Year: 2012

Letter Re: Experience with a PTR91 (HK91 Clone)

JWR, More than a year ago, I bought a PTR91 MSG clone of the HK91 for my primary SHTF rifle. I thought I’d pass on some information collected after about 3,000 rounds down range.  Note that I have no economic or personal ties to PTR Inc. PTR as a company was responsive when asking questions about what mil-spec parts could be replaced and what could not.  You’ll have to email them about your specific rifle though. Robustness • Almost day one, I chipped the barrel paint taking off the hand guard – be careful, slide the handguard forward at an …


Letter Re: Home Water Storage in Water Cooler Bottles

JWR: A reader recently enquired about using water cooler jugs for long term storage. You suggested taping the original cap to the jugs. I’d like to mention that 55mm snap-on reusable caps can be purchased very inexpensively on eBay. They are not water tight i.e. if turned on its side, water will slowly leak but the caps are adequate to keep out dust and allow transport. 55mm is the standard size for most 3 and 5 gallon jugs. – George C.


Economics and Investing:

B.B. suggested a piece over at Zero Hedge: Hugh Hendry On Europe “You Can’t Make Up How Bad It Is” Also from B.B. came a link to this piece by Monty Pelerin: The Economic Charade is Almost Over. His essay begins: “As we near the end point, the point where the economy collapses, government becomes more desperate to convey the myth of a recovery. Government data have always been suspect because of the political ramifications of a good vs. bad economic report. Fudging the numbers, or at least the ways of measuring various statistics, likely began once government began issuing …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More media attention: Doomsday ‘preppers’ are getting ready for the end of the world. It is notable that the journalist quotes Shane Conner of KI4U.com–one of our advertisers.    o o o Jim K. recommended this very basic how-to video: How To Make a Secret Compartment in Your Wall, as well as this more elaborate procedure: How to Make a Secret Door to a Room or Closet, and this one: How to Build a Secret Underground Room, this one: Hidden-Pivot Bookcase Door, this one: Secret Passage Behind A Custom Built In Bookshelf, and lastly this one: Hidden Door Walkthrough.    …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Silver on eBay, by Gil G.

When I put some serious thought into purchasing silver as a hedge against the rapid inflation of the US dollar, I was overwhelmed by the complexity of the task. Go to eBay’s web site and type in the search criterion “junk silver” and you will be slammed with about 2,000+ different auctions on an average day advertising everything from “face value” (FV), to Troy weight and standard weight, to vials of silver flakes and silver jewelry from someone’s estate sale.  A little bit of knowledge goes a long way when it comes to buying precious metals, especially if you’re shopping …


Three Letters Re: A Second Look at the Mosin-Nagant Rifle

Mr. Rawles, I am writing in reference to Frog’s post about the Mosin-Nagant rifle. I have owned several Mosin-Nagant rifles myself. They were designed to kill enemies of the Soviet Union. They were not designed to necessarily be the safest rifle around. If you’re not very careful while using a Mosin-Nagant rifle, it can blow up and injure you. I learned that lesson the hard way in 1998. I also learned about the importance of eye and ear protection while shooting as well. No one should ever fire a Mosin (or any firearm) without eye and ear protection. When my Mosin …


Economics and Investing:

When currency isn’t current: Old $50 bill found real, but not before bearer arrested. SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Wealthy Americans Queue to Give Up Their Passports C.D.V. suggested this commentary from Jim Powell at Forbes: Obama’s Plan to Seize Control of Our Economy and Our Lives Items from The Economatrix: What if a Collapse Happened and Nobody Noticed? Jobs Growth Seen Rebounding in April Factory Growth Best in 10 Months; Bolsters Outlook Smart Money Banking Big on Gold and Silver to Soar


Odds ‘n Sods:

B.B. sent this from a Buffalo, New York newspaper: ‘Preppers’: Ready for anything. The article mentions Shelf Reliance, Emergency Essentials, and even JWR.    o o o Tip H. sent this article from Wazoo: Yellowstone “Super-Eruption” less super, more frequent than thought    o o o Another WWII fighter plane mystery unearthed: “In March a Polish team out in the Western Desert [of Egypt] came across a P-40 aircraft which had apparently made a forced landing, in which the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft identity has yet to be confirmed but is believed to be from 260 Squadron RAF and its …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In addition, inflation should creep higher. Do not be mellowed by the affirmation of a 2% target rate of inflation here in the U.S. or as targeted in six of the G-7 nations. Not suddenly, but over time, gradually higher rates of inflation should be the result of QE policies and zero bound yields that were initiated in late 2008 and which will likely continue for years to come.” – Bill Gross, PIMCO Investment Outlook, May, 2012


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Don’t Be Blind-Sided By a Secondary Event, by Bill W.

I’m 62 years old and live in the suburbs of a large town in Georgia (not Atlanta).  I think of myself as an intermediate prepper.  I’ve studied a lot and have plans in place for myself and my family should events turn sour.  I’ve got all the survival manuals in place and have prepared to defend my family should the worst happen.  My family is prepped and ready to go.  Though I’ve not bought much in the way of food stuff, I have all the hardware and I know where to get the food stuff on short order.  I keep …


Letter Re: Safeguarding Videos of Constitutional Abuse

JWR: One concern I have is that if I were to record unconstitutional actions by police, would my phone be seized and the videos erased? One solution may be to record via internet stream. Then they would have to also think to take an extra step of checking for the software and logging into your account to delete your videos. Meanwhile, you could call someone from jail and request they copy the video before it gets deleted. I found a review of the three different sites. I recommend that you keep your recorder software signed in and ready to go …


Letter Re: Sport Shooting for Preppers

As C.K.’s article points out almost all of the publications that cover prepping acknowledge the need for self-defense, but very little ink gets spent on developing or maintaining real proficiency.  His suggestion that readers consider either practical shooting (USPSA) or defensive pistol shooting (IDPA) really hits the target.  The follow-up letter by Sean from COS advocating hunting as another way to develop and maintain skills also hit the mark. Many articles and even most of the survival fiction stories provide descriptions and explanations for the “right” guns to buy.  “Survival Gun Selection” on the left side of survivalblog.com is an …