Home Repair of Pre-1899 Guns – Part 3, by SwampFox

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(Continued from Part 2. This part concludes the series.) Pre-1899 Shotguns Shotguns from the late 1800s cartridge era are typically of a break-open design. There were pump action and lever action shotguns available such as those produced by Winchester, but they often command a high price. Old farm guns are easy to obtain and simple to work on. Often available online for under $300 or even as little as $100, they can be shipped to your door. Almost every hardware store in rural areas would have carried shotguns, and some even had their own locally produced models. This can make …


Home Repair of Pre-1899 Guns – Part 2, by SwampFox

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(Continued from Part 1) When other parts on revolvers break, fixing them can be a hassle. If a bolt or a hand breaks, you will need to be an expert at welding, brazing, filing, and fitting if you cannot find a replacement. Even if you do find a replacement, be prepared to hand fit the part, as quality control today is greater than it was back then. Fitting a hand precisely is essential! The length of the hand determines how far a cylinder rotates, and how the chambers align with the barrel. Misalignment can cause poor accuracy, or can become …


Home Repair of Pre-1899 Guns – Part 1, by SwampFox

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Introduction As regulations increase in the United States, it is possible that the only firearms that will be legal to transfer in the future without a background check will be those manufactured before 1899. These firearms are Federally exempt from the NICS background check process, and are likely to increase in value in the event that “universal background check” legislation is passed. For those who already own pre-1899 guns, or would like to acquire them, there is an unpleasant reality to their ownership: Some parts are fragile and are difficult to obtain! A broken, worn, or out-of-spec part can cause …


Recipe of the Week: Gayle’s Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Variation

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This is a variation of a widely-published and shared recipe. Ingredients 1 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix (or fresh equivalent) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons ground cumin 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained 4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth (or equivalent volume of homemade broth.) 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn (or fresh or frozen equivalent volume) 12 ounces tortilla chips 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and diced Salt and pepper to taste Directions Heat …


Your Firearms Safety Hunter Education Certificate, by LiberT.Y.

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Why Everyone Should Have a Firearms Safety Hunter Education Certificate Hello everyone. I’m 13 years old and I live in Minnesota (I know it’s not the best state, but I’m 13 so I don’t have a lot of options). I know other minors read Survival Blog too and this is mostly written to you but hopefully adults will like it too. I would first like to say that I am not a lawyer so double check all laws mentioned and cited here. I only have experience with the Minnesota program I attended, and any quotations by instructors contained in this …


Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  We have been posting Retreat Owner Profiles since the early days of SurvivalBlog, in 2005. Although the archive of these profiles is now essentially static, we always welcome more to add. In particular, we are looking for profiles of families living outside of the United States, or families that have unusual locales or ways of living off the land. For example, we still haven’t seen a profile of someone who lives full time on a sailboat. Nor a profile of someone who has an operating mine on their property, or of a fish farmer, or someone who …


The Myth of Stored Food, by Pete Thorsen

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Many preppers think if they merely store food then they are done–that they have saved their family. And that might be true if they experience a natural disaster in their area which does not allow shopping for a week or so. They have their stored food and just use that during the emergency. Later–if they remember they buy replacements for the food they used–they made their family much more comfortable during that emergency by having that stored food. Plus one for the prepper family. But what about a long term nationwide disaster? What if it is a total economic collapse, …


Commercial Ammo: The Untold History of Springfield Armory

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The following article first appeared at Ammo.com. It is re-posted with permission To understand how American citizens today can get their hands on ammo, which rolls off the same factory lines as those that supply the world’s largest militaries, it’s important to first understand how munitions technology developed. Starting in medieval Europe, on a battlefield where a mounted knight in armor could defeat almost any number of peasants, the development of more advanced and accurate ways to destroy enemy personnel and equipment by launching a projectile is one which combines trial and error, scientific ingenuity, and private enterprise. It’s a …


Control Your Type 2 Diabetes or Die in TEOTWAWKI, by Scott M.

