Year: 2017


Notes for Thursday – March 16, 2017

Today is the anniversary of the Battle at Pound Gap Kentucky (1862). o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of …


Selecting An Escape Route, by KyoSa D

Everyone has a plan to “Get Out of Dodge” in an emergency. As I teach my self defense and firearms classes, I ask people and they all say, “I’d head up to my cabin” or “I’ll head out west”. The problem is, have you actually considered how you will leave the immediate area of your home or work? Most of the people I hear begin their plan ambiguously. They say, just simply, “I’d leave town”, but they have never done any reconnaissance or real-life consideration of their route. As humans, we are creatures of habit. If I want to leave …


Letter Re: 80% Firearms

Hugh, I recently completed a Complete AR-15 Rifle Kit with PTAC Upper from 80% Arms with their Easy Jig system, and I would like to share a few things from my experience. 80% Arms shipped the kit within just a few days. There were no missing parts or tools. That was my only experience with their customer service, but based on the rapid shipment I would rate them “excellent”. The instructions were quite complete and understandable, but you do need to read them carefully (preferably twice or more) before cutting and then follow them exactly step by step while cutting. …


Economics and Investing:

Another casualty of online shopping: Gander Mountain Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy & Will CLOSE 32 Stores (The Firearm Blog) – T.P. o o o What do these CEOs know that we don’t? (Sovereignman) Excerpt: “My friend’s grandfather once told him that, just prior to the Nazi invasion, the schools in Poland announced they were suspending classes… but only for two weeks, because that’s how long they expected the war to last.” HJL’s Comment: Or in the words of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870) “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” o o o Gold’s Next Leg Down Targets $1156 (Gold Eagle) …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large, sent in this link to the video “Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years”. We’ve linked to the story of this family before, but it is a good reminder for all those who think that they will survival “alone” when TEOTWAWKI hits. Unless you want to spend every moment of your life scratching for the next breath you take, relationships are incredibly important. o o o Goldman Sachs: Almost One Million H-1B Foreign Workers Hold University-Level Jobs Here – H-1B: Bullying American workers. – D.S. o o o From reader M.P.: I just …



Notes for Wednesday – March 15, 2017

This is the birthday of General and President Andrew Jackson, in 1767. He was the 7th President of the United States (1829-1837). o o o Today, we present part two of an entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 …


Vinegar As An Essential Multi-Purpose Tool for TEOTWAWKI- Part 2, by J.R.

Equipment and Supplies Making your own vinegar at home is a simple, useful, practical skill that is applicable to TEOTWAWKI.  If you can crush apples and save the apple juice, you can make apple cider vinegar (ACV).  In addition to apple, there are many different types of vinegars you can make depending upon your needs and desires.  I have been making ACV for many years. I have gallons put away in my basement, and I always have a bottle in the fridge that I use on a continual basis.  Stocking up on some basic supplies ahead of time will ensure …


Letter Re: 80% Article

Hugh, Concerning the article titled “Building an 80% Firearm,” I just wanted you (and the readers, should you decide to post this) to know that the 80% handgun market is continuing to expand. In addition to the Not-A-Glock and 1911s, there is a website (matrixprecisionparts.com) that offers 80% Sigs for construction. On the website, they also sell refinished German Sig Sauer P228 9mm parts kits for the 80% receiver. This is easily one of the most satisfying builds I have done. Now if only someone would offer an 80% M1A or mini 14 receiver and tooling. – F.M.


Economics and Investing:

Gold Holds Small Gain After U.S. PPI Up 0.3% During February o o o How Will Gold React To The Next Rate Hike? o o o Fed minutes set stage for rising interest rates in 2017 o o o What’s next with America’s enormous $20T debt? o o o Waning Sales Force Layoffs By Gun Maker in New York – DSV o o o How The Federal Reserve Is Setting Up Trump For A Recession, A Housing Crisis And A Stock Market Crash – B.B. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books: Winter in the Wilderness: A Field Guide to Primitive Survival Skills The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom Movies: Anthropoid (2016) the true story of a Czech resistance cell during World War II, and their assassination of General Reinhard Heydrich, the main architect behind the “Final Solution”. Now available on Amazon Prime. The Cowboys (John Wayne) Music: The Essential Paul Simon Complete Pop Instrumental Hits Of The Sixties Instructional Videos: All of the following have some applicability to equipping G.O.O.D. vehicles… DIY Stealth Campervan: Full Tour Stealth Camper Van 2.0 Tour – Carries Motorcycle Inside! …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Old Guard of the Republican Party seems to have lost its bearings when debating the “replacement” for Obamacare. Over the course of the past three elections, the electorate has handed them a clear mandate to repeal Obamacare, yet they are still dithering around with “improvements”, “compromises”, and “alternatives”. What most people really want is the extinction of socialized medicine. Yet, the RINOs continue to fiddle around like a clueless backyard mechanic referring to an out-of-date shop manual. The worst of it all is that the Republican “replacement” includes provisions that would force private insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions. …



Notes for Tuesday – March 14, 2017

This is the birthday of fighter ace Major Raoul Lufbery (born 1885). He was shot down and killed in 1918.) o o o Today, we present Part one of a two part entry on vinegar for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course …