Ghost Gunner Review- Part 1

Last year, SurvivalBlog decided to find out exactly what all the hubbub was about, and we bought a Ghost Gunner along with a number of AR-15 80% lowers. We wanted to know just how easy the unit was to use. We also wanted to make a determination as to whether the unit was worth the money or if it was just an exercise in declaring your inherent right. What we found was interesting to say the least. Delivery, Packaging, and Setup The first impression of a product is dependent upon the time it takes to receive it and the condition …




Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Winchester Rifles.  (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.) Precious Metals: Sprott Gold Report: Gold Resilient Despite Market Volatility   Credit Card News: Citibank has shown its true anti-gun colors. It is high time for American gun owners to cancel their …




JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on the Rosenstrasse protests in Berlin during World War II. (See both the Books section and Movies section.) Books (Rosenstrasse): Resistance of the Heart: Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany o  o  o I haven’t yet read it, but this newly-released novel (for Kindle) looks like it would be of particular interest to SurvivalBlog readers: The Divide (A Great State Book 1). It is the first book in a planned trilogy, and comes recommended by John …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The strategic plans of our armed forces for the defeat of Japan, as they stood in July, had been prepared without reliance upon the atomic bomb, which had not yet been tested in New Mexico. We were planning an intensified sea and air blockade, and greatly intensified strategic air bombing, through the summer and early fall, to be followed on November 1 by an invasion of the southern island of Kyushu. This would be followed in turn by an invasion of the main island of Honshu in the spring of 1946. The total U.S. military and naval force involved in …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 27, 2018

March 27th is the birthday of the late Robert W. Ford (born 1923, died 20 September 2013). He was an amazing man who had a remarkable life. His book, Wind Between The Worlds (an account of experiences in Tibet, captivity by the communist Chinese, and his fight against brainwashing), is highly recommended. It is available for free download. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran …




Florida Gun Owners, I Feel Your Pain, by Swamp Cracker Yankee

This past week Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, signed a new Florida “school-safety” bill that bans bump stocks, extends a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns, and raises the minimum age to buy long guns from 18 to 21. This was all in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. Wouldn’t Have Believed Gun-Friendly Florida To Enact Restrictive Legislation If you had told me years ago that a state like Florida with “gun-friendly Republican lawmakers” would enact such legislation, I would not have believed you. Since …




SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on the economic contribution of the Columbia River Basin. Combined, the dams in the region provide more than 40% of U.S. hydroelectric generation. Idaho (Columbia River Basin) One of the nation’s furthest-inland seaports west of the Mississippi River is the city of Lewiston, Idaho. It is Idaho’s only seaport. Located at the confluence of the Snake River and …




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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”. China is reacting to Animal Farm this week. Animal Farm All books are equal, but some or more equal than others. President Xi Jinping, who is very nearly dictator for life in Communist China has ordered the banning of any online post that referred to George Orwell’s dystopian novel Animal Farm and the letter “N”. We can only assume that the letter is being used as a form of dissent, but it …







Preparedness Notes for Monday – March 26, 2018

March 26th marks the anniversary of the historic peace agreement ending three decades of hostilities between Egypt and Israel and the establishing of diplomatic and commercial ties between them. Less than two years earlier, Sadat had traveled to Jerusalem to seek permanent peace. Most of the Arab world was outraged, but Despite criticism from Egypt’s regional allies, they pursued peace. While the efforts earned both Egypt’s Sadat and Israel’s Begin a joint Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978, Egypt was expelled from the Arab League and in 1981, Sadat was assassinated by Arab extremists.




Ruger/CRKT All Cylinders, by Pat Cascio

We’re taking a look at the collaboration between custom knife maker Bill Harsey, Ruger firearms, and Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) today. And this one is a real winner. Col. Rex Applegate and Custom Knife Maker Bill Harsey I worked full-time for the late Col. Rex Applegate for three years, and he was not only my friend but my mentor as well. He taught me a lot about knife and gun fighting as well as military infantry tactics. It was more than I ever learned in the military. Applegate had his Applegate/Fairbairn double-edge fighting knife made by Oregon’s own …







Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Bitcoin, and its alternatives. Precious Metals: The proverbial Elephant in the Room is the silver-to-gold price ratio. When I last checked, it was an insane 81-to-1. That doesn’t match market fundamentals, industrial usage and recovery fundamentals, and certainly not Earth’s crust scarcity fundamentals. To me, …




The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If a person is too dangerous to have a gun, that person is dangerous enough to arrest or commit. Taking people’s guns on the say-so of a jilted lover or crazy neighbor isn’t a slippery slope, it’s a cliff. I’ve often thought the NRA should move from Fairfax, one of the richest cities in the country—median family income is deep into six figures—and a leftist suburb of Washington DC. When the NRA endorses yet another cockamamie law like this, I have to wonder who’s influencing who. Remember, the phrase ‘common sense gun law’ so beloved of anti-gun activists was first …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday – March 25, 2018

March 25th National Medal of Honor day is officially observed on March 25th of each year. On March 25 1944 RAF Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade survived a jump from a Lancaster bomber from 18,000 feet over Germany without a parachute. His fall was broken by pine trees and soft snow, and he suffered only a sprained leg. This is the birthday of English film director David Lean, (of Doctor Zhivago fame), born in Croydon, England in 1908. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth …