SunflowerAmmo.com now has the TOPS pry knife combo in stock. This knife comes with a sheath, the TOPS pry, probe and punch bar and the TOPS survival saw. This combo is difficult to find.
Two is One and One is None!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Is This the Ultimate Urban Survival Knife/Tool?
Is this the ultimate Urban Survival Knife? I say yes. The combo makes it even more versatile. The knife can be used to cut and pry. The pry, probe and punch bar can be used to break a car window or pry open an elevator door. The survival saw can cut through drywall or a 2"x4".
SunflowerAmmo.com now has the TOPS pry knife combo in stock. This knife comes with a sheath, the TOPS pry, probe and punch bar and the TOPS survival saw. This combo is difficult to find.
SunflowerAmmo.com now has the TOPS pry knife combo in stock. This knife comes with a sheath, the TOPS pry, probe and punch bar and the TOPS survival saw. This combo is difficult to find.
Ontario RAT-3 now in stock at SunflowerAmmo.com
If the Ontario RTAK II is too much knife for your needs we now have the Ontario RAT-3 in stock at SunflowerAmmo.com.
Special purchase - Brunton GLORB LED Lantern
Now at SunflowerAmmo.com - the Brunton GLORB LED lantern. It runs on AA so it will be compatible with your other AA powered electronics. Runs for up to 250 hours on a set of batteries. Can be used safely in a vehicle or tent.
These are priced low enough that you can keep one in every bag and vehicle.
New Ammo at SunflowerAmmo.com
Check out the new ammo at SunflowerAmmo.com! As always our ammo is in stock and ready to ship!
Federal Premium Personal Defense .357 MAG 130gr Hi-Shok HP
Federal Premium Personal Defense .357 MAG 130gr Hi-Shok HP
Saturday, February 20, 2010
EDC - Outerwear
Two is one and one is none. This is an often repeated adage that reminds us that we should keep spares for critical items. If you ask my wife she will tell you that I take the adage to heart and beyond. I have to admit I have an affinity for outerwear.
One of my favorites is the soft shell jacket. I have one from North Face and one from Marmot. I purchased both from Backwoods (to which I have no ties). Backwoods has a retail store in my area in additional to an online presence. I shop their twice yearly sales for 75% off bargains. Each of the soft shells provide excellent warmth while being very lightweight. The North Face jacket is made from their "APEX" fabric.
One of my favorites is the soft shell jacket. I have one from North Face and one from Marmot. I purchased both from Backwoods (to which I have no ties). Backwoods has a retail store in my area in additional to an online presence. I shop their twice yearly sales for 75% off bargains. Each of the soft shells provide excellent warmth while being very lightweight. The North Face jacket is made from their "APEX" fabric.
I am still trying to talk myself into augmenting my light jackets with a wool jacket for those instances that you want to be wearing wool vs. synthetic i.e. next to the campfire. I am looking at Ibex and Swanndri but I have not found a jacket I like at the right price..... yet.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
EDC esential - Blundstone Boots
My Blundstone boots are and essential part of my EDC gear. I have two pairs that I wear a couple of times a week. They are the most versatile boot you can buy. They have the comfort necessary for all day wear, the toughness for work wear and the style to dress up with chinos. I have had my original pair of brown 500s for 9 years. They are just getting broken in. I do recommend purchasing Blundstone polish to cover up hard use. I purchased my last pair at Sugar River Outfitters (SunflowerAmmo.com does not have any connection or interest). They have great sales so if you can wait for your Blunnies sign up for their newsletter to receive sale notices.
Todays Knot - Bowline and Running Bowline
The Bowline knot creates a loop at the end of a rope or cord to secure around an object. the bowline will not tighten with pressure.
The Running Bowline just passes the standing part or tail of the rope or cord thru the Bowline. Now it's time to practice.
The Running Bowline just passes the standing part or tail of the rope or cord thru the Bowline. Now it's time to practice.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Subject to disclaimers.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Are your Gun and Ammunition a Happy Marriage?
When was the last time you went to the range? How many rounds have you fired thru your gun? I can personally say that I am overdue at the range. I think a shooter should hit the range at least once a month to stay proficient. Range time is also critical to ensure proper functioning of your weapon(s) and ammunition. How many of us have purchased a used gun that had never been fired or fired one or two boxes of ammunition at most? Do not let that gun be your gun. Exceptions can be made for safe queens that have collector value or that you never intend to use for personal defense. All other guns, including spares, need to be tested for function and mated with a compatible personal defense round.
Have you fired 250 rounds of your selected personal defense load thru your weapon? A lot of shooters make the mistake of buying cheap, plinking ammo in bulk and buying a minimum of their personal defense load, if any at all. Different types of ammunition function differently in every weapon. Cheap ammo is fine for extended live fire but you should have a personal defense load for each of your weapons. Many experts recommend firing a minimum of 250 rounds of your personal defense load thru your weapon. I recommend purchasing a minimun of 250 rounds of a personal defense round and purchasing an additional 250 rounds after the inital test firing. I consider these recommendations the bare minimum. With the current restricted supply of ammunition I would recommend buying 500 or 1000 rounds of your personal defense load to ensure that your initial 250 test rounds can be replaced.
You should select a handgun personal defense load thru research and purchase a minimum of 250 rounds for testing. Shooting magazines and the internet have an abundance of ammunition test data. In my opinion, the bulk of the data is most useful in selecting the caliber and bullet weight that best suits your needs. For example, tests have shown that 9mm hollow point ammo performs best at 124gr versus 147gr but most personal defense loads have similar performance when compared in head to head testing.
The testing of personal defense ammunition is critical in handguns. Personal defense ammunition for handguns usually incorporates some type of hollow point bullet. The most critical problem with personal defense ammo in a handgun will be a cycling malfunction of a hollow point round. A cycling problem between a personal defense and a particular handgun needs to be discovered at the range not during a home invasion. This test needs to be done with each individual weapon. For example, if you have two Glock 17s you need to test fire 250 rounds thru each gun. Every gun is different and the reward of knowing you have a functioning handgun/personal defense round combo far out weights the cost.
The testing of ammunition is rifles can be just as critical as in handguns. The most common problem in rifles will be accuracy. A rifle will provide the greatest accuracy with a single, individual load. Depending upon the rifle, the difference may be minor or significant. The only way to test a loads accuracy in a particular rifle is thru test firing. The second most common problem in a rifle will be a failure to feed or failure to eject. Failure to feed issues are most often magazine related. Be sure to use rotate your magazines when test firing ammunition to test magazine functionality. While testing ammunition in an AR-15, I experienced mysterious failure to eject problems with a particular round. I could not duplicate with two other brands of ammunition. I tested the suspect ammunition in an Mini-14 and did not experience any issues.
I am by no means an arms expert. I just wanted to share thoughts and experiences. Drag your guns, magazines and ammunition to the range and find a compatible round for each weapon. Happy shooting and remember you can get ammunition and other gear at SunflowerAmmo.com!
Have you fired 250 rounds of your selected personal defense load thru your weapon? A lot of shooters make the mistake of buying cheap, plinking ammo in bulk and buying a minimum of their personal defense load, if any at all. Different types of ammunition function differently in every weapon. Cheap ammo is fine for extended live fire but you should have a personal defense load for each of your weapons. Many experts recommend firing a minimum of 250 rounds of your personal defense load thru your weapon. I recommend purchasing a minimun of 250 rounds of a personal defense round and purchasing an additional 250 rounds after the inital test firing. I consider these recommendations the bare minimum. With the current restricted supply of ammunition I would recommend buying 500 or 1000 rounds of your personal defense load to ensure that your initial 250 test rounds can be replaced.
You should select a handgun personal defense load thru research and purchase a minimum of 250 rounds for testing. Shooting magazines and the internet have an abundance of ammunition test data. In my opinion, the bulk of the data is most useful in selecting the caliber and bullet weight that best suits your needs. For example, tests have shown that 9mm hollow point ammo performs best at 124gr versus 147gr but most personal defense loads have similar performance when compared in head to head testing.
The testing of personal defense ammunition is critical in handguns. Personal defense ammunition for handguns usually incorporates some type of hollow point bullet. The most critical problem with personal defense ammo in a handgun will be a cycling malfunction of a hollow point round. A cycling problem between a personal defense and a particular handgun needs to be discovered at the range not during a home invasion. This test needs to be done with each individual weapon. For example, if you have two Glock 17s you need to test fire 250 rounds thru each gun. Every gun is different and the reward of knowing you have a functioning handgun/personal defense round combo far out weights the cost.
The testing of ammunition is rifles can be just as critical as in handguns. The most common problem in rifles will be accuracy. A rifle will provide the greatest accuracy with a single, individual load. Depending upon the rifle, the difference may be minor or significant. The only way to test a loads accuracy in a particular rifle is thru test firing. The second most common problem in a rifle will be a failure to feed or failure to eject. Failure to feed issues are most often magazine related. Be sure to use rotate your magazines when test firing ammunition to test magazine functionality. While testing ammunition in an AR-15, I experienced mysterious failure to eject problems with a particular round. I could not duplicate with two other brands of ammunition. I tested the suspect ammunition in an Mini-14 and did not experience any issues.
