What did you do today to prep?

[Doc In UPlace]

I just purchased a lithgow .22 and 1000 rds of ammo for it(i'm in australia , we have no issues getting ammo)
and ordered another 2 weeks of mre's

Lithgow makes a nice version of the FAL, if I recall correctly, somewhat difficult to get now.

 

[U201492]

The past few days I've been prepping in the following ways: 1: ordered 2 each brand new cases of civilian MRE's for the wife's and my bug out bag. 2:decided not to post any more jokes in the joke section- jokes about humping animals is OK but jokes about wifes is banned several times. 3: Decided to spend less time in here as a result.

Humor is an important survival characteristic, and by selectively banning jokes (which by definition= some kind of pain thats why the German word "Schadenfreude" exists) I also won't be donating when it's time.

 

[Michael Js]

Got new gas masks:
NBC 40mm NATO SGE 400/3 Anti-Riot Military Gas Mask Made In The USA + 4 NBC canisters

To go along with my outside vest body armor - heavy AR500, I'm going to be ordering a Level IIIA concealable vest tomorrow.

Lifestraws in the get home bags...

Packing continues to move to WA or OR....

 

[U201492]

I just ordered a lock pick set to have on my person for escape and evade. Hopefully it actually makes it to me over here. Would be nice to have but hope I never have to use it for its intended purpose.

My ALOA #49952, as a CRL
Speaking as a retired locksmith- I was within the top 2% of professionals scoring 2258 or above out of 100,000 locksmiths I'd like to point out a few things. 1)Practice, practice, and practice some more- that stuff they show on TV to pick a lock in 10 seconds is pure bunk. Don't be surprised if it takes 15 to 30 minutes per lock. 2)In some places if you are caught with locksmithing tools without being a registered locksmith they assume you are a professional thief- in New York it seems the first offense I read was a mandatory 10 year prison sentence. 3)If you're doing E&E a lockpick set won't do you much good. Instead get a LIGHT tension wrench and a small "diamond" and throw the rest of that set out- better yet, give it to someone you don't like and let them scream in frustration and curse the day you were born. 4)Because everyone has decided they needed to have picks and buttholes on Youtube is now teaching what was at one time a trade secret, us locksmith's have done a few tricks you won't know about to make the locks far more pick resistant. A good lock will have between 2 to 5 "spoolies" to give you grief intentionally: <broken link removed>

 

[Joe13]

I have a blow torch for such locks

 

[U201492]

I have a blow torch for such locks

Ah yes, of course! In an escape and evade situation of course you'll be dragging along a propane or oxy-acetylene torch set! You big stud you! I should have thought of that!

Actually, seriously, torching anything is a potentially dangerous thing to do. I know there's guys out there who will attempt to torch a safe- with 3" thick walls with copper sheets in the middle so it can't be drilled? You'll drain the typical Oxy set before you get it opened. No, I will not tell you how to make a tiny hole to open a safe in such a way as to be almost indetectable. Every few years you'll read about some old safe that explodes and killed the safe tech working on it because he drilled into a cup of nitroglycerin in a pack at the drill point turning the safe into a bomb. From around 1890 to around 1950, it was perfectly legal to put a nitro pack into a safe for self destruct purposes. (You do this now you go to jail for ever and a few hundred years). I've assisted in opening safes where the local Navy EOD disposed of said nitro pack. While the Navy would neither confirm or deny the existence of the explosive they did say off the record "it left a bigger hole than we expected in the sand"

 

[Joe13]

Obviously I'm not using it to escape, unless it's from my garage.

A set of picks will get found and confiscated if your being held captive.

I'd go with a handcuff key if anything.

Torches are good for combo locks, chains, cables and any pad lock.

Not really sure how we went to opening safes with them; mine was made in 1905 and bolts in all directions with 8" of steel so that's not an option if I forget the combo.

 

[U201492]

Obviously I'm not using it to escape, unless it's from my garage. A set of picks will get found and confiscated if your being held captive. I'd go with a handcuff key if anything. Torches are good for combo locks, chains, cables and any pad lock.

Not really sure how we went to opening safes with them; mine was made in 1905 and bolts in all directions with 8" of steel so that's not an option if I forget the combo.

1905 eh? This is what you do to open it; take a large hammer and steel chisel and looking at the back of the safe? Start at the upper right about 1/4" or so in- you might have to experiment a bit- but you can peel that beast like an onion. Those old safe's were built up plate by plate- they look impressive, they look like they're cast in one piece but they're not- the outside has simply been welded then sanded down to give that impression.

Having said that, it's the PERFECT safe to use as a decoy. That is, you put it in a place where it can be easily found, and load that puppy up with as much lead, rocks and steel bars to give the illusion it's loaded up with gold and silver as you think someone trying to break in would think. Imagine their rage if they do manage to get it open and realized they've been duped.

Meanwhile, the best safe is either a well hidden floor safe, or one of the ottoman safe's they make. The ottoman obviously is hidden right out in plain sight- who'd look there? Nobody thats who.

 

[Joe13]

Good points.

The thing is over 4000lbs already so I'm not sure that adding weight will help.

It's a mosler (I think that's right), and the inside is significantly smaller then the outside. Having measured it, it's about 8" thick (front, sides, top and bottom).

I didn't know that they could be access by prying the plates, so that's great to know.

Although I'd hope a neighbor would walk by to see what all the noise was about lol

 

[packman]

canned 50lbs of tomatoes and started drying 50lbs of apples. yummy

 

[Joe13]

That sounds like a lot of rewarding work

 

[The Heretic]

I have a blow torch for such locks

I have a pair of size 13 boots for such locks.

