Misinformation, Pride, & Jealousy. The bane of forums.

Misinformation, Pride, & Jealousy. The bane of forums.

Forums are good for sharing & learning, but unfortunately it is my experience that on nearly every forum there are people that for one reason or another make participating on the forum an unpleasant experience. In my experience there are three types of person which should not be allowed on a forum, 1) those that spread misinformation. These people have very little real experience in the field that the forum represents, yet they want people to think that they are very knowledgeable, so they make lots of posts which are mostly bullshit & misinformation. This not only poses a danger for newbies who are trying to learn the ropes, but it can also cause beginners to spend money on items that are not of any real use.

2) Prideful people who think they know more than they really do & are not prepared to admit they are wrong. These people will never learn anything new, because they hate being wrong to the extent that they will defend themselves by totally discounting any new information that contradicts their own beliefs. What is worse is that they will try to prove you wrong & make out that you don’t know what you are talking about. Whilst these types of people are pretty harmless, they can be annoying & stressful & are best avoided.

 3) Jealous people; these people think they know it all & will never listen to reason. If they come across a post that indicates that their own beliefs are wrong, then they will discount the information & post comments that are rude & often spiteful. They hate to think that anyone should know more than they do. Like the prideful person these people will never admit to learning anything new, especially if it contradicts their own beliefs.

What To Do.

There is no point trying to help these people, to try & educate them is a futile & stressful experience. The best thing you can do is go to your control panel on the forum & list these people on your “Ignore” list. In this way you will no longer see their posts or their replies to your posts.

Others that will not learn.

These are people who are totally harmless to others but do pose a threat to themselves. They are not really into the finer points of what the forum is all about, but they do find participation fun. They purchase gear that is not suitable & not sustainable & having purchased this equipment they are not about to admit that they have made a mistake. Again, they will defend their choices & beliefs by discounting any other advice or recommendations. You can simply ignore these people or you can add them to your “Ignore” list. These people rarely cause any problem on a forum, & are not usually the sort of people to pursue an argument or try & put anyone down, but occasionally some of them will!

Best of luck on your forums.
Incidentally, the ONLY forum I have come across to date that does not suffer this problem is one that I started & run myself. I have to date NEVER had to reprimand someone or cancel their membership. They are the best people I have ever come across & I am proud to have them all on my forum. This forum is an 18^th century Living History forum & you can find it here:

http://eighteenthcenturylivinghistory.freeforums.org/

Survival as Recreation & a Social Activity.

Prepping for survival can be a lot of fun, & I think it should be enjoyed. But treating survival solely as a recreational activity is not really preparing for survival. It can be fun to join a survival forum as a social activity, but if this is all it is, then you are not going to survive a major event.

If you are someone who thinks that a fuel stove is a good addition to your survival gear, then you are not really serious about surviving if or when the SHTF. If you are someone who defends their poor choices of survival gear by saying "when I run out of fuel for my stove I will throw the stove away", then you are not serious about survival.

Long term wilderness survival, whether at your bush homestead or simply living in the bush, requires a "sustainable" outlook. Anything that has not got a reasonable chance of lasting the distance is a waste of space in your pack & extra weight that you do not need.

If you think that a radio, a battery operated torch & a solar battery charger are more important than food & water, then you are not serious about survival. We will always need more water, more food & more ammunition. There will always have to be a compromise between minimum weight & maximum self-reliance. Think about that, minimum weight & maximum self-reliance. Everything you put into your back pack should be chosen with these two important factors in mind.

If you are someone who ignores the above advice, then you are NOT serious about survival. Unfortunately there are many people who think this way on survival forums, & for those of us who are serious about our survival, this is very frustrating. We all love to share & learn, but if we are not learning anything useful, & we are not being taken seriously in our posts, then what is the point in us being on that forum? 

A quick note about modern firearms. A modern gun is by far the best tool for defence, but in terms of sustainability it rates pretty low. A .22 is probably a good choice, because the ammo weighs less than most other modern ammo choices. But if you are going to use this arm for hunting & defence, then you will use up a lot of ammunition. If you carry a bow as well as the gun & set up a trap line at you final destination, then this will help conserve your firearm ammunition for defence only.

My choice as most know is the muzzle-loading gun, & I will post a list of reasons why I choose this tool above a modern gun at the end of this writing. But I will not be alone, I will have others to carry modern firearms for defence, our group also includes some archers, including myself, so we are well covered. My theory on long term wilderness living is also known to many, I believe that anyone starting out with the main bulk of equipment being modern gear will eventually be reduced to living a stone age lifestyle as items start to malfunction & wear out. Where as someone who starts off  with mostly 18th century gear will never drop below that level of comfort & security.

Remember, though certain survival situations may require a military style outlook (militia), there will be NO supply drops! You are on your own. If you gear breaks down it is gone. If you run out of something that can not be replaced from nature, it is gone! 

Good luck & stay in touch.

Keith.

Advantages of a Flintlock Muzzle-loader.