I am by no means an arms expert. I just wanted to share thoughts and experiences. Drag your guns, magazines and ammunition to the range and find a compatible round for each weapon. Happy shooting and remember you can get ammunition and other gear at SunflowerAmmo.com!
69 knot or Zeppelin knot
I have to admit one of the skills I have always admired is knot tying. When using ropes or cords I have always relied upon an ugly, nasty, set of ins and outs to somehow create a knot that is impossible to undo when I am finished. I am always left with the option of pulling out my EDC knife and cutting the knot from my section of rope.
In an effort to improve my knot tying skills I will periodically post a knot that I have found useful. The knots will be simple in order to be retained in my limited cerebral cortex. The 69 knot is very easy to learn and simple to remember as it is based on the number 69. The number 69 is easy to remember for those of us that failed to mature past adolescence.
The 69 knot is also called the Zeppelin knot. I assume it was used to tie down Zeppelins back in the day but my middle name is not Wikipedia so do not quote that little tidbit. The knot is used to connect two sections of rope or cord. It is very strong but can still be undone with ease. I have practiced with 550 para cord. I was concerned that it would not work as well with small diameter rope or cord but the 550 para cord was easily undone.
Step 1 - Create a 6 and 9 with the end of two ropes.
Step 2 - Overlay the 6 on top of the 9. the key here is to ensure that the tail of the 6 is on top and the tail of the 9 in on the bottom.
Step 3 - Feed the tail of the 6 down thru the loops and the tail of the 9 up thru the loops.
Step 4- Pull both tails in opposite directions creating the knot.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "Text of the GNU Free Documentation License."
In an effort to improve my knot tying skills I will periodically post a knot that I have found useful. The knots will be simple in order to be retained in my limited cerebral cortex. The 69 knot is very easy to learn and simple to remember as it is based on the number 69. The number 69 is easy to remember for those of us that failed to mature past adolescence.
The 69 knot is also called the Zeppelin knot. I assume it was used to tie down Zeppelins back in the day but my middle name is not Wikipedia so do not quote that little tidbit. The knot is used to connect two sections of rope or cord. It is very strong but can still be undone with ease. I have practiced with 550 para cord. I was concerned that it would not work as well with small diameter rope or cord but the 550 para cord was easily undone.
Step 1 - Create a 6 and 9 with the end of two ropes.
Step 2 - Overlay the 6 on top of the 9. the key here is to ensure that the tail of the 6 is on top and the tail of the 9 in on the bottom.
Step 3 - Feed the tail of the 6 down thru the loops and the tail of the 9 up thru the loops.
Step 4- Pull both tails in opposite directions creating the knot.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Now at SunflowerAmmo.com Gerber LMF II ASEK - Coyote Brown
Gerber LMF II ASEK - Coyote Brown
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Down behind enemy lines? Left to fend for yourself? These are the scenarios that inspired the LMF II. Former military man Jeff Freeman led the charge to engineer this fearless 10" survival knife. And we field-tested it with the troops. The knife is as adaptable as the personnel who carry it. Use it to cut through the skin of a fuselage. Or sever a seat belt. Or egress through the Plexiglass of a chopper. Plus, the LMF II does a slick job cutting firewood and building shelter. It can even be lashed to a pole to create a spear.
Features:
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Ontario RTAK II Survival knife now in stock at SunflowerAmmo.com!
Ontario RTAK2 Survival Knife with Plain Edge 10-1/4" Blade
The RTAK2 is a super large survival knife featuring a 10.25" blade made of 1095 carbon steel with a flat finish for protection. The thick Micarta handle is removable for cleaning.
This knife is large enough for any task you put it to! The sheath is a deluxe Nylon combat type system with a pocket on the front and plastic liner for the blade. Improvements on this model over the now discontinued RTAK1 include a better finish on the blade, better guard built into the handle design and overall superior fit and finish.
The Ontario RTAK2 is a survival / utility knife designed by the professional survival training team Randall's Adventure and Training (RAT) and manufactured exclusively by Ontario Knife Co. Designed for: Wilderness Survival - Military Operations - Law Enforcement - Utility Use - Hunting, and any other task requiring a sheath knife comfortable enough to be carried full time.
