Year: 2006

Special Note from JWR:

I am pleased to report that the new expanded 33 chapter edition of my survivalist novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” is finally now orderable from the publisher, XLibris. Sorry about the long delay, but the publishing process is agonizingly slow. Until recently, the earlier 31 chapter edition of the book from Huntington House had been out of print, and it was getting very scarce. Prices range from $29 to $345 each! (The book went out of print when the publisher went out of business.) Now is your chance to order a few copies of the new edition in time …


Letter Re: Barter as an Investment and a Hedge

While barter for necessities is one possibility, barter for wealth is another. A poor man with a small investment in an essential TEOTWAWKI item can magnify his wealth. If you are not in a position to outfit yourself with the food/weapons/tools you would like now, consider a barter investment. Something you can get cheaply now, and then trade for the items that are currently out of your budget. When choosing barter goods for storage, consider seven things. Original cost, size, availability, need, divisibility, verification, and indestructibility. Items stored for barter should: (1) Have a very low initial cost. In this …


Letter Re: Tire Spikes for Home Retreat Defense

Hello James, In regards to the recent post toward driveway security strips, or "spike strips" I think of another possibility to the construction in using a 2×6. I would consider fabricating the base out of treated 3/4" plywood. Not only is this already somewhat camouflage, it will take the years of abuse that weather will give it. I envision a design in which the upper three or four layers that are glued together with construction adhesive, (preferably a polyurethane adhesive like PL Pro), and then drilled for insertion of spikes. Then, apply an additional layer with a width of approximately …


Two Letters Re: An M1A Rifle Goes Ka-boom!

Dear Jim, I don’t suspect a squib load as the problem for the M1A. A squib in a gas-operated semi-auto generally means no cycling of the bolt or ejection, which always indicates a problem. While there’s a link to an analysis that shows a flawed barrel, and I agree with it from the images shown, I also suspect an ammunition problem. Consider that from the image, the chamber split, and split fast. No bulge, no crack, just a boom. This indicates a substantial overpressure in the chamber. There are likely several things that can cause this. Two that come to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Tom at www.CometGold.com sent this link: More than half of all equities trading in the US will be done using algorithmic dealing systems by the end of 2010.    o o o A clever nuke blast mapping tool, posted by Kurt, by way of Rourke at the Jericho Discussion Group.    o o o Rich at KT Ordnance mentioned that there’s now a proposal to ban BB guns in Massachusetts. Complete with a BB gun amnesty period, and a BB gun “buyback” program. I will refrain from commenting on Taxachusetts politics. I might lapse into saying something un-Christian.  



Notes from JWR:

Our thanks to “RSF”, the high bidder in the recent auction for the autographed first edition of Survival Guns, by Mel Tappan. Today we are starting a new auction, for a big batch of survival books, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. Today we present yet 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. …


Making Traditional Cordage in North America, by Ron

This article is about cordage, one of the most used and necessary items for day-to-day life. Other than sinew, catgut, and rawhide, early man made his rope and string from more readily available plant material. Certain plant fibers were able to stand up to water emersion and made excellent nets and fishing line. Animal fibers, such as sinew and catgut, would stretch or unravel when wet and were more difficult to procure. Plant fibers were so much more abundant and easier to process; this left sinew and catgut for sewing, bow backing, arrow making and other arts requiring a strong, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson sent us this piece: What’s the Story on Silver Coin Melts & Coin Premiums?    o o o Hawgtax forwarded this one from The Associated Press: Tyson Foods sees higher meat prices as cost of corn feed rises. It begins: “Tyson Foods Inc., the world’s largest meat processor, warned Monday that rising corn prices could mean U.S. consumers will have to pay more for chicken, beef and pork next year as it ended its fiscal year with a third straight quarterly loss.”    o o o A tip of the hat to SurvivalBlog reader “Redmist” who contributed …



Note from JWR:

The high bid is now at $150 in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, It is for a scarce autographed first edition copy of the book Survival Guns by Mel Tappan. The auction ends an midnight, eastern time tonight (November 15th.) Please submit your bid via e-mail.


Letter Re: Emergency Shelter Air Filtration

Most of the modern home vacuum cleaners have pretty decent high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in them nowadays. Assuming you still have power (a big if) you could seal a room to the best of your ability and leave your vacuum cleaners running (with the air intakes off the floor). If you have a bag type, remember to put a new bag in. Presto, filtered air, McGyver style. If all you have is an older style vacuum cleaner with no filter, then put a damp rag (and keep it damp) over the air intake, but be careful not to …


Letter Re: Some Useful British Survival Web Sites

Mr Rawles, Here are a few British sites that may be of interest I found while looking at a fan site for an old TV series called Survivors which was written by Terry Nation, who also created Dr. Who for the BBC. The BBC Survivors series was made back in the 1970’s and while the technology and BBC aversion to realistic weaponcraft might make many of you readers weep (myself included) the themes and storylines of a group of middle class English people who survive a plague that kills all but 1 in 10,000 people are timeless. Along with Andre …


Three Letters Re: Bullet Casting: A (Relatively) Simple Introduction, by AVL

Hi Jim, I have two notes regarding casting your own bullets (or any other metal for that matter): First: One piece of safety equipment that you really should have on hand when casting any metal is dry sand. Make sure you have at least 25 pounds of dry sand at the ready. If there is a metal spill, dump the sand on it and it will contain the flow and cool it quickly, plus it will cut of the supply of oxygen, preventing fire. Second: A fire extinguisher is good to have to put out fires, but with molten metal …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Michael Z. Williamson found this interesting thread about ethanol, over at the Practical Machinist forums.    o o o The EROEI debate on Canadian Oil Sands. Should they use nuclear or natural gas energy to develop oil sands?    o o o Well, the Democrats didn’t waste much time in flexing their new majority muscles.