SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods – a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL [1]”. Take a look at the article featuring the .22LR in actual combat!
Safe Water
SurvivalBlog reader G.P. sent in the link to this interesting product: Eco poly Glu [2]. It is a small water purification system that uses a flocculant. This causes colloids and other suspended particles in the water to aggregate and settle out. Combined with a small amount of chlorine, you can get workable water from muddy water fairly easily. According to Business Insider [3], it is made from fermented soybeans.
Concrete
Living next to a volcano isn’t all bad. Reader P.S. sent in this article showing how Ancient Rome’s concrete actually got stronger [4] by interacting with seawater. Contrast this to modern concrete made from Portland cement that weakens with such contact. The strength and longevity apparently has something to do with the volcanic ash that was used to create the concrete though the process is not fully understood yet.
Chinese Spys
According to this article sent in by reader B., China’s intelligence networks [5] in the U.S. include up to 25,000 intelligence officers and more than 15,000 recruited agents. With this size of coordinated network, the result is similar to “death by a thousand cuts”. No one spy has to have information that draws excessive attention, but the aggregate information is overwhelming.
.22LR
Many today consider the venerable .22LR cartridge something akin to a toy. However, reader B.B. sent in this interesting article on documented combat usage of the American-180 [6] by the SADF/Rhodesian SAS. In it’s suppressed version, it provided a high rate of fire and was particularly effective at close ranges. The magazine held 177 rounds and with a rate of fire between 1200 and 1500 rounds per minute, you could dump an entire magazine in under 7 seconds with devastating effect.
Civil Forfeiture
Connecticut becomes the next state to ban civil forfeiture [7] without a criminal conviction. This also makes it the 14th state to mandate that the property under forfeiture must be seized in connection to a lawful arrest or a lawful search that results in arrest. It’s worth noting that the Institute for Justice states that the $17.8 million in forfeiture revenue from 2009 to 2016 came with nearly two thirds never resulting in conviction. Half of all seizures in Connecticut were under $570.
Home Carry
Recently, I was working in my garage. I left the garage momentarily and when I returned, I found the garage door locked. Slightly confused, because I didn’t remember locking it, I simply reached in my pocket for the keys and unlocked the door. When I swung the door open, I was met by an intruder in the garage who was holding my hammer drill. It was an “interesting” couple of moments. He had apparently watched me leave the garage and then hopped on the opportunity, not expecting my expedient return. With that fresh on my mind, reader DSV sent in this article from Bearing Arms questioning on whether you carry in and around your home [8]?
War on Cash
The Australian government is planing to crack down on the “black economy” by implanting $100 and $50 notes with hi-tech nano-chips [9] so they can track them. The two major reasons given for this? 1) Australian pensioners hoarding money under their bed to excape asset taxes, and 2) Chinese citizens taking $100 notes back to China because it is trusted more than their yuan. And you just thought Conspiracy Theory [10] was a movie!
Comments Disabled To "The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:"
#1 Comment By Jay On July 13, 2017 @ 8:25 am
First,) could someone please list the 14 states that require an arrest prior to asset forfeiture? I know of only 2 , New Mexico and Montana.
Second) The item on the Chinese agents in country will probably make you look long and hard at you server the next time you dine at May Chow Yung Palace (and haberdashery)
#2 Comment By L Tecolote On July 14, 2017 @ 1:02 am
See: [11]
and: [12]
#3 Comment By TexasScout On July 13, 2017 @ 11:00 am
I absolutely carry at home. There are a plethora (do you know what a plethora is Jeffie?) of reports of people defending themselves and their families from home invasion. I live in the “stix” where “when seconds count the police are minutes away”.
#4 Comment By Roger D On July 13, 2017 @ 2:03 pm
Same for my wife and I in the American Redoubt. We refuse to be victims. Also we never know what critters including dangerous dogs await us when we walk outside.
#5 Comment By James On July 14, 2017 @ 1:30 am
Had a break in last year. I was sitting on the couch with my 1 1/2 year old watching Mickey mouse at about 830pm when I heard glass break. It was 2 guys breaking into my basement. Luckily, I ccw a 9mm shield and just wear it til I go to sleep so I was able to respond immediately. They took off the second they saw me and no shots were fired thank God but I’m sure glad I was armed.
