Year: 2007

Odds ‘n Sods:

A new low-cost firearms training organization is up and running: The Western Rifle Shooters Association. Check out their blog site. They have lots of free resources, such as downloadable rifle training videos, and training manuals in PDF.    o o o S.F. in Hawaii and RBS both sent us this one: Man dies of thirst during survival test    o o o RBS also mentioned these two articles US Housing Bubble Meltdown: “Is it too late to get out?”, and Hedge fund risks worst since ’98 crisis, Fed says   o o o When a reader sends me a link, …



Note from JWR:

I just got an update from Rob Ashton at Green Mountain Gear about the “SurvivalBlog Group Buy” for new-in-the-wrapper military contract C-Products M16/AR-15 30 round magazines that was announced in late March: The Group Buy orders should be shipping next week. This matches the original ETA that was given by the manufacturer. For any of you that have never been involved in a group buy before, be advised that it often takes two months before you will receive your merchandise, since all of the group buy orders must be paid for before the deal can be finalized. Thanks for your …


Letter Re: Be Prepared to Perform Tooth Extractions

The recent discussion on dental care started me thinking, and I had to again survey and inventory my supplies. My medical supplies are in good shape but my dental supplies were sadly lacking. Consisting of only Eugenol, temporary filling material and dental wax. So I started by downloading “Where There is No Dentist” from this site: http://www.inteldaily.com/. It is on the right under free books. After reading a bit and seeing the book advises the same tools as the previous post. I started searching for dental tools. The auction sites, and supply houses have some high prices. $45-to-$90 per tool. …


Letter Re: The Importance of Proper Hearing Protection

JWR, I was having a discussion tonight with a friend of mine who has his own plans. One of the things that came up is those other things we may be missing from our “duty equipment”. It’s great to have rifles, pistols, magazines, bullet proof vests, gas masks and all the other kit. But the one thing we were both missing was hearing protection. While some people may argue that the damage done to the ears during a gunfight is “minimal”. If you are firing your MBR in indoor conditions, you will be in some very serious pain in a …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sid mentioned the Space Weather web site, which had been mentioned at least once before in SurvivalBlog. This site has great information on close-call asteroids, solar flare predictions, and so forth.    o o o Rookie found a link to an interesting story about firearms ownership in Switzerland: An Armory in Gun-Shy Europe. Rookie’s comment: “It’s good to know that in at least one country it’s considered normal to keep a high power defensive rifle in your closet. And that the government gives it to you for free, for life! Of course, it’s no surprise that the Washington Post spun …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The greatest threat facing America today is not terrorism, or foreign economic competition, or illegal immigration. The greatest threat facing America today is the disastrous fiscal policies of our own government, marked by shameless deficit spending and Federal Reserve currency devaluation. It is this one-two punch – Congress spending more than it can tax or borrow, and the Fed printing money to make up the difference – that threatens to impoverish us by further destroying the value of our dollars.” Congressman Ron Paul


Four Letters Re: Storing Oil and Lubricants for TEOTWAWKI

Jim: I run synthetic motor oils in all of my vehicles, it’s barely any more expensive any more and it reduces engine wear, especially on tight-tolerance Japanese motors. Mobil (for example) recommends a 5-year shelf life for unopened quarts, but I wonder if any of your readers have any more info on whether this is CYA on Mobil’s part or, failing that, a lead on long-shelf-life synthetics? Also, speaking of oil, if you’re looking for very high mileage on diesel trucks (and I know we all are), bypass oil filters are the holy grail. A quick explanation, they’re very fine …


Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Gardening Skills, Seeds, and Crop Mixes

Mr. Rawles: I’d like your advice on gardening. What skills should I concentrate on, pre-Crunch? What crops should I plant to be ready for a major Crunch? (If it makes any difference, I live in the Midwest.) What is the best source of seeds? Thank you, – T.D.W. JWR Replies: I recommend concentrating on organic gardening and composting. (This is in anticipation of a long term scenario where commercial chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not available.) Learn seed gathering and saving. Concentrate on vegetable crops that grow well in your climate zone. Practice using all–or nearly all–non-hybrid (“heirloom”) annual seed …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“The Wrench Spinner” sent us the link to a British government web site from “The Respect Task Force”. Mike’s comment: “How Orwellian can we get.?” My comment: The Brits are incredibly naive to think that their bureaucratic system of ASBOs will keep the yobs in check. Law and order is clearly breaking down n England. Disarming the citizenry, and making self defense a crime has been wholly counterproductive.   o o o Michael Z. Williamson pointed us to this “report card” web page from The Brady Bunch on state firearms laws. Note that California and New Jersey both have “A-” …



Notes from JWR:

Because of a recent influx of book orders, I am TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK of copies of my novel “Patriots.” Another 250 copies are due to arrive in mid-May. Please don’t send me any orders for autographed copies until you see my catalog web page updated to show that the book is back in stock. Thanks! Today we present another article for Round 10 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 …


Mountain Bikes as Survival Utility Vehicles for TEOTWAWKI, by Anetprophet

A quick look back at developing nations during recent/modern history will be adequate to put the bicycle in a top priority as a must have post-TEOTWAWKI asset. This simple, self-powered, mode of transportation has been a common stepping stone of all culture’s, building and development, as I believe we will experience “after a collapse” of our current society. In Asia, for example, bikes are used as taxis, trucking, and commuters every day, by a majority of the population. Why: Before I moved to our retreat over a year ago, I practiced martial arts for my fitness. After moving to the …


Letter Re: Judging Soil Quality When Selecting a Retreat Property

Hi James, I am a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber and an agricultural appraiser. Just thought I’d let you know that most areas of the US have been mapped and you can find your soil USDA classification on the web site. It takes some navigating through the site to find your soil characteristics, but most of the detail is there. Look for the Storie rating if available in your area, which will classify your soil type by its crop productivity, i.e., excellent, good, fair, et cetera. Will also tell you how many bushels of corn, alfalfa, etc, the soil can produce …


Letter Re: Great Results with MURS Band Handheld Transceivers

Sir: I got two MURS radios from Rob [at $49 MURS Radios] and I am very pleased with these radios. They are in great shape and even though I live in the mountains of Western NC they have an excellent range, five times more than the GRMS radios that I have. Rob was excellent to deal with and answered all my questions. I would encourage anyone who is looking for short range communications s to consider Rob and the MURS radios. I will be trying the radios later on at my In-laws home because they live in the piedmont region …