Ironhand


Real Name: Kurt
Call sign: "Ironhand-One-Three"
Age: 46
Ht: 6' 2"
Wt: 205 lbs
Birth date/Sign: Nov. 4 / Scorpio
Bloodtype: O+
Status: Single, looking for the girl that'll put up with all this stuff that's not already taken! ; )
Occupation: Company "Scrounger" (Electrical & Mechanical parts Buyer), Electrical Engineer (Bachelor's degree) & part time firearms instructor (KY State CCDW).
Hobbies: Cowboy Action Shooting, Archery, Reloading, Hunting, Hiking, Gunsmithing, Kayaking & Writing (wilderness survival, sci-fi & fiction)
Zombieland Name: "E-town"
Alliance/Independents (Firefly): Browncoats!
Special Skills: Ambidextrous (yes, I can shoot with both hands.)

My email: ironhand13@hotmail.com

"...What doesn't kill you, lets you live to remember what it did..." - "Veteran" by the group, Kidney Thieves.



About Me:

Click the link while you're reading >>>>>>>

When I started thinking way too much about zombies: after Resident Evil

What started my zombie fixation: The Omega Man; Resident Evil Series, Zombieland




Favorite zombie book: World War Z

Favorite zombie movie: Resident Evil Series, 28 days Later, The Omega Man

Favorite quote in any zombie movie:
"...She was crazed. She bit me!..." (Rain Ocampo/Resident Evil)

Favorite Firefly quote (sorry I can't help it!):
Jayne: "I'll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight. Or if he bothers me. Or if there's a woman. Or if I'm gettin' paid. Mostly when I'm gettin' paid."







Is my plan dependent on zombies in your home town, or anywhere? not sure


Will I be staying in my home or headed somewhere else?
Prearranged centralized emergency meeting place for my family


If I'm heading out, how do I plan to get there? See convoy notes below


Got anyone I want to take with me?
my family & pets (dogs make great alarms!)


How will I communicate with the outside world, or do I plan to go the hermit route? CB radio (general local area), Shortwave Radio (global news), Walkie-Talkies (group communication)


How am I planning to get food and water?
raiding stores for what I need and some light hunting. solar stills will help collect water when we stop. tapping local water towers if possible. boiling water is a must to make it safe!


What’s my weapon(s) of choice?
1- 12g Mossberg Pump Shotgun (shown) (Best Zombie Killer! Reliable. Common ammo. Multiple use hunting and defense ammo. Reload on the run.) Mine is customized like pic with 19" vent rib barrel and HiViz TriGlow sights.

2- Romanian SAR1 Rifle (AK47) (lots of firepower! Mags are cheap. Common Ammo. Doesn't have the quite the long range accuracy of the AR15, but mags are more reliable than the AR and it fires dirty or clean.)

3- .45acp Colt 1991A1 Pistol (Great knockdown at close range; easy to repair; Common ammo. Doesn't matter if you use FMJ or HP ammo, it packs a wallop!)

4- Gurka Knife (Kukri) (Big & heavy, but oh so effective! Best mix of long blade knife & hatchet for chopping. Good at taking down hard materials like interior walls & doors).If you want a REAL Kukri get it at Atlanta Cutlery.

5- 24" Pry Bar (Backup melee weapon & Misc. tool for door busting, window breaking or prying)


Other Weapons for specialty use:

9mm Kimber Pro Aegis II Pistol (shown) - Small concealed carry gun with 8 shot clip & night sights. Accurate and fast backup gun.

PSE Recurve Bow (take down) - 62"/50# (quiet, compact, light and deadly; takes down to store in quiver with a dozen arrows for easy packing)

Buck Nighthawk M650 Knife (heavy blade, well made, good all round mix survival/combat knife)

Ruger 10/22 Rifle (small game hunting rifle)

5.56mm Daewoo DR-200 Rifle (shown) (Alternative to the AK, uses common AR15 magazines, more reliable than AR's with it's AK style gas piston system, very accurate.)

9mm Beretta M92FS Pistol (Alternate to the .45 Colt, standard US military issue sidearm and many US police depts, good firepower)

.300 Remington Ultra Mag Model 700 LSS (long range precision rifle with power to spare, if you can see it, you can hit it with this beauty.)

Got a survival philosophy? Only the strongest survive!

Applies to preparedness (including practice!), intelligent decision making and willingness to do what is necessary to survive.


Am I willing to hook up with other survivors?
Absolutely - safety in numbers! You definitely need a group of people to provide 24 hour guard, camp setup, scouting parties and scrounging supplies. Teams of 4 or 5 people can rotate through chores and train together for fighting as a team.

