How to Begin Prepping: A Comprehensive Guide

The Rock River Arms All Terrain Hunter (ATH) is an AR-platform rifle optimized for hunting. It is attractively styled and beautifully machined. I found it to be accurate and reliable in my testing, and was especially impressed with the outstanding trigger. With a manufacturer suggested retail price of $1,425 it is an attractive choice as a mid-range AR-platform rifle.
I really like AK-platform rifles chambered in 5.56mm. I appreciate the rugged reliability of the AK platform matched with the flat trajectory of the 5.56 cartridge. So to some extent, this review is an AK guy’s reflections on an AR. It is not that I have anything against ARs per se, but handling an AR always feels a little like speaking in a second language in which I am not fully fluent.
In spite of this, when I received a press release from Rock River Arms about the All Terrain Hunter, I was really interested. Among other attractive features, the 18-inch free-floating heavy stainless steel barrel is guaranteed to provide 3/4 MOA accuracy at 100 yards, the trigger guard is optimized to accommodate gloved fingers, and the rifle is chambered in .223 Wylde so that it can safely and effectively chamber both .223 and 5.56mm ammunition. I asked Rock River Arms if I could borrow a sample for testing and evaluation, and they were kind enough to agree.
When I picked up the ATH at my FFL, the first thing that struck me was the excellent case. Many rifles, even very expensive rifles, come in a cardboard box. When a rifle comes in a case, the plastic is often so flimsy that it is not much better than cardboard. But Rock River Arms does an excellent job of packaging the All Terrain Hunter. The case is durable, well padded, and is large enough to accommodate the rifle even after optics are mounted.
As I opened the case, the first two things I noted about the ATH were that it is attractive, and that it was generously oiled. The attendant at my FFL who was assisting with the transfer grabbed a rag right away and went to work on the outside of the rifle. It would have been extremely messy to handle the ATH without a good initial rubdown.
I like the look of stainless steel in general, and so found the barrel of the ATH to be is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
The magazine that came with the rifle was uninspiring. Consumer versions of the ATH are advertised to ship with a 20-round steel magazine. The test sample I received came with a badly scuffed aluminum magazine.
Along with the rifle and magazine, the case contained a plastic bag with an Owner’s Manual, a yellow plastic empty chamber flag, a card with assembly instructions, a card warning against feeding rounds in through the ejection port, and a card warning that the firearm may not be legal in all jurisdictions.
I started to familiarize myself with the rifle by reading the entire 52-page Owner’s Manual. The typeface was small enough that I needed to wear my bifocals in order to complete this task comfortably.
One unexpected piece of advice from the manual concerned how to handle a hangfire. That advice was to wait 15 minutes with the rifle pointed in a safe direction before clearing the chamber. This was the longest recommended wait period before clearing a faulty round that I had ever heard. This did not make sense to me at first, but continued reading brought additional context. In general, they recommend only clearing a live round within 10 seconds of chambering, or after 15 minutes, due to the risk of rounds cooking off in a hot chamber. Since 10 seconds is too soon to safely clear a hangfire, it is recommended to wait the full 15 minutes instead. Most other rifles are not expected to put out a high enough volume of fire for the cooking off of rounds in a hot chamber to be an issue.
The manual also recommended using only American-made, brass-cased ammunition. I intended to flout this recommendation, since firing steel-cased ammunition is one way to get a sense of the reliability of a rifle during a limited testing period.
The rifle comes without iron sights. The full-length rail on top of the barrel shroud is more than long enough to allow for the installation of aftermarket iron sights, or pretty much any other optics the owner may wish. I am just old enough to prefer for my rifles to come with iron sights pre-installed.
I was also interested to note that the barrel comes lapped from the factory, so that there is no need to break it in.
The manual recommends cleaning the rifle prior to firing it for the first time in order to remove excess shipping oil. This is also an excellent way for a new owner to begin to familiarize himself with his new rifle.
Disassembly involved separating the upper and lower receivers, removing the changing handle and the bolt carrier, removing the firing pin from the bolt carrier, and removing the bolt from the bolt carrier assembly.
Everything was coated with a generous coating of oil. I wiped away excess oil from all accessible surfaces; cleaned the bore, chamber, and bolt assembly parts with solvent, and then applied a thin film of CLP to the various parts. I then reassembled the ATH.
Throughout this process, I found the rifle to be a well-machined and aesthetically pleasing piece of machinery.
I mounted a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9X40 scope on the rifle.
The medium-height rings that I initially used were a little too low. I had a cheap scope on another set of rings that were slightly taller, so I played musical scopes and rings. I removed the Leupold scope from the medium rings, the budget scope from the taller rings, and a horrible scope from a pellet gun from its rings. I then placed the Leupold scope in the taller rings from the budget scope, the budget scope in the rings from the pellet gun, and put the horrible scope aside for disposal. The taller rings were exactly the right height for the Leupold scope on the ATH. The operator buttstock of the ATH gave an excellent cheek weld. The budget scope on the pellet gun is a story for another day.
I then determined the proper eye relief for the Leupold scope, leveled the rifle and scope, tightened the rings evenly, and focused the scope. This process is described in more detail in my November 10, 2020 review of the Leupold scope in SurvivalBlog.
I set a group of nine targets against the backstop of the range behind my pole barn. I set up a table at the other end of the range, and put a lead sled on the table. I used the lead sled, not because I expected any issue with recoil from the ATH, but because it provides such a wonderfully stable shooting platform.
I then placed the ATH on the lead sled, chambered a single round, and fired at a target. My first reaction was surprise at the excellence of the trigger. It was so smooth and crisp that the rifle seemed to fire just at the thought of squeezing the trigger.
The first shot was about 3 inches low and about 4.5 inches to the left of the center of the target. Over the course of the next few groups, I was able to adjust the scope so that the groups were striking the center of the target.
I gave the rifle a bit of a torture test by firing steel-cased ammunition. I used TulAmmo 55 grain FMJ, TulAmmo 62 grain FMJ, TulAmmo 75 grain HP, TulAmmo 62 grain HP, TulAmmo 55 grain HP, and Wolf Military Classic 62 grain SP. The ATH chambered and extracted every round with 100% reliability. It liked the 62 grain bullets best, with the Wolf ammo providing the best groups of the various 62 grain offerings. I was not surprised, as I have previously experienced surprisingly good groups using steel-cased Wolf ammo.

