Thread: Fire Starter, (Magnesium rods )

A few years ago my brother and I took his then 12yo boy for a hunt/camp down Clements Mill Road.
We had a go at lighting a fire with his fire starter and took a bit to find the right material to get it started.
Not something I would look forward to doing if suffering the onset of hypothermia.Using a lighter with shaking hands is hard enough.
Going to try the cotton wool and vasoline trick next weekend (at home)

Personally - I carry a lighter and a few fire lighters wrapped in glad wrap as my primary fire source. Also carry a box of waterproof matches and some bike inner tube. If all else fails - my cooker has a ignition spark on it - so I just fire that up and use that flame from there.

Or we could all just be like Bear Grills and stab your cell phone battery ...

The only time I have ever NEEDED to start a fire(long story but wrong side of flooded river pissing rain) the lighter i had been lighting my smokes with all day had died right when i really needed it. Got one going after a hour or so after pulling 5 factory CRIMPED 308 rounds out basically with my teeth.
Hence carrying 3 separate fire starting things now.

I think you are supposed to break the crimp by putting it in barrel end and working loose and then using a small piece of pull through cloth, or shirt tail or even the lint from your navel. Shoot the cotton wad through your rifle using one of the empty rounds [primer only] and you should have a smouldering rag to add to the stack of powder and twigs. Don't shoot the cotton at your powder stack as it will blow it to hell-and-gone.

No denying it can be done but it can be hard in NZ native bush when it has been pissing down for a week.