http://kitup.military.com/2012/03/tyr-group-crowner-tyr-group-combat.html

Ammunition Storage Resources

MTM 50 cal Ammo Cans 

http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/ammocans-ac50c.html

EXTAC Australia 

http://www.extac.com.au/SearchResults.asp?Search=50+cal+ammo+cans

Silica Gel 

http://www.urbanconquest.com.au/store/index.php?_a=product&product_id=192

Firearms Storage Resources

Break Free Collector Gun Oil 

http://www.break-free.com/products/products_collectorliquid.asp

ZCORR 

http://www.zcorrproducts.com/

Sentry Solutions Tuf Cloth 

http://www.sentrysolutions.com/

Kleen Bore 

http://secure.armorholdings.com/kleen-bore/deluxekits.html

Otis

http://www.otistec.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=87A4177C5FB84164A06E4B8B07B71872

Ammunition

The main enemy of firearm storage is moisture, having some form of waterproofing method as a barrier will prevent this. With long term ammunition storage, the main concern is the corrosion on the shell casings. Corrosion comes from excessive moisture reacting with the brass casing or the primer making the round dangerous to fire. 

I like using MTM 50 cal plastic Ammo Cans with O-ring seals. These hold 12 packets of 357 magnum/600 rounds as an approxamate size reference. Keep the cartridges in the original packing and try and stay away from metal to metal contact. To ensure that the ammo has no moisture I throw in a dehumidifier package. These are then locked inside a large tool box which is fastened to the floor. (In order to comply with local laws).

It is important to note, not to store you ammunition longer than necessary. Remember to rotate your ammunition whenever possible. So, instead of storing a thousand rounds of 5.56/.223 for 5 years, mark each box of ammo with the date you acquired the ammunition and the ammunition type on the exterior of the can. As you acquire more ammunition, of equivalent type, use the oldest ammunition first. This provides you a method of keeping your ammunition stock as fresh as possible.

There are a few myths floating around about storing ammo such as sealing shells in nitrogen for instance. This only kills insects in food by removing the oxygen, the same with C02 in order to reduce the insect life cycles. Also using a vacum sealer to remove the air, will have little effect on corrosion if metal is touching metal. Vac sealing will only remove the oxygen and unless mylar is used will eventually permeate anyway over time. Plastic is not a long term oxygen barrier and can be a cause of moisture buildup if not sealed correctly. There is also a theory about pulling the bullet or primer from the case if using a heavy psi level when vac sealing. Ask ten different people on this one and youll get 10 different answers. You just have to reduce humidity, not neccessarily oxygen when storing non-food items.

Firearms

There are several firearm products I use for general maintenaince and storage. Sentry Solutions Tuf Cloths and Otis or Kleen Bore kits for field use and Break Free Collector Gun Oil, when in storage. To provide a moisture barrier from humidity, Ive started using ZCORR bags as a trial run, to see how well they work.

ZCORR FSP Bags utilize a combination of Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitor (VpCI) chemistry and barrier packaging materials to completely prevent the corrosion of your firearms.

This laminated, anti-corrosion barrier material is puncture resistant, tear resistant, non-abrasive, non-toxic, and will not harm any non-metal surfaces.

Foil barrier layers have been used in the packaging industry for decades and are recognized as the best material for blocking the transfer of gasses and water vapor through flexible materials. The foil layer in ZCORR FSP Bags performs two tasks simultaneously; it keeps harmful corrosion causing elements out of the bag and keeps the corrosion inhibiting VpCI chemistry in the bag.

Bags that are repeatedly opened and closed will maintain their protective qualities for approximately 5 years. Bags that are not opened frequently can maintain their protective qualities for up to 20 years.

Remember To:

Use a Moisture Barrier - Sealing your ammunition can help protect it from humidity. Chemically with oil on firearms or with o-ring sealed containers with ammunition.

Rotation – Just like long term food storage, the key to successfully storing ammo is to rotate your ammunition as often as possible. Make sure you mark dates on your ammo boxes so you use the oldest ammo first.

