Product Review - GunSkins

We live "next door" to a gunsmith.  He's not just your average, run-of-the-mill gunsmith, he is an excellent, can-do-anything gunsmith.  Over the years, Sir Knight has purchased weapons, parts and accessories (for pennies on the dollar) that others wouldn't touch, simply because he knew he could take them to "our" gunsmith and have them back the next day in perfect, like-new condition.  We have had weapons refinished, blued, parkerized and repaired. 

Although we have such a wonderful resource available, Sir Knight has always balked at the idea of having any of his rifles or pistols camouflaged.  Too many times he has seen rifles rendered virtually unsellable due to a poorly done camo job.  Even well done camouflage can greatly reduce the resale value of a pistol or rifle. 

A number of years ago, Master Hand Grenade had a rifle Dura-coated, along with a scope, flashlight, barrel, and magazines.  It looked great.  However, over the years, Hand Grenade changed his mind about the flashlight, and added a different one.  Then the scope came off.  Little by little, his rifle resembled a Frankenstein - reducing it's resale value and providing us with endless hours of entertainment (teasing him)!

Then, along came GunSkins.  I stumbled across the GunSkins website one day as I was looking for a solution to our camouflage problem (Miss Serenity wanted to camouflage her hunting rifle in Wildfire camo).  GunSkins looked simple to install and came in so many different camo's, even the Moonshine Wildfire we were looking for.

After watching a video, Sir Knight decided that GunSkins were worth looking into.  We decided to start small, and ordered a handgun kit in Moonshine Muddy Girl.  Our test subject was a Walther P22.  Sir Knight and Maid Elizabeth plugged in a hair dryer (you can also use a heat gun), pulled out the exacto knife (order lots of blades - you will need them!) and went to work.  Each GunSkins comes in a basic kit (handgun, rifle, shotgun) that needs to be custom cut for each individual weapon.  Rather than explain the whole process (which of course, takes longer the first time you do it, but gets easier with every installation), I highly encourage you to watch a GunSkins installation video.  It will give you all of the information you need to know.

Walther P22 in Moonshine Muddy Girl

The Walther turned out great, although not perfect.  The GunSkins adhered to the Walther well, and after 2 months of use,  it shows no signs of peeling or wearing off.  Sir Knight and Maid Elizabeth, with one installation job under their belts, knew the next one would be even better.

Next up was a 1911 and a G-Code holster in Kryptek Highlander (Master Hand Grenade's choice).  The 1911 turned out great and the holster (done with a GearSkins - a large piece of camo that you cut for whatever gear you want to cover) was absolutely perfect!  The finished installation looked professional, even with an up-close inspection.  The GunSkins seem to be holding up perfectly, not even showing holster wear on the 1911.

1911 and G-Code holster in Kryptek Highlander

After the 1911 came Miss Serenity's hunting rifle.  Wow!  The installation was quick, painless and looks great.  And here comes the best part - if Serenity gets tired of the Wildfire, or if she decides to sell her rifle, she simply has to peel off the GunSkins - no fuss, no muss and no negative impact to the re-sale value.  Perfect!

Savage rifle in Moonshine Wildfire



GearSkins on the scope

Another great application for GunSkins is concealed carry.  Carry guns often suffer holster wear, marring the weapon's finished.  GunSkins are the perfect solution.  Maid Elizabeth covered her Sig P239 in old school Tiger Stripe and wished she would have done it sooner - before any carry wear began to show.

Use Frog Lube to clean prior to installation

Using the blow-dryer on the Skins

Wrapping the Skins

Cutting around the important bits

GunSkins solve a lot of finish related issues.  First, they protect gun finishes.  If you install a GunSkins on a brand new weapon, the finish will be as new when you peel the Skins off.  Second, they are the perfect solution for people wanting to camouflage their guns without impacting their value.  Third, they are wonderful for people who change their minds about camouflage or like to add accessories (think Master Hand Grenade here) .  Another useful GunSkins accessory is their Magazine Skins.  They have packs of 3 Skins in various designs.  It is nice, especially if you have numerous people in your family (you can designate a specific design for each person) or if you have the same magazine that could be used for two different calibers (5.56 and 300 Blackout) making instant magazine identification simple.

GunSkins are a product whose time has come.  They are a practical way to maintain your gun's finish without effecting its value.  We definitely give GunSkins two thumbs up!

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NOTE:  We found that we simplified the installation by only applying the Skins to the slide and grips rather than completely covering the frame.  We found that the "Less-is-more" approached appealed to us.  Also, we did have one failure installing GunSkins.  We attempted to install Highlander camo on a Mossberg MVP and had it immediately peel off.  We contacted GunSkins and they sent us another GunSkins (no charge) and told us to clean the rifle better (with Frog Lube).  We meticulously cleaned the rifle, tried the installation again, with the same result.  We did let GunSkins know, and although they have never had that issue, they said they would let other consumers know.  Please note, we have installed GunSkins on numerous weapons and gear, with no other failures!

