Cleaning Mauser Rifle Bolts, by The Novice

The Bolt Action Rifle In 1836, Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse introduced the first successful bolt action rifle, the needle rifle, using paper cartridges. By the mid 1850s, bolt action rifles using metallic, centerfire cartridges were introduced. These, in turn, lead to iconic designs like the 1891 Mosin Nagant, the Lee-Enfield, Mauser bolt actions, and the 1903 Springfield. Among their many advantages, bolt actions tend to be strong, reliable, fast to operate, and easily-maintained. Cleaning the Bolt Over the course of time, a combination of lint, powder and primer residue, dirt, oil, and condensation can collect in the interior of a …


Painkillers and TEOTWAWKI – Part 2, by Anonymous

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) I don’t pop pills to feel better. I rest. I have adjusted my surroundings to work for me. I have no problems turning down social offers if I know I can’t do them. I used to say “No, I can’t” and mumble an excuse, and now I simply say “No thank you!”, with a smile, and not feel the slightest guilt, nor do I have to explain myself to anyone. When the pain feels unbearable, I go into a reclining position and rest for as long as it takes for the pain …


Painkillers and TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by Anonymous

Through a series of unfortunate health mishaps, I became quite disabled. I am better now (mostly emotionally), but it’s been a long, slow, slog, through the medical community seeking help, and relief. I will most likely never again be that bouncing bunny of energy I used to be. My daily routine is about managing my energy and pain levels. The better I get at that, the more likely it is that you will not even know of my suffering when you meet me. Hopefully, you will be greeted with a big smile, an encouraging word, and a warm hug. I …


A DIY Solar Water Heater – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) BUILDING THE BOX Again, if money isn’t a big concern, I’d recommend using a full sheet of plywood and corrugated polycarbonate greenhouse panels. This will not only give you a larger water heater, but be lighter and easier to move as well. I constructed a double-coiled version using a free recycled, double-paned sliding patio door which, on sunny days, supplies more hot water than I can use. The construction method will be the same regardless of which size you choose to make. For the full-sheet-of-plywood version, use two treated 2 x 4 …


Life Without Modern Transportation, by C.J.

We can be almost anywhere on earth within 24 hours using the various forms of modern transportation. Automobiles have greatly increased the amount of area we can cover in our daily lives, but what happens if we can’t use our vehicles anymore? The average human being can walk around 3 mph and can cover about 20 to 30 miles in a day. This of course varies by an individual’s fitness level and many other factors such as the terrain’s roughness/steepness, the weather, and the amount of load carried. Just think of it this way: it will take 2 to 3 …


Your AR-15 For Hunting Deer, by Behind The Counter

Even a casual reader of SurvivalBlog over the last several years has seen a number of excellent articles on deer hunting. While deer can be a valuable supplement to food storage in more or less normal times, most of these articles have made commonsense arguments that it would be a serious mistake to plan on venison as a staple in a true TEOTWAWKI event. There are some rural parts of the Redoubt where deer may continue to be abundant at least for some time, but in the more populous Midwestern farming states, along the East Coast, and in the South, …


Shooting Drills for WTSHTF – Part 1, by T.Z.

Shooting requires constant, realistic practice to hone and maintain your skills with a weapon. This is especially true when preparing for the possibility of human beings attacking you or your family. Many people shoot for target practice or hunting, but they do not train for hostile encounters. Training with firearms for prepping must be intentional and planned, not merely a recreational activity. In this article I will show how to train for hostile encounters, including drills you can do with or without ammunition. Given the enormous breadth of this subject, I will be limiting the scope of this article to …


The Hi Point 4595 Carbine, by Rick C.

I am a firm believer that two is one and one is none. I had been looking for another .45 ACP to compliment my Rock River 1911 which, aside, I am very pleased with. At one time I had a Glock 36 that I sold when I needed some money, or thought I did, and I still have the holster. Can’t let that go to waste, right? However, I began to think of a pistol-caliber carbine. I, and many others, believe it is a good idea to have a handgun and a rifle in the same chambering. This point of …


Combating Sheep Flock Parasites – Part 2, by Mike V.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) The test is performed with the freshest stool you can get. You can corral the animal, get your gloves on and get in the rectum to get some pellets out, or any number of less stressful ways to get your sample. I just walk into the field and walk behind the sheep or lamb I want a sample from. They routinely walk away and I follow them until they get a little antsy and they will give you what you need in short order. You are not trying to spook them, just …


Combating Sheep Flock Parasites – Part 1, by Mike V.

My mother went back to school to be a social worker, and she did a project which was quite interesting. She taped (remember cassette tapes?) one of our dinner conversations and then played it back to us when her project was over. I do not remember what her point was but I do remember that three planes flew over the house and two trains went by and none of us skipped a beat with the conversation. We lived in the flight path of one of the largest airports in the world and the train tracks were right next door. I …


Becoming a Hunter – Part 3, by Remington Smith

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Early in the season, in this same spot, I learned that I was truly a hunter. It was not when I took my deer because I took him from another place on our land. Instead, it was when I passed up an immature buck. That spike I mentioned earlier gave me multiple opportunities to shoot. I never did. Knowing that I had the discipline to stick with what I had deemed a mature animal gave me the confidence to continue hunting the big bucks. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, …


Becoming a Hunter – Part 2, by Remington Smith

(Continued from Part 1.) Becoming a true marksman does not come overnight. It comes over many trips to the range. I was blessed to be going into my first season of hunting already knowing of what I was capable. I had nothing to prove regarding my shooting. I have been involved in one of the Olympic pistol disciplines for seven years. Through competitive shooting I have learned many, many valuable lessons. Some of these regard shooting under stress. Others involve simply the basics of shooting taken to a competitive level. Aside from competition, my dad and I regularly shoot a …


Becoming a Hunter – Part 1, by Remington Smith

The mention of hunting will most likely bring two responses. The first of the non-hunter, sometimes anti-hunter, and that is of disgust. The other is of the hunter himself. It is one who smiles widely and tells a couple of hunting stories, however true they may be. When I was young and growing up my response would have been the first. That is not entirely my fault because most of the so-called hunters in my area think nothing of killing an immature animal, or worse yet, not being a marksman and wounding the animal. For me, wounding an animal and …


Bitcoin for Preppers, by S.C.

“Oh no, not someone else talking about Bitcoin!” That is what you’re probably thinking right now. I know Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been a hot topic of late. And there are more than enough “wanna-be” experts out there. When looking through SurvivalBlog.com, I realized that it’s been quite a while since there was a dedicated piece on cryptocurrencies. Since the technology (and the economy) is changing so rapidly, I wanted to do a primer on Bitcoin for Preppers. I’ll include Use Cases and some How-To. In this article, I’m going to make the case for Bitcoin, not as an …


Winning The War On Weeds – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Most of your weeds will be annuals which must grow from seed each year and tend to be easy to deal with. My handful of “good weeds” grow large, are easy to pull up even when mature, and remain supple without getting too fibrous or woody making them excellent composting plants. An example is the perilla seen in Photo 5. This is my best composting weed so I let them get large (36”) as long as they’re not obstructing any crop plants. Others in this same category are most of the tender …