Dominion Arms Grizzly. A handy Zombie gun or just a novelty. Pt 2

The Grizzly

So in Part 1 we established that while the Grizzly is perhaps not the best hunting shotgun, it can be used effectively for small game animals. But what else is this little gun good for? Self Defence? Wilderness Survival ? Well it is in this area that the Dominion Arms Grizzly really comes into its own.

Lets take a look at the Grizzly as a survival gun. A survival gun can mean different things to different people but in the context of this Blog post a survival gun is a firearm that you might take camping or hiking in the wilderness or perhaps carry in your truck, boat or plane in case you are stranded. First lets ask what qualities you would want in a firearm for this purpose.

(1) Reliability. Its no good if it wont work. The Remington 870 action is one of the best shotgun actions available so we know the design is good. Now as to the quality and reliability of the Grizzly only time will tell. So far the limited shooting I have done with the Grizzly has been without incident but more use is needed.

(2) Light weight and handy. You will not carry a firearm with you if its too big and awkward. The Grizzly gets good marks on this one. Its short and handy so it wont get all caught up in tree branches and brush. With a sling you can still work, climb and generally do what you need to without resorting to leaning it up against a tree someplace. I can tell you from experience how tempting it is to put your gun aside when you are struggling to work in the bush.

(3) Versatility. In a survival situation you may need a firearm to do many jobs. Well a 12ga is probably the most versatile gun ever invented. All you need is a few different kinds of shells in your pocket. Small shot like #4 #5 or #6 for small game. A buckshot load will defend you against large predators or get you a deer at close range. It is also a good signal gin as a 12ga is nice and loud and you can get flares for it. Now you can also shoot slugs out of the Grizzly but I have not had good luck with that so far. I believe its an issue with the front bead sight being so low. I am going to change the front sight at some point and will let you know how that works out.

(4) Ammunition Capacity. This sounds important and it is true that the more shots you have the better. However in real life practical terms it really is not as important as it sounds. I have over 30 years hunting experience and can tell you that its the first shot that counts. Most game that I have taken in my life went down on the first shot. I have on occasion got something with the second shot but I cant think of a single time when a third shot was needed. Animals move fast and disappear quickly. With the exception of waterfowl hunting most people who take a 3rd shot are doing it out of desperation and frustration. As to defending your self against predators. 3 shots with a 12ga should do the job. If you cant drop a charging bear with 3 shots from this gun you probably cant do it with any gun.

Self Defence against human predators is another use that people often suggest for the Grizzly in fact its the most often suggested use. I think that we can all agree that it has some value in this area. It really comes down to the 3 shots issue. Are you comfortable with just 3 shots? I can tell you when looking at the statistics on gun fights that most bad situations are over quickly with just a few shots fired. 3 shots from a skilled person with a 12ga will resolve most situations one way or another. In fact just looking at a Grizzly is intimidating and I would bet a lot of attackers would take one look at this nasty little gun and head for safer pastures.  I myself would feel comfortable using it in this role but I know others would not agree with me. Its a matter of taste.

The myth of the Sawed Off Shotgun. One little issue that I should touch on is the myth in popular culture that a sawed off shotgun can literally spray the room with shot. This is of course silly as the photo below illustrates quite clearly. Even at 25 yards you can only expect about a two foot spread of shot. That's is hardly going to clear the room.

At 25 yards the shot spread is just a tad over two ft.

So get yourself a Dominion Arms Grizzly. Its a handy little gun. 

Dominion Arms Grizzly. A handy Zombie gun or just a novelty. Pt 1

Dominion Arms Grizzly. A handy Zombie gun or just a novelty

Dominion Arms Grizzly

One firearm that has been getting a bit of attention the last few years is the Dominion Arms Grizzly 12ga shotgun. The Grizzly in most respects is an unremarkable shotgun. It's just a cheap Chinese copy of a Remington 870. If you compare the Grizzly to a Remington, the Grizzly is a poor second cousin. However what makes the Grizzly stand out is its 8.5 inch barrel. Yep 8.5 inches. That's about 20cm for us Canadians. In fact it's for us Canadians in mind that this gun is manufactured for it would be illegal to have such a short shotgun in many countries.

Now many people have said this gun has no purpose other than killing people. It has been said ( by so called Gun Experts ) that you cant hunt with a shotgun that has such a short barrel so it must be for killing people. Well let's look at that first. Can you hunt with it?

Well yes you can. It is generally excepted in the hunting and shooting community that you want a longer barrel because that will give you longer range and better penetration of the target. This is true for the most part but if you look at many real world hunting situations you will see that often a lot of range and penetration is not required. It depends on what and where you are hunting.

Now waterfowl hunting is probably out. The grizzly is just too short for that. But many of us old boys use our shotguns for small game like rabbits, squirrels, raccoons and other critters. And I can say that most of the small critters shot by me over the last 30 years have been only a few yards away. If you think about it most squirrels and raccoons are going to be in a tree you are standing under. Most rabbits if you are hunting in the bush are only 10 or perhaps 25 yards away. As you can see from the shot pattern in the target photos the Grizzly has not a bad pattern out at 25 yards.