Humidity – Humidity is probably one of the biggest things that you need to worry about. Try to keep your ammo in a low humidity location.

Periodic Checks – I usually look at my ammo every year or so for signs of corrosion. Doing periodic checks will make sure your stocks are ready when you need them.

Silica Packets – These are a great way to keep your ammo in good condition. Silica Gel or desiccant packets should be placed in your ammo cans to help get rid of moisture.

Brought a couple of Scrapper knives off this guy, hes good to deal with and Ive found knives on his forum link that I havent managed to find any where else.

http://www.jerzeedevil.com/forums/showthread.php/110847

Been having a problem with cutting and pasting links into articles. When ever I add them to the actual article they will mess up the entire paragraphs, so Im adding them seperately till the problem is sorted.

Jeff Crowner knives
http://jeffreycrowner.webs.com/

http://jeffcrownerknives.blogspot.com.au/

 http://themanwhonevermissed.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/knife-show-eugene-or.html

Facebook 

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Crowner/100000044488319

Other Blade Design Collaberatorshttp://cssdsc.com/

Bram Frank

Tactical Arts 

http://www.tacticalarts.com/about/instructors/137

TYR Tracker Group 

http://www.tyrgroupllc.com/

Mykel Hawke Blog 

http://mykelhawke-survivingtogether.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/season-2-episode-2-louisiana-firestorm.html

Steels Info 

http://faq.customtacticals.com/datasheets/s30v.pdf

The Bush Blade comes in two different sizes, a 7 inch model for the TYR Tracking Group and in a 9 inch length. Made using a choice of D2, 5160, 1080V, L6 or CPM3V – (this one costs extra to cover costs of additional linishing belts and cryo tempering) and incorperates a high convex grind. I ordered an 8.5 inch version to suit my height  in CPM 3V.

I hadnt heard of 3V steel before so have added a run down and comparrisons with other steels, out of interest. Mykel Hawke from Man Woman Wild uses a 9 inch version Bush Blade in the second season episode Louisiana Firestorm.

This will be in several parts one to cover the steel used while Im waiting for the knife to be built, before being able to field test.

CPM 3V Steel

CPM 3V Composition – Carbon 0.80% Chromium 7.50% Vanadium 2.75% Molybdenum 1.30%

The wear and toughness properties of CPM 3V make it an alternative to shock-resistant steels such as S7 or A9, where they typically wear out too quickly, but where grades such as A2, tend to fail by breaking or chipping. CPM 3V offers the highest impact toughness of any tool steel with this range of wear resistance. CPM 3V offers impact toughness approaching the shock-resistant tool steels, with much greater wear resistance and offers substantial improvements in tool wear life when compared with conventional tool steels such as A2 and D2. CPM 3V’s high vanadium content offers wear resistance similar to M2 high speed steel.

Alloy steels

5160, Spring steel. Popular forging steel for swords and large knives. High toughness and good wear resistance

Tool steel

D2, has a high chrome content of 12%, it is called “semi-stainless”, because of the lack of free Chromium in solution. While not as tough as premium carbon steels, it is much tougher than premium stainless steels.

L-grade tool steel is short for low alloy special purpose tool steel. L6 is extremely tough.

Carbon steel is a popular choice for rough use knives. Carbon steel tends to be much tougher and much more durable, and easier to sharpen than stainless steel. They lack the chromium content of stainless steel, making them susceptible to corrosion.

10 series steel

1095, a popular high-carbon steel for knives; it is more brittle than lower carbon steels such as 1055, 1060, 1070, and 1080. It has a carbon content of 0.90-1.03%

1084, carbon content 0.80-0.93%

1070, carbon content 0.65-0.75% Used in machetes.

1060, used in swords. It has a carbon content of 0.55-0.65%

As a comparison, A2 is about 10-20% tougher than O1 and will hold an edge a little longer. O1 will be slightly easier to sharpen and also will allow the user to strike a spark off the spine using the flint and steel method of fire lighting ( A2 has a little too much alloy to get a good spark). Since A2 has a higher chromium content it will be a little more stain resistant than O1, however both will rust if not wiped down after use or abused.

