Month: August 2011

Letter Re: Following Counsel–Some Experience With 7.62mm NATO Battle Rifles

James, First, thank-you for the tip about the alloy G3 (HK91-compatible) magazines that CheaperThanDirt sells for just 97 cents apiece.  I placed an order for one hundred of them and shortly three big boxes arrived.  I’ve checked them out and surprisingly, many of them are still new in the wrappers, and the rest are in really decent shape.  I’ve never bought a rifle backwards (buying magazines first, then buying the rifle to match), but since I like the .308 Winchester round and have a few other rifles in that caliber this seemed like an interesting preparedness exercise.  I started looking …


Letter Re: Vignette of an Eastern U.S. Earthquake

Hi Mr. Rawles: I want to share with you today’s events in Washington DC. I came home early from school and decided to go to the gym to burn off some of those summer pounds. As I was walking to the gym (two blocks away), listening to my iPod. All of the sudden I heard some crashing and screaming. Since this is DC, everything happens so I kept on walking. I finally realized that something was definitely wrong when I saw people pouring out from every building including a rather overweight man wearing only a bath towel  that was way …


Letter Re: The Bias of Financial Analysts and the Mainstream Media

James: If you read the mainstream media, you;ll see how the Dow Jones average ‘soars’ when it breaks its downward spiral and posts a 2% gain – when the ‘good’ news is out of Germany and China – never mind that the market is still down 12.5% from where it was a month ago. But, in contrast Gold ‘tanks’ – ‘is at the top of a bubble’ – ‘isn’t money’ – when it pulls back 1.5% at the top of a rally that saw prices up 19% over the same time period. Paper promises of debt aren’t money, and ‘securities’ …


Letter Re: American-Made Field Gear

Hola Mr. Rawles, ¿Qué tal? I enjoy your blog, and I appreciate what you are doing. In the latest daily edition I noticed the mention of SpecOps Brand gear as being high quality and American made. It is, and I have been very satisfied with all of the Spec-Ops brand gear I have had over the years. It is good stuff.  Their clearance section is just the icing on the cake. Are you also aware of the Tactical Tailor brand gear?  They are just outside of Fort Lewis, Washington.  It is designed and made in the USA, and it’s extremely …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent this: Marc Faber readies for hyperinflation, dollar’s demise and civil unrest Frequent content contributor John R. sent this: A banking system built on lies and deception–Hiding commercial real estate losses by laundering bad loans through the Federal Reserve. Trillions of dollars in bailouts were made while banks told the public all was well. Items from The Economatrix: Chinese Think Tank Implies America May Be Falsifying Its Accounting, Says US on Its Way to Default Gold Soars to Record Near $1,900 on Economic Woes $5,000 Gold, $200 Silver Predicted The Great Collapse Has Officially Begun Moody’s Downgrades Japan’s Debt …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Matt in Colorado Springs, Colorado sent us this: Can you survive if you’re YOYO? Commissioner preaching preparedness    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson wrote to mention that he will have eight tables at the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show this weekend (August 27th and 28th) in Indianapolis. SurvivalBlog readers are welcome to drop by to chat. Look for 8 tables of swords, knives and other edged tools, toward the back right of the hall. I assume that he’ll have some of his notorious famous WWF Panda T-shirts with him.    o o o Richard …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …


A Treasure-Hunting Prepper, by Greg R. in Indiana

If you have been following the precious metals market lately, and you either have been or are considering the idea of investing in silver or gold, you fully appreciate the degree of value both metals have increased to. Market volatility is sparking renewed interest in precious metals as a means of protecting investments. Historically, civilizations understand the value and rare properties gold and silver offer. Regardless of what Ben Bernanke thinks, gold is money, and has been a form of currency, more so than the fiat currency that he continues to run off the printing press. The problem is that …


Letter Re: Hurricane Preparedness Steps

James: Thanks for the timely letter on Hurricane Preparedness Steps by Florida Dave.  Unfortunately, I am by necessity working on that checklist this week.  I’d recommend adding a couple of items to his list: At 48 hours before landfall, when securing important papers and photos, I suggest that video or photos of the contents and exterior of the home be recorded for insurance purposes.   Also, at 24-to-10 hours out, super shock your swimming pool if you have one. (A swimming pool is a great resource if power and water go out for a few days.) – John in Florida


Letter Re: Some Observations on Non-Electric Lighting

Jim, Ron B. presented some good information in his post, “Re: Some Observations on Non-Electric Lighting”; however, I would like to make a correction and several additions.  He states, “everything that burns gives off carbon monoxide” and then goes on to list several items, none of which give off  [any significant] Carbon Monoxide (CO) if they are functioning properly and are operating with adequate ventilation.  CO is produced [in detectable amounts] only when there is incomplete combustion due to low oxygen or a temperature. too low for complete combustion.  Cigarettes, Cigars, and Incense are designed to operate with incomplete combustion …


Economics and Investing:

Be prepared for more of the roller coaster rider in the precious metals markets. If spot gold closes over $1,950, we can expect the COMEX governors to slap the futures market with substantially higher margin requirements. This may cause a temporary sell-off that will be a great buying opportunity. (The manipulators can depress the futures market in the short term, but the physical market is so strong that the precious metals bull will eventually renew its charge in the long term.) It appears that the window of opportunity for stockpiling nickels will soon be closing: Mint awards firm contract to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.A.F. flagged this: Localize It: PodPonics Grows High-Tech Organic Produce In Shipping Containers    o o o John in Montana spotted this: Portable House, Simple Life    o o o Reader Chris H. recommend Cooking Wild magazine, a publication dedicated to wild game recipes.    o o o Bob R. suggested this at the C-SPAN web site: Heritage Foundation Discussion on the Electromagnetic Pulse Threat    o o o I have often bemoaned the dearth of true American field gear makers. (Most of the web gear on the market is now made in China.) But reader Ken S. wrote to …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …