Things are real bad in the job market, nothing is moving at all. I've done so many phone interviews that my head is spinning. It seems that the interviewers are only going through the motions. No one is serious about hiring with the holidays and such.
I've been able to reconnect with more people and actually have a chance to talk with then since I'm a jobless bum. The word on the street is simply "This can't go on." Whether it's the health care crap or the theoretical "jobless recovery" everyone agrees that there is no recovery, and we are in for worse times then we are seeing today.
Now what to do about it? I'm prepping like mad. Although I am dipping into my preps to save money, I am still doing what I can to get ready for anything that may come my way. I've been packaging foods into mason jars and using my foodsaver to seal them. I've been making (almost) all my meals myself, saving more money then if I ate out at a restaurant. I'm buying foods on sale in as much bulk as I can and packaging some and eating some.
Monday, I got to tidy up a bunch of things. I got my old jeep to sell, so I need to work on that. I got to get my COBRA health insurance squared away. I also need to get in touch with the mortgage company and see what I can do, I have a Fannie Mae loan, after all. Busy busy busy. I didn't finish cleanign the yard before the rain came through so I got a lot of yardwork to finish as well. That, and finish the in-law apartment and get it ready to rent.
For other preps I have been diligently working on reloading. I already own all the supplies, now I have the time to develop the best load for each application. I'll have to post my findings later on. I'm currently testing the 5 kinds of large rifle primers I own to learn what's better or worse between them, and which provides the most consistency in ignition. Then I need to work up hunting loads for the 150 and 180 grain bullets.
I really, really need to upgrade the scope on my rifle. It's 30+ years old, dark as heck to look through, and there is mold growing inside it. Just a little bit, but it will only get worse. I also need tires on my Cherokee, so I'll buy tires and a a scope if I manage to sell it.
If it wasn't for the holiday fueled consumer economy, I think we would already have seen the collapse of the dollar. So finish what you can for preps, keep and eye on the thieves on Wall Street, and have that bug-out bag ready to go.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I have to agree. I'm looking for a collapse after the dismal holiday sales reports come in. it's a freaking miracle it hasn't happened yet.
good luck with the job hunting!
I wouldn't worry too much about a "best load for each application" and I wouldn't worry too much about comparing 5 different kinds of primers, especially if you are concerned with making decent ammo while going broke slower than you would with factory ammo.
I work up a middle of the road load that I test in every firearm I own in that caliber. If it shoots safely with no high pressure signs when it is 99F outside (and the velocity over the chronograph is about what the manual says it should be), and it functions well in all firearms in that caliber that I have access to, and groups reasonably well (if it will keep <2MOA or maybe even <2.5MOA depending on the firearm) then I call it good and go assemble as many as I can afford.
I usually stick to one or two powders for most applications. I pick powders near the middle of the burn rate that is applicable to the caliber. If I had AA2460 and AA2520 I could load just about every rifle caliber I can think of reasonable well. AA#5, AA#7, and AA#9 would cover almost all the handgun rounds I can think of. The reloading store I used to live near carried a lot of AA powders so I used them at the time and haven't bothered to change.
If you try out 5 different primers with 5 different powders each and each combination with 3 different bullets, well, that is a lot of shooting. I'd pick an appropriate bullet (Remington Corelokt bullets are pretty good overall and I've taken lots of deer with them), an appropriate powders that is available in bulk in your area, and an appropriate primer that is easily available in your area, and start working up some loads. If you can't find a decent combination then I'd change one of those components and start over, and so on. I's suspect you are more likely to find a bullet that just won't work for you than a brand of primer. Due to chamber, throat, and bore dimensions some bullets just will not shoot accurately in some rifles no matter what powder/primer you use.
Gun writers that work for magazines test 20+ loads per caliber per rifle to find a "perfect" load because they get paid to and the magazine buys the components. For them that 0.01" difference in one rifle at 100 yards is a big deal because they can claim they found the "best" load in an article. For me, I'd rather have 5000 rounds of ammo that will group 4" at 200 yards in every rifle I own in that caliber than 500 rounds that will group 1.5" at 200 yards and will only work in that one rifle. Sorting which .308 will work in which rifle can be a pain.
I would rather have more practice with reasonable quality ammo than less practice with higher quality ammo. If I ever get good enough to shoot up to my rifle with the reasonable quality loads then I will worry about making them better or tuning them to a particular rifle.
I also think the holiday sales are going to be bad. Add the H1N1 to the mix and the malls will probably not be full.
Good luck.
I to agree the collapse is going to hit just after the non-shopping season this year. I plan to jump on all the sale items I can get and buy as much food for preps as I can. Keep up the good work and Good Luck with the job hunting. Pete
Down at "street level" one can see what's really going on. The cockroaches in DC are so far removed from reality it ain't even funny....
I am writing this today - on Black Friday. Went out this morning and could not believe how absent people were from Wal-Mart. Last year the place was packed. This year - just not that that bad. All this talk about the economy turning around - I just see to many signs it is not true.
I just found your site and like it.
Good luck and I will be checking back often.
Post a Comment