CPM 3V is a very tough tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. 3V is about 100% tougher than A2 or O1 and has better rust preventative characteristics than either, but is not classified as a stainless steel. With this toughness comes higher cost and more difficulty in sharpening with natural stones though. As with A2 you will be unable to derive a spark from 3V by the flint and steel method. Good for when you are in need of a very strong edge.

CPM–Crucible Particle Metallurgy – Conventional Steelmaking vs. Particle Metallurgy Processing

Conventional steelmaking begins by melting the steel in a large electric arc furnace. It is usually followed by a secondary refining process such as Argon Oxygen Decarburization (AOD). After refining, the molten metal is poured from the furnace into a ladle, and then teemed into ingot molds.

Although the steel is very homogeneous in the molten state, as it slowly solidifies in the molds, the alloying elements segregate resulting in a non-uniform as-cast microstructure. In high speed steels and high carbon tool steels, carbides precipitate from the melt and grow to form a coarse intergranular network. Subsequent mill processing is required to break up and refine the microstructure, but the segregation effects are never fully eliminated. The higher the alloy content and the higher the carbon content, the more detrimental are the effects of the segregation on the resultant mechanical properties of the finished steel product.

The CPM process also begins with a homogeneous molten bath similar to conventional melting. Instead of being teemed into ingot molds, the molten metal is poured through a small nozzle where high pressure gas bursts the liquid stream into a spray of tiny spherical droplets. These rapidly solidify and collect as powder particles in the bottom of the atomization tower. The powder is relatively spherical in shape and uniform in composition as each particle is essentially a micro-ingot which has solidified so rapidly that segregation has been suppressed. The carbides which precipitate during solidification are extremely fine due to the rapid cooling and the small size of the powder particles. The fine carbide size of CPM steel endures throughout mill processing and remains fine in the finished bar.

The powder is screened and loaded into steel containers which are then evacuated and sealed. The sealed containers are hot isostatically pressed (HIP) at temperatures approximately the same as those used for forging. The extremely high pressure used in HIP consolidates the powder by bonding the individual particles into a fully dense compact. The resultant microstructure is homogeneous and fine grained and, in the high carbon grades, exhibits a uniform distribution of tiny carbides. Although CPM steels can be used in the as-HIP condition, the compacts normally undergo the same standard mill processing used for conventionally melted ingots, resulting in improved toughness.

 http://jdrknifeandtool.blogspot.com.au/

As some you you may be aware from previous posts, my 10 year old staffy started having siezures. These became a regular occurance to a stage where they were happening every 10 to 14 days.Phenobarbital (PB)which can lead to liver damage and result in charactor changes . Potasium Bromide (KBr) seems to no longer be available in this country. (PBr) secretes through the kidneys, (PB) secretes through the liver, however the liver is better at recovering from the drugs.

This was treated with 5mg of diazepam placed under his gums during a siezure and within an hour he had quitened down. I was about to start him on

I found the below web site and started him on Vitamin B and Lecitin recomended by the vet and Melatonin combined with Taurine recomended by the below site. Within two weeks the siezures had stopped and knock on wood have not reappeared for 4 months.

I found these amounts to suit his size, after trying different combinations.

Vitamins (as per below)

1 Iron, once per fortnight to improve anemia

2 fish oil tablets per week, hes getting to that age where it cant hurt.

Half Vitamin B tablet per day

Half Melatonin tablet per day

1 large pinch Taurine powder per day

2 large pinches of Lecitin granuales per day

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/tablecontents.htm

It became too hard to post the links with the article. Taking too long without system messing up the entire cut and post process.

