When all the discussion is over, you decide what knives become part of your back-country hunting gear. Think about your choices, and know how to use them. Then, when you stand over that fallen big game animal in the back-country, take a moment to be thankful before you get to work. You are doing something many people can only dream about!
Leon Pantenburg is an experienced hunter and long-time outdoors-man who runs SurvivalCommonSense.com and hosts Survival Common Sense Radio on Doctor Prepper’s Preparedness Radio Network.
Review: Parry Blade
When I first saw a picture of the Parry Blade, my first impression was that it was another “Rambo Knife” gimmick. This is not the case. It is a very well thought out knife. I really like how robust the knife is. It feels like it belongs in your hand, and I doubt that I would have difficulty using it for extended periods of time. I had trouble at first with not babying the edge on this knife as it came from the factory with an amazing hair shaving edge. I was amazed to see the Brute penetrate a ⅛” thick piece of annealed and laminated sheet steel. Immediately after the penetration test I tested the Brute’s food prep capabilities. At 9” long and ¼” thick the Brute is no tomato slicer, but it chopped melons, sliced apples, and spread peanut butter like a pro. As far as a combative tool goes, the Brute is excellent. Normally on a knife of this size the center of balance is a few inches forward of the hilt, but because of the s-shaped blade the weight can be balanced at the hilt while still being a formidable chopper. The handle is amazingly engineered so that the user’s grip can change from the chopping position, to the stabbing position, to the carving position and the steel butt of the pommel can be used as a hammer. In order to obtain uniform testing results, we tested the Brute’s chopping power on ordinary pine 2”x4” boards. We tested the Brute against a full size machete, and a 1 ¼ lbs. hatchet. In 30 seconds the Brute out-chopped the other cutting implements by quite a bit. My first impression of the saw back was that it would detract from the utility of the knife as usually is the case with saw backs, but this was not so. The saw back is designed for cutting the bones of animals, not for wood-cutting. The saw does not saw straight through bone, but rather scores the bone so that it can be snapped cleanly.
Survival Blade Honorable Mentions
Swiss Army Knife Classic: Yeah, you read that right. The Classic is the smallest Swiss Army knife; it fits on a key ring, and that’s why I carry it. My key ring survival kit goes with me everywhere, including hunting. While I carry a complete Ten Essentials kit and survival gear with me, because redundancy in some areas is a great thing!
The Classic is a folder that weighs one ounce and has a tiny blade that is virtually useless for hunting. But it also has a scissors, nail file (with the tip modified to fit the hinge on my glasses), toothpick, and most importantly, tweezers. This little knife could be a Godsend if you get a splinter in your hand -- but the glasses-compatible screwdriver could literally save the hunt. If you’re like me, you can’t see without your glasses, and if you can’t see, you can’t hunt. The modified Classic could end up being your most important knife!
As we’ve already covered my selections for the minimum backcountry hunting knives, here are some other contenders deserving of honorable mentions;
Folding Buck Hunter: I’ve used and carried a Shrade lock blade and a Buck double-bladed hunter. They were disqualified because they were folders.
Case Folding Double-Bladed Hunter: This worthy candidate was disqualified because of the hinge. But I’ll admit that having two sharp blades available reduces sharpening during the field-dressing operations.
Wyoming knife: One of my elk-hunting buddies, Phil Walker, carried a Wyoming knife for years for gutting and skinning. It works very well for this purpose, but I don’t like it because it looks like something out of Star Wars. (Prejudice, I’ll admit!)
The replaceable blades are great when you’re in the middle of a carcass and need a sharp blade. Phil also carried an 8-inch butcher knife and an honest-to-God Bowie, and hunts elk with a Ruger Number One in .338 Winchester.
Phil is a wiry guy who might weigh 150 pounds soaking wet after a large meal.
Using these tools on opening day 1993, near Dworshack Reservoir in central Idaho, Phil killed, gutted, quartered and packed out a six-by-six bull elk by himself. He got done in time to come pick me up in the boat across the lake!
