Best buys - Ammunition (per box)

I have listed some common calibers and their price per box. These prices may change after this posting. For more prices go to http://www.ammoengine.com/

9x19mm

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Wolf	115	FMJ	50	$8.50
Federal	115	FMJ	50	$10.50
CCI Blazer	115	FMJ	50	$11.00
CCI Blazer	124	FMJ	50	$11.00
Prvi Partizan	115	FMJ	50	$11.50

.40 S&W

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Federal	180	FMJ	50	$14.36
Federal	165	FMJ	50	$15.00
Independence	180	FMJ	50	$15.90
Independence	165	FMJ	50	$15.90
Blazer	165	FMJ	50	$17.00

.45 ACP

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Federal	230	FMJ	50	$16.45
CCI Blazer	230	FMJ	50	$16.90
Prvi Partizan	230	FMJ	50	$16.95
CCI Blazer	230	FMJ	50	$17.25
CCI Blazer	230	FMJ	50	$19.50

.223/5.56x45mm

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Wolf	55	FMJ	20	$4.10
Wolf	55	HP	20	$4.18
Prvi Partizan	55	SP	20	$8.50
Federal	55	FMJ	30	$10.50
Wolf	62	Steel Case	20	$14.19

7.62x39mm

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Klimovsk(KSAP)	123	FMJ	20	$3.90
Wolf	124	FMJ	20	$4.10
Golden Tiger	124	FMJ	20	$4.45
Wolf	124	HP	20	$6.50
Prvi Partizan	123	FMJ	20	$9.50

.308/7.62.51mm

Manufacturer	Grain	Bullet Category	Rounds/Box	Price/Box
Prvi Partizan	180	SP	20	$13.95
Prvi Partizan	175	FMJ	20	$14.50
Hornady	110	JHP	20	$17.60
Winchester	180	SP	20	$24.48
Federal	150	FMJ	20	$26.99

Food Fortification (and why it is important)

Food fortification or enrichment is a process where food items that don't normally have certain nutrients or vitamins have them implanted in or placed in through a number of different processes.

 

For example: milk naturally contains Calcium, but doesn't contain Vitamin D, which is a rather rare naturally occurring vitamin in edible items (i.e. meats, vegetables, etc.). Vitamin D is proven to help with the absorption of Calcium into bone so it only made sense to fortify milk (rich in Calcium) with Vitamin D. 

The same ideology works with a lot of other foods too where certain Nutrients and Vitamins positively interact with each other for the consumer's benefit.

There are drawbacks of course with changing how natural foods are, there always is. Like genetically modified corn - it's only been around for a short span of time and as a whole people don't know what kinds of affects it'll have on the human body over a long period of time.

You just have to pick and choose items, not everything has to be fortified - and partially it's for marketing purposes aimed at costing you more money for things you don't need. If you drink milk or eat cheese you probably don't need to buy orange juice that has been fortified with extra Calcium.

One of the main reasons fortifying has become so popular among the food industry, especially in the U.S. is to allow for some semblance of dietary equilibrium among a wide variety of socio-economic groups. Not everyone can afford to have a balanced meal, but they have access to fortified cheeses, juices and other items that can offer some of the balance their diet needs in terms of Nutritional requirements.

*Now the real meat and potatoes (no puns intended) part of this post is for stocking up on important items that can offer you a balanced day to day existence without having a lot of extra "stuff" taking up room.

For example:

Pop-Tarts - I know they're not exactly the staple of healthy foods, but they can act as a good supplementary item if you don't have the ability to sit down and eat a full meal. In terms of fortification they have 10% of each of the following: Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron and Vitamin B6.
Cambell's Low Sodium Chunky Vegetable Beef Soup - Good to have canned soups in stock this specific one has less of a variety of nutrients, but a lot of some: Vitamin A (80%), Calcium (4%) and Iron (4%).

What it comes down to is stock up on items you wouldn't mind eating a lot of while also giving yourself Nutrients and Vitamins that you would only get properly from fresh or refrigerated food stuffs that may not be available in the future. Things like SPAM are good backups, but they don't really offer much in the way any nutritional value, just sustenance to keep you going. Learn to read the Nutritional Facts on the backs of foods in the grocery store and you'll be much better off than most people.

There is a lot of literature out there on the pros and cons of fortified foods vs natural foods vs vitamin supplements or even a moderated combination of all of them.

My opinion is that moderation of all three is the best, nothing in excess, but find a balance of different food types that contain different things that your body needs.

The Power of the Can

[A quick note]

Don't underestimate the power of something you either throw in the garbage or bring to recycling every week. The average can has quite a few uses long after it's original purpose has been expended. For one it's a container you can use as a sturdy transport for many different small items in instead of using your hands. 

You can use it to eat food out of or drink water out of - not to mention safely boil water in. Punch a couple holes at the top and you can rig it up to sit above a fire and boil water to be safe for drinking.

You can also use it to carry a small fire bundle or embers so you can travel without having to make fire over and over again from scratch.

If you've already stocked up on food and water, you probably have at least a handful of canned items, if not many. So instead of throwing away your can when you're done - hold onto it - it may actually be a useful tool.

The Road

Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road is probably one of my all time favorite books. The style, the pacing and the characters set in the bleak aftermath of an unspecified global catastrophe are like nothing I've read before.
For anyone who wants to know what the world would look like without a working ecosystem and a working society should read this.  I would recommend this novel to anyone, really. But especially to those who believe in prepping or being a survivalist as this gives you a very good idea of what it might look like. I've read a couple of other books that are similar, but do not relay quite the images as well - mostly because they aren't written by someone as talented as Cormac McCarthy - who also wrote the novel: No Country for Old Men.

Although you may have only heard of it because of the recent film adaption, which I still haven't brought myself to see (even though I own it) - I would still recommend you to take some time and read the original work.

Apocalypse Concept Art

Russian artist Vladimir Manyuhin aka "mvn78" conveys a world without a bustling modern civilization. Seen here are a couple of his vignettes of Moscow and New York after the apocalypse. Definitely some striking work that should leave a needle in the hearts of those who believe it is right around the corner... Good work, Vladimir.

More of his work can be seen here: http://www.beautifullife.info/graphic-design/life-after-the-apocalypse/

I think I see the Chernobyl NPP in the background...

Complete and Incomplete Gun Projects

Build Concepts (before and after):

AKM CQB

M16A4 MWS Desert Recon

AKM Desert Recon

Special thanks to pimpmygun.doctornoob.com

Your Reading List for Modern Survival

Besides searching around for all the answers online there is quite a bit of published material on the subject of survival and preparation.  Here are a couple of works I'd recommend for your collection:

• Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters: Build and Outfit Your Life-Saving Escape by: Scott B. Williams
• Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution by: M.D. Creekmore
• EMP Survival: :How to Prepare Now and Survive, When an Electromagnetic Pulse Destroys Our Power Grid by: Larry Poole
  
• Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family, 2nd Edition by: Arthur T. Bradley
• Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart by: Joe Nobody
• SAS Urban Survival Handbook by: John "Lofty" Wiseman