Huntin' Rabbit

As fall (finally) descends upon us, hunting is again on our mind.  Although big game is still a ways off, small game, like grouse and rabbit and hare, is in season.  Wanting to get a jump-start on this year's hunting, Miss Serenity and Master Calvin took the 4-wheeler for an evening drive, shotgun in hand.  As they made their way through the woods, a small movement caught their eye.  A closer look confirmed the presence of a cottontail rabbit just off the path.  Miss Serenity raised her shotgun, pulled the trigger and hit her target dead-on.  After Miss Serenity secured the shotgun, Master Calvin ran to the rabbit, picked him up by the feet and raised him high in the air like a trophy.  Excitedly, they brought their prize home, and after allowing it to be thoroughly admired, they set work skinning the rabbit and harvesting the meat.

Master Calvin and Miss Serenity

Master Hand Grenade teaching Master Calvin and Princess Dragon Snack
how to butcher a rabbit

Skinning the cottontail

Master Hand Grenade expertly skinned the cottontail, not puncturing the skin once, and Miss Serenity stretched the hide on a board and salted it for preservation.   Using his ever expanding meat cutting skills, Master Hand Grenade butchered the rabbit (while teaching his younger siblings as he went) and presented me with perfectly cleaned rabbit meat to use in an upcoming meal.

The yield of 1 cottontail rabbit!

Rabbit meat, bacon and onions

Along with flour, bread crumbs and herbs

Formed into two logs and covered with bacon

I decided upon Hare Haslet to showcase the children's hunting and butchering skills and prepared the rabbit meat for dinner the next evening.  Hare Haslet is an old recipe, but one that can turn the little bit of meat a rabbit produces into a filling family meal.  It is easy to put together and remarkably flavorful.

Oh, what a blessing is the bounty of the forest!


Hare Haslet

1 hare (or rabbit), deboned and minced
1/2 lb. bacon (or other minced meat)
1/4 small loaf bread, cubed  (I used two sliced homemade wheat bread)
1 onion, minced
1 C flour
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the meat off the bones and mince.  Add bread, bacon and onion, all minced.  Add flour and season with herbs, pepper and salt  Add eggs.  Mix well together and form into two large rolls.  Put into a greased dish with a slice of bacon on each roll and cover.  Bake in a moderate (350 degree) oven for two hours.

*  My oven temps. fluctuate terribly and my Haslet was overdone.  I would begin checking for doneness at 1 1/2 hours and uncover the last 15 minutes to brown.

Hare Haslet - perfect (if not a little brown)!

Served with red potatoes - yum!

Ignorance Cloaked in Tolerance

I'm not much of a SNL fan, however their attempt at humor struck a little too close to the truth....

Maintaining Operational Readiness

One of the interesting things that I have noticed about preppers is that they are great right out of the gate.  They are willing to spend money (often a LOT of money) on gear and equipment.  They're willing to invest their time in learning new skills.  They jump in with both feet, get prepared and settle in to wait for the end of the world.  And then the end of the world doesn't happen.  Soon, their food stores are depleted.  Their skills aren't used and are soon forgotten.  Their equipment hasn't been maintained and fallen into disrepair. 

Don't believe me?  Just look to our recent past - Y2K.  How many people do you know that bought into the Y2K hype, became overnight survivalists and now don't have a spare gallon of gas to their names?  I know of more than I can count.  Much of our preparedness inventory and equipment came from people selling their Y2K stores.  They waited for about 5 years and then began slowly liquidating their supplies.  Most of the generators had never been run, the grain grinders never used and the gamma sealed buckets never opened.  We benefited directly with tremendous deals on never-been-used Dietz lanterns, Aladdin lamps, All-American canners and military surplus.  Y2K was good to us in more ways than one!

Although we see the error of our post-Y2K brethren's way, Sir Knight and I can also understand their position.  They were experiencing Survival Fatigue.  The rush, the panic, the expectation of disaster - followed by an anticlimactic conclusion.  Their disenchantment was understandable. 

The same thing can happen to us today.  We learn, we prepare, we train, in anticipation of societal upheaval, yet society, amazingly, continues on as it did yesterday and the day before.  After months, and years and decades, it is easy to become weary and experience our own Survival Fatigue.  We can become complacent and apathetic and that complacency can cost us everything.

Being a survivalist is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.  You have to be willing to prepare even when you don't feel like it.  You have to be willing to prepare even when everyone tells you there's nothing to prepare for.  You have to be willing to maintain your equipment, polish your skills and stay at the ready.  You have to be willing to invest yourself in prepping, not just your money. 

