What's your current focus?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Buy an AK........ sorry Matt and Grand....haha

Despite preference and ribbing we do here for fun you should always carry what works best for you and sometimes it comes down to what is in the budget. I carried a 22Marlin as a teen worked and progressed to a SKS that I carried even into a few situations before the patrol rifle became almost standard in patrol units for many years before getting the AR then a better one.
It's kinda what this "focus" thread thing is about. Working with what you have and bettering yourself. Infantry 101, always better your position. There might be a lurker teen on here with a slingshot thats going to work to get an air rifle we don't care join in and sound off. I'm actually motivated and excited to see everyone's "focus" because it shows I'm not alone in my struggle to better myself while life kicks me in the groin trying to keep me down

PS don't tell the dark side but i owned an AK, SKS, shared ownership in a drungonov, and had a heavy barrel/thumbhole stocked conglomeration of an AK once along with a commie pistol or 2 and had a bathtub full of that copperwashed 7.62x39 I wish i still had.

[rockriver]

confession is good for the soul...
--
yep. bought me a raffle ticket for a .22
maybe i can be
"movin' on up!"

[jimmycthemd]

I've been going thru my GHB and replacing some older not-as-functional items. Had a Buck 8" hunting knife inside the pack (a Drago) and replaced it with a Gerber LMF II. Have a friend that has a Bear Grylls like Matt in his write-up (it's actually not a bad setup) but opted for the LMF because I wanted something a little less obvious. Also needed a shorter knife because 'weapons' are not allowed on my employers property and, in Georgia, any blade longer than 5" is considered a weapon so the Buck had to go.
Added some more flints for fire starters and a small molle pocket to the outside of the pack and put my compas, maps and 1/2 the fire starting materials in it. Also moved my FAK from the inside of the pack to one of the outside pockets for easier access.

Started building up a sleep/overnight system around an ENO douple-nest hammock. Got the hammock, straps and tarp so far but need the mosquito net and some light-weight stakes. Gave it a try in a Army Corps of Engineer park over a couple of nights without the tarp (actually had a couple nights where it didn't rain) and it worked pretty well. I'm old and don't do well sleeping on the ground anymore. Need something for insulation underneath me for colder weather. I'll 'research' that as I go along.

Bought some flourescent grow lights and started setting up an area in the basement to try some inside food production. I already had the fixture and shelves so I thought it'd be something to try to get some low-budget experience with it. I've been experimenting with growing some things outside but this year's been too wet and not enough sunshine to really get real-life knowledge. Grew up around farms in NY but it's a LOT different in Georgia.
One thing that's worked pretty well is 'trash can potatoes'. Drill some holes in the bottom of a trash can and set it on some bricks so the water drains well. Start with about 8" of dirt in the bottom and plant your seed potatoes. As the plants get about 8-10" tall, add a couple of more inches of dirt...keep going until the can's full. According to the write-ups you can get 40+- pounds of potatoes from one trash can. We'll see how that works out :-)

A couple of months ago I started attending a 'meet-up' group at a local preparedness store and have had a few good sessions. One on BOBs, one on MAGs, one on disaster planning and a few others. On the 24th of this month, they're bringing in someone to talk about aquaponics.

Got my wife to attend an 'Intro to hand gun safety and marksmanship' course and have been practicing some with her as time permits. Unfortunately, being in IT, we don't get to the range nearly as often as I'd like. Have to work on that.

EVERY aspect of my preparedness nees a LOT of work so my ADD has me jumping from one thing to another. Each is progressing slowly but moving forward bit by bit.

[Spock]

I learned how to shave circa 1950. I then bought enough shaving supplies to last me two years. for about $20. Hygene is important you know.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Working on a superb group medical kit.
Back ordered reloading press should be shipped soon....
Trying to continue with some gardening skills
Five day a week workouts at the gym (four months so far)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[RobertJ]

Started building up a sleep/overnight system around an ENO douple-nest hammock. Got the hammock, straps and tarp so far but need the mosquito net and some light-weight stakes. Gave it a try in a Army Corps of Engineer park over a couple of nights without the tarp (actually had a couple nights where it didn't rain) and it worked pretty well. I'm old and don't do well sleeping on the ground anymore. Need something for insulation underneath me for colder weather. I'll 'research' that

Got my wife to attend an 'Intro to hand gun safety and marksmanship' course and have been practicing some with her as time permits. Unfortunately, being in IT, we don't get to the range nearly as often as I'd like. Have to work on that.

EVERY aspect of my preparedness nees a LOT of work so my ADD has me jumping from one thing to another. Each is progressing slowly but moving forward bit by bit.

For the Hammock try https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/index.php? and look up under quilts and top quilts. Lots of DIY stuff to make them, my favorite is using a military poncho liner. Good to the mid to low 40s in my comfort level. I purchased an under-quilt from this "cottage" industry http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/ , and in January slept in it very comfortably in 30 degree temps with a poncho liner top-quilt. Lots of good knowledge on both those links to study especially DIY stuff, and look up whoopie slings for hammock suspension. weight savings plus stronger = better.

For yourself and your wife if you are not currently doing it... to make up for lack of range time, do some at home dry firing and pistol draw strokes. Remove all ammo from weapon and put in different room. Use an empty magazine and dry fire on a safe wall, just like if weapon was loaded (don't want to destroy anything important or harm anyone if something were to go wrong) practice reloading mag firing and draw stroke. Word of caution "most" women (sheep) find this silly. get them over that and explain that shooting is a diminishing skill set and constant practice is required to maintain skillset. "All" safety rules must be addheared to. Especially #1. ALL guns are ALWAYS loaded. And use a target on the safe wall you use for dry firing it can be a standard bulls-eye to just a T-shirt hanging there. Hopes this helps you some.

Robert

[Tackleberry]

Short term: 6 - 12 months
* Recover from ruptured Achilles tendon
* Have baby - due end of Feb 2014
* Complete MBA program - Jun 2014
* Continue with developing preps:
* Need more water storage
* Need alternate power sources (bigger generator and solar panels)
* Always need more food

Long term (12-24 months)
* Find new job in a state that offers more survival resources because AZ is just too vulnerable in grid down situation
* Sell current home and rental property in order to buy bigger home with more room for new baby
* Upgrade reloading gear

That's it in a nutshell.