I was strolling through Walart two days ago, well actually I was kind of running through WalMart I don’t like being there longer than I have to. I just feel dirty when I walk out of a WalMart store.
GF noticed that WalMart had a Gerber display in the front aisle with quite a few items on sale. Now I know some of their cutlery is on the low end but I picked up a Gerber Machete Jr with a sheath for $18. My plan is to tie it onto my car bag and there it will sit. Even if it doesn’t hold an edge for long I think the intimidation factor will be more that worth the $18.
GF was going through here now deceased moms stuff and ran across a tub of knives that her step dad had collected when he was alive. Most are for field dressing a couple of throwing knives and a few Kbar types. I think in all about 20 or so pieces. Not a bad find. Most are dull as hell and need a good sharpening to ever be used effectively again.
Today, GF and I went to a gun show, the first since the election. What was interesting to me, was the show was bigger than last year’s by quite a bit. I also noticed (at least last year I didn’t) more prepper items were available. Hand crank radios, solar panels, shakeable flash lights (you shake them to recharge) Berkey water filters etc, etc, etc. I overheard one vender say he has all but sold out of his stock of Wise dried food that he brought for the show and did not want to sell his personal stock for the show. I also asked a few other vendors when I was able to get their ear and ask how sales had been. Almost to a person they all said sales were up after the election but one guy did tell me he saw the same thing four years ago. He also said his web based business was doing so well that he had to stop answering his phone because he could not keep up with all the calls.
Here is what I experienced: Some weapons, AR’s and AK’s seemed to be a couple hundred dollars more than last year. Now this is a casual observation and I don’t follow prices closely. So take my above statement with a grain of salt. What I have noticed in the last few months, both online and at this most recent show is the price of ammo. .223 and 7.62 seemed to be scarce and what was available, more expensive. I say this because last year you could walk out with a 1000 round spam can of .223 for about $260 or so. This year? not one can in sight. Hand gun rounds were pretty ubiquitous at the show though. Lots of re-loads ( I tend to stay away from those).
I was looking at a bin full of IFAK’s both GI and Marine issue. The vendor walks over and starts talking to me about the IFAK’s. I opened one up and asked if the tourniquets were still inside, his reply? “no they quit putting them in the kits because to many guys were loosing limbs after putting them on.” I looked at him, dropped the open kit back in the bin and walked away. The GF asked me a few minutes later why I didn’t educated the guy about tourniquets? There are some people that just can’t be made smart.
I was so incensed by his comment I couldn’t even speak anymore. There are 1000’s of Soldier’s, Marines, and contractors that are alive today because of a $50 tourniquet. I think to a person that if they had a choice, they would rather loose a limb than bleed out. Here is a video that if anything proves a tourniquet would/could have saved a life. Listen very closely around the 44 sec point, the wounded contractor says “I’m hit in the femoral buddy”.
The first thing the Army teaches us in training is that, you self administer first aid and you have less than a minute to get a tourniquet on your wounded extremity before you pass out from blood loss. There are some units in country that require each soldier to carry two tourniquets, one in the left sleeve pocket and one in the lower right leg pocket. For the life of me I can’t remember the company, but they have built tourniquets into the pants and the coats (shirts) of their products for even quicker deployment. What a reckless comment. Just say they are not in the kits. Fucking idiot.
What I picked up:
3 M&P 9 mm magazines
4 PMAGS
500 Rounds .223 ammo
1 stun gun
dental tools (for wood working)
a range bag for the GF
EMT Scissors
A corn dog, a hamburger and a Pepsi.
Had a good time walking around with the GF and saw a lot of weapons. I saw quite a few M1 Grands for sale at the show. What a beautiful weapon. Just didn’t have the $1600 to plunk down on one this trip.
Oh! I joined the NRA! finally.
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