Maintaining operational readiness should be a part of daily life.  Use your equipment and keep it maintained.  Rotate your food, rotate your fuel and rotate your medical supplies.  Water your batteries, grind your grain and grow your garden.  Don't stockpile your skills and equipment for "some day", make them a part of your everyday life, now. 

We can't live our lives waiting for future chaos.  We have to live now.  And in living diligently now, we can maintain our own operational readiness.

Multi-Generational Survival

When I was growing up, my family didn't identify ourselves as "survivalist".  Survivalist were wackos that lived by themselves in the woods, were paranoid about black helicopters and wore tinfoil hats.  We were normal.  Sure, we lived (way) out, wore camouflage (we did own a military surplus store - advertising, you know!) and used an M16 (it was legal) for target practice - but we weren't "survivalists".   Yes, we did buy all of our food in bulk (we lived 2 hours from the nearest town), hunt for our meat (who could afford store-bought?) and cut our own firewood (there were trees everywhere - it was only prudent!) - but we weren't "survivalists".   Our goal wasn't to "survive" the end of the world, our goal was to "survive" everyday life.

When I was eight years old, my parents sold everything they owned, left everything and everyone they knew and moved 400 miles away - into the middle of nowhere.  They bought bare land and developed it with nothing more than a dream and back-breaking work.  They wanted to live a life worth living, and my brother and I were along for the ride.  And what a ride it was! 

Not only did my brother and I learn to cut firewood, we learned that we had to prepare in the summer if we were going to be warm through the winter.  We learned how to shop in bulk, to stretch food, to substitute one ingredient for another and to turn meager leftovers into entirely new meals.  We learned how to stitch up animals, develop springs and build root cellars.  We made Christmas gifts from scraps, bread from scratch and memories from everything in between.  We weren't being raised as survivalists, we were being raised to survive.

I didn't know it then, but my parents were equipping me with the tools that I would need to thrive in the life that Sir Knight and I would eventually lead.  Not only did my parents teach me the skills I would need, they imparted their vision, their wisdom, in living a self-reliant, prepared lifestyle.  And that - more than anything else, created a family of multi-generational survivalists.

I have noticed a troubling trend.  Many of the "preppers" and "survivalist" that Sir Knight and I know, have not effectively passed their vision on to their children.  Their children vary from mildly interested to "been there, done that" (with no real skills at all), but none, with the exception of a very few, are actively engaged in embracing the preparedness lifestyle.  They simply aren't interested or, because their parents have been doing it for years, think they know it all.  This does not bode well for the next generation.  We need them to know why we do what we do.  If we want a future, we need our children.  We need to train them in the ways of survival - but not just the "how-to's", but the "why this is important".  In order for them to survive the end of the world as we know it, we need to pass our knowledge, our beliefs, our passion and our vision to our children - it can't just be ours, they have to own it for themselves. 

Don't just tell your children about survival - show them.  Teach them why it's important.  Show them how it can and will affect their lives.  Teach them the wisdom of integrating preparedness into their everyday lifestyle and prepare them to thrive in adversity.  Prepare for your future - through your children - only then will you have multi-generational survival.

Renaissance Medicine

As I mentioned a few posts back, I spent the early part of last week sick.  Really sick.  In fact, I don't remember the last time I felt so poorly!  In fact, I didn't get out of bed for almost two days!  Two days!  That, my friends, is a first for me.  Ever.

I noticed, a few days before I succumbed, that my legs were sore.  Weird.  I didn't give it much thought and just got on with life.  By Saturday afternoon, was feeling pretty run down, but not ill, so I retired early, hoping wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.  It was not to be.  Instead of sleeping well, I tossed and turned, alternating between fever and chills, but worse than that, my muscles were on fire and my joints ached.  By two in the morning, nausea had forced me out of bed and to my knees on the bathroom floor. 

The rest of the night was a blur of fever and pain, nausea and chills.  By the time the sun shone through our bedroom window, I was too ill to get out of bed.  My fever rose throughout the day, barely kept in check by Ibuprofen.  All I could think of was "Ponderosa Plague" - the name I had come up with for an illness that had been sweeping through a small town to the south of us.  It had dreaded connotations.  The Ponderosa Plague had a fierce reputation, keeping people home from work for upwards of three weeks at a time!  It had even infected a young man at the butcher shop where Master Hand Grenade worked - keeping him home for more than two weeks.  And when he returned he was pale and weak and not fully recovered.  My symptoms matched those infected with the Ponderosa Plague perfectly.  I had to do something drastic!