FULL STORY HERE

The inflation reports landed with a resulting rip to the consumer’s pockets as it rose to 8.3%. The hikes in grocery prices are unlike any American has experienced since the seventies, with goods clawing at double-digit prices.
Gas prices escalated to five dollars per gallon. Eggs, fish, meat, and poultry saw an increase of 14.2 percent within twelve months. Milk and milk products leaped over 11.8% over the same period.
It is speculated that the causes of these rises could be attributed to any of these three things:
With this in mind, it has become imperative for consumers to prepare for the worst before it’s too late to do anything.
Preppers are encouraged to take it in stride and appropriate a few measures that’d keep their money intact and basic needs consistently met. These are ten points to consider before it’s too late.
Evaluation of your earnings and cash flow is pertinent because inflation makes it practically hard to stay within usual budgets.

Whip out your little black book, record every expense you remember. You don’t necessarily have to calculate the total, just see the physical trails of your spending.
Not only will this aid your saving habit, it will curb your spending. It will help you prioritize.
At first, it may seem embarrassing to always ask for lower prices or available discounts.
However 70% of customers who do receive some form of deduction and their money is considerably saved. At the same price, you will get more value for your money.
The monthly payments for loans, despite low interest rate can weigh on an already tight budget.
However, considering the 0.5 increase in interest rates by the bank, preppers can make predictable payments by combining high interest credit card bills into personal loans.