They were actually very lucky that I was able to respond so fast. Had I been in my bedroom they’d have had time to get all the way into the basement and would have been met with the mighty 590.
#6 Comment By Bruce Fleming On July 13, 2017 @ 1:58 pm
Interesting article on the American Arms AR-180. Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, I remember seeing it make an appearance, maybe with its monster laser sight, on the Johnny Carson show and being shot on stage. Think of all the snowflakes that would have meltdowns if something like that happened today.
#7 Comment By Keith On July 13, 2017 @ 3:06 pm
regarding safe water…I was in the water conditioning business for almost 40 years…we put a lot of systems on lake water which was very dirty…we super chlorinated the water (with adequate contact time), which created floc…then the water was passed through a sediment filter then a carbon filter to remove the residual chlorine…created amazingly clean water.
#8 Comment By Chris On July 13, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
Armed at home?Always! Egg collecting first of the morning; tool belt on; tractor work (shoulder rig); always.
End of day when I unload the EDC items, I really think about it.
Barn gun, truck gun, coop gun, etc.
Hard to get my wife to carry but she knows where most things are.
Lived in the city for years. Got me properly paranoid!
We are our own first responders, regardless of where we live….if we choose to do so.
Off topic but our old 1 ton Ford carries 600gal of water and a small pump, with b/u pump. Poor boy fire truck!
#9 Comment By Deplorable B Woodman On July 13, 2017 @ 8:17 pm
.22LR
If I remember correctly, I read an article on the IDF using a Ruger 10/22 with a barrel shroud suppressor, quite effectively against “certain Palestinians”.
So…..yeah. .22LR can be very effective.
#10 Comment By .Oldfart On July 13, 2017 @ 11:33 pm
Regarding the .22 LR: Many years ago, when I lived ‘way off grid in Alaska, I carried a 10-22 when I cut wood in the winter. The bears were hibernating but the moose weren’t and one came to watch me cutting up a tree I had fallen. I stalked him about a mile, in a big circle that brought me back to my woodpile. I laid down on the hard snow and put a shot into his right eye, dropping him to his knees. I then ran up and put another shot through his brain, ending the hunt. It took me longer to cut him up and sled him back to the road than it did to kill him but I can attest to the lethality of the .22!
#11 Comment By Older fart On July 15, 2017 @ 11:52 am
….shot moose in the eye…then the brain…
sorry. I’ve been taught to practice a clean and humane kill when I hunt…moose and 22RF don’t cut it for me….FWIW…..
#12 Comment By Concrete Doctor On July 14, 2017 @ 2:51 am
The information about Roman concrete fails to mention, or downplays, several important factors. The major cause of deterioration of concrete exposed to seawater is corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Roman concrete contained no steel. Salt in seawater can gradually deteriorate unreinforced concrete, but only if there are wetting and drying cycles that result in salt crystal growth and surface flaking. Note that the Roman concrete in a photo in the article does indeed exhibit surface flaking. The strength gain of concrete containing pozzolans such as volcanic ash will continue for long periods if the concrete is submerged in water. But so will concrete made with Portland cement. As long as there is water and unhydrated cement or pozzolan plus calcium hydroxide strength gain continues slowly for hundreds of years. So there’s no magic in the combination of pozzolans and salt water. U.S. dams exposed only to fresh water and made only with a slow reacting cement have gained strength this way as indicated by successive core tests. Finally, the people who comment on the long life of Roman concretes are using faulty logic called survivor bias. Most of the Roman concrete is gone. It deteriorated for a number of reasons. The remaining concrete is on the far (good) end of the normal distribution curve. There are numerous factors that could be responsible for this, but I doubt that the combination of pozzolan and seawater is an important one.
#13 Comment By MikeH. On July 14, 2017 @ 5:41 pm
Regarding Home Carry
From the time I get up, until the time I go to bed. And it is close at hand beside the bed.To assume nothing bad can / will happen while at home is extremely foolish. Prepping is a lifestyle, not some part time hobby.