• TASK: Jump start a dead car battery in order to ensure that the care can drive.
• CONDITIONS: Given a car with a dead battery, a car with a working battery, and a set of jumper cables.
• STANDARD: You must be able to correctly connect the battery terminals to start a dead car battery.

If you’re in a hurry and just want a quick reference for how to jump start a car, here is a quick list of the steps to take to do that:

• Working red to dead red.
• Working black to dead frame.
• Start working car.
• Wait 3-5 minutes.
• Start dead car.
• Test drive to verify charge holds.

Position and Prepare
Park the car with the working battery next to the car with the dead battery so that the jumper cables can reach from one battery to the other. The best way to do this is to park so that the cars face each other.

Turn both cars off and open their hoods so that you can identify the battery’s positive (+) and negative (-) terminals. Remove any covering or grime on the terminal so that you can access the metal of the terminal. The positive terminal typically has a red cover, cap, or other identifying component.

Jumper cables typically have a set of red clamps and black clamps. If your set of cables are not color coded, it’s up to you to keep track of which clamp is attached to which terminal.

Connect the Terminals
Attach one of the red jumper cable clamps to the red positive (+) terminal on the dead battery and then attach the other red jumper cable clamp to the red positive (+) terminal on the working battery.

Attach one of the black jumper cable clamps to the black negative (-) terminal on the working battery and then attach the other black jumper cable clamp to a bare metal component inside the engine compartment of the car with the dead battery. Connecting the negative terminals likely won’t harm the car, but if the battery is leaking hydrogen gas, a spark can ignite it.

Start the Engine
Start the car with the working battery and let it run for 3-5 minutes. Then try to start the car with the dead battery. If it doesn’t work, wait another 3-5 minutes and try again. Revving the engine on the working car while trying to start the dead battery can help.

If the dead battery doesn’t start, check the connections between the clamps and the terminals. Also consult the owner’s manual to see how to access the fuses. There is typically a fuse panel and replacement fuses.

Wrap It Up
If the dead battery starts up again, you can disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order that you connected them. While any clamps are still attached, make sure the other clamps do not touch each other.

Close and latch the hoods of both cars. Let the car with the previously dead battery run for a few minutes, then take it on a short test drive to ensure that the charge holds.

If the charge doesn’t hold, it’s time to call a tow truck or mechanic.

Sources

• Art of Manliness

• TASK: Safely handle, fire, and clean a firearm in order to become familiar and confident with a firearm.
• CONDITIONS: Given a firearm, ammunition, a cleaning kit, a target, and a firing range.
• STANDARD: You must be able to safely handle, fire and clean a firearm.

Always treat every firearm as though it is ready to fire.

Only point a firearm at things you intend to destroy.

Your safety and the safety of those around you is ultimately your responsibility. These instructions do not encompass all scenarios or situations. You are required to exercise common sense and good decision making skills. If you see an unsafe act, call it out. If you get called out for an unsafe act, correct it.

There are many, many different kinds of firearms each with it’s own unique technical requirements, capabilities, and techniques. It’s impossible to detail them all here. Instead, we’ll focus on the practices that are common to all firearms.

Every range will have a Range Safety Officer (RSO). If the RSO gives any instructions that contradict these instructions, follow the RSO’s instructions. It’s the RSO’s job to make sure that the range is conducted safely.
​
Handling

• Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction. Down range or at the ground is typically the safest direction.
• Keep your finger straight and off the trigger.
• Engage the safety if the firearm has one. The safety is typically a button, switch or lever that when NOT engaged (ready to fire) you see a red marking where you would otherwise not see one if the safety WAS engaged (not ready to fire).
• Unload the firearm. The method for doing this is unique to each type of firearm.
  • Semi-auto - Remove the magazine and work the action to clear the chamber.
  • Revolver - Open the cylinder and eject the ammunition.
  • Pump-action shotgun - Rack the slide to eject all the shells.
  • Breach-loaded shotgun - Open the breach and eject the shells.
  • Bolt-action rifle - Work the bolt to eject all the shells.
• Inspect the chamber to ensure that empty and remove any rounds that are present.

