Home Insurance 101 – Part 2, by C.J.

7

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Having the Right Policy If you own a farm, ranch or if you have livestock, you most likely will need a farm policy as opposed to a standard homeowner’s policy. Farm policies will offer coverage a standard homeowner’s policy doesn’t offer. Many policies will offer coverage for your livestock and equipment such as tractors, steer skids, etc. Many homeowners’ policies will have strict eligibility requirements for livestock as well as acreage. If your home is outside the typical track home scenario, it is best to verify with your agent that what you …


Home Insurance 101 – Part 1, by C.J.

22

Without question, our homestead, retreat, compound, farm, ranch or home is one of our most valuable assets in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. It will be where we hunker down, retreat to and use to protect ourselves from what dangers threaten us. Properly insuring your home and all your survival gear is of great importance. Having insurance to replace what was lost and not having to start over can make all the difference in the world. While insurance certainly isn’t as exciting of a topic as gun reviews, gardening techniques or pretty much everything else we read about on SurvivalBlog, it is …


Review: Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9X40 Scope, by The Novice

7

There is a significant tactical difference between cover and concealment. Concealment only protects from observation, while cover protects from hostile fire. But it is true that clearly seeing your target can significantly increase your chances of hitting it. This principle is what can make optics such a significant component in a firearm system. October 27 through 29, 2020, SurvivalBlog published my range report on the Browning BAR MK3 in .243 Winchester. Leupold was kind enough to loan me their VX-Freedom 3-9X40 Tri-MOA scope with a 1″ tube to help with the evaluation of that firearm. Now I would like to …


Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 4, by A.D.C.

10

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) Considerations for Non-Standard AKs When it comes time to order accessories and parts for your AK, it is very easy to accidentally order incompatible items meant for a different AK variant. To get an idea of the scope of the problem, check out UltiMAK‘s and Midwest Industries’ AK product listings. In this section, I’ll help you make sense of some of the lingo on these pages, as well as other terms that you may encounter. Unless otherwise noted (or implied by a chambering in a different cartridge), all of these rifles use …


Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 3, by A.D.C.

7

(Continued from Part 2.) Muzzle Devices There are two sizes of muzzle threading commonly found on AKs. The older 14×1 left-hand thread (LH) is cut directly into the barrel, and the newer M24x1.5 is cut into an extension of the front sight assembly. Both sizes secure the muzzle device with a detent that protrudes from the front of the front sight tower. The older style is commonly associated with 7.62 rifles and the newer style is commonly associated with 5.45 rifles, but it is not unheard-of to find one paired with the other. When buying muzzle devices for an AK, …


Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 2, by A.D.C.

17

(Continued from Part 1.) Handguards The simplest upgrade to classic wooden handguards is a polymer Russian design, often seen on the AK-74M, which has horizontal grooves for cooling and improved traction. The best versions of this design also have internal metal heat shields. Being much slimmer than other options, they are good for small hands. If you don’t need to mount accessories on the front of your rifle, these are a great option. Among several options for handguards that allow for the mounting of accessories, Magpul offers two types: MOE and Zhukov. Both are excellent, and provide M-LOK attachment points …


Kitting Out The Kalashnikov – Part 1, by A.D.C.

20

Introduction With over seventy years of service and more than 100 million examples in circulation worldwide today, the AK-47 and its descendants are a venerable breed of fighting rifle. The AR-15 may be America’s rifle, but the Kalashnikov is unquestionably The World’s rifle. Even in the current golden age of affordable and high-quality ARs, the AK still has much to offer: legendary durability, terrific folding stock options, a bullet that punches through barriers, and the idiosyncratic appeal of “the bad guy’s gun.” It behooves every American to have at least a passing familiarity with the AK, and it especially behooves …


From Bullied to Blackbelt, by Anna Erishkigal

54

This is the tale of a suburban mom’s journey to self-defense readiness. In the photo above, I’m sparring with my instructor. (I’m the one on the left.) Don’t let my karate instructor’s size fool you. This petite blonde woman can kick my @$$. My father was an abusive man, the kind who would hit you – again – when you came home crying after the neighborhood bully shoved your face into the dirt and stole your lunch money. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had taught us how to defend ourselves, but his “lessons” on self-defense consisted entirely …


OPSEC Problems for Preppers, by The Lone Canadian

65

The Problem The biggest problem that I see for preppers is that we talk a good game, and we know what needs to be done, but it goes against our basic nature. Now, before you all jump on me, hear me out. I’m not talking about stockpiling “The Three Bs” (Beans, Bullets, and Band-Aids.) We all know that in the event that TEOTWAWKI comes to pass that we will need to band together in groups for survival. The “lone wolf” has been much written about, but we all know that it’s not possible for one person, or even a couple, …


Guest Post: The Tripwire, by D. van Oort & J.F.A. Davidson

62

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following essay on censorship was posted nearly 20 years ago, in The Resister. I miss that site. This article is re-posted with permission.  – JWR “How we burned in the prison camps later thinking: What would things have been like if every security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive?”– Alexander Solzhenitzyn, The Gulag Archipelago What would be the tripwire resulting in open rebellion? Examining the Bill of Rights, and considering existing laws only, and not failed attempts, you will find that every clause …


Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P.

19

Dosa is a fermented bread from the southern region of India. I eat dosa daily, and I can tell a difference in my well-being if I don’t have my daily dose of dosa. I started eating dosa after I met my wife of almost 30 years. Her parents are from northwestern India. Although she was born and raised outside of India, in a country where South Indians are more common. I am an American with ancestry from Europe and Scandinavia. Dosa dough is normally made in a machine called a wet grinder. It can also be made in a blender, …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice

10

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) Johnny Come Lately Two weeks after the scope arrived, and one week after the rings I ordered from Amazon arrived, a package was delivered from Leupold with the Quick Release Rings to match the Quick Release Mounts they had sent with the scope. They must have belatedly noticed their omission. I appreciated the gesture of sending the rings. Better late than never. But I was quite happy with the rings I had bought from Amazon, so I just left things well enough alone. The Remington 742 Next, I tuned up my Remington …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice

10

(Continued from Part 1.) The First Cleaning About a week later, the muzzle guard arrived, and I settled down to clean the gun. There was even more rust preventative compound in the barrel and on the other steel parts than I had initially noticed. The bore required extensive scrubbing using kerosene as a solvent before a patch finally came out clean. In the process I spilled my bottle of kerosene on the kitchen table, filling the room with fumes. This created a dramatic scene that disturbed the domestic tranquility for a time. Fortunately, the finish on the table was not …


Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 1, by The Novice

23

For many years, my go-to deer rifle has been a venerable Remington Model 742 in .30-06 that I inherited from my father. Over the course of time, I became a little venerable myself. As I aged, the old 742 began to kick a lot harder than it used to. Some would say that this is due to global warming, but I have a different theory. In any case, during my last extended range session with the 742, my shoulder got pretty sore. It hurt so much that I dreaded pulling the trigger, and eventually cut the range session short. I …


How to Make Wooden Mason Jar Crates – Part 2, by St. Funogas

25

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Second Jig – Drill-Press Jig  If you have a pneumatic stapler, which greatly speeds up many nailing tasks, you can skip this section. Once you have the first slats cut, you’ll need to drill guide holes for the 4d nails using a 3/16” drill bit. If you try to nail without a pilot hole, not only will many of the slats split, but it’ll slow down your nailing time considerably. This is where jig number two comes in. As seen in Photos 10A  and 10B (inset), this jig positions stacks of five …