If the lock resists that, then I am sure I can find a rock laying around to bust a window.

 

[U201492]

Good points.

The thing is over 4000lbs already so I'm not sure that adding weight will help.

It's a mosler (I think that's right), and the inside is significantly smaller then the outside. Having measured it, it's about 8" thick (front, sides, top and bottom).

I didn't know that they could be access by prying the plates, so that's great to know.

Although I'd hope a neighbor would walk by to see what all the noise was about lol

Q: how many doors? Does it have 2 or does it have one big one? if it's two doors then it's an old Jewelers safe- very difficult to open, and made to much higher standards. If it's a big old round ball about 4 feet across on a pedestal then it's an old bank vault believe it or not. If it's got one great big door and you open it- does it look like it has a stack of shelfs for putting cash register trays in? This will give you some clues to it's original purpose. Mosler made some great kick butt safes before they went out of business about,,,20 years back. It's not the end of the world for it- it is possible with some fitting to put in an X10 knob system. This is an amazing lock if you've got a good safe body: <broken link removed>

 

[U201492]

I have a pair of size 13 boots for such locks.
If the lock resists that, then I am sure I can find a rock laying around to bust a window.

Then at least be a professional about it- you cover the pane of glass with duct tape first so nobody can hear it break. As far as kicking the lock? Child's play- if its a home door you notice they all swing inward?
No, you did not. Ever notice that all business's doors swing either both directions and are supposed to swing outward also? The idea being in case of a fire the door will open.

A professional who wants to open a house silently and doesn't want to leave evidence of picking (and a forensic locksmith can find that in a nanosecond) instead will weld a 18" bar to a bottle jack with a wide plate welded to the end. Put it just above or below the lock- pumping silently all you'll hear is a few cracking sounds as the door expands slightly beyond the 1" bolt over the 6'-6" height of the door.

Another way to open a door is to simply use a "Sawzall" and cut the locks around the door. You remember "Seinfeld" and you'd see all those locks on the door? That's your typical New York door believe it or not.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Last month we had 3 garage sales, recouped some much needed cash and shop space. I was able to put my boat in one bay and tables to recover the flooring and never bumped into anything in the other!!!! It's been 4 years since that last happened.
I finished some much needed maintenance on the boat so it's ready for Fall salmon, winter steelhead & waterfowl (still working on building a blind for the boat).
I normally am steadily giving away fish because I have no freezer space left but this year someone must have put a spell or hex on me as I'm doing more fishing than catching!!!!

I got 500 rounds of fully prepped .223 brass to reload into my super secrete agent tactical spy load.... don't even ask.... no not heat seeking, come on guys...

 

[SIG383]

One good thing about being active duty military is we are allowed certain things, especially when it comes to on duty use. The picks are also a good decoy if you are captured. You give up a few obvious things and they will usually stop looking in most cases. It helps keep the hidden stuff hidden. E&E is more than just escape. It is to evade so you are NOT captured. Knowing how to pick locks to get through a fence or gate, etc without leaving evidence of you being there is a very good thing in situations like that. Also to break in to a place to get food or needed supplies. Yes, missing items are evidence of someone there but less than physically breaking a door or lock.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Here's the secret to how they pick the "TV" locks: they aren't locked in the first place.

Trail is right, unless you have lots of current experience, picking some locks will take much more time than you'll probably have in an emergency. More than 20 minutes in some cases. (Medico brand comes to mind. Best, also, will give you a run for your money).

A drill with cobalt bit, bolt cutter or a hammer (for padlocks) will be much more useful than picks when time is of the essence. For that matter, a heavy boot and running start with a well-placed kick. Or an old- '70's style car bumper jack, placed horizontally across the door jam, spreading the frame out until the bolt clears the strike plate.

Practically speaking who can carry all that stuff?

We are talking about SHTF not spy movie -)) so keep it practical, practice your picking techniques on everything you can while there is time. Doing lockpick OJT is not practical when the neighborhood is under fire.

A good motivator is to toss your house keys inside your house, lock the door and then pick your way back inside. The weather is about right for that, right now; you don't want to do it in the winter.

 

[Michael Js]

just ordered my concealed vest from http://www.bulletproofme.com/ProMAX_Vests.shtml

Hopefully more canning this weekend...as well as more packing to move

 

[U201492]

I just gave away my $7500 motorcycle with pull behind trailer as a prep for the following reasons: 1)rode it one day and then spent 3 days in bed with kidney stones from the vibration 2)The young man is fresh out of Seminary and has wanted a bike- I said if he completed the 3 day course I'd give it to him since he's $90,000 on student loans ($45 for him, and another $45 for his wife)

The point being is understanding your physical capabilities- I can't ride anymore. Nobody wanted to buy a 35 year old and yet completely rebuilt CX500C with pull behind trailer. The wife won't ride, I can't ride, so I guess maybe I'll have to consider something like a Suzuki Samurai.

 

[erudne]

Built the new shed extension, PU'd a replacement GHB, almost done moving and stacking the last of this season's firewood. Though I cleared barely an acre I have about 5 cords of hard wood to show for the effort, I start splitting the big rounds tomorrow. Garden is finally producing some veggis, I'll be expanding the garden space next year, changing to 100% heirloom seeds next year, some of the stuff I planted this year came-up all female. I'm looking at a Mossberg MVP 762 predator rifle w/22" barrel