SurvivalBlog.com Michael Z. Williamson sent a note on a body armor destructive range test.

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

SurvivaBlog’s Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this note on a body armor destructive range test:

“A friend brought some armor plates to our shoot for testing. They were advertised as “US-made” and Level IV. Turns out they were imported [from China and there was no evidence of an NIJ test].

Both torso plates took double taps of green tip and survived with minimal deformation–maybe 1/8″. Good. (See photo, above.) But the side plate (not pictured) shattered from a single 9mm.

Also, the plate material is very gypsum-like. Might be chalk with epoxy binder versus actual ceramic.
We could call this Chinese Roulette. Probably you have a Level IV plate, but maybe you don’t.”

o o o

Some cogent observations from our friend Tamara K.: THE MOD SQUAD ^[1].

o o o

There were some very clever ideas in this video: Four Years of Stealth Van Life — This Build Blew My Mind! (CheapRVliving Classic) ^[2].

Reader A.F. wrote:

“I stopped at a coin shop this morning hoping to buy a couple of rolls of [silver] dimes. This was a shop I seldom use because they have a higher markup than the others that I visit. While waiting to make my purchase, I could hear the conversations from each of the customers ahead of me.

With the first, the manager was offering $5 under spot for both junk silver and smaller silver bars. It looked as though the lady selling parted with about half of what she brought in and after discussion with the manager decided to bring the remainder back once silver hits $60/oz.

The second customer was trying to sell a silverware and serving dish set. The store purchased a few silver forks, a set of small shot type cups and some loose jewelry from her but declined in whole the larger sterling service set saying that the market is so saturated with the higher purity silvers that they can’t find anyone to take the sterling from them even at melt pricing.

When I went to make my purchase, I was informed that someone bought all of the junk silver the shop had yesterday. As I thanked the manager and turned to leave, he said that he was selling Morgan’s for melt price. When I checked spot this morning it was $48 and some change. He sold me the Morgans for $37 apiece. I asked about the reason for disregarding the typical silver dollar markup and was told that for the past few weeks there have been 5-6 sellers for each buyer coming through the door.

I wanted to pass this tidbit along in the event others who habitually ignore dollars when shopping for silver might be interested.”

o o o

Attention deer hunters: I recently found a very useful website for you to bookmark: Moonrise and Moonset Calculator ^[3]. – JWR

o o o

W.J. from Finland wrote:

“Living in an area prone to black ice and heavy snow, studded snow tires give the most safety in winter driving.

Since fewer and fewer people even know what they are, and since repair shops in my area no longer even have them available (I had to order mine online last time), it might help to explain.

They are winter snow tires with metal studs embedded in the flat part of the tire, which act as claws when you drive over ice. The studs on the American tires I had always gotten are small, coin-like protrusions, flat-topped and round.

They work very well, as I found out myself one evening. I came home to discover that my entire driveway had turned into a field of sheet ice. By the time this was apparent, I was already on it. No problem. The car drove normally, turned as usual, and handled the black ice as if it were black top. Can your “good winter tires” do that?

They also handle snow very well. My Subaru drives over 4″ to 6″ of snow as if it were not there, apart from my needing to drive slowly. I don’t bother shoveling for the most part.

The only time they failed me was when I failed to realize that while 5″ of snow on a steepish downhill slope was not a problem, it was a problem when there was an inch and a half of slush underneath the snow – so that the tires made no contact with the road at all!

It was a sleigh ride I’d rather forget.

Blessedly, there was a rough little turnoff into the woods, and I whipped the car into it and stopped. And did not complain at all about having to walk back home.

While it appears expensive to have two sets of tires, it really isn’t, as both sets last twice as long as usual, since they are only used six months of the year. And wear does not sneak up on you, as you check them out when you switch them out.

However, the last time I needed a set of studded snow tires, they were no longer available. I wound up on the internet, and noticed an unfamiliar brand with a very long name with lots of double letters. I didn’t know what it said, but I did know the tires were from Finland, as many Finnish words are like that. And yes, they could be ordered.

When they arrived, I was surprised to find that the studs were not like American studs. They were fierce little sharp things, perfect for clawing into ice. They stayed sharp, too. Worked beautifully. Don’t run your hand over them, it’s unpleasant.

I had ordered the Finnish tires without knowing that, but I did know that Finland is very, very far north, very cold, and very snowy, and that the Finns do not fool around with winter. So I guessed, correctly, that they would have the best studded snow tires. They do.

The brand I got was Nokian Hakkapeliitta. Be careful to order the correct studded snow tires for your type of vehicle. They even have specialized ones for EVs. They are more expensive than the American tires, but not unreasonably so, considering the difference in safety and control on the road. And peace of mind when spouses or children are driving in bad winter weather.

