Month: October 2006

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 …



Note From JWR:

Today’s first article is a forwarded piece, penned by John Farnham, a well-respected firearms instructor in the U.S. His school is just one of a handful that I consider qualified to teach truly. practical firearms shooting. (Based upon personal experience my favorite is Front Sight. I haven’t yet attended any of Farnham’s training, but I’ve heard that it is great.)


What If?, by John Farnham

What if? Here is the “What if?” question that is silently circulating among federal agencies: Israel is currently fighting, as far as it is concerned, for its very national existence. Few in Israel don’t believe that every, last Israeli ( man, woman, child) in the entire county will be casually massacred, in place, when Iran/Hezbollah successfully invades. When that happens, all of Western Europe will do little more than scratch itself! Israel has not a friend in the world, save the USA, and the UK. Curious that the same people who don’t think the United States should be fighting terrorists …


Letter Re: A Positive Experience at Front Sight

Mr. Rawles: I just got back from a Two Day Defensive Handgun course from Front Sight. I contacted them after reading about their school at your blog, and they said that their best advertising was by ‘word of mouth’ , and if I was interested, they would give me a free two day course, so naturally there was no way I could refuse. I attended from 6 to 8 Oct. and was awed by their professionalism. A truly unique experience. I have nothing but great comments for the school. Thank you for the info. Please feel free to quote me …


Letter Re: Field Gear for Kids

Dear Jim, Our family camps quite a bit for re-enactments, so the kids are used to fairly rough conditions. They have appropriate gear for most eras from Viking to US Civil War. However, my daughter went on her first Brownie campout this weekend. She has sleeping bag, backpack (which was a full load for her at 20 lbs), spare clothes, first aid kit, Surefire and pocket light, walkie talkies and teddy bear. She also always insists on taking a couple of bottles of water. (She selected all this stuff. I’m very proud of my 8 year old.) It would be …


Odds ‘n Sods:

One of my recent web searches turned up this interesting site: Owl’s Nest Plantation–a supplier of herbs and spices, in bulk quantities.   o o o Administration Iraq Study Group considers a partitioned Iraq. Don’t they remember what happened when Pakistan was partitioned from India?   o o o Reader D.W. sent us a link regarding the collapse of the Amaranth Advisors derivatives trading firm: A $6 billion gamble gone bad. Here is a quote from the article: “The hedge fund Amaranth Advisors, which is preparing to shut down after losing more than $6 billion because of bad energy trades, …



Note from JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser: Inirgee, a low voltage lighting mail order firm in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. You may wonder what 12 VDC Christmas lights have to do with survival. But think this through: Using part or all of a string of LED lights is ideal for survival lighting with a minimal power source. Just one small photovoltaic panel and a pair of 6 VDC golf cart (deep cycle) batteries can provide you with lighting, communications gear, a police scanner, and a small battery charging tray. This sort of setup is ideal for either someone that is on a tight …


Letter Re: Advice on Ammunition and Precious Metals for Barter?

Mr. Rawles, I recently read your post about your attending a coin show in California. What are your recommendations for getting started in collecting a few gold coins in case the monetary system collapses (I don’t have the foggiest idea how to begin)? How much should I purchase, what types, and in what quantities? I assume that having a couple extra cases of shotgun shells and a few boxes of .22 [rimfire] rounds will also go a long way in a barter environment (not to mention a water filter or two.) Any advice or direction that you can share would …


The Ultralight Bug-Out Bag, by Hawaiian K.

Editor’s Note: The following article presents a distinctly different approach to packs than that recently recommended by FDG in his two part article. While FDG recommended a lightweight approach, “Hawaiian K.” recommends and “ultralight” approach. Both approaches have their merits. What you select may depend on the severity /duration of your anticipated scenario(s) as well as the distance to your intended retreat or back-up retreat. Another variable is your fitness/health in general, and the condition of your back in particular. As they say in the car commercials: “Your mileage my vary.” (YMMV.) One of the most common topics of conversation …


Letter Re: Prospects for the UK after TEOTWAWKI

Jim, “PJ”s letter concerning rising crime in the UK seems to pin it directly on the poor, the Traveller Community and immigrants. The “Traveller Community” for example, isn’t just made up of “gypsies”, many white, middle class kids are joining it because they regard life in the UK as becoming increasingly twisted due to misplaced priorities (which is hard to argue with). By the way, I just read today that ethnic “gypsies” have asked for recognition of their own holocaust during WWII, something that is conveniently forgotten by people like PJ who need to have a foreign scapegoat to blame …