Furniture

 http://www.greatstuff.com/furniture.html

 Candle

 http://www.latestbuy.com.au/candle_security_safe.html

 Stash Bolts

 http://www.smokeshack.com/stashsafebolt.aspx

 Magnetic Stash Box

 http://www.keepshooting.com/magnetic-stash-box.html

 Secret Storage Books

 http://www.secretstoragebooks.com/?gclid=CO3Ry8yu-a0CFYMmpAodrhF8rg

 Hidden Outlet Safes

 http://www.spyville.com/hiddensafes.html

 Hidden Diversion Safes

 http://www.tbotech.com/diversionsafes.htm

 Monitors

Motion Sensors

 http://www.smarthome.com/7202/Chamberlain-CWA2000-Wireless-Motion-Alert-System/p.aspx?green=DA99053D-8B03-511D-BC82-28D8DE73B7D1

A self installed alarm can be bypassed quite easily, if the system is not attached to solid brick or wall joists by simply wrenching off the wall. Another way is to fill the siren with expandable foam. This needs to be placed where it can not be reached, to be interfered with.

A monitered alarm system is more efficient. These are rigged to alert a base station, who then contacts the police and the owner if the sensors are activated or a break in transmission occurs.

Both these systems work off motion sensors and when breaks occur in a circuit. The circuits are placed on the doors and windows, while the motion sensors are placed in each corner of the rooms most likely to be used as entry points.

These alarm systems are designed for when the owner is not at home. This is the difference between an alarm system and a home security system. A home security system is designed for when the occupant is staying at the residence.

Alarm systems during an emergency situation, meaning earthquake, terrorist attack etc are little more than a preventative measure for looters, as there wont be anyone to respond. Including yourself if already bugged out of the area. This is presuming mains power has remained on and or that the backup batteries have not already failed from continous use.

A home security system is for when yourve decided to stay in place and not bug out, either to avoid the initial traffic jams of mass exits or to wait for an infection to burn its self out before attempting to bug out to a more secure location.

Once again a home security system will be of little use if there is no mains power or a backup generator is not in use. Or simply if the property has not been properly secured to begin with. A recap on achieving this, is for example.

Starting with the outer courdon. Have a fence entirely surrounding your property, at a full legal height. Here it is 1.8 meters for suburban use. Ive further extended this by using treallacing. The trallace is attached with heavy duty cable ties and not frame work. This is designed to hold under the weight of a small animal such as a cat but break when heavier weight is applied such as a human.

My front yard is then covered by a motion sensor activated lighting system, between the fence and lights this develops a choke point where the only entry is through the main gate which has been made from steel tubing. A simple padlock on this gate keeps out most people. It is simply turned to make it look as though it is locked, permiting entry by friends or rescue personel. Its fooled all but three people.

One of these people were told before hand by a third person, the other two Im still trying to work out if they either have no respect for another persons property by checking to see if the lock was in a fixed position or just smart enough to test to see if the gate was locked. An interesting test for peoples thought processes.

If I wanted to take it a step further than that, I could use a push button actived entry solonoid to manually open the gate such as used on multi story buildings and have an intercom to identification. This needs to have a reset feature on a circuit to make sure the gate has been reclosed after entry. This may be an option during a pandemic, to keep others atleast 8 meters from myself before contact and possible contagion.

The backyard is fully enclosed by using framed treallace attached to a pergola that completely encloses the yard and then covered in bamboo sceening. The yard is again covered by a sensor light, allowing a choke point at the rear gate. Framed trellace is much stronger than unframed, having an outside support structure.

The choke points are used to form three functions. One is to make it the easiest way of entering the property, therefore the home security system takes over. Remember, there is a difference between security and safety. More on this later. Secondly the choke point is the most likely area to be accessed and wont require an entire yard filled with cameras meaning not as many are needed. Not as many blind spots. Thirdly a choke point is the easiest to defend, such as being in a cave and having your back and sides covered. Only one direction to defend against.

The inner courdon. Being a single brick home the walls have been left. A fake brick home is just a matter of sawing and in some cases simply kicking a hole between the bearers to gain entry. A single brick wall still wont stop a 30 cal rifle round. Something to keep in mind.

The two easiest points of entry are the doors and windows. All windows have had security film added, reducing the ability of breaking them open. The hinges on all doors and windows have been replaced with long course thread chip board screws into hard wood frames. These cannot be ripped out with a crowbar, unlike the standard installed short fine thread screws. This includes the strike plates on all door locks. The door hinges have also been replaced with full length piano style hinges or atleast add several more than the standard two that are on most homes. Minimal of three used on each door, five is better.

