Fieldcraft if all your field electronics went to shit

[Gunfighter14e2]

would you still be just as effective,... albeit just a tad slower.
Could you still operate 100% effectively at night, with target ID or land-nav.
Could you still run a gig w/o como?

 

[MallNinja243]

Carrier pigeons... Nobody would ever suspect it...

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Carrier pigeons... Nobody would ever suspect it...

Those along with cats an dogs are still used in some circles.

 

[Rocketvapor]

That's why they sell 6 packs of those Chinese radios.
Enough for two people.

Kidding, but how many stick them in their pack and hope they will work when needed.

 

[Fig]

Are you talking OAF OPs, or shooting. I try to avoid anything with batteries, and I print out all my DOPE, so I figure only my wind guesses And range calls aren’t as good Without the Kestrel or LRF. I also use a map and a compass, period, even if I have GPS.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Are you talking OAF OPs, or shooting.

Everything. The longer time goes on the more I see people losing legacy skillsets. So I am wondering what people who totally converted or never learned in the first place will do, if/when the latest an greatest is no longer at fingers end.

 

[Skeptic1]

Never had any "electronics" here.

 

[Fig]

On the water I still have a MkIV sextant, HO 229, and a stop watch to do short form celestial navigation when not piloting. I use electronics, sure, but I’ve see enough malfunctions, flailing, and outright panic that I will never rely on them.
Just this year a guy I was elk hunting in the mountains was using ON X on his phone to navigate, and it shit the bed and put him way away from camp. He was lost and panicked, and almost ruined the trip. These guys were giving me shit for having the topo and using a compass. I don’t get lost. Electronics are an aid and make things easy, but relying on them can be downright dangerous.

 

[Huskydriver]

I got long sword and jousting skills...

How many of you can fight without bullets when your rifles go to shit?

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Electronics are an aid and make things easy, but relying on them can be downright dangerous.

This ^^^^^ forever

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

I got long sword and jousting skills...

How many of you can fight without bullets when your rifles go to shit?

I think many of us could still make a field expedient bow w/ arrows, if we had to. The problem is no one is up for a knife fight like that anymore, everyone wants to call it in, or do them from 1K + yds away anymore, and I fully understand that. However the day will come when what once was, will be needed again. Problem is many these days, would have no starting point, which is the point of this thread. Don't wait until the issue is at hand to learn how to skin the cat a different way, even if it's 2-3 times slower an harder.

 

[Fig]

I’ve played kendo on and off for about twenty years. I’ve been 3rd Dan for most of that time. I think I would be ok if firearms were suddenly gone.
Ichi Go Ichi E - one chance, one opportunity

 

[theLBC]

since i have never learned to rely on electronic equipment, i can probably say i would be "just as effective".
at what, i cannot say.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

When was the last time you started a fire with "Flint and Steel"....? and we will continue from there.

Hobo

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

When was the last time you started a fire with "Flint and Steel"....? and we will continue from there.

Hobo

Mine was the last night class I attended.

 

[theLBC]

When was the last time you started a fire with "Flint and Steel"....? and we will continue from there.

Hobo

the last time i bought some (christmas time last year).
that is the sort of stuff i like to give for presents...survival stuff, because everyone i know has enough toys.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

I dont have any aside from my phone and LRF so I would be equally as ineffective with or without.?

 

[Jefe's Dope]

Is it an even playing field or is it me vs. everyone with comms, GPS, rangefinders, ballistic calculators, etc.?

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

I keep magnesium an flint in all rides as well as packs. The cheap ones from Harbor Freight work great for me. When at flee markets I am always looking for magnesium concrete finishing tools. Last one I bought was a 4' mop, for 5 bucks. One thing about a mag fire, your not going to put it out quickly once started.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Does that also include internet gun forums?
NO ANSWERS ?

 

[theLBC]

if we're talking about shooting shit on the first try, i can hit anything at a distance already in my logbook or dope cards.
if not? hell, that's why i bought a semi-auto.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Semi-auto,
100 yard magazine, 300 yd magazine, 600 yd drum

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Do most of you carry paper maps an a compass in your rides? Also do you keep a walk home bag/pack in your rides? If so what do you keep in it?

 

[roostercogburn98]

Had an argument yesterday with the better half about this. She constantly turns the gps on even if it is a place she goes 4-5 times a week. I asked her what would happen when that no longer worked and she had to get there on her own. Her reply was well that’s why I have you ????

 

[Rocketvapor]

GPS is trying to make cross country travel fun again.
Roads that used to be there on maps are still there on GPS,
even if they are NOT still there in real life.

Winter up to Pike's Peak on Gold Camp Road,
Back side of Lookout Mountain,
Anywhere in Kentucky or West Virginia,
Various bridges over rivers.

Makes for a lot of fun on vacations.

 

[Alpine 338]

For me, it would be a minor inconvenience. I have this attitude, never rely on technology, without a backup. It could be as simple as carrying extra batteries, to carrying an extra electronic device. And then having a plan and a backup that doesn't include electronics.

It's concerning, and at the same time humorous to see how society, especially the younger generation being so reliant on electronics and electricity. Power goes out, or cell coverage disappears for even a short period, and then it almost results in panic.

 

[Rocketvapor]

I have a battery backup for my router.

 

[Fig]

I don't unless I'm traveling. Then I carry a hunting/field/go bag t

When was the last time you started a fire with "Flint and Steel"....? and we will continue from there.

Hobo

My eyes are flinty, my body like steel, and my gaze is burning. ?

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Any one carry any battery powered stuff in a cage/protection bag? Is your watch battery operated or a winder/self winder?

 

[Alpine 338]

Any one carry any battery powered stuff in a cage/protection bag? Is your watch battery operated or a winder/self winder?

Time is of no significance to me, especially when every electronic device is dead. A sundial would be useful. I don't wear a watch anymore, haven't for 20-years now. My cell phone or the clock in the vehicle is now my watch. However, I do have a couple wind-up watches stashed away, they may become useful in a Operation that requires coordinated (time) events.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

When was the last time you started a fire with "Flint and Steel"....? and we will continue from there.

Hobo

Its how i like to light the bbq and fire pit. Or any fire for that matter.

 

[Fig]

Using a blast match or a ferro rod to start a fire takes zero skill. Making a natural bow drill without tubing and with just a knife is no joke. One of the reasons I have a ziplock with a long piece of surgical tubing in my field bag is so it doesn’t take me hours of fumbling if I have to make fire with no spark making stuff.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

A sundial would be useful.

A watch can be used as a sundial or compass, one of the reasons I still wear self winder.

 

[AIAW]

The only batteries I run in anything...

 

[Fig]

A watch can be used as a sundial or compass, one of the reasons I still wear self winder.

Critical gear

 

[Fig]

Since the first time I saw it I’ve wanted the Armat M41A Pulse Rifle pulse-action assault rifle chambered for 10×24mm Caseless ammunition with integrated grenade launcher.

 

[Alpine 338]

Here's what's sad, local store puts all their old newspapers off to the side for people to grab as fire starter. I live in an area where many people rely on wood burning as a heat source, sometime as the primary heat source. I see the same people always grabbing multiple newspapers (hundreds of pages) on a weekly basis. I don't understand how they can have that much difficulty in starting a fire?

I start a fire in my wood burning stove with one sheet of news paper. Yes, I can do it without any paper at all, but it takes a little more time and effort.

When I'm out camping, I don't need anything to start a fire other than a spark or ignition source. Everything is available in the woods, and I don't even have to break out a knives or any other tool.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Some use the paper roller.

 

[AIAW]

Since the first time I saw it I’ve wanted the Armat M41A Pulse Rifle pulse-action assault rifle chambered for 10×24mm Caseless ammunition with integrated grenade launcher.

YES! The M56 Smart Gun would be pretty sweet too.

Or a pair of these...

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Some use the paper roller.

Rolling your own from free material is a win/win. Many of us save trash snail mail for one guy. He heats his whole house all winter that way.

 

[alpine44]

Using a blast match or a ferro rod to start a fire takes zero skill. Making a natural bow drill without tubing and with just a knife is no joke. One of the reasons I have a ziplock with a long piece of surgical tubing in my field bag is so it doesn’t take me hours of fumbling if I have to make fire with no spark making stuff.

What's the tubing for? As the string in lieu of the boot lace?

 

[Blutroop]

i Keep gear in all vehicles as I am often out in -20 weather far enough from main roads that it will take more than a day of trudging through snow to be able flag someone down if I break down. I know how to start a fire, how to use birch bark, how to find dry leaves and kindling, and since my phone usually has no signal and will die after minutes at those temps anyways one of my backup plans is to shoot it to set the lithium on fire. I’m a big fan of early diesels with no computers and I’ve been known in the past to keep a bag with enough tools to overhaul the engine in the back. I’ve yet to use gps or even a range finder so I don’t have to worry about that. I’ve given too much thought in the past to emp and fallout type issues in the past. I know a lot but haven’t had to apply a lot. I realize I don’t know it all and would love to know more. I used to carry a map of popular constellations in my wallet and can still point a few out but my library is significantly lacking from repeated moves and having to play the “lets start life all over again” game.
ive noticed lots of skill sets going to the wayside.. blacksmithing, trapping, navigation, I find myself working on so much stuff built to last, been around about as long as me but you can’t get parts for.. I’m renting in town right now and I still come accross people that literally cannot change a flat tire..
Either nature or the gov will be culling soon though..

 

[Greg Langelius *]

For my aiming solutions, I have decided to reduce my computational requirements to simply having an LRF and a BDC scope for my key rifles. It's limiting, and not super precise; but for my limited purposes, it's also in the ballpark.

I'm not a country boy by upbringing, but have had as considerable an opportunity to engage in group camping as several decades of Scouting leadership can afford.

The rest is some very basic preparation, attitude, and winging it.

I think that concentrating on perfect solutions can, A) leave situations some out, and B) leave one disappointed when their Deja Vu malfunctions. To be really "prepared" probably requires more carrying capability than I will ever possess.

Survival is, IMHO, at least as much about attitudes as equipment. If I have carry it in, maybe I'm counting too much on 'things'. It may make more sense to know the A/O and what it has to offer than trying to provide it all by myself. Redundancy isn't just about what to pack.

My serious education about survival began with Angier and Whelen's On Your Own In The Wilderness in the '50's.

In answer to the OP questions, no, and no; but I have never done so anyway.

Greg