Product Review: M&P15R
Smith & Wesson’s 5.45x39mm Upper Assembly for the AR-15
Since I’m a fan of the incredibly inexpensive Russian 5.45 x 39 mm military round, I thought I’d finally buy a good quality AR15 upper for this round.
Perhaps the only worthwhile achievement of Soviet Communism was the development of a highly engineered yet incredibly inexpensive round that was based on our 5.56mm NATO, yet much more ballistically destructive. The Russian 5.45x39mm Soviet round has been the Russian/Soviet Army’s main battle rifle round since the mid-1970s.
These cheaply manufactured, steel-cased rounds were designed for penetration and tumbling, due to a hollow cavity inside the tip of the bullet, in front of a steel core, similar to 5.56 NATO M885 AP (Armor Piercing).
This round is also compatible with 5.56mm NATO magazines. Other uppers in different calibers normally require different, dedicated magazines. You may want to stick with 27-28 rounds in a 5.56mm mag, since the case on the 5.45 round is .020” larger than 5.56 NATO. The upper also comes with one dedicated magazine.
One particularly neat innovation was the flash suppressor. It is a standard US military-style bird cage, but with the bottom half of the flash suppressor’s slots filled in, thereby creating a Soviet-style muzzle break effect. This elegantly simple feature provides a lot of controllability, in either semi- or automatic fire.
As a test, I went to a rock quarry with an excess of 200 yards of range, where I had set up some water-filled two-liter pop bottles right at 200 and 212 yards. After checking my zero at 100 yards, I was hitting these with little effort (more like watching them explode, through my tubular red dot sight).
Preppers and Survivalists should consider the 5.45 x 39mm round, whether with the reviewed AR15 upper, or with a quality AK-74. The Soviet surplus spam cans are incredibly easy to store for the long term in their already vacuum-packed state. Jim Rawles at Survivalblog.com even refers to this round as “The round of the future.”
Jerry Erwin publishes the Suburban Self-Reliance blog at http://www.suburban-self-reliance.com/.
Reader Feedback
Image Conscious
We received a few messages from some of our sharp-eyed readers in regards to last issue’s cover. Here are a couple of your comments...
“Issue #2, [from the artice] 7-sensible strategies for teaching gun safety…#1 treat all guns as if they are loaded. Keep your finger out of the trigger guard & off the trigger until you are ready to fire! (your cover photo is a good example of what wrong looks like) we enjoy your magazine …have both issues so far thanks.” - Joe S.
“You need to tell the guy on the cover to keep his finger OFF the trigger. That’s a pretty unsafe way to carry any kind of weapon.” - John
In Response:
Being that Survivalist Magazine is a small, new publication, we do not yet have the resources to employ staff photographers and hire models to do photo shoots, which means that we have to rely on stock photos and licensed images for some of our photographic content. The use of stock photography is not an uncommon practice in the magazine business (even for well-established publications) but it does limit our choices when it comes to finding appropriate images. Since one of the goals of Survivalist Magazine is to dispel the common stereotypes of what it means to be a “survivalist”, I wanted to find an image that didn’t look particularly dark or menacing for the cover of the tactical issue (which wasn’t very easy!). Ironically, I’m usually the first person to notice when someone handles firearms inappropriately in TV shows, movies and especially in real life, (believe me, my friends had a field day with this!) but unde
r the pressure to get the issue to press before the deadline, that detail apparently escaped my attention.
Mosin Mix-up
“The image of the Mosin-Nagant M91/30 & the Lee-Enfield No.4 on page 19 were reversed. The Lee-Enfield was on top and the Mosin-Nagant was at the bottom of the page.” - Timothy S.
In Response:
Argh! I’d really like to blame my lay-out department for that mix-up... So I will... It’s all their fault!
But seriously; in the lay-out process, there’s always the possibility of photos getting placed in the wrong location, but as the editor, it’s ultimately my responsibility to make sure that everything is where it’s supposed to be. I’ll just have to be extra vigilant (and not in so much of a rush) in the future!