There are atleast four locks on each door. The standard door lock, dead lock, chain lock and panic slide bolt. I have yet to replace the screens with framed steel mesh, which is next on my list of things to do. The glass windows can be left open to allow for a breeze to pass through. Have a removable system to permit escape in the case of a fire.

Note: When using dead locks, to choose the type that require no internal key in case of fire all you need to do is turn the latch to escape. If having to use the cheaper variation, then have extra keys cut and super glue them in place on the inside. This way you dont have to search around for house keys in an emergency and no one can remove them.

The man hole cover in the ceiling has had a frame added, including a hinged side and two interior slide bolts. Most homes are entered by kicking up the tiled roof and simply walking through the ceiling and entering through the man hole.

This is where security vs safety comes into the equation. I can overcome both these problems by installing weldmesh in the roof space and using a steel door frame and steel door, but what if Im injured and require medical attention and the premises is designed to stop anyone entering for 4 hours.

Ive overcome this by adding a key safe on the outside brick wall. This is made from heavy duty cast steel and takes 3 hours to cut one open, but is a simple matter of pushing a few buttons on the key pad to access the keys in order to open the front door incase of emergency.

A home security system as opposed to a monitered alarm allows you to have a heads up on whats going on around you. By using motion sensors, cameras and diversions in an overlapping system to make an early warning system.

Once again by establishing choke points cuts down on the ammount of electronic equipment required. Basic systems cost as little as a few hundred dollars, but be prepared to add a few extra cameras and sensors to cover any potential blind spots.

I have two cats and a dog. The cats have much better hearing than the dog. Theyll hear a disturbance first. If they seem alarmed, then the dog will investigate. Very few times has the dog not heard someone at the gate before theyve even touched the lock. Keep this in mind for those times when power is not available. All the electronic gadgetry wont beat having a good dog, thats been trained, not to take baits.

A set of wireless motion sensors essenually do the same thing. They relay a message back to a base station, which simply beeps. Each beep has a slightly different tone to identify which area has been compromised. By establishing two choke points at either gate, Ive only required two motion sensors for the unit. These will hopefully be the only points of access for an intruder to use.

Larger yards, less choke points, sheds and other out buildings, walk ways, etc require more sensors. The motion sensors immediately notify me of movement therefore I check the camera system. The first camera in the front yard covers to entire yard from one corner to the other, positioned high in an overt manner. To where the motion sensor is located, covering any tampering with it. The second pin hole camera is concealed covertly to monitor the car park in the a joining cauldersack area. Only one point of entry and excess to nine buildings is through this road. Another choke point.

The inner courdon has battery operated door alarms, not so much to be used as a burglar alarm, being activated from inside the bulding but more as another form of letting me know which door has been breached and secondly as a diversion for the intruder trying to quiten them, giving me time to respond. By either fleeing to a safer room, or preparing to respond by using force.

This brings us to the backups in case of a breach. The first is to have a room with a re-enforced door, hinges and locks. An extra hall way door with these features also helps to slow down a home invader. Panic bolts are large bolt style locks that are designed to be slammed into place with great speed.

Secondly if forced into this situation, have diversions in place. Magicians use distraction techniques to draw the audience’s attention away from whichever hand is engaged in sleight of hand. Magicians can accomplish this by encouraging the audience to look elsewhere or by having an assistant do or say something to draw the audience’s attention away.

Other than being a maze to enter the area. Only those people wishing to come into this section of backroads, will be those that live locally or their visitors. Very few others can deal with a maze of dead end streets. Leading off from my rear fence is a walkway onto a small park. This has over six different exist points, through parks and around buildings, including leading down to a creek line and a main road to public transport. Another reason to know who’s in the park, along the rear fence incase of utilizing it as a possible last resort means of escape and evasion. No matter how much security you have always have a means of escape, if not for home invasion then for the off chance of a fire occuring.