What prepping mistakes have you made?

[WGregMiller]

View attachment 8542this is what I carried...only 48 lbs..snow was ankle to knee deep

You’re making this old man tired just thinking about it.

 

[jontte]

we're not that old,just experienced like hell

 

[DD214∆]

Only mistake and probably the worse was letting an OFFICIAL infiltrate our family/group. Thankfully no one agreed to start blowing up stuff this OFFICIAL was advocating doing. I pulled his card one evening after discovering he was retired government OFFICIAL.
He disappear from the area in a week. Gotta vet people you talk too carefully. Better yet, keep your mouth shut around total strangers. Some OFFICIALS are among the homeless!

 

[Kevin L]

I've let myself get out of shape (by my standards) from laziness.

Also, in the past, I've stored things wrong and had mold, rust, and fungus destroy some expensive supplies.

 

[bigpaul]

i think my main mistake is talking too much on sites like this, you never know who is watching!
as for prepping, no real mistakes but I've probably bought too much stuff .....especially knives.

 

[grayghost668]

now no one will agree with this but ,,,buying an AR 15,,,,,,,,I don't hunt with it I don't take it out to target shoot with,,I put about 50rds thru it when I first got it,,, so now it and the ammo just sit in a corner waiting just in case the world goes completely to hell,,,,,an event that I doubt will happen in my lifetime ,,,it is a lot of money spent on a maybe,,,,a winter storm knocking out the power or a tornado are far more likely to happen

it is here and not going anywhere,

to bad I can't see the future,it just might save me a chit load of money

 

[Brent S]

now no one will agree with this but ,,,buying an AR 15,,,,,,,,I don't hunt with it I don't take it out to target shoot with,,I put about 50rds thru it when I first got it,,, so now it and the ammo just sit in a corner waiting just in case the world goes completely to hell,,,,,an event that I doubt will happen in my lifetime ,,,it is a lot of money spent on a maybe,,,,a winter storm knocking out the power or a tornado are far more likely to happen

it is here and not going anywhere,

to bad I can't see the future,it just might save me a chit load of money

I understand how you feel about the AR. At the same time I don’t feel it’s a waste at all, more an insurance policy if things do go bad. All the while though, I’m really hoping things never go bad in my lifetime and my toys continue to collect dust. I do advise pulling it out occasionally and do a little target practice with it though. Try doing some really long shots to increase the challenge to make it more interesting.

 

[Maverick]

now no one will agree with this but ,,,buying an AR 15,,,,,,,,I don't hunt with it I don't take it out to target shoot with,,I put about 50rds thru it when I first got it,,, so now it and the ammo just sit in a corner waiting just in case the world goes completely to hell,,,,,an event that I doubt will happen in my lifetime ,,,it is a lot of money spent on a maybe,,,,a winter storm knocking out the power or a tornado are far more likely to happen

it is here and not going anywhere,

to bad I can't see the future,it just might save me a chit load of money

I think we are blessed not knowing the future to be honest. I have purchased additional weapons including the ARs and put them away (after firing 300-500 rounds through them) as insurance policies. I agree with you on that ghost. I'm also with Brent, I hope the hell we never have to live through what we are prepping for including our 'just in case' insurance policy. Besides, purchasing firearms is a great investment, probably more stable than the stock market and cheaper than gold, just look at them as a savings account from a financial point of view.

 

[grayghost668]

I understand how you feel about the AR. At the same time I don’t feel it’s a waste at all, more an insurance policy if things do go bad. All the while though, I’m really hoping things never go bad in my lifetime and my toys continue to collect dust. I do advise pulling it out occasionally and do a little target practice with it though. Try doing some really long shots to increase the challenge to make it more interesting.

for long range shooting I have another rifle better suited for that,I consider the Ar as a short range weapon with fire power,not that it doesn't have the ability to go out 5 or 600 yards that was not why it was bought, short range multiple targets with high capacity mags is it's lot in life for me


setting it up for long range shooting makes it less effective in close quarters ,,,with a scope you are limiting your field of vision

 

[Otterbatcat]

I think this is a great thread, thank you for having the fortitude to open up an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, and allow others that want to be honest about theirs is important to help people learning how to do this in a solid way.

I've made some mistakes that fall into the categories mentioned, gotta put them together to make a decent contribution about that.

I'd add that yes, with lots of practice an AR 15 is good 5/600 yds. with good optics. Up to 800-ish IF you really have your shit together..... AND,
higher distance shooting does require better equipment for more accurate performance. Higher level of weapon/caliber, optics, ammo, practice and skill IMO.