My next studded snow tires will also be Hakkapeliitta.”

o o o

PRINCIPLES OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY From the long-running and oft-quoted The Mcalvany Intelligence Advisor ^[4]

Change the way you look at everything. Rethink your entire lifestyle.
Develop discernment about people.
When you invest, invest first in the right people.
Look at yourself honestly, and ascertain your strengths and your weaknesses.
Seek the counsel of others you trust.
Find like-minded people who can be part of a mutual support group with whom you can cooperate.
Find alternate methods for doing everything.
Develop an instinct for what doesn’t feel right. No matter how good something looks or sounds on the surface, go with your gut feeling, with your instinct, with your intuition.
Eliminate non-essentials from your life. Eliminate all time wasters and money wasters, and things you don’t need – i.e. clothes, furniture, junk, etc. Eliminate television from your life.
Simplify your lifestyle – learn to say ‘no’ to things or activities which do not make you self-sufficient. Learn to please God and yourself, and not other people.
Develop physical, mental and spiritual disciplines.
Learn to treat everything as if it were irreplaceable.
Buy things that will last, even if they cost more.
Acquire tools that do not depend upon electric power.
Learn to spend time alone with yourself in total silence – think, reflect, reminisce, and plan [or strategize] in silence.
Learn to spend time alone with yourself and your family, apart from superficial entertainment and distractions.
Learn something from every situation you are in – everything you hear, see, touch, or feel has a lesson in it. Learn a principle from every mistake you make, from everyday life situations.
Make sure your trust is in the Lord and not your own preparedness. Pattern your preparedness according to the guidance of the Lord. Listen to what the Lord puts in your heart – don’t use only your reasoning power.
Learn to enjoy simple pleasures from the smallest things – have a measure of joy and happiness that doesn’t come from creature comforts or entertainment.
Store up memories for times of isolation or separation from your loved ones.
Establish priorities for all of life [i.e. relationship, needs, present needs, future needs.] Set goals for areas you’ll be proficient or self-sufficient in. Set a schedule or timeline based on money and time you can invest in self-sufficiency.
Examine the concept of civil disobedience [from the Bible and history.] At what point should the people of Egypt have said ‘no’ to killing the male babies in Moses’ day? At what point should the people of colonial America have said ‘no’ to King George? At what point should the people of Germany have said ‘no’ to Hitler? At what point do we say ‘no’ to despots in our day – when they take over money, our property, our guns, our children, our freedom? Decide what is your action point – when do you move to civil disobedience? [For many throughout history – it was when evil leaders handed down edicts that were directly contrary to God’s Word or commands.] Don’t set your action point too early or too quickly – nor too late or never. Think through and calculate a strategy – then act on it.
Learn to ask the right questions in every situation. [In ‘Operation Waco,’ nobody asked the right questions.]
Bring orderliness into your life. If you live in disorder, it will pull you down; it will break your focus. Think focus versus distraction. Eliminate the distractions from your life.
Self-sufficiency [or survival] principles are learned on a day-to-day basis and must be practical.
Always have more than one way to escape, more than one way to do something. Have a plan B and a plan C.
Everyday life [and especially crisis] requires ‘up-front systems’ and ‘back-up systems’ if the first line of defense or ‘up-front systems fails.
Real education [or learning] takes place only when change occurs in our attitudes, actions, and way of life.
Wisdom is making practical applications of what you know. It is not enough to know everything you need to know. It will only serve you and others if practical application is made of that knowledge.
Fix in your own mind the truth about your capabilities. In a crisis situation, this principle will keep you from cockiness [or overconfidence] and will provide you with confidence.
Decide ahead of time before a crisis arrives, how you will react in a given situation so that you are not swayed by the circumstances, the situation, or your emotions.
Beware of being spread too thin in your life. Decide on the few things in life that you must do and do them well. Think focus versus distraction. Make sure that unimportant, non-essential distractions don’t keep you from achieving your important objectives.
Learn to quit wasting things. Be a good steward of all that God provides.
Buy an extra one of everything you use regularly and set the extra one aside for the time when such items may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
In every situation, train yourself to look for what doesn’t fit, for what’s out of place, for what doesn’t look right.
Teach your children [and yourself] that they are not obligated to give information to a stranger. You don’t have to answer questions [not even to a government official] that are none of their business.
Sell or give away things you do not use or need. Consider giving away or selling 50% of your ‘stuff,’ [i.e. the non-essentials.] Simplify and streamline your life, lifestyle and possessions.
Find someone who lived through the Great Depression and learn from them how they were self-sufficient, how they made do with little, and how they found joy and contentment in the midst of hard times. An excellent book on this subject is We Had Everything But Money: Priceless Memories of the Great Depression From Strong People Who Tell In Their Own Words What It Was Like When Banks Closed and Hearts Opened.

o o o

Reader H.L. wrote:

“So now we learn that one in eight Americans are receiving SNAP benefits. Another nail in our coffin. Those who are working support many others who are not and most could work at something. We are also an aging nation, as many families choose to not have children, or just one or two. So they are supporting with their taxes more and more people who could but do not work. We are in deep trouble and both the Republicans and the Democrats, and way too many Americans have little to no understanding that only capitalism can fix things. We have actually never had pure Capitalism and we are now a welfare nation. Sooner or later, those who work and save will wake up, but will not be able to do anything about it. The only way seems to be we have another revolution like we did back in the late 1700s to divorce ourselves from England.

No nation can last long with an albatross like that around its neck. Saying goodbye to the America that once had such promise.”

Please Send Us Your Snippets!

Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR ^[5]. or AVL ^[5]. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact ^[6] form.