The first day (Sunday) I was unable to even get out of bed, much less keep down any home remedies.  By Monday, I was still feverish and achy, but I did get out of bed long enough to have a half a glass of our homemade Elderberry wine (which was a feat - I hate wine!).  Back to bed I went, to spend another night tossing and turning with pain and fever.  Tuesday morning I slept in, enjoying my first pain-free hours in two days.  After I got up, I decided to go on as long as I could without Ibuprofen (for the fever) and it was my intention to at least do some basic school with the children.  Not only did I go all day with no fever, I finished school with the kids, did three loads of laundry, helped make dinner and baked a batch of cookies! 

That evening, I settled in with another glass of Elderberry wine (yuck!), spent a blissful night of sleep and resumed my normal schedule the next day.  Two days of sickness, one day of recuperation and the Ponderosa Plague had been defeated!  Amazing!

A number of years ago the kids and I spent time learning to identify local plant life.  We researched local edibles along with plants that had medicinal value.  One of the medicinal superstars that we found living in our back yard was the humble Elderberry bush.  Elderberry bushes are plentiful in our area and produce both flowers and berries that are edible.  The bark and the seeds, however, contain cyanide and therefore are NOT beneficial for human (or animal) consumption.  Many of my friends harvested Elderberries every fall and made and canned juice from the berries, which they kept specifically for treating colds and flu's.  Following their lead, Sir Knight and I decided to experiment with Elderberry wine.  Our reasoning was, that if used for medicinal purposes, the alcohol in the wine would encourage much needed sleep and therefore speed up the recovery process.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the use of  Elderberry concoctions in the treatment of colds and flu's, but until recently, nothing clinical.   As of January 2006, Retroscreen Virology, a leading British medical research institute, associated to Queen Mary College, University of London, announced that Sambucol (made with Elderberry) was at least 99% effective against the Avian Flu Virus, H5N1, and in cell cultures significantly neutralized the infectivity of the virus.  Studies conducted in Israel have shown Elderberry to be THE key ingredient in flu-fighting Sambucol.  In fact, their unique formula was tested on patients during the Israeli flu epidemic of 1992-3.  The results were amazing.  Within 24 hours, 20% of the patients taking Sambucol had dramatic improvements in symptoms like fever, muscle aches and pains and coughing.  By the second day, 73% were improved and by day three, 90%.  In the untreated group, only 16% felt better after two days.  The majority of that group took almost a week to begin to feel better.

Just to be clear, I don't believe there is any one cure all.  But, I do think that God gave us so many things right in our own back yards to heal and strengthen our bodies.  He gave us every good thing! 

Elderberry wine has been a great gift to our family.  Sir Knight and I have made Elderberry wine every fall for the last number of years.  We have supplied our family and friends with a large supply so they will be well guarded against a potential epidemic.  We also keep a healthy stock on hand - just in case.

Prayer, followed by Renaissance Medicine, and the Ponderosa Plague is but a memory!

A Case for the Ultimate Survival Mom - Part I

Vermeer's Milk Maid

The Wife of Noble Character

 

A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

She is like merchant ships

bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still night;

she provides food for her family

and portions for her female servants.

She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

She sees that her trading is profitable,

and her lamp does not go out at night.

In her hand she holds the distaff

and she grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

 

Every morning, after the men leave for work and before the littles wake, I spend time in my bible.  I read two chapters of wherever I happen to be at the moment and I read whichever Proverbs lines up with the day.  Today, being the 7th of the month, I read Proverbs Chapter 7. 

 

As I was reading Proverbs 31 on the last day of 2014, I was reminded again that it is the Proverbs 31 woman that I endeavor to emulate.  She is the wife, mother and woman that can and will see her family through the darkest of days with grace, humility and complete confidence.  Her faith is securely anchored in God and she lives her life in accordance with His wisdom.  Her way is secure.

 

One of the first things that I notice about the Proverbs 31 woman is that she is rare.  There are a lot of women in this world.  A lot of pretty faces.  But, the woman that embodies these qualities, the woman that you would willingly walk through the end of the world with, is very rare indeed.  In fact, her rarity makes her worth far more than the most precious jewel.  When you consider that, you might also consider the fact that this woman is very hard to find.  Just as rubies require significant effort to unearth, so a noble woman will have to be earnestly sought and won.  Yet she will be worth every effort.  She will be the woman by your side, preparing your house to weather the most ferocious storm.  She will train your arrows to be sure and true.  She will bring every good thing within your grasp and fill your home with joy and mirth.  

 

Men, if you want a woman to walk by your side during TEOTWAWKI, find a Proverbs 31 woman.  Women, become the Proverbs 31 woman.  Seek God.  Build character.  Acquire the skills to run a self-sufficient household.  Prepare for the storm then laugh at the days to come.