At 25 yards with #5 shot.

 Now Deer or other large game require larger shot so I tested out a few rounds of 00B and again as you can see from the photos the shot pattern is not all that bad out at the 25 yard line. I would be comfortable taking a Deer at that range but that is about the max with 00B. Next time out I will see how it shoots with slugs.

00B at 10 yards. Shot is nice and tight.

00B at 25 yards. Starting to spread out now.

The bottom line is I myself would be quite comfortable going for a nice walk in the woods with my Grizzly looking for bunnies or squirrels. I would never use it for large game as better firearms are available but in a survival situation it would knock down a Deer or a Bear. A good hunter needs to know the effective range of his gun and be prepared to pass on the shots that are too far away.

So OK you can do a bit of hunting with it but what else is it good for? Well lets look at that tomorrow shall we..........

 

  

Do you live near a nuclear reactor? You need to know.

When the Zombie Apocalypse hits and all the workers and technicians at your local nuclear power plant have abandoned there posts or are dead. Many reactors may simply melt down. While the people who build and run the power plants will tell you they are safe the fact is that No Nuclear Reactor has been designed with the idea that all the workers will simply be gone forever. Yes the reactors have lots of automatic pumps and generators and backup systems. But they will all fail one by one in time. Automatic fire suppression systems will fail. Fires will be started by lightning or looters. Looters may steal vital equipment like the fuel that runs the back up generators. One can spend hrs thinking of ways the reactors could be damaged.  If you are a serious Prepper you need to know the location of any reactors that are in your area.

A few links that will provide you with locations and info on nuclear reactors.

The NRC

Greenpease

Nukepills

New Strain Of Black Death Could Emerge Without Warning

The Black Death

 Some scientists say a new strain of the Black Death could emerge without warning. And while modern medicine would be of great help in the fight against such an outbreak, the ease with which people move around the globe could make it hard to fight.

Estimates vary for the number of people killed by the Black Death that ravaged Europe from 1347 to 1351. But the number was certainly in the tens of millions; it is thought that as much as half of the entire European population at the time may have died.

Around 800 years before the Black Death hit Europe another plague swept through what was then the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. Known as the Plague of Justinian. Again, estimates of the number of deaths vary, but they were likely also in the tens of millions, with one contemporary account estimating that as many as 100 million people may have died.

David Wagner, professor at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and the lead author of  a new scientific paper says.

“In my mind, pretty much all plague [Y. pestis] strains around the world are capable of causing human disease, and if conditions were right, would probably be capable of causing these large pandemics again," But Wagner also stated he doesn’t think that there’s much of a chance of that happening. “What’s changed is not the organism. What’s changed is humans and the human condition,” he says. “Hygiene has improved immensely … you don’t just have rats all over the place like you might have had during the time of the major pandemics.”  We also have antibiotics. “Plague is highly susceptible to simple modern antibiotics,”

So while the Black Death should probably not keep you up at night it is something that the world needs to keep an eye on.

Winter Car Survival Kit. We all need them.

Every year people freeze to death in their cars.

The last few days have seen winter storms in North America trap thousands of motorists in their vehicles for hours if not days.  Make sure you have your Car Survival Kit with you. You never know when you may need it.

What you put in your kit is up to you. Some ideas are.........

Water.
Snacks.
Warm hat gloves socks and jacket.
Blanket.
Candles and candle holder.
Flashlight.

I put this kit together in 5min.

Can or other small container for melting water.

You should plan to be able to spend at least 48hrs stuck in your car in sub zero temperatures without a working engine. You can not count on your engine in a survival situation as it may not work for a number of reasons. If you do have a working engine that's a fantastic bonus but be careful. Many people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping in a car. Never sleep with the car running. Just turn it on to warm up then shut it off. Make sure the exhaust pipe is clear. Snow or other debris can build up around your vehicle trapping the exhaust fumes. Don't let drifting snow trap you. While snow is a great insulator and actually will make your vehicle warmer you don't want to be trapped. So open a door every hr or so and clear the snow away. And be careful with your candles. Don't sleep with your candle burning. Cars have lots of flammable fabric and plastic and can go up like a torch if you knock over your candle.

The few ideas I have discussed here are just a start. I recommend you have a much better kit than the one on this page. But anything is better than nothing.

California In Danger Of Running Out Of Water

California could burn in 2014

As the drought in California continues, many communities in the state could run out of water within the next 60 to 120 days, state officials have said. In some places wells are running dry while in others the reservoirs are nearly empty.

This is a reminder that everyone needs to be responsible for making sure they have a safe clean supply of emergency water on hand. You can only live about 3 days without water.

If people start to run out of water we could see civil unrest like protests and riots. And don't forget the fires. Firefighters rely on large quantities of water. If the water runs out the fires will just burn and spread.