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I am a family physician and I have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is where you initially have enough insulin produced by your body but are resistant to the insulin, i.e.:  you don’t have enough receptors for the insulin to plug into to act on the sugar/carbohydrates you ingest. As time goes on if you don’t manage your diabetes your body will stop producing insulin and you will need to be on insulin shots for the rest of your life. Type 1 diabetes is where you don’t produce any or very limited insulin and have to be on insulin for your lifetime. …


Recipe of the Week: Enola Gay’s Beef Cabbage Soup

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This recipe first appeared in Enola Gay’s book: The Prepared Family Cookbook. By the way, we highly recommend both Enola Gay’s Paratus Familia blog and all of her books. Ingredients 1 Pound Ground Beef (or venison, rabbit, etc.) 1/2 Head of Cabbage, shredded 2 Ribs of Celery, sliced (or celerac) 1 Small Bell Pepper, cut into small pieces (or dried peppers) 1 Medium Diced Onion (or dried onions) 2 Cups Cooked Kidney Beans (or (1) 16oz. can) 2 Cups Diced Canned Tomatoes (or fresh) 4 Cups of Water 2 T Beef Bouillon (or pwd soup base) 1/4 tsp Garlic powder (or …


A Greenhouse for Your Homestead, by Ozark Redneck

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“Breathe in. The air is rich, humid, fragrant and full of life, warm on your face. It’s comfortable. What is it about a greenhouse or sunspace that feels good to almost everyone? It’s more than just stimulation of the senses. It goes deeper, further back. The tropics were the womb of human life, and the greenhouse is a connection to our origins.” – Shane Smith, in Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion Having a greenhouse can extend your growing season, allow you to start plants earlier and perhaps allow you to grow food that couldn’t survive in your outdoor garden. We started our …


From the Deep South to Northern Rockies: Pt. 3, by GritsInMontana

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(Continued from Part 2. This installment concludes the series.) The Homestead We ultimately settled on a home with some acreage. The hilarity ensued as we moved farm animals (cue the Benny Hill music), hay, our combined supply of preps, furnishing, farm equipment, and other items. The move took weeks…literally weeks. We fell into bed each night, exhausted and cranky. As much fun as all this sounds, our regular full-time jobs and household chores continued. By the time the last load was hauled, we had injured backs, knees, and ankles… And the work was just beginning. Fortunately, the skills I learned …


From the Deep South to Northern Rockies: Pt. 2, by GritsInMontana

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(Continued from Part 1.) Critters Cows: With Spring firmly entrenched in the Rockies, my thoughts turned to critters. I wanted my own cattle and wondered to myself if there might be some sort of “mini-cow” I could easily manage by myself. This led to an internet search and ultimately to me purchasing my first pretty Dexter cow, who had a heifer calf by her side and had been “bred back” (meaning she was pregnant with another calf). She had spent her life in a remote pasture. She had little experience with humans; I had no experience with cows. In retrospect, …


From the Deep South to Northern Rockies: Pt. 1, by GritsInMontana

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Redoubt Relocation – From the Deep South to Northern Rockies: A Move to Self-Sufficiency Gentle Reader, the purpose of this article is to share with you my first-hand experience of moving my family from a balmy Southern locale to a small mountain town in the Redoubt. I believe many of my homesteading experiences, regarding everything from critters to cabbage, may provide practical and helpful insight to anyone envisioning a new life in the Northern Rockies. For those slow-talking, sweet-tea-sippin’ Southerners who may be contemplating such a move, I have also included some of the learning curve I encountered regarding cold …


It is Time to Build Several ARs, by D.B.

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I believe that it is time to build several AR-15s. There are many reasons why. These include: You will soon need them. Prices are down, due to the Trump Slump in firearms sales. A reasonable cost for an AR equates to $600 today.  This is definitely a “low point” in pricing and hence the ideal time to buy or build. Your family is not building them, so you should. The government doesn’t want you to build them. (Read: The threat of upcoming legislation.) It will help you to better understand how the firearm runs. Building your own is just fun. …