Sources

• National Shooting Sports Foundation
• NSSF - New Shooters

• TASK: Grill a hamburger in order to ensure that you can feed yourself and your friends at a barbecue.
• CONDITIONS: Given a barbecue, charcoals, lighter fluid, matches or lighter, a burger flipper, a wire brush, a thawed hamburger patty, a hamburger bun, additional toppings and condiments.
• STANDARD: You must be able to cook and serve a hamburger.

Barbecuing a burger is easy to do, but difficult to master. Just practicing this skill means that you get to spend time with your friends and eat a burger when you’re done. It’s a win-win either way.

Prep the Grill
There are other types of fuel besides charcoal, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll only address charcoal barbecues in this set of instructions.

• Pour charcoal from the bag into the barbecue so that it forms as vertical a pile as possible.
• If the coals don’t come with soaked in lighter fluid, add some to the pile of coals.
• Light the coals and let them burn.
• Wait until the flame burns down and the coals turn white before putting a burger on the grill.

Grill the Burgers
Be sure to wait until the coals have stopped burning and have started turning white. If you start too early, your burgers will taste like charcoal and lighter fluid.

• Place the hamburger patty on the grill and close the lid.
• Check every 3-5 minutes.
• Use the flipper to flip the burger when juices gather on the top.
• Check the burgers every 3-5 minutes until the meat in the center of the burger is no longer pink.

Enjoy your Burgers
During the 3-5 minute checks, you should be prepping the buns and condiments so that you can serve your burgers as soon as they’re ready. Add whatever toppings and condiments you want and enjoy!

Clean Up
To clean up, wait for the charcoals to completely burn out and turn to ash. This can take several hours. When the grill is cold, you should use a wire brush to scrub the patty residue off of the grill so that it’s ready for next time.

• TASK: Cook a meal in order to ensure that you are able to eat something besides cereal for breakfast.
• CONDITIONS: Given a pan, a stove, a spatula, a pair of tongs, a mixing bowl, a whisk or spoon for stirring, a pad of butter, 2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, half a cup of pancake mix, and water.
• STANDARD: You must be able to cook bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes.

The most difficult part of cooking breakfast is timing everything so that it all finishes at about the same time but without overcooking anything. You can cook things in parallel if you have multiple heating elements and multiple pans or a large enough pan, but be sure to shift between the bacon and eggs regularly as it’s easy to lose track of time and burn one or the other or both! The pancakes are the most forgiving of being ignored so if you decide to cook in parallel, focus on the eggs, the bacon, and then the pancakes.

Bacon
Cook time is about 10 minutes

• Turn the stove heating element to medium heat.
• Check the readiness of the pan by flicking drops of water onto the surface of the pan about every minute. Once the water drops boil on contact with the pan, it’s ready for the bacon.
• Lay your strips of bacon on the pan
• Enjoy the sizzle and the smell
• Use the tongs to flip the bacon every few minutes until you’re happy that it’s cooked to the consistency you prefer, but keep in mind that the bacon will firm up and darken when it cools.
• Remove the bacon from the stove and place it on a napkin so that excess grease can drain.
• Either safely dispose of the grease OR leave it in the pan and use it to make dirty eggs.

Scrambled Eggs
Cook time is about 5-10 minutes. Slower and at a lower heat is better.

• Turn the stove heating element to low heat.
• Put the pad of butter or bacon grease in the pan to melt.
• Crack the eggs into a small bowl or cup and mix them.
• Once the butter or bacon grease is melted, pour the mixed eggs into the pan.
• Stir every 30 to 60 seconds. You can go longer, but I’ve found that the more frequently you stir the eggs, the better they taste.
• Optionally, add cheese to the eggs as you stir.
• Once the eggs have firmed up to the desired consistency, remove them from the stove.

Pancakes
Each side takes about 5 minutes to cook.

• Turn the stove heating element to medium-high heat.
• Put the pancake mix in the mixing bowl and add water. You can eyeball the amount of water. If your mixture is runny, then the pancakes end up thin. If your mixture is thick, then the pancakes end up fluffy.
• Pour the pancake mixture onto the pan so that it forms the shape and size of the pancake you want.
• Optionally, add blueberries or chocolate chips to the pancake right after pouring it.
• Keep an eye on the cooking pancake. When bubbles start to form on the top side, flip the pancake.
• After flipping it, give the pancake about 5 minutes and remove it from the pan.