If there is a sudden increase, you would have already evaded it. No matter how tempting or lucrative it seems, don’t get a loan at this period.
At retirement, you probably had plans of purchasing expensive generators or the choicest fishing rods however at this peak of inflation, it is best postponed.
Buy only items that are necessary for survival, especially in the event of an SHTF. For big buys, it’s best to wait for the economy to stabilize.
Most, if not all stores, run sales every month.
It might ease your pocket if you hunted down those ones offering products at discounted sales prices. The bargaining and consequent reduced rates aid preppers in obtaining quality products for lesser fees.
Also, you might want to dust out the coupons and take them along for the next grocery shopping.
You might be tempted to keep your equipment and tools at a tiptop condition so as not to be caught off guard. While this is great behavior, it is strongly recommended to put off those repairs that are not critical currently.
You might find that each unnecessary repair cost will be a bottomless money pit, further throwing you financially off track during this inflation. Unless it is absolutely important, postpone that huge repair until prices are stable and your pocket, safer.
Due to the surge in gasoline prices, expenses are accrued even by simple errands. Before your budget gets eaten too deep, your driving should be limited.
Taking public transportations, carpooling, short walks and running errands in batches may save more money than you can imagine.
Car insurance premiums can be lowered if you are qualified for it. This is dependent on your driving history and of course, credit score. Check with your company to know if you qualify and save money.
Ask your local pump station for available discounts. Some offer gas rewards credit cards (for cash back and points on gasoline) and/or a discount for text message sign up.
The major goal is to save your money and possibly reinvest. Using expensive brands will erode that goal while prices continue to double. But this doesn’t apply to your medications of course.
Find stores that are not as expensive or brands that basically have the same product but are less expensive.
Also, buying in bulk saves more that it spends. It is advisable to purchase necessary products in large quantity and save the few extra bucks, probably switch it to gas money.
As gasoline surges in price, you might want to consider storage.
This requires careful handling as it is very volatile.
For a long term storage, use a metal container and remember to add an additive to slow the gas’s degradation period.

Do not store gasoline any where near a flammable material and it shouldn’t be under the sun. A shed or a barn is appropriate. A garage is good only if the car is moved to another area.
This doesn’t resemble a transitional inflation in the slightest. Judging by the double digit rise in products, it is important to stock up on items that are necessary for survival.
Stock up on everything you need, as the prices could drastically change next time you choose to visit a store. You won’t be saving money, you’d have taken a large hit instead.
Finally, before you get swarmed in the by the inflation, remember to apply some if not all of these measures. It might appear brutal but they are essential in these times, to help you stay above boards and even thrive.
Do not put off paying off a debt, save and always plan for the future. You will get through this in the end.
FULL STORY

Many of us have experienced a power outage at one time or another. Most of the time the duration of the outage is measured in hours, maybe a day, and in rare instances – a week or more.
The outages also tend to be localized and repairs happen quickly or power is “borrowed” from a nearby utility or network and rerouted to the affected area. The experience is usually a frustrating inconvenience and most hospitals and critical systems have backup power to get through the outage.

But what if…?

What If The National Grid Fails?

It’s never happened in the United States, but some countries have had widespread power outages affecting most of their territory. Russia’s cyber attack on Ukraine’s grid in 2015 knocked about 60 substations offline, leaving 230,000 people in the dark. It was an ominous threat, but once again, the outage only lasted 1 to 6 hours.
It seems like most power outages, regardless of the extent, have a short duration and are only an inconvenience. But there’s a problem.

Crumbling Infrastructure

It may be an over-statement to refer to the U.S. power grid as crumbling, but in many parts of the country that’s exactly the case. The North American power grid is old.
The original design was engineered to only last 50 years with the assumption that future generations would upgrade and improve the system. That has rarely happened unless a system or station has a significant failure, and even then the fix falls in the category of repairs, not replacement.
As a result, there are parts of the North American grid that are about 100 years old. In a study done by the American Society of Engineers the power grid was graded D+ for reliability. It’s troubling to think that a system so critical to our survival is in the range of a failing grade. Worse, some estimates put a critical repair to the North American grid at $5 trillion dollars!

The Failure of Complex Systems

The North American Power grid may be one of the most complex systems on Earth. And it’s important to note that the power grid is just not about the U.S.
The grid stretches across the U.S. and up into Canada powering and ultimately affecting all of North America.

On a basic level, the grid is composed of 3 interconnections serving many states and provinces with the exception of a single interconnection in Texas. The fragility of any interconnection was demonstrated in the winter of 2021 when weather extremes induced by climate change almost brought down the entire Texas interconnection.

But while 3 basic grid interconnections may seem simple it gets worse.

Local power service providers are broken down into subregions within the intersections. These subregions are serviced by local utilities that have varying degrees of integrity in terms of the age and condition of their equipment and power stations. But it gets more complex.

