Year: 2023

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“At this moment I pulled trigger, as I knew not what else to do and hardly knew that I did this, but it accidentally happened that my rifle was pointed towards the bear when I pulled and the ball piercing his heart, he gave one bound from me, uttered a deathly howl and fell dead, but I trembled as if I had an ague fit for half an hour after. We butchered him, as he was very fat, packed the meat and skin on our horses and returned to the fort with the trophies of our bravery, but I secretly …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 18, 2023

On September 18, 1812: Great Fire of Moscow burns out after 5 days, 75% of the city was destroyed and 12,000 people were killed. On September 18, 1811, the British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, part of the Dutch East Indies, Stamford Raffles appointed lieutenant governor. And on September 18, 1931:  To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, China, a railway explosion is faked by the Japanese. — Today’s feature article is a review by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.


Browning X-Bolt Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson

Back in February, I tested Browning’s X-Bolt Speed bolt-action rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. I found it to be light and well-balanced with outstanding fit and finish, moderate recoil, a great trigger, and excellent accuracy. The X-Bolt Speed is not the most inexpensive bolt action rifle on the market, with a manufacturer suggested retail price of $1,379.99 . Due to the high quality of its materials and workmanship, this price represents a good value for the money. Background As I have aged, I have become gradually more sensitive to recoil. This recoil aversion has motivated me to test some potential …


Recipe of the Week: Pam’s Pumpkin Soup

The following recipe for Pam’s Pumpkin Soup is from SurvivalBlog reader Pam C. Ingredients 2 small sweet pumpkins — 2 pumpkins yield about 2 1/4 cups of pumpkin puree 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 medium shallots, diced — 2 shallots yield ~1/4 cup) 3 cloves garlic, minced — 3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp) 2 cups vegetable broth (home-made or store-bought) 1 cup canned light coconut milk 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp black pepper Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at inflation and recession fears. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch section.) Precious Metals: Alasdair Macleod: A brief history of the gold standard. o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Transitory 2.0 Is Coming for Gold. Economy & Finance: Average American household now has $10,170 credit card debt. o  o  o Reader H.L. sent us this: Hedge …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 17, 2023

Today, September 17th, we celebrate Constitution Day in these United States. — On September 17, 1939, the Soviet army invaded Poland from the east—joining Germany, which had launched its attack several weeks earlier—and the Polish government fled to Romania. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …


My Experience with a Bluetti AC180 – Part 2, by Rick S.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) THE BLUETTI 180P This brings us to a real-world solution: the Bluetti AC180. This is a charge controller/battery bank/inverter in a single, elegant package. The heart of the AC180 is a bank of Lithium Iron batteries with an advertised life of 3,500 charge/discharge cycles and is warranted for five years. Integrated into the package is a charge controller capable of charging from a number of sources: 120 VAC house supply, car charger, or solar panels. It then is capable of supplying that stored power in a number of ways: various USB connections, …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:   Meme Text: I’ve Concluded That The Wisest Investment Is Putting My Money In Canned Goods Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provide that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.  


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 16, 2023

On September 16, 1919, the U.S. Congress granted a national charter to the American Legion, an organization of U.S. war veterans. Ever since then, they have supported a wide range of community events, charities, and programs including: Troop & Family Support, Boy’s State, the American Legion Legacy Scholarship program, the National Emergency Fund, 4H, baseball leagues, and many more. — September 16th is also the birthday of “Mad Jack” Churchill (1906-1996), who was a true eccentric. He went to war in WWII armed with a broadsword and a longbow. (The latter was successfully used to dispatch several German soldiers.) He …


My Experience with a Bluetti AC180 – Part 1, by Rick S.

INTRODUCTION One of the more useful new technologies for preppers is photovoltaic power generation. Twenty years ago this technology was in the early stages with very limited applicability due to a high cost/benefit ratio. Today, due to a number of significant advances, a solar power generation capability on some scale is entirely practical. At the same time, entirely off-grid solar power is not yet practical unless one is prepared to make some significant sacrifices in living circumstances. This can be illustrated by simply referring to your monthly electric bill where you will find a wealth of information regarding your electrical …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 15, 2023

On September 15h, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inch’ŏn, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War. — The position recently mentioned in: Opportunity for Retreat Group Membership in a Secure Bug Out Location is still available. If you are interested, then let us know. To clarify: The retreat is located in Kansas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on …