Example: During a zombie assault, a couple of members can actively engage the attack, while others reload their weapons and watch for peripheral threats or lines of retreat. Also, it takes 5 people to have an effective guard over your camp/compound. (1 for each direction & 1 central coordinator)


Is my plan based on a book/movie/blog/scientist other survivors may have heard of? SAS Survival Manual (Wiseman), Army Survival Manual FM 21-76, Army Physical Security Manual FM 03-19.30, N.O.L.S. Wilderness Medicine (Schimelphfenig)




Convoy Info:

Use 2-3 people per vehicle ratio on the average (if possible) to carry their gear, camp and supplies. 24 hour guard on their vehicle with shifts sleeping in the vehicle.

Heavy trucks (semi's with box, flat bed, tanker or refrig beds; dump trucks, stake beds, cranes & wreckers) for the majority of convoy. These have cargo adaptable beds and heavy duty drive components for long tern use.

Car Haulers can carry multiple small scout vehicles and consolidates fuel consumption. The Semi Car Hauler shown can carry up to 10 vehicles at a time.





Box Trucks give good overall protection for the elements for supplies and shelter for your people. They can easily be modified with extra doors/windows or gun ports and sides are easy to reinforce with sheet metal or wood. Several of these can give you a rolling community and base of operations. ISO Containers have steel sides already and easy to convert to living space.


Wreckers provide key role in evac'ing vehicles with engine problems and road blocks. They have heavy wenches or pulling and lifting equipment for towing. Many have tool boxes on them.







Dump truck beds give good protection for most small arms fire and are high walled to prevent Zed's from swamping their sides.










Tanker trucks can carry fuel for your convoy and precious water to drink. The Water Truck shown here will carry about 2,500 gallons of water.







Animal Trailers or "Bull Racks" for carrying livestock. Keeps the herd together till you stop to camp. Gates can be used to make a quick corral to let them graze. Let you keep food animals till needed for consumption.




Light pickups and SUV's for scout vehicles provide better gas mileage and more maneuverable for light advance parties. Scouts key role is recon of roadway and it's hazards and Intel of possible salvage targets.

Community vehicles (like buses and RVs) for misc survivors and addition supplies. Non-combatants are better served in one or two vehicles in the center of the convoy to allow for easier protection. Buses give you lots of room for these types of people to live and ride. Vehicles like "Sports Fan buses", "BBQ wagons" or Catering Trucks have kitchens and bathrooms in them as well, giving you a rolling mess hall and food dispensary.

Specialty vehicles like News Vans, Armored Cars and Emergency vehicles are a bonus if possible. News vans have advanced communications equipment. Emergency vehicles like Ambulances, EMS units and Fire Trucks have alot of medical equipment and specialty equipment like air-packs, Hooligan Bar and "jaw's of life". Armored trucks provide you with a "wheeled tank" to deal with raiders or possible a "safe" for your convoy's valuables like ammo, liquor, tobacco, coffee, lead ingots, gunpowder or other trade goods.

Light construction equipment ( like Backhoes, Bobcats, small dozers & trackhoes) carried with equipment trailers for use in camp building, barricade building and road block removal. (Trailers are required for transport as construction equipment is too slow on their own.) Heavy equipment give you an easy way to construct a quick defensible camp using machines instead of man labor. A couple of guys with a dozer, backhoe or bobcat and do the work of 50 men in 1/4 the time.

Military Vehicles (especially wheeled types) from ANY era of military history can provide a heavy weapon(s) and armor protection for a convoy.

One "old" WW II Greyhound armored car (shown) that has been restored for a museum can still have an operational 37mm Cannon, .30 cal co-axle machine gun and maybe a .50 cal machine gun on top. This kind of firepower is better than 10 men with rifles. Also, these can be used as "barricade busters".



Bug-Out-Bag:

*After taking the 1 minute to run timed test, I'm gonna re-think this.

Weight (goal): 43 lbs (20% of my Body Wt.) - includes weapons, ammo & gear

Weight (actual): 32 lbs

Here's a link to the complete breakdown of the equipment......Ironhand's BugOutBag












My articles:
Budget Survival Kit - $25 Survival Kit
"Basic 4" Survival Kit - Basic survival items
Pocket Survival Kit - micro-kit
Tin Can Survival Kit - a better day carry kit
Reloading Ammunition - step by step reloading process
Caliber Conversions - What ammo can be used
Shotgun Tactics - using a shotgun
Shotgun Ammo - Different types of shotshells
BOB Weight - (Fact page) Weights of common bob items
Solar Battery Charger - adapting solar landscape lights to charge batteries
No Bake Cookies - Energy for the body and the soul.
Best Production Fixed Blade Knives - Fixed Blade knife review
Best Production Folding Knives - Folding Knife review
Ironhand's BugOutBag - A complete breakdown of my BOB.
Bug Out Bag Template - Starter template for creating your own BOB.
Scramble Bag - A small bag to bail out with.
$10 Tactical Vest - Simple & Cheap tactical carrier.
Glock "Mutt" - 4 Calibers - 1 Pistol (Glock 23 caliber conversion project)
Firestarter from Empty Lighter - refurbish and empty light into a usable fire starter

Thread Scenarios:
** How ready are you for Z-day? Try these scenarios!

1 Minute to Run - You have 1 minute to bug out - GO!
Scrounging Scenario - Choose 5 items to run with.
Convoy Scenario - It's your convoy for 4 weeks - you're in charge!

Current Projects:
Scrounger Training - Learn how to scrounge!
Survival Guide - editing this new section of the website. I have the Bugging out pages : )
$10 x 12 Survival Kit - One year survival kit workshop
ZSDW Review Team - Gear reviews for Critical Survival LLC





Music and Video Corner:


(Music to kickass by)


***Open under a new tab for your enjoyment while you check out the site***

Drain STH (Sweden) - "I Don't Mind" & "Ace of Spades"	AC/DC (Australia) - "Thunderstruck" & "Back in Black"	Poisonblack (Finland) "Rush"
Lullacry (Finland) - "Damn You"	Concrete Blonde (USA) "Heal it up"	Inkubus Sukkubus (UK) "I am the One"
AFI (USA) - "Miss Murder" & "Killing Lights"	Powerman 5000 (USA) - "Worlds Collide" & "Bombshell"	Technikult of Flesh(USA) "Don't Fear The Dark"
POD (USA) - "Boom" & "End of the World"	Katra (Finland) - "Beast Within"	Unsun (Polish) "Whispers"
Doro (Germany) - "Burn it up" & "White Wedding" & "Ceremony"	Kidney Thieves (USA) - "Zerospace" & "Black Bullet" & "Glitter Girl"	Anouk (Dutch) - "If I go" "Nobody's Wife" "More than you deserve" (Extended Live!)
Sister Machine Gun (USA) - "Wired" & "Torque" & "Burn"	Saliva (USA) - "Survival of the Sickest" & "Ladies and Gentlemen"	Lacuna Coil (Italy) "Heaven's a Lie" "I Like It"
W.A.S.P. (USA) - "Blind in Texas" & "Wild Child"	Yoko Kanno (Japan) - "Rise" "I'm a Soldier" (English Lyrics!)(Japan)	Nightwish (Finland) "Over the hills and far away" "I Wish I had an Angel"
Velvet Revolver (USA) - "She Builds Quick Machines" & "Dirty Little Thing"	Nickelback (USA) - "Burn it to the Ground"	Sinner (Germany) "Black"
Nine Inch Nails (USA) - "Bite the hand that feeds"	Clutch (USA) "Mice and Gods" & "10001110101"	Pendulum (Australian) "Propane Nightmares" "Granite"
Scorpions (Germany) - "Rock You like a Hurricane"	Telepopmusik (France) - "Breathe"	Tatu (Russia) "All the Things She Said" "All about Us"
Ministry (USA) - "Thieves"	Danzig (USA) "I'm the One"	Thalia (Mexico) "Tu Y Yo" (Kumbia Kings Remix)
Hydrogyn (UK) - "Vesper's Song"	Moby (USA) - "Flower"	Trepid (USA) "Road Beast"
Cold (USA) - "Just Got Wicked"	Orgy (USA) - "Opticon"	Switchblade Symphony (USA) "Wrecking Yard"
Within Temptation (Dutch) "Mother Earth" "Ice Queen" (Acoustic) "Stand My Ground"	Evanscence (USA) "Lose Control" & "Sweet Sacrifice" & "Last Breathe"	Fuel (USA) "Sunburn" "Bittersweet"
Xandria (Germany) "Vampire" "Ravenheart"	Trace Adkins (USA) "Honky Tonk Bondonkadonk"	Big & Rich (USA) "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"
Snake River Conspiracy (USA) "Vulcan"	Serebro (Russian) "Dirty Kiss" & "Song #1" (So Come and Check it) & "What's Your Problem"	After Forever (German) "Engerize Me"
Firewind (Greece) "Mercenary Man"	Gravity Kills (USA) "Enough" "Guility"	Pat Benatar (USA) "Red Vision" "Heartbreaker" (hell yeah!)
Billy Idol (UK) "White Wedding"

** DROP ME AN EMAIL IF ONE OF THE MUSIC LINKS DO NOT WORK! **


I little more about me......