As always, I appreciate all the great feedback! Your comments let me know what we’re doing right and keep me on my toes when we occasionally drop the ball, so keep those letters coming! - Ed Send Your Feedback to: [email protected]
Publisher’s Note: This Mosin error was corrected in the Kindle version of Issue #2.
Review: Izula Gear Wallet E&E Mini Survival Kit
There are plenty of mini-survival kits by various manufacturers out on the market and when I received the Izula Gear® Mini Survival kit for review, I assumed it was going to be pretty much like all the others. But once I started digging into the contents, I realized that this package isn’t quite like any other mini survival kit out there!
Unlike other kits, the Izula Gear E&E kit was designed with escape and evasion in mind (hence the “E&E” in the name). Everything comes contained in a rugged, tri-fold, cordura wallet that’s compact enough to easily fit in your shirt or back pocket (2 ¾” x 4 ¼”). There’s also a loop on the back, so you can carry it on your belt, if you prefer.
Inside the wallet, you’ll find items that are particular to escaping unlawful custody* such as a plastic handcuff key, and a titanium blade (perfect for cutting through zip-ties, rope, cordage and a variety of other uses) as well as traditional survival items, like a button compass, four fishing hooks (2 different sizes), quite a bit of kevlar cordage (which can be un-braided for even more length), a signal mirror and a sharpened steel arrowhead which can be used to fashion an improvised arrow or spear, (or can serve as a small knife for field-dressing squirrels, rabbits or other small critters!). There’s also a magnesium rod with a fire-steel flint and a pair of very powerful, cylindrical rare-earth magnets, which can be used to make an improvised compass, or for attaching items to metallic surfaces.
You also get a stack of plastic “survival cards” which give you tips on the uses of various items, techniques for escape, evasion and concealment, signaling techniques (including primers on Morse code and ground-to-air signals), basic navigation, trap and snare building, fire starting, and tips for short-term survival. Among these cards you’ll also find a transparent map navigation card and a Flosscard® which contains a supply of (you guessed it) dental floss. This can be used as fishing line, compass string and various other uses (including flossing your teeth!).
All in all, I was pretty impressed with the package and the included items! Everything is made in the USA by the folks at ESEE® Knives (www.eseeknives.com) and is available at various survival gear and knife dealers. Average retail price is about $60.
*Neither the manufacturer or Survivalist Magazine recommend using these items to escape from or evade lawful detainment by police and other legitimate law enforcement agencies.
Dry Bulk Food Storage
by Steve “Sasquatch” Mayka
We’re all trying to be as prepared for all eventualities as we can manage, and it’s important to prep within our budgets. With this in mind, I’ve developed the following method for putting up dry food storage in bulk:
Obtain five or six gallon food-grade plastic buckets for free - ask for icing buckets at your local Walmart or supermarket bakery. Nursing homes and food service companies may give you their empty chicken soup stock buckets. Delis will have large macaroni/ potato salad buckets – but avoid pickle buckets (you can never get the smell out). Just about anywhere that does high-volume food production is a good place to ask, as most of these places throw their buckets away. You could offer a dollar per bucket to somebody if they will save these for you, though I have never had to pay for one.
Best price I have been able to find otherwise is $7.50 per bucket – used, with shipping.
Do not use HDPE #2 buckets that are not specifically food grade. I have heard claims that the chemical formulation of the plastic varies, and even if it doesn’t, the bucket may have previously held something that would not be safe to consume - even in trace amounts.
Get Rice - It keeps salt from caking, and will be sufficient to act as a desiccant. (except of course when you are putting up bulk rice, in which case you won’t be using a separate desiccant). Make up sachets of dry rice to use as a desiccant for keeping other things dry in your sealed containers.
