Survivalist prepper websites. Are they real?

I do not look at many of the websites. They are a scam IMO. I prefer to read magazines and books on survival, medicinal and edible plants. As far as what they say you need, think about where you live and what the normal yearly climate is. What is your specialty? Develop it and get to know your neighbors. What are their mindsets? Would you trust them if SHTF? Things like that.

They say its always best to have at least 6-12 months food storage. What if STHF in the mid winter, you have no livestock and you had to wait until spring to plant seeds??

That food of course could not be taken in a bug vehicle obviously....AND where to store it so that it stays at proper temperature. MREs go bad in heat within a month in hot climates. Some places sell them with these little indicators on them to let you know if they are still good.

You can always learn how to jar your own foods with produce and products you trust......

Guns...well yeah you need to have something for sure. But imagine back during the great depression in the West. Squirrels were nearly extinct in just a few short months! So my pappy told me....

To me it is all about plain old common sense. And to not let fear make you over indulge. Preppers always seem to find something else to add to their never ending list!!

reply to post by Smurfwicked



to be honest,I agree that most only have a week,maybe 2 weeks food on hand.Just depends how and what you want to eat! If it all goe's down the tube's,you won't be able to be picky.Pork and bean's will become a luxury.I'm lucky that my wife hates grocery shopping,and I'm a cheapskate,so I do it all.It let's me stock up on sale's and such.Last week they had a bruised veggie sale,got 5 pounds of yam's,3 pounds of bell peppers.for 2 bucks! And it all went in the dehydrator.An extra pound of rice for a buck will be 4 meals,if your rationing and starving.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
$6,000 for 4 AR's?

$10,000 for 10,000 rounds of ammo?

Umm.... People serious about this don't pay anything remotely CLOSE to those prices on their worst day. I've since sold my AR- because I HATE the design with a passion that vibrates. However, I paid $500 for mine, several years ago. Reloading my ammo comes around $0.30 per round...not $1 a round. Less, depending on how many uses I get out of brass ..and that can go up if I just light load them to save wear and tear.

I think your figuring is starting from bad assumptions .... Just my opinion.

Wrabbit -- have you looked at the price of a .223 round lately? OP is about right....a buck a round. Thanks to DHS, who is causing the market to experience shortages, which is driving up the costs.

And while you can probably find a AR for under 1K, a good Bushmaster will run you 1.5K - 2K these days. Very few dealers are letting them go for under 1K bro.

I would love to reload my ammo, but gunpowder is going to be problematic soon, as the feds are going to try to pull that from the market due to the gun war going on.

Originally posted by Starwise
I do not look at many of the websites. They are a scam IMO.

Yet another observation I made when I decided to create my own website. What I found was people create these blogs & websites who are living of government checks and earning some extra income thru advertising just from talking about things they really know nothing about.

I have a real job for a living and my website is a hobby, a passion, something I firmly believe in, which is why you don't see no advertisements on my website despite the fact I invest about $150 into it each month between server cost, promotions and giving stuff away in contest. If your truly passionate about what you do it pays off regardless, because of my website, I've gotten the opportunity to be a on tv show that I declined, and I've also got to do some real life firearms training at a discount not to mention all the friendships I've made with like minded individuals and all that I've learned from others. So for me the perks of it all are well worth it.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


not to argue the point,but I just saw a tricked out 10/22 with all the AR/M4 toys on craigslist for 500.Why do almost all survivalist want AR's and AK's? I'd rather have a few 30.06 bolt actions for the money,even a pile of 22 bolts. Like the old saying,would you rather be hit by a 22 or a 45??

reply to post by phantomjack


thank you for confirming the prices I see.I believe that one reason for the pricing is the fear of them being banned .Thats just one more reason I'd avoid them like the plague! Ammo shortages,the "fear tax" that dealers add,and all your clips and mag's being banned.....why not just buy an obscure old army surplus ww2 rifle? Lord knows it will be more reliable than the AR platform. An old Enfield,a Mosin-Nagant,whatever.200 if its like new,125 if its been customized. I know this will annoy some,but I'd never deer or elk hunt with a .223...I know,you killed a moose with a .22...at 500 yards......

reply to post by Hopechest


I see your in AZ,I'm in Phx.Not sure if the desert would be the ideal bug out location,as to the water issue.I've found a few springs in the last place you'd imagine,but they are now close to housing developments.And the 4 roads out would be a nightmare for me,as I would want to head to prescott,but so will everyone else!

Originally posted by blkcwbyhat
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

not to argue the point,but I just saw a tricked out 10/22 with all the AR/M4 toys on craigslist for 500.Why do almost all survivalist want AR's and AK's? I'd rather have a few 30.06 bolt actions for the money,even a pile of 22 bolts. Like the old saying,would you rather be hit by a 22 or a 45??