1)   Ammo is less expensive than a modern equivalent caliber firearm.

2)  The smoothbore is very versatile, being able to digest round ball, bird shot, & buckshot, or any combination of two of these (can also use minies).

3)  The fusil is lighter to carry than a modern equivalent sized gun.

4)  You can vary the load if needs be.

5)  The smoothbore will digest other projectiles besides lead.

6)  Lead can be retrieved from downed game & remoulded with a simple mould & lead ladle. This means that you can carry less lead, & more of the lighter gunpowder.

7)  You can make your own gunpowder.

8)  You can use the lock to make fire without the need for gunpowder.

9)  You can use gunpowder for gunpowder tinder fire lighting if needs be.

10)        IF the lock should malfunction (these are very robust & it is not likely) you can easily repair it if you are carrying a few spare springs & a few simple tools.

11) If you do not have any spare parts & the lock malfunctions, you can easily convert it to a tinderlock or matchlock & continue using it.

12)        You do not need a reloader, brass shells, caps, or primers. The latter have been known to break down in damp conditions or if they are stored for too long.

13)         Wadding for ball or shot is available from natural plant materials or homemade leather or rawhide.

14)       Less chance of being affected by future ammunition control legislation.

15)        Gunpowder is easily obtainable providing you have a muzzle-loader registered in your name regardless of caliber (only NSW is looking at this legislation at present).

16)       A .32 caliber flintlock rifle is more powerful than a .22 rimfire, less expensive to feed, more accurate over a greater distance, able to take small & medium sized game, & other than not being able to use shot (unless it is smoothbore), it has all the attributes of the other flintlocks.

17)        Damage from a .62 caliber-.75 caliber pistol or long arm is in the extreme. Wounded prey is unlikely to escape.

18)         By using buck & ball you are unlikely to miss your target. This load is capable of taking out more than one target.

19)        There is less kick-back to a muzzle-loading gun.

20)       Antique Flintlock muzzle-loading guns do not require a license, registration, or a permit to purchase in NSW Australia.

This is a list of equipment that I carry:

Equipment List.

·      .62 cal/20 gauge flintlock fusil. 42 inch barrel.

·      .70 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol.

·      Shot pouch and contents.

·      Leather drawstring pouch of .60 caliber ball (in knapsack).

·      Powder horn.

·      Butcher/Hunting knife.

·      Legging knife.

·      Clasp knife.

·      Tomahawk.

·      Fire bag.

·      Tinderbox.

·      Belt pouch.

·      Fishing tackle in brass container.

·      Two brass snares.

·      Roll of brass snare wire.

·      3 Gunpowder wallets

·      Knapsack.

·      Scrip.

·      Ball mould and swan shot mould.

·      Lead ladle.

·      Tin Cup.

·      Water filter bags (cotton & linen bags).

·      Medical pouch.

·      Housewife.

·      Piece of soap and a broken ivory comb.

·      Dried foods in bags.

·      Wooden spoon.

·      Gun tools and spare springs.

·      Compass.

·      Whet stone.

·      Small metal file.

·      Oilcloth.

·      One blanket (Monmouth cap, spare wool waistcoat and wool shirt rolled inside blanket).

·      Two glass saddle flasks.

·      Length of hemp rope.

·      Bottle of rum.

Basic list of what I carry. This list is made up from items that we know were carried, from items that my research has shown were available, & from items that have been found, such as the brass snare wire. I am not saying every woodsrunner carried all these items, but I am saying that some woodsrunners may have carried all these items. From experimental archaeology results in historical trekking, I think the items I have chosen are a reasonable choice for any woodsrunner that is going to live in the wilderness for a year or more.

Woodsrunner’s Skills.

New England Colonial Living History Group 1680-1760.

This is a list of basic skills in which we expect an 18^th century woodsman or woods-woman to have some experience with in our group. There is no time limit set, learn in your own time & if we can help just ask.
Keith.

·      Flint & steel fire lighting

·      Wet weather fire lighting

·      Fire-bow fire lighting

·      Flintlock fire lighting

·      Flintlock use, service & repair

·      Marksmanship with either gun or bow.

·      Field dressing & butchering game

·      Blade sharpening

·      Tomahawk throwing

·      Making rawhide

·      Brain tanning

·      Primitive shelter construction

·      How to stay warm in winter with only one blanket

·      Cordage manufacture

·      Moccasin construction and repair

·      Sewing

·      Axe and tomahawk helve making

·      Fishing

·      Hunting

·      Evasion

·      Tracking

·      Reading sign

·      Woods lore

·      Navigation

·      Primitive trap construction & trapping

·      Open fire cooking

·      Fireplace construction

·      Clothing manufacture

·      Drying meat & other foods

·      Knowledge of plant tinders & preparation

·      Knowledge of native foods & preparation

·      Knowledge of native plants in the area and their uses for other than tinder and food.

·      Scouting/Ranging.

·      Basic first aid.

·      Finding and treating water.

·      General leather work.