Letter Re: Why We Chose the Springfield Armory XD .45 Pistol

Mr. Rawles, May I first say that my firearms experience is extensive, but not conclusive. I have owned many firearms, and have simply found what works the best for myself and probably our group, considering current budgetary constraints. We have adopted the Springfield Armory XD45 as our group standard sidearm. While a personal firearm choice can vary much like boots to an individual, the “Extreme Duty” (XD) line of pistols has overwhelming pros and minimal cons. To begin with, I would like to say that when it first came out I scoffed at it