That's not argumentative at all. They want them for the same reason I originally bought mine, with some variations I'm sure.

1. Cool factor. Hey....how many gun enthusiasts haven't wondered what shooting the military style guns "would be like"...until, of course, they do and then realize it's nothing special. Just another gun and for the AR? One with a terrible design.

2. Standard parts and ammo. If TSHTF, there are a few ammo types that shouldn't be hard to find in abundance, either in fallen arms of others or by 'liberating' stocks. Depending on the nation? .223/5.56 or 7.62x39 lead the list for rifle and 9mm/.45 lead the list for pistol. (.40, too..depending on who you ask). Ditto with parts when the M-16/AR platform is standard to a good % of the world with the AK- platform being standard to the other. Even the RPG-7 and AK- share some parts. It's a swiss army knife in that way.

3. The AR and AK- both pack a rifle's punch with a .22's recoil. I saw someone on the range once prove this point by putting the butt end of an AR-15 to his groin and fire it that way. Try that with the .223 hunting rifle I have and you'll never need worry about pregnancy in your wife again, I assure you. The AK- is featured in videos all over with children soldiers in other nations carrying and shooting ....and one with a monkey in Africa shooting up a camp, believe it or not. So much for recoil.

Personally? I think you have a point and it's why I dumped my AR...aside from other factors (Did I mention I HATE the design?). I think mastery of a bolt action rifle and a .22 is far more useful than an AR-15 and a semi-truck full of ammo, personally. I seem to be among a minority though...so be it. I never did try and be with the "in" crowd just for the sake of it.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


OMG!!!! I thought you were the one blessing the AR as God's Own Design! Sorry I misunderstood you! As a tool and die maker,I appreciate the precision parts and all....but in a survival situation...give me a bolt action or a revolver! Less part's.less o rings,less to go wrong.While the new design ar's and m-4's are a bit more reliable,ask Jessica Lynch and her crew what happened to the M16's......(spoiler alert,they ALL jammed).Any weapon that has a "forward assist",is a problem.

why do preppers hoard containers of urine

reply to post by DPrice



It goes to the old saying on why they hoard containers of Unrine, back, back a long time ago they used Urine for tanning, hence came the phrase "Piss Pot" or "Don't have a pot to piss in" then you were considered "dirt poor"

I guess them saving the urine is to make money later down the road because they are broke now from spending all there money on there preps.

reply to post by 19KTankCommander


^5!!! never thought of that! I wondered what he was talking about,now I have a clue! Just saw something on the news,some clown had 300 gallons of urine stored,maybe he was going to trade it for .223 ammo?

Originally posted by Smurfwicked
.A lot of these sites have people that outright cocky towards the new guy seeking to start preparing for his/her family.

Tell me about it. I joined one, and they were pretty stand-offish and condescending. When it came up that I had asthma, there were a few people who were downright cold blooded. I was told in summary that I would be a burden, and the kindest thing I could do for my family was put a bullet in my own head in the case of a SHTF scenario. I was also told that my genes were bad, and so I didn't even have any value that way (although the detailed implications of that were left unsaid). Not a good experience, and not very usefull advice.

Originally posted by Smurfwicked
In reality I think we'll all be surprised when SHTF and we see those that are well prepared not survive and those that aren't prepared at all somehow make it thru.

I think you are probably right. There is something to be said for those who are quick adapters. They tend to not plan ahead as much, and rely upon their ability to cope and survive on the fly.

reply to post by redhorse


pardon my french,but WTF?? You aren't welcome to a group because of asthma? WOW!! My brother in law and I were champion off road racers.both mechanics,I'm certified GM..He tore an achilles tendon,I broke a kneecap,so I guess if we can't run a 10 second 100 yd dash,we are useless? Damn,if they need to get an old dodge running,hook a horse to it!

Changing the tone of the argument here in regards to the AR platform. For me I know what the armed gangs have, and I'm not talking the crips & the bloods, they're really nothing compared to the drug cartels and white supremacist groups. These guys got heavy firepower, they got all the things that us law abiding citizens can't legally own. For the most part the street gangs such as the crips and the bloods are limited to the kind of weapons that all of us can legally own, but that includes AK47s and other semi-auto rifles.

If I thought that in a SHTF all I would have to worry about is hunting for my family, then yes I'd probably more heavily towards a bolt gun. But history has already taught us how people act when desperate but this country is filled with a criminal element that most of us pay little attention to because they're not on the evening news every night. Sure you might hear of drive by shootings and such but these are gang bangers busy killing each other. What you rarely hear about is the white supremacist groups meth lab getting busted and them having the fully automatic rifles and C4 explosives that had been stolen from Fort Hood. These guy operate differently they work hard to keep their criminal activity hidden and they're very good about it. So good that I routinely see people think your petty street gangs pillaging are about as bad as it could get.

Back to the AR platform, I was in the Army Infantry so for me the M16/M4 is the only rifle I've had formal military training with, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for me to decide that a bolt action Remington 700 is my self defense rifle.

Originally posted by blkcwbyhat
reply to post by redhorse

 

pardon my french,but WTF?? You aren't welcome to a group because of asthma? WOW!! My brother in law and I were champion off road racers.both mechanics,I'm certified GM..He tore an achilles tendon,I broke a kneecap,so I guess if we can't run a 10 second 100 yd dash,we are useless? Damn,if they need to get an old dodge running,hook a horse to it!

I have to say that I was using similar "French". In their defense there were a few people that came to my defense because I have a good skill set; which is exactly what you are describing for yourself and your brother-in-law. Some of these groups will severely limit their overall capacity for survival if they are focusing so much on physical capability, or... perfection(?) instead of what an individual can teach and contribute. I can't help but wonder if the hammer came down so much in part because I am female. It did seem like it was all males dismissing me as useless, and all females coming to my defense.

Because of that experience, I think that at least some of these sites are real, or at least many of the people are genuine enough in their intentions and ideology. I was definitely put off of survivalist sites after that though.

I would recommend finding an area you plan to go to and learn how to live off what the land supplies you. Your supplies will run out eventually so only take enough to get you there. Learn the plants and animals and how to get them, how to build your shelters....don't use tents....make knives from the rocks.....real survival stuff.

I tried that no one was interested. People just want to talk about it. Any effort that might involve some real planning and or some discomfort in learning how to survive is verboten.

Not really unexpected as this IS an internet forum. Everything here, you will notice after some time, has a kind of candy coating to it. Which is cool I suppose as, again, this is the make believe that is the internet.

Originally posted by phantomjack

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
$6,000 for 4 AR's?

$10,000 for 10,000 rounds of ammo?

Umm.... People serious about this don't pay anything remotely CLOSE to those prices on their worst day. I've since sold my AR- because I HATE the design with a passion that vibrates. However, I paid $500 for mine, several years ago. Reloading my ammo comes around $0.30 per round...not $1 a round. Less, depending on how many uses I get out of brass ..and that can go up if I just light load them to save wear and tear.

I think your figuring is starting from bad assumptions .... Just my opinion.

Wrabbit -- have you looked at the price of a .223 round lately? OP is about right....a buck a round. Thanks to DHS, who is causing the market to experience shortages, which is driving up the costs.

And while you can probably find a AR for under 1K, a good Bushmaster will run you 1.5K - 2K these days. Very few dealers are letting them go for under 1K bro.

I would love to reload my ammo, but gunpowder is going to be problematic soon, as the feds are going to try to pull that from the market due to the gun war going on.

You guys really need to shop around more... .223 is going for about $0.70/rd right now - still too expensive, but people are paying it and as long as they do, the prices will stay high.

www.slickguns.com...

One the same website you can find bargain ARs starting at $700 - pre-scare prices were about $600... And I wouldn't consider Bushmaster a good AR - they are decent and have brand name recognition, that's it, and they are currently

Honestly those numbers are not that far fetched. Ive got a Ham radio,..................... and on and on. I stopped telling any of my friends what I do, or how much Ammo I have, From what Ive heard, you can get fined and even tossed off your property, they consider it Hoarding. WTF

reply to post by redhorse


oh,you didn't tell me you were female,that makes a world of difference! Just teasing! Really,would you care if your doctor sewing up your leg was female with asthma?Would you care if the woman canning your food,tending a garden,hauling firewood,whatever,had asthma? they think its contagious? Bad genes? Obvious to me,they were looking at you as breeding stock to repopulate the planet!
My wife has had 2 broken ankles,a cancer survivor,a mild stroke...yes,she's a basket case,but she could still tend a fire,make dinner,clean dishes,all the tedious stuff around camp survivalists never consider needing done.Not trying to say that its all a womans job,but its what she is capable of.Anything she can do is 1 less thing for me to do.
That being said,her son is totally useless in a survival situation.If I told him to get firewood,he'd probably grab 3 twigs and need a nap.He's 34 and has no skill's besides rolling a joint!
PS-If you ever want to bug out in Arizona,your more than welcome in my group.Not even knowing your skills,you must have some good traits.

reply to post by Glassbender777


not to pry into your world,but why did you choose mre's over some store bought cans or such? I've used mre's for hiking trips,they are light to carry,but in a preppers situation,way out of my budget. You say not for survival,but prepared...I really like that term,applies more to a tornado or flood type scene,not a world nuclear war. Mind if I use that?