Month: March 2007


Notes from JWR:

I just received another case (10 copies) of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery. This book is a “must” for the bookshelf of every well-prepared family. For any of you that would like to buy several copies for gifts, for the next 10 days I’m offering special discounts on quantity purchases. See my mail order catalog for details. Today we present another article submitted for Round 9 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This one is from a certified Glock Armorer. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable …


Ensuring Glock Pistol Reliability, by Frank Hawkins

Failure to go “bang” when you need it is a frustrating experience that could produce a sinking feeling in your stomach if the situation is desperate enough. For the Glock pistol, this failure is rare, but it does happen. If you keep your Glock clean, then debris won’t be the problem. With a clean Glock, failure to fire is because of the failure of one (or both) of two different springs: the Trigger Spring or the Firing Pin Spring. Original Equipment Manufactured (OEM) Glock parts seldom fail. Such failure usually has one of several antecedents: (1) someone has replaced the …


Letter Re: Stocking Up on Augmentin–the Antibiotic of Choice

Jim: I’m somewhat reluctant to offer blanket medical advice to non-patients, but after reading SF in Hawaii’s comments about Augmentin (Amoxicillin-clavulanate) bears comment. There is no ‘one best antibiotic’ for all purposes. Antibiotics have to be administered based on the specific type of bacteria causing an infection. Administering the wrong antibiotic doesn’t just not work, it causes bacteria that are not killed outright to become resistant to it – which can cause problems down the road. People have pathogenic bacteria in and on them all the time, when something causes them to go out of balance and cause disease. At …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Jon H. forwarded an article that indicates that the mainstream media may be catching a clue on food storage preparedness: The emergency fund you can eat   o o o Matt B. sent a link to this video on how to escape from handcuffs, using a bobby pin. (The chances of being handcuffed by looters or home invasion robbers is small, but you never know what might happen.)    o o o Feds say Family has No Rightful Claim to 1933 ‘Double Eagle’ Gold Coins. What ever happened to our legal system’s foundational presumption of innocence?



Note from JWR:

Congrats to David C., the high bidder in the most recent SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. It was kindly donated by the fine folks at Schecter Guitar Research. Today, we are beginning a new auction, this auction is for several items that are being auctioned together as a lot: 1.) A late-1940s-vintage Airline brand all vacuum tube (highly EMP resistant) AM tabletop radio in a attractive bakelite cabinet. It works very well. and, 2.) A special five book package including: one autographed copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, one autographed copy …


Letter Re: Selecting a Retreat Location in Australia, by Mike McD.

Jim: 1) I traveled around Australia for several weeks a few years ago. Australia’s main problem as a survival retreat is shown by a comparison of its population with that of its neighbors to the north: a) Australia: 20.5 million b) Neighbors: 1,869 Million ( China: 1,321 million, Indonesia: 223 million , Vietnam: 85 million, Malaysia: 27 million, Philippines: 85 million, Japan: 128 million ) Note that the invasion route to Australia from Asia is a chain of islands with short distances between them. Australia would probably have been occupied by the Japanese in WWII if not for the US …


Four Letters Re: Comments on High Capacity .45 ACP Pistols

James: You asked for comments on the Taurus 24/7, so I thought I would give you my opinion. The major appeal of this gun to me was the price. I got mine for about $315 brand new with three magazines. Aside from price, the other deciding factor was the ergonomics. With the Ribber grip, the gun is very comfortable to hold and to shoot. Since I bought the gun for my wife, who has small hands, this was a major factor. The manual safety was also important to my wife, although I don’t find them necessary if you know what …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I mentioned this site about a year ago: Glock 21 Torture Test. But since then, the author has expanded his web page to describe his more recent tests, including driving over the Glock, and dropping it out of an airplane.   o o o Farmers Told “Don’t Panic Over Iowa [Soybean] Rust Discovery”    o o o Michael A. sent us this link to the calendar of scheduled Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) resets, from analysts at Credit Suisse. Michael’s comments: “The sub-primes are especially scary. I doubt many of them will be able to roll into a new mortgage given …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the last day of bidding in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. The high bid is now at $400. This is an awesome guitar that is decorated in a military aviation theme, from Schecter’s Tempest series. It has a $729 retail value. It was kindly donated by the fine folks at Schecter Guitar Research. The auction ends at midnight tonight. (March 15th.) Just e-mail me your bid. Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Green Mountain Gear, in Vermont. They sell a broad line of tactical field gear, MOLLE gear, trauma kits, …


Letter Re: Honey–Storage Life, Crystallization, Storage Quantities, and Medicinal Uses

Jim: I was at Costco this week and paid particular attention to the bulk honey supplies they had . (I was buying a few 96 ounce jugs of Clover brand honey – good stuff). I had last purchased some of the same honey two months ago. It is now up nearly 80 cents from that time. In speaking to a friend who is involved in honey sales and production of bee related product, waxes, etc, they are very concerned about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and declines in the [bee] populations. They agree with points made at Survivalblog that prices will …


Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Springfield Armory XD Pistols

Hi Jim, I am grateful for your suggestion of the [Springfield Armory] XD in 45 ACP. I hadn’t heard of it before and the price is appealing. Could you take a few minutes to address the “cons” listed at Wikipedia? That would be much appreciated! – Eric M. JWR Replies: As you will see in the following paragraphs, I’m now having serious second thoughts about suggesting the XD pistols for a survival battery. The following are the XD “Cons” mentioned in Wikipedia (in orange text). My comments are in-line: * Though some parts can be purchased through aftermarket suppliers, Springfield …


Letter Re: The Psychology of Denial in the Information Age

Jim: Good morning. I don’t know that I have seen any discussion on your blog on the psychology of denial–why folks aren’t more prepared. I acknowledge that it may not be the most vital topic, and that you are doing your part to get the word out, but I correspond to you on this topic in sheer frustration. Let me be more specific. I have friends and family members who make serious money in their chosen professions, many of whom are in the finance sector. Yet, when I raise the barest reference to preparation and our fragile infrastructure, it’s like …