Get Disposable “Hand Warmers” - These are chemically the same as O2 absorbers and they’re more readily available. Also, they can handle a much larger volume of O2 per unit. They do contain salt and a very small amount of water to accelerate the reaction, so they are not reusable. I checked with poison control, the manufacturer, and a Yale biochemistry professor and they all say that these are safe to use for this purpose.
Monitor Ambient Humidity - Make sure the environment you are going to work in has an ambient humidity of less than 30% (I have a cheap indoor/outdoor weather station device that measures the humidity indoors – Cost me $7.00 at HomeGoods). In the winter here, my basement averages 25% humidity. This level of ambient humidity is sufficient to dry flowers without any other effort. I also dry my herbs by hanging them from a clothes-line in the basement during the winter.
Ok- now for the mechanics of the operation...
Step 1: Sterile wash your buckets. If your dishwasher does not have a sterile cycle, you can add 2 tsp of bleach and run your longest wash cycle. One tsp might even be sufficient, but bear in mind that bleach is not good for the seals in your dishwasher. So as another method for sterilization after washing in the dishwasher (or a thorough hand washing) fill the bucket completely with water and add a tsp of bleach.
Step 2: At the end of the cycle remove the bucket and the lid - do not at any time touch the inside surfaces of the bucket or its seals! It won’t be sterile anymore.
Step 3: Using a heat gun or a hair dryer, blow into the bucket until the entire container is hot to the touch and there are no drops of water in it. If you do not have a heat gun, let the bucket stand (inverted) until it is absolutely dry. If your dishwasher has a heated dry cycle, you could use that as well.
Optional: put a thin coating of warm (liquid) petroleum jelly on the rubber seal in the rim of the lid of the bucket. (this protects the seal from dry rot)
Step 4: Put your “Dry Bulk Food” in the bucket. Note: This method of storage is only for truly dried foods such as rice, beans, chick peas, peas, pasta, cous cous, lentils or any completely dried food. Partially wet foods cannot be stored in this manner.
Step 5: To anything except rice - add a cup of rice in some kind of sachet, (from a sealed container that was packed in low humidity - Make sure you reseal that container right away). You may also add some salt if you want. It won’t hurt anything and it may very well help.
Step 6: Take two chemical hand warmers and drop them in the bucket. You should avoid touching (and thereby contaminating) the hand warmers before placing them in the bucket. Simply cut the top off of the outer packaging with a scissors and allow the hand warmers to slide out of the packaging into the bucket.
Step 7: Seal with a rubber mallet (or if you have Sasquatch hands, use the heel of your hand). Make sure the bucket is completely sealed.
Step 8: Label each bucket with the contents and the date it was sealed. This will help in identifying and rotating your stock.
Step 9: Freeze the whole bucket for 3 days at minimum. If
you do not live in a climate where this can be accomplished outdoors during the winter, do it in a chest freezer or take it down to your local butcher and ask him to put it in the freezer for you for three days. This will kill just about any insects or larva that may be present.
Step 10: Store up off the ground so that air can circulate underneath the buckets in a low temperature, low light, low humidity environment - the average basement should be sufficient. Extending the longevity of the stored food generally requires temperatures below 65°F. Rotate annually or semi annually and check the seals - do not stack buckets more than 3 high - heavy buckets (35 lbs or more) should be stacked no more than 2 high.
This method, when properly executed, will store dried goods in excess of 20 years. However, there will always be some food value degradation over time - many experts say (I have no proof of this) that these foods will retain as much as 90% of their nutritional value for 30 years and up to 70% for as long as 35 years. However, there is no “perfect” method of food preservation and there will be some failure rate in all preps. As always; 3 is 2, 2 is 1, and 1 is none.
Also, remember that you are depriving the fungal, viral, and bacterial spores of the environment that will allow them to grow - not kill them. They were in the bag when you bought it at the store and you must cook these foods to make them safe to eat. However, by depriving the environment of oxygen, any insects that are present should die. And remember; any method of food storage can fail - in fact will fail - given enough time and/or neglect.
Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1 Page 12