Month: November 2006

Letter Re: Advice on 5.56mm, Versus 6.8mm, Versus 7.62mm Rifles?

Sir: I’ve been a member of a survival retreat group for about a year. A member told me to contact you. I am finally going to purchase a rifle (not for hunting). I read where the [U.S.] military is really unhappy with the 5.56 and the possibility of changing to the 6.8mm Remington. I like the idea of something larger than the 5.56mm and smaller than the 7.62mm. Is it possible the military will make this change and how soon? I am only going to buy one rifle. What are the disadvantages of buying the 6.8mm? Sincerely, – R.S. JWR …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Are you planning to put a pair of walkie talkies under the Christmas tree this year? My #1 Son recently mentioned: “Why should people get their kids cheap 500 milliwatt ‘toy’ walkie talkies, or even 1 watt FRS radios when you can instead get them more practical 2 watt MURS radios? That will be a gift that they can keep and use in their adult lives.” (I think that he was broadly hinting that he wants a pair for himself.)    o o o A reader penned this thank you: “I just got another 100% Merino extra fine wool sweater …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Do not try to live on your enemies’ terms or to win at a game where they’re setting the rules. Do not seek the favor of those who enslaved you, do not beg for alms from those who have robbed you, be it subsidies, loans or jobs, do not join their team to recoup what they’ve taken by helping them rob your neighbors.” – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged


Note From JWR:

Today we present another article submitted for Round 7 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Since there have been so many great entries in this round of the contest, I will also be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. If you want a chance to win Round 7, …


How Long Until You Starve?, by Mr. Yankee

How long would you survive if you could never buy groceries again? Now consider how much worse that scenario would be if everyone you know was faced with the same question. It may have more relevance than you think. The food distribution system in industrialized nations has a complexity which baffles the mind. Thousands of suppliers coordinate with thousands of distributors to send food to millions of retailers for billions of consumers. But is there enough redundancy in the system to ensure the continued viability of commercially delivered food to your table? What if that incredibly complex system bottlenecked or …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A plan to monetize the one ounce “Libertad” silver coin.    o o o Reader J.H. mentioned this article: Israelis put nuclear bunkers in gardens    o o o There are some interesting ongoing threads of discussion over at the CometGold Forums, particularly in the Options/Derivatives Forum. Methinks that late 2006 and early 2007 may be very interesting times for the precious metals markets.



Letter Re: Advice on Avoiding Retreat Gear Entropy

Mr. Rawles: My question to you is: How can I plan ahead for everything eventually wearing out at my farm/retreat, assuming we could expect a decades-long “Deep Schumer” situation? Everything I own seems sure-as-anything to fall victim to entropy. Tools eventually wear out, things rust, things break, nuts and bolts come loose and get lost in the weeds. Those lousy blue tarps only seem to only last about a year. Last weekend I went to go sit in my yard chair and I fell right through the [expletive deleted] plastic webbing, which had sun rotted. My kids laughed at me, …


Letter Re: My Experience at the RWVA Mingus, Texas Shoot

Hi James, I wanted to share my experience at the Revolutionary War Veterans Association’s Mingus, Texas Appleseed Army Qualification Target (AQT) [high power rifle] shoot last weekend (10/28/06-10/29/06), held at the excellent Tac-Pro Shooting Center. For those that don’t know, RWVA is an organization that promotes/teaches Americans marksmanship skills using military rifles and ball ammo. A fine gentleman known as “Fred” (of Fred’s M14 Stocks fame) spearheads the Appleseed Project. They have begun holding Appleseed shoots at different ranges throughout the country with the intent of teaching shooters how to improve their marksmanship using an Army Qualification Target. Fred gave …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader “The Rabid One” mentioned that chemical light sticks can be set up with a discarded computer CD as a reflector mount. This mounting arrangement can create very visible markers for trails. helicopter landing zones, et cetera. Employing infrared light sticks in this manner (for use with night vision goggles) opens up even more possibilities. You can even make them directional. “The Rabid One” quipped: “I knew I would someday find a use for all those free AOL CDs.” (Some uses for CDs are not just comical. They do make effective reflectors for scaring birds from gardens and orchards.) …



Notes From JWR:

The high bid is now at $100 in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce autographed first edition copy of the book Survival Guns by Mel Tappan. The auction ends on November 15th. Please submit your bid via e-mail. Today we present another article for Round 7 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If you …


Fireless Cooking in an Crock Pot Adapted Ice Chest, by

When young and adventurous, we enjoyed family tent camping. We sneered at the “wimps” who used trailers—even including those who used camping trailers. We were purists. One year, a friend loaned us a few days of relaxation in his 16 foot travel trailer. A revelation! This was living! We learned that deprivation was not nearly as much fun as it was to be camping with all the amenities. It was made even more clear as we watched the folks in the next campsite while they stood around in a drizzle waiting for their Coleman stove to heat up water for …


Letter Re: Yugoslavian Surplus M48 Mauser Rifles

Jim, I recently purchased a M48 Yugoslavian Mauser (manufactured on German tooling during and after WWII) from AIM Surplus for $109.99. [JWR Adds: These can sometimes be found for as little as $100 from discount sporting goods stores such as Big 5, and at guns shows.] In my opinion this is a great deal. I purchased one of these a few years ago and it was in nearly new condition, bore bright and shiny and the action smooth, stock in excellent condition. As many who have purchased these know, these are very good shooters and an excellent low cost rifle. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that investors and central banks are both shifting away from the U.S. dollar and toward the Euro.    o o o In Clean Politics, Flesh Is Pressed, Then Sanitized    o o o I heard that Ready Made Resources now stocks the excellent video “Sheltering In Place – Surviving Acts of Terrorism from Biological, Chemical and Radioactive Fallout.” (North American format DVD and NTSC format VHS tapes. Sorry, no PAL format tapes or European format DVDs are available.) The video normally retails for $29 plus postage, but Ready Made Resources sells it for …