The power grid that exists today was first built after World War II from designs dating back to Thomas Edison, using technology that primarily dates back to the ’60s and ’70s. Its 7,000 power plants are connected by power lines with a combined total of more than 5 million miles, all managed by 3,300 utilities serving 150 million customers.
According to industry group Edison Electric Institute. The whole system is valued at $876 billion. No one person owns or controls it. It’s 3,300 different companies, both public and private sector, that own or operate little pieces of the electric grid. The result is that no single entity government or otherwise has the ability or authority to manage it.

How Critical is the Grid?

According to a report from the congressionally funded EMP Commission, power grid failure for one year would result in the death of nine out of every 10 Americans. The first to die would be people dependent on medical assistance with the majority dying from starvation.
If the grid failure was unique to North America, it would also make the U.S. a prime and easy target for any rogue nation looking to take advantage.

We Take it for Granted

It’s not just about losing lights at night, packing some food from the refrigerator and freezer into a cooler or wearing warm clothes and lots of blankets in the winter.
Systems and services surrounding us are dependent on electricity and without power there are no grocery stores or pharmacies, no gas stations or hardware stores, no local doctors or dentists, no traffic lights, banks, basic communication, water, and everything else we assume will always be available.Hospitals and doctors will be overrun; police and fire departments overwhelmed, and the continuing darkness of every night will bring lingering uncertainty and fears of what’s to come in the morning.

Ominous Signs

According to statistics gathered by the Department of Energy, major blackouts are on the upswing. Over the past two decades, blackouts impacting at least 50,000 customers in the U.S. have increased 124 percent, according to DOE data.
While customers in Japan lose power for an average 4 minutes per year, customers in the American upper Midwest lose power for an average 92 minutes per year, and customers in the upper Northwest lose power for an average 214 minutes per year. Those estimates exclude extreme events like severe storms and fires and those have been increasing over the past two decades.
The durations are still being measured in minutes and hours, but over time the trend can easily lead to days and weeks. Making matters worse is that the vulnerability of our grid is growing due to new and emerging threats.

The 7 Greatest Threats to the Grid

These aren’t ranked in order. Any of them could occur and all have in fact, happened in the past. Some would have worldwide impacts while others occur as highly targeted and intentional or unintentional events affecting a continent, country, or region.

1. Cyberattack

China invented the cyberattack and Russia, North Korea, and Iran have also engaged in varying degrees of cyberattacks over the past decade. Some of these cyberattacks have been launched against various utilities around the world including the United States.
Some of these attacks were criminally motivated using ransomware to extort money. Others were in the category of military operations. Here are just a few of the most recent cyberattacks against utilities.

Colonial Pipeline – May 6, 2021

Colonial Pipeline is the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S. and the ransomware attack resulted in a $4.4 million ransom payment to a ransomware gang.
The FBI later helped to recover a significant portion of the ransom, but it was another sign of how vulnerable a utility can be to cyberattacks. The outage resulted in gasoline shortages, shutting down services, promoting panic-buying among motorists and escalated gas costs.
The attack happened because of an employee’s compromised password. It seems that the company may have missed out on multi-factor authentication, a basic cybersecurity tool, to protect itself.

OPEL and Electrobras – February 2021

The Brazilian-utility companies COPEL and Electrobras was attacked by seemingly the same ransomware gang that attacked Colonial Pipelines. The ‘DarkSide’extracted 1,000 gigs of data from COPEL’s systems, while unidentified ransomware struck Electrobras. Both electricity providers had to disconnect from the National Interconnected System which caused outages to many in the country.

Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) – January 2022

The Colorado energy company had to shut down 90% of its internal controls in January 2022 due to malicious cyberware that wiped 25 years of historical data. The energy company then needed to inform its customers about the multiple energy bills they might receive.

Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA)- February 2022

The ARA cyberattack occurred just a few months after a minor but similar attack on two German firms that led to the disruption of petrol supplies in northern parts of Germany. This time it had bigger implications and created a momentary continental energy crisis.

And it Won’t Stop

Every day our power grid is tested by foreign hackers attempting to infiltrate and find ways of taking control and cutting off power. The cutting edge of cyber-warfare continues to be China. Unfortunately, our defenses against cyberattacks continue to be weak. It is believed in fact at the highest levels of our intelligence community that China could shut down our power grid at any time.

FULL STORY HERE