Notes From JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser: CivilDefenseSupplies.com. Be sure to visit their site an check out their wide range of products, including 72-Hour Survival Kits, Communications Equipment, Emergency Foods, Lighting, Emergency Water, First Aid, and Night Vision Gear. Welcome aboard! Because I will be traveling on behalf of a consulting client, I will not be taking any new mail orders from October 24th to November 8th. Thanks for your patience. During this time I will of course still be making my daily blog posts. (I’ve never missed day, and I don’t intend to!)




Storing Coal for Home Heating at Your Retreat

James; One thing I haven’t seen discussed at SurvivalBlog is coal. It is an excellent survival fuel. I would recommend purchasing ten tons of coal for your survival retreat. When the SHTF, you would basically have over a three year supply of energy, with no trees to chop. Best of all, there are no storage problems. You can leave it in a pile, or bury it in a hole. It will keep and will not degrade. Coal is very cheap. If possible, get a low sulfur anthracite coal. However, if your budget is tight, you can get a higher sulfur …




Letter Re: Ammunition Handloading Basics

Jim, I just got an order I sent for a couple days ago. 240gr. .44 cast bullets. It is my first time dealing there, but they look great, everything they are supposed to be. I got them from http://www.prettygoodbullets.com/ They also have .38, .40, and .45. I have been reloading for years, mostly pistol calibers. A good way for a newbie to start would be with a [hand held] Lee Loader. It is low-tech, and slow, but quality ammo can be made this way. All that is required besides the components, (primers, powder, and projectiles) is a soft mallet, and …




Odds ‘n Sods:

“Its called a cricothyrotomy not a tracheotomy…” I’ve noticed the new Jericho television series has sparked some interesting threads of conversation at The FAL Files, AR-15.com, and many other Internet forums. SurvivalBlog’s frequent content contributor Rourke has even started a Jericho-dedicated Yahoo discussion group. Check it out. OBTW, we don’t own a television here at the Rawles Ranch, so don’t ask me my opinion about the series, or anything else on television for that matter. (We only watch “Elk-evision”, from our porch.)    o o o The Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper published a recent “scare tactics” article by Tom Paulson …