Practice! Practice! Practice!
I'm not talking about "target shooting", I'm talking about "practical combat shooting" at 10' - 30' ranges. Multiple hits on a human sized target at speed! Also practice RELOADING a 2nd (or 3rd) mag from your pocket or bag. Do this by loading a couple of rounds in each one to allow you to work through reloads.

These are from the ZSDW Pistol Match.

Pic 1 - "The Nines" (9mm's)

Top to bottom:
Glock 17
Kimber Aegis II
Beretta 92 "Border Marshall"
S&W M6904


Top to bottom:
.32acp VZ61 "Scorpion"
.357mag Ruger Security-Six Revolver
9x18 Russian Makarov
.45acp Colt 1991A1
.45acp Mauser M2

















Cowboy Action Shooting!

Competition shooting (any type) is an excellent way to practice.

CAS is an action based competition where you have to move during the "stage" to different locations and change to 4 different guns as you do it. You also have to reload some during this run!




My tattoo.

I'm Scorpio, what else would I have?

I love inkwork!

So I'm always open for that conversation : )

















"Tricks of the Trade" (new!)

This is a little miscellaneous that I'm adding for quick notes on little survival "tricks" I have learned over the years that I thought I'd share. Maybe you'll find them useful too.

Chicken & Rice Soup - nothing fancy here, but I like to carry a small PB jar of minute rice with half a dozen chicken bouillon cubes. 1/2 the jar of rice, 3 bouillon cubes & 2 cups of water make a meal. That makes 2 meals in 1 jar. You can use other jars like baby food or even the empty bouillon cube jar for single serves if you want. It makes a quick easy hot meal to lift your spirits on a cold day (or night) in the woods. I take one with me in my hunting day pack.

Flavored Drinks - Having a little flavored hot drink really picks you up after a long day of hiking or cold restless night sleeping on the ground. Tea is one of the best, because of it's nice little bags that make it easy to use. Coffee singles (my favorite) are a nice package. Even chicken or beef bouillon cubes can be a pleasing hot drink. For hot or cold, Crystal Light or Ocean Spray fruit mixes are pre-sweetened and a simple add to water, shake and drink. All of these make your water more tasty.

Vice-Grips - Multi-tools are all the rage now because of their "gadget appeal" and compactness, Most people carry the mutli-tool to use the pliers and wire cutters. The basic 5" pair of vice-grips give a better grip and will do the same jobs and more, but with a price of $3.00+ verses $30+ for a multi-tool. The other tools on a multi-tool are really "bonus" tools to the pliers. Vice grips can do the same jobs and their locking function make them usable as a pot handle, to make a dandy little saw (using a reciprocating saw blade) and screwdriver by just adding drill type bits.

Rat Traps - I've mentioned this before, but these spring loaded traps really work! I've had much more success with them than with snares (which I hate!), and I've been able to catch squirrels and chipmunks with these. Make sure you drill a hole in the corner and tie them off to tree or scrub encase you catch something bigger like a possum or rabbit. Really, unless you are experienced in snares and trapping, Rat traps are by far your BEST option for a game getting trap. They're cheap too - about $1.50 a trap.

Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice - This is another dinner suggestion, but it's my favorite "out in the field" meal. Zatarain's is New Orleans style cookin' in a box. The inside foil packet has everything inside and with 3 cups of water, you've got a LARGE meal for one person. You can add ANY extra (game) meat and the seasonings from this dish make it taste awesome! You'll find Zatarain's around the instant rice section of your grocery store. Oh, they have a fantastic Gumbo starter ; )

Firearm tools - Necessary disassembly/reassembly tools are: 6-1 Screwdriver $6 (#1 & #2 phillips heads and 1/4" & 3/15" flat head screwdrivers, 5/16" & 1/4" nut drivers and as your "hammer"), #8 steel nail, Jeweler's Screwdriver set $1 (misc small screwdrivers used as picks or "light" punches) and vice grips $3 (above). These will do most of the work you need in the field.

Tarp Shelters - Shelter is one of the single most important things you need to be able to do to survive in the wilderness. The energy involved to create the shelter is second only to collecting firewood. Tarps make easy and GOOD shelters - fast! Within a few minutes you can have a tarp shelter up (or down) and on to other survival necessities. Plastic tarps come in sizes 6' x 8' up and have reinforced tie rings for stability. Add a couple of steel tent stakes and some twine or rope and you're set. The picture right is one of my favorite types of tarp shelters. I can put one up in about 3 minutes (or less if I'm in a hurry). To make: Tie the top corner to a tree at about eye level. Stake the opposite corner down and spread out staking the last 2 corners - done!