 

[DrHenley]

Accuracy seems to be all over the place with AR-15s. Some cheap one shoot great. But most cheap ones ($500-$700) shoot pretty poorly.

 

[Arcticdude]

My AR shoots fine for what it is. Its not much of a hunting rifle in my opinion. If I need more accuracy or longer range I'd use my 22-250, but not for anything larger than a coyote. In my lifetime I've never needed to shoot anything out past about 300 yards.

 

[Otterbatcat]

I believe that any given weapon placed in ten different peoples hands will result in equally different results.

The AR 15 is versatile rifle with mods and lots of PRACTICE. Just about any weapon is basically useless in the hands of an unaware person who is attempting to USE it without any knowledge of the weapon itself. IMO.

An individual with some experience can use a low end AR 15 and do just fine with it.

 

[Otterbatcat]

I seriously don't want to derail this thread with weapon discussion, and thank you in advance.

 

[Maverick]

Not knowing one’s own defenses including weapon familiarity and training is a very valid prepping mistake, that’s like getting a CCW license and weapon but never getting know one’s new weapon or ever fired it.

 

[brandx]

I have a family history of self-reliance so prepping was not that far off. Being a history buff helps as I have a great curiosity about how things used to be done in days of yore. I had collected several books regarding old tools, how to raise animals, pioneer living, etc., before I started doing some prepping, but as for hard core prepping I haven't been. My mistake was not being more focused on prepping 17 years ago when I purchased land. My idea at the time was to get back to living on dirt and not in a second story apartment. Using sliding glass doors in building was a mistake as far as security. I wish I had been more serious earlier on as I would be in better circumstances now. I did save some old dried milk for a long time but it was a freebie. Now the cat gets it. I bought a chainsaw that I couldn't pull to start and traded it for some labor, still got the short end of the deal. Other than that I don't have enough money to make very big mistakes. It takes cash and that is in short supply around here.

 

[brandx]

Exactly why I keep my mouth shut. The few that do know found out because they had talked to me about their preps, and they’re people I feel like I can trust.

One is a good friend whose dad had to have an oxygen generator. We had a run of tornadoes that cut a lot of people’s power for several days. That made my friend start thinking.

You can tell when you mention small things and from the reaction you get to those small things if you can enter into a deeper discussion. My close family know I have a home store and know my mind set but don't know to what degree. My extended family thinks I am a nature nut, except for perhaps one cousin.

 

[brandx]

I bet we all have told others about some of our preps at some time or other. It’s hard to not want to ‘help’ others, and enlighten them to the wisdom of prepping. The truth is in the old saying of you can lead a horse to water but can’t make him drink. I have pretty much stopped initiating any contact with other people about prepping, but will always engage if someone asks me about it. If you really think about it, advertising that you have supplies and resources is really not very smart. If, and when, things get tough, do you really want a lot of lazy people that didn’t ever work to take care of themselves showing up at your door and begging for your limited resources?

I created a list of basic items to keep in stock to each family member and they were appreciative but I don't think any have followed through. Recently my brother is leaning towards prepping but he wouldn't be using that word, he has some alcohol for trading and he has been working on the old basement, he says "for storage" but I really believe he is thinking of something more. He is also stocking some ammo. Yep, gave him a book to read, he is interested but doesn't like the terminology I think. I would like to reach out and have a small group but not sure how to start this. I don't trust people very well. Even some of my own relatives.

 

[WGregMiller]

I created a list of basic items to keep in stock to each family member and they were appreciative but I don't think any have followed through. Recently my brother is leaning towards prepping but he wouldn't be using that word, he has some alcohol for trading and he has been working on the old basement, he says "for storage" but I really believe he is thinking of something more. He is also stocking some ammo. Yep, gave him a book to read, he is interested but doesn't like the terminology I think. I would like to reach out and have a small group but not sure how to start this. I don't trust people very well. Even some of my own relatives.

The small group we are part of took a long time to get together. It is people I know and know well, but I still did the dance - dancing around the subject.

 

[Maverick]

I see all over the internet were the rave is in tactical gear, a lot of tactical porn! My take on it, you dress for a fight you're more likely to get one, the younger folks need to learn that they are not military, they military works as a cohesion unit that cannot be replicated by a self train youngster that received the training from youtube, you take a good o'l boy from the back country who hast never served in the military can make a Vet and civilian shit himself. Buy all the tactical gear you want, it's not going to make one better except bragging rights. Avoidance and recognizing danger is the most valuable equipment to ascertain.