Letter Re: Coin Roll Hunting–Acquiring Silver on a Tight Budget

James Wesley: When my father passed away a few years back my sisters and I split his meager coin collection. So I had a small amount to start out with. At one point when silver’s price dropped a bit I went to a local pawn shop and bought thirty-two 90% silver quarters for spot price. The melt value has increased roughly 10% so far. Then I went into local banks and asked if they had any fifty cents pieces. Sure enough a teller provided me one 1964 (90% silver) and a couple of the 1965-1970 vintage (40% silver), getting the …


Letter Re: Observations From Fence Building

JWR: Texas Rancher’s comments on fence building are spot on.  Build it right the first time or you’ll regret it.  If you’re in big country, then barbed wire is the way to go.  If you have a smaller place, from a few acres to a few hundred acres, you may want to consider high tensile electric fences.  High tensile fencing has a number of advantages over other types of fencing, particularly if you live in an area where there are trees. If you’re not familiar with high tensile electric fencing take a look at  Kencove.com  They are a good source …


Economics and Investing:

Zero Hedge recently posted this, which should sound familiar to SurvivalBlog readers in general and Redoubt States advocates in particular: The Strategic Advantages Of Community Building Several readers sent this: Ron Paul: “America’s AAA Rating Not Worth Saving” Because “We Are Insolvent” Found at Fierce Finance: SEC commissioner blasts settlement with ex-Morgan Stanley trader   Items from The Economatrix: Echoing Moody’s: S&P Warns It May Downgrade US Credit Rating Ratio Of Insider Selling to Buying on The S&P:  3,700x! Bernanke:  Fed Ready to Act if Economy Worsens Stock Rally Weakens as Hopes Dim for More Stimulus Fitch Downgrades Greece One …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Avalanche Lily mentioned some commonsense observations from Enola Gay, over at the Paratus Familia blog: TEOTWAWKI Fatigue    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson offers this, over at his own blog: The Garand: Almost As Good As A Real Rifle. (Thanks to Tam for the link.)    o o o News from the American Redoubt as seen through the statist lens of The Wall Street Journal: A Gun Activist Takes Aim at U.S. Regulatory Power    o o o I just heard that Country Living Grain Mills will increase their Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) to a …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …


Some Useful Government Training, by David N. From Tennessee

Just like everybody else, I am unique. In the disaster prepper field I am unique in that I am both a diehard personal prepper and a college trained emergency management professional.  I did not become one because of the other; my personal preparedness mindset comes from my parents, as well as my internal system of ethics and belief structure.  My career path grew out of my military and correction background.  However, even though they are separate, I find that my skills in one translate to the other even though the goals of the two are not always identical. I would …


Six Letters Re: A Prepper Goes to College

James:  The article “A Prepper Goes to College” by S. John aptly points out a problem in which is completely avoidable.  It is heartbreaking to know that so many people are setting themselves up for a life of lost opportunities by being saddled with educational debt.   This problem is the subject of the book Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents by Zac Bissonnette.  “Debt-Free U” points out the huge disparity in the cost/value relationships of the many college education options.  It provides strategies (solutions) for getting a good …


Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. was the first of several readers to mention this: Return of the Gold Standard as world order unravels Over at Fierce Finance: FATCA law is little known–but could be tricky Tina B. suggeted this by Ellen Brown: Why QE2 Failed: The Money All Went Offshore Gary North: On the Road to Government Default. (Thanks to John R. for the link.) Headline from England: Age of austerity to continue for decades, warns OBR Items from The Economatrix: UK:  Suicide Rates Rise as Debt and Cuts Take Their Toll 25 Reasons to Buy Gold and Dump Dollars Italy Contagion Fears Knock …


Odds ‘n Sods:

“Fast and Furious” Scandal Making Cops, Citizens Furious Fast. Just one correction: This was not a “renegade operation”. It was sanctioned at the highest levels of the BATFE and the Obama Administration.    o o o I just heard about a company that makes a very clever compact fishing pole: Montana Innovative Fishing Gear. These are American-made. (Yes, I checked: They are manufactured in Spokane, Washington.) They are ideal for backpacking, or even for your “maxi” size bug out bag. These poles can be used for bait casting, trolling, ice fishing, and even marginally well for fly fishing.    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some] shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and [will set them] to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take …


Notes from JWR:

For the next 24 hours, Lulu.com is offering a further 20% off the already reduced price of the SurvivalBlog 5-Year Archive CD-ROM. To take 20% off the $14.96 price (bringing it down to just $11.96) use the discount code “BIG“. This sale ends at midnight tonight — Friday, July 15, 2011. Also note that production of the archive CD-ROM will end on August 1st, so order your copy today! (Lulu will soon no longer be producing any CD-ROMs. We are setting up production with a new vendor, but the CD-ROM probably won’t be available for ordering again until September or …


Raising Backyard Chickens, by Kevin T.

The following are some of my suggestions on backyard poultry flocks, based on my experience: Before you take possession of your birds consider where you will keep your flock. A backyard can work just fine, if your local zoning abides it. If you are going to let your birds roam outside their coop then you will need to fence your yard in to keep the birds in and four legged predators out. Fencing can be as simple and as aesthetically pleasing as you want. If you have an existing solid fence you are in luck. If you do not have …


Pat’s Product Review: German Sport Guns (GSG) .22s

A relative newcomer on the firearms scene is German Sport Guns (GSG) which, as the name implies, are guns made in Germany. GSG firearms are imported into the USA by American Tactical Imports (ATI) and they are causing quite a stir these days. Under review here are the GSG-5 and the GSG-1911 firearms. The GSG-5 is a “clone” of sorts, of the HK94 semiauto carbine (patterned on the Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun) – except it’s semiauto only and it fires .22 Long Rifle (LR) cartridges. The GSG-1911, is a virtual “clone” of the legendary 1911 .45 ACP handgun, …


Letter Re: Planning for Multi-Family Cohabitation

Hi Jim, Just wanted to chime in here on the recent blog post about multi-family living. There are currently three families in our house: Five adults and and four children ranging in ages from 13 down to 6. (This includes two married couples and a single mom.) And how did all of this begin? Well the spark was friendship.  My wife and my friend’s wife were best friends and room mates. We spent all of our time at the girls apartment, going there after church, meeting there for evening outings, etc. I would get back to my apartment with just …