Month: January 2006

Survival Gun Selection

In my survivalist novel “Patriots”, I included lots of descriptions of firearms used in various situations in order to illustrate that there is no single “perfect survival gun.” Different situations are best handled by using different firearms. There are several requirements that must be considered in selecting guns for use on a farm, ranch, or survival retreat. First, and foremost, they must be versatile. A single gun might be pressed into service for shooting crows or starlings at 10 yards, rabbits or coyotes at 100 yards, or rattlesnakes at five feet. While there is no single gun that can handle …



Note From JWR:

Please send your entries for Round 2 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest soon!  The writer of the best article will win a four day course certificate at Front Sight. (An up to $2,000 value!)  The deadline for entries is the last day of January.


Carter County, Montana–Talk About Elbow Room!

I was recently doing some relocation research for a consulting client, and I came across a pretty amazing 960 acre ranch in the south-east corner of Montana.  It looked quite promising, but unfortunately it is down-wind of Yellowstone (with a remote chance of becoming a super caldera) downwind of Montana’s missile fields, and just a bit up wind of South Dakota’s missile fields.  The client decided to pass on this one–given its locale, and his personal TEOTWAWKI scenario. Thus, it put me at liberty to mention it here in SurvivalBlog. If you are not concerned about a full scale tit-for-tat …


Letter Re: Dome Homes as Survival Retreats

Mr. Rawles, I really enjoy and appreciate the articles on your website which include information not otherwise available and which are very helpful in my efforts to develop a self sufficient rural life style that will survive the coming earth changes, and weather and financial disasters that may engulf the economy over the next few years. I recently contracted for and occupied a 40 foot diameter geodesic dome home with an all concrete shell. My wife and I have lived in it for two years and we love it. These homes can be beautiful, strong and very functional. My home …


Letter Re: Washington’s Retreat Potential

Sir: I may have something to add concerning Washington’s [retreat potential] ranking. I just left there last year and my experience has shown it have not only the Cali- syndrome but a lot of [liberal out-of-staters that have moved there are] are “Washingtonians In Name Only” (WINOs.) For married folks who have a relationship that is faltering, it is not good to be a man in Washington right now. The recent Brame shooting has given a wonderful opportunity for immature, greedy spouses to dump their hubbies into the prison system on trumped up domestic violence charges. Finding conventional work and …


Letter Re: Finnish Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R Rifles

Jim: Regarding the Finnish Model 1939 Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R Rifles being sold by AIM Surplus (See: http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_Finnish_Model_1939_Mosin_Nagant_7.62x54R_Rifle.html) I was wondering what you thought of this rifle? Thanks, – Straightblast JWR Replies: Those are fine rifles, and the Russian 7.62×54 Rimmed cartridges (the same rounds used for the Dragunov) are cheap, fairly plentiful (mainly corrosively primed military surplus loads, however) and it hits about as hard as .30-06. The biggest detractor is that sporterizing parts for Mosins are much more limited than for Mausers. Rechambering is also more difficult. Quite a few of the Finnish M1939s were re-arsenalized using pre-1899 actions. …



The Best Pre-1899 Bolt Action?

I strongly believe that every prepared family ought to have one or two Federally exempt pre-1899 guns. Why? There may come a time in the near future when legislation will dictate nationwide gun registration.  But pre-1899s will presumably be exempt. To explain: Guns made in or before 1898 aren’t classified as “firearms” under the Federal law. They haven’t been, ever since 1968.  They are outside of Federal jurisdiction. Because of their very small numbers, in the eyes of legislators they are a trivial “non-issue.”  In the envisioned era that you are forced to either bury or register the rest of the …


From #1 Son: Stocking up on Home Schooling Curricula

An important item to remember to purchase in advance if you have children is extra home schooling supplies. You may remember trigonometry, but could you teach it to your children without any materials? If you self-quarantine your family because of a flu pandemic it will be nearly impossible to acquire books or other supplies. Post-TEOTWAWKI, after your generation is gone, advanced math and science will be rare and valuable skills.


Letter Re: Buying a Retreat Property and a Peak Oil Reference

I am fairly new to your blog, having been introduced by BulletProofMe.com. I have enjoyed reading it every now and then, and have been preparing for quite some time now. So you can imagine, I have most if not all the things you are talking about EXCEPT the place outside the cities, but that is being worked on as I write this, and HOPEFULLY we will buy some land soon. Just looking for the right place. Switching gears, I found some interesting information on Peak Oil, and why cheap oil is over forever. See the transcript available at: http://www.financialsense.com/fsn/BP/2005/1022.html – …



Note From JWR:

Please send me your favorite quotes and I’ll post them as “Quotes of the Day.” Today we present another entry for Round 2 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best article will win a four day course certificate at Front Sight. (An up to $2,000 value!)  The deadline for entries is the last day of January, 2006.


The Flea Market Survivalist, by C.G. in N.C.

Skill and etiquette in the process of bartering can be a plus today or in a future time when the world could be completely different. In that future time your local mass marketing chain may not be in business. You may have to resort to barter. I loved the scene in Mr. Rawles’s book, “Patriots”, when the group goes to the local barter faire with a handful of .22 cartridges and some pre-1965 dimes. I can’t recall everything they got, but for their initial, pre-TEOTWAWKI investment, they came out way ahead. I have to confess to being a flea market …


Letter From a UK Survivalist

Dear Jim: I am a UK-based wilderness survival instructor and have been enthusiastically reading the content of your website as well as your postings on FALFiles for some time. Although bushcraft and wilderness survival has become quite a popular subject in this country over recent years, the UK does not have a strong Preparedness/ Survivalist movement at the present time. Something that I believe is partly to do with the Media perception of survivalists as paranoid nutcases. However, through my work as a bushcraft and wilderness skills instructor I have recently noticed a marked increase in the number of “normal” …