Three Letters Re: The PTR91 Rifle

Dear Mr. Rawles, The five examples of PTR91 rifles in my “collection” are all fine pieces of work by Scorpion Arms (PTR-91) with numerous aftermarket and military accessories to make them more tactically friendly to the end user. I will agree that there is some ammunition that they do not like though not many (mine are early rifles with match barrels all). An important addition to Panhandle Ranchers comments regarding the ejection system is that you should NOT shoot from the driver’s side window of any vehicle with an HK family rifle. Each and every piece of brass will make …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s G.G. sent this: ‘Underwater’ Homeowners Rise to 28 Percent: Zillow. JWR’s Comment: Please don’t try to tell me that the U.S. housing market has “reached the bottom”. It will continue to deteriorate. The bottom won’t be reached until after hundreds of billions of dollars in bad debt unwinds. At this point, the only viable way for the government and the Federal Reserve banking cartel to extricate themselves from this morass is to inflate their way out. It will only be when houses start selling for more than they did in 2007 that the market will start to “turn around.” …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Other John B. mentioned the new Internet Gulag Museum.    o o o Jordan J. wrote to mention that he found a new iPhone app that identifies tree leaves by taking pictures on your phone.  Jordan noted: “It is currently limited to New York City and Washington DC trees, but should grow to a hold a much larger database.”    o o o Consumers and Investors Seek Protection With Guns and Gold. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)    o o o J. McC. forwarded this link: Techno Germans at Play.    o o o Then there’s our kind …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Civilizations rise, decay and die. Time, as the ancient Greeks argued, for individuals and for states is cyclical. As societies become more complex they become inevitably more precarious. They become increasingly vulnerable. And as they begin to break down there is a strange retreat by a terrified and confused population from reality, an inability to acknowledge the self-evident fragility and impending collapse. The elites at the end speak in phrases and jargon that do not correlate to reality. They retreat into isolated compounds, whether at the court at Versailles, the Forbidden City or modern palatial estates. The elites indulge in …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 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 …


Stocking Up on Grains and Legumes (Part 2), by Sky Watcher

Every report I hear or see in news lately (and there have been many) confirms to me over and over again that I did the right thing and the smart thing in stocking up on grains and legumes from Bob’s Red Mill.  It sets my mind at ease having a secure food supply.  After receiving my large order (6,711 lbs) it was time to pack it all up.  Prior to placing the order I had researched extensively and ultimately decided which storage method I would use and then placed orders for those items.  I decided to use 5 gallon buckets …


Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

I’m sorry that I haven’t posted much in this column in recent weeks. My time has been occupied with helping Jim, homeschooling our children, keeping house, getting our garden in, and caring for our livestock. (It is lambing and calving season, which can be hectic.) This leaves me little time to read many books from cover to cover. My integrity dictates that if I don’t read through an entire book, then I don’t want to mention it in my column. So I will only post reviews when I have read and enjoyed a book and I find it relevant to …


Letter Re: Downsizing Your Oversize Wool Sweaters

Dear Editor, SurvivalBlog has recommended stocking up on wool sweaters from thrift shops.  I took your advice, went to a thrift shop, and found lots of cheap sweaters in perfect condition, cashmere no less, that were hopelessly too big, as well as one baggy Merino sweater.  Since cashmere is very warm, as well as comfortable, I decided to make them fit, and bought them anyway.  First, I turned them inside out (to reduce pilling) and put them in the washing machine on Delicate cycle, Hot water, without soap.  A couple of the sweaters shrank to the right size just from …


Letter Re: The PTR91 Rifle

Dear Mr. Rawles: In a past life I used the popular HK MP-5SD. It’s reliability prompted me to purchase one of the first PTR-91s directly from the manufacturer. (Back when that was possible–they are all now sold though distributors). I found the PTR-91 capable of digesting a wide variety of ammunition thanks to the HK family of well designed roller delayed blowback systems. This functional reliability and availability of really cheap magazines indeed make it a popular battle rifle. What I haven’t read by those singing it’s kudos, is that the forcefulness of the extraction system throws the brass quite a distance, …


Economics and Investing:

C.D.V. sent this: Housing crash is getting worse: report. Observations of the Silver Smack Down. Steve K. forwarded a link to: Doomsday Scenario (from the Treasury Department, of all places!) G.P. suggested: $2 Trillion Mile Marker on Road to Perdition Items from The Economatrix: Florida Bank Fails; 40 Shuttered In 2011 Global Economic Crisis to Worsen n Fall The Silver Bull:  Despite This Week’s Selloff, We See Higher Prices Ahead Hopes For A Quick Decline In US Joblessness Dims Signs Are Pointing to a Big Commodity Selloff


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.B.S. sent this: Family details how woman survived in wilderness for 48 days    o o o Several readers mentioned that there has been news of more of the same old Schumer: Schumer Calls For ‘Do Not Ride’ List For Amtrak    o o o Seed for Security announced that they are offering a free gift to customers ordering $25 or more: A free packet of Detroit Dark Red Beet seeds, Bouquet Dill seeds, and Golden Globe Turnip seeds. All of these varieties are great for mid-summer planting. This offer ends June 30, 2011.    o o o Chip …



Pat’s Product Reviews: The PTR91 Rifle

In 1987 at a Colorado gun shop’s “Going Out of Business” sale, I purchased a brand-new HK (Heckler & Koch) Model 91 .308 battle rifle. I got the rifle, along with 10 brand new spare magazines, 1,000 rounds of ammo, a bipod and carrying case for the gun – for the combined price of just $600. Oh, for the good ol’ days! Today, you’ll likely spend $2,500 just for an original H&K Model 91 – and they are now hard to come by. A wave of stupidity overcame me one day, and I sold my HK91 to my friend, and …


Finding a Prepper-Friendly Church

Many readers of SurvivalBlog are Christians. For us, the search for a desirable “vote with your feet” relocation locale includes a very important criteria: finding a good church home. I am of the opinion that finding a good church home is our Christian duty, and that it honors God. It is also an important factor in finding acceptance in a new community. By joining a church congregation that shares your world view, you can very quickly become part of a community, rather than being perceived as just “that new guy”. In many locales, this shortens the time required for a …


The Coming Bitcoin Revolution

SurvivalBlog’s Cheryl N. (also known as The Economatrix) recently sent me a link to a news article that deserves special attention: Peer-to-Peer Currency Takes Banks Out of the Picture. In my estimation, Bitcoin has the potential to trigger a huge shift in how business in conducted via the Internet. . Think of it as a “Local Currency” (such as the well-known Ithaca Hours experiment), but that is scaled up to be a Populist Global Currency. Because of the distributed architecture, it is beyond the control of banks, governments, and taxing minions. Now that is economic freedom! I highly recommend that …