Specs:
* 16.5 inch overall length
* 10.25 inch blade w/ drop point
* 3/16" thick 1095 Steel
* 56-58 Rc. Hardness
* Full flat grind
* Mil-spec phosphate finish
* Lanyard hole * Green Canvas Micarta ergonomic handle slabs
* Ambidextrous Cordura nylon sheath w/ lashing holes for attachment or paracord storage
The RTAK2 is a super large survival knife featuring a 10.25" blade made of 1095 carbon steel with a flat finish for protection. The thick Micarta handle is removable for cleaning.
This knife is large enough for any task you put it to! The sheath is a deluxe Nylon combat type system with a pocket on the front and plastic liner for the blade. Improvements on this model over the now discontinued RTAK1 include a better finish on the blade, better guard built into the handle design and overall superior fit and finish.
The Ontario RTAK2 is a survival / utility knife designed by the professional survival training team Randall's Adventure and Training (RAT) and manufactured exclusively by Ontario Knife Co. Designed for: Wilderness Survival - Military Operations - Law Enforcement - Utility Use - Hunting, and any other task requiring a sheath knife comfortable enough to be carried full time.
Specs:
* 16.5 inch overall length
* 10.25 inch blade w/ drop point
* 3/16" thick 1095 Steel
* 56-58 Rc. Hardness
* Full flat grind
* Mil-spec phosphate finish
* Lanyard hole * Green Canvas Micarta ergonomic handle slabs
* Ambidextrous Cordura nylon sheath w/ lashing holes for attachment or paracord storage
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
AA Battery Strategy
SunflowerAmmo.com carries various Fenix AA Flashlights. The Fenix TK40 flashlight is unique in that it is powered by AA batteries. I first purchased a AA Fenix LED flashlight after suffering poor runs times with my CR123 powered Surefire lights. When I purchased the Surefires, CR123 flashlight performance was superior to AA flashlight performance. LED AA flashlight technology has eliminated the CR123 performance advantage.
The Fenix AA lights are affordable and provide incredible performance. I use AA NiMh LSD (low self discharge) rechargeable batteries for daily use. The AA NiMh LSD holds a charge longer than regular rechargeable batteries making them perfect for stored electronics. They also last up to 4x longer than premium alkaline batteries in high drain applications. I have found the Rayovac AA 4.0 NiMh to be very affordable and high performing.
I can use the same AA battery in my Fenix LD10 pocket light and my Fenix TK40 in additional to the digital camera, GPS, GSM radios, etc. I am able to store AA Lithium batteries long term in my emergency supplies. AA batteries also provide the added advantage of being available in every corner convenience store.
The Fenix AA lights are affordable and provide incredible performance. I use AA NiMh LSD (low self discharge) rechargeable batteries for daily use. The AA NiMh LSD holds a charge longer than regular rechargeable batteries making them perfect for stored electronics. They also last up to 4x longer than premium alkaline batteries in high drain applications. I have found the Rayovac AA 4.0 NiMh to be very affordable and high performing.
I can use the same AA battery in my Fenix LD10 pocket light and my Fenix TK40 in additional to the digital camera, GPS, GSM radios, etc. I am able to store AA Lithium batteries long term in my emergency supplies. AA batteries also provide the added advantage of being available in every corner convenience store.
Friday, February 5, 2010
We have a Ton of New Stuff in Stock This Week!
We have added a ton of new stuff this week on top of the Ultimate Survival Kits we added last week.
Federal Premium Personal Defense 45 ACP 165gr Hydra-Shok JHP is ready to punch big holes.
Winchester Q3130 7.62x51mm NATO 147gr FMJ - This is what you need to feed your M1A.
Federal Premium Personal Defense 45 ACP 165gr Hydra-Shok JHP is ready to punch big holes.
Winchester Q3130 7.62x51mm NATO 147gr FMJ - This is what you need to feed your M1A.
Hornady 30-30 Win 160gr FTX LEVERevolution is ready for that lever action hanging around.
Fenix LD10 AA LED flashlight is ready for EDC (Everyday Carry). It is small but mighty at 120 Lumens!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Canadian N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.
As always, socialized medicine is fine for us poor masses but not good enough for the elite. The latest example from the Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams. See the article.
Ultimate Survival Kits now Available at SunflowerAmmo.com!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Feburary FREE Drawing at SunflowerAmmo.com
Congratulations to the January FREE Drawing winner, Kevin Walters!
The February FREE drawing winner at SunflowerAmmo.com will receive a FREE CRKT EXTRIK-8 seat belt cutter/rescue tool! This is a $30 value.
The February FREE drawing winner at SunflowerAmmo.com will receive a FREE CRKT EXTRIK-8 seat belt cutter/rescue tool! This is a $30 value.
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