at range is real important
No, its not useless, even the FMJ. Just not the most effective for many purposes. Unless, as you say, you overcome its inadequacies (transferring energy to the target) if it does not tumble or hit something hard, by buying or making rounds with reliably expanding bullets. That way you can take advantages of its inherent accuracy and high speed without losing effectiveness due to the small, pointy bullet.
Hi John, Finally a smart, savvy, person who knows and tells the truth about the AR, and the AK-47 !! The AR-15 is a glorified .22 LR !! No stopping power !! Whereas, AK-47 HOLLOW POINTS are great to defend and protect ! Sure the AR is more accurate, but are you really going to shoot the enemy more than 100–250 meters ??? So, you point is well taken, sir. I was a helicopter door gunner in RVN: 68-70, so I would these things.. My email: [email protected] — Have a good day.
Yes, the AR platform has great accuracy potential. I’m thinking it might provide improved accuracy over the AK if a quality 7.62×39 upper was attached.
Funny, because I have read numerous accounts of actually, how deadly the M193 round was in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it was the weapons that were questionable. But that was only because in the governments infinite wisdom to cut corners, they changed critical features of the weapon from the original design. And then didn’t issue cleaning kits with the weapons! Sadly, it cost a lot of soldiers their lives. By the time you were in they were cycling out the flawed weapons and getting the troops the ones built like they were originally designed. (1967) the 55gr projectile was screaming along at… Read more »
Well, that’s good to know, so now I am more savvy about that caliber, and thank you for the Info. I already have a ‘different kind of Assault Rifle,’ and satisfied for the moment. Thanks.
Me personally, I don’t see any reason to switch calibers. As within 300 yards, the 5.56 is more than capable. It’s been proven time and time again. But if one feels comfortable switching to another caliber, that is the beauty of the weapon.
Killing/stopping, semantics. In a shtf situation, I will not let something so inconsequential like legalities, cloud my judgement.
If you are happy with the 5.56, that is fine and your choice. The killing/stopping controversy is not semantics. Pre-SHTF, it is an important legal and moral distinction which if not paid attention to, may get you in trouble with the law and your own evaluation of self (and even other’s evaluation of you). During SHTF, legality is out the window, and view of self may be a luxury. If there is a post-SHTF, the legality which was ignored during the SHTF may come back to bite you. But none of these is the critical point Here’s the thing. The… Read more »
I would agree with that. My remark about semantics was referring to during a shtf situation. Yes, pre-shtf, “yes your honor, I was in fear for my life and my family’s lives so I did what I had to do to stop the attack.” If involved in a justified shooting pre shtf, yes it would be foolish to blab to the cops or present yourself in a way to the courts that your intention was murder. In this pussified society today, you must prove that you were the victim and only as a last resort you did what you did… Read more »
And that is why I have a special 2nd Amendment ‘gun attorney’ strategy system to fall back upon ! I pay about $20/ mo.
I concur win the weapons choice as regards defensive uses: multiple weapons chambered in 5.56/.223, with regular practice and training. There are literally tons of different variants of the AR platform, including suppressed 22LR uppers, (that are a blast, but also very nice for head shots out to 75 yd or so), or roll your own from 80% lowers as I prefer. One also needs to think about fields of fire from your defensive locations, and that is NOT your actual house! If this scenario really does occur you will need to engage them as far out as possible –… Read more »
5 gallon buckets with a pound of tannerite burried in the middle of a bunch of 1.25″ filter rock,,,
If you are being attacked, you need to be able to stop the attacker right now. A blow gun dart won’t do it; just will make him mad. A pistol crossbow probably won’t do it. A rifle crossbow MIGHT or might not, but in both these cases, if you have more than one attacker, you are SOL because it takes too long for that second shot. A pellet or BB gun won’t do it, and unless they are repeaters (which means you also need a power source of some kind, usually compressed gas), again that second shot will often be… Read more »
The use of blowguns, crossbows and air rifles is good for stealth hunting small game. Not so much with 2 legged predators, although I wouldn’t want to get shot with any of them. Black powder weapons are very lethal and hold the advantage of you being able to make your own propellant and projectiles.
Most people have Rambo esq fantasies of holding off hoards of mutant biker zombies with whatever weapons they’ve acquired, be it AR or AK.
And the lowly .22LR was used effectively by snipers against Russian troops during the Chechen war.
I don’t understand the hard on so many people have for the .22. Sure, I’m not denying the .22 can kill, BUT IT IS NOT A COMBAT ROUND!!! If God forbid, but you are involved in some kind of gunfight were a group of thugs wants to take your stuff. And they have combat weapons and you have your trusty 10/22, you will immediately come to your senses and wish you had a real combat weapon. The .22 just doesn’t get the job done fast enough. Not to mention it lacks the ability to penetrate objects to get to the… Read more »
Hi JD. You are correct on it not being a combat round. I certainly wouldn’t consider it as a first line of defense (unless its all you have). It has it’s place as being relatively cheap and fairly easy to suppress. It can be quite lethal as it tends to tumble around in a body. Not quite like the .223 or 5.45x 39. But hit someone in a sinus cavity or intestines, especially with multiple hits, it will ruin their day.
Again you are right that it is not for penetrating cover or thick clothing and lacks immediate stopping power.
Throwing knives secured to decent length of wood or hard plastic is an okay thing to have around for single intruders coming through fortified windows and doors. Spears have a place as guns make noise which might not be a good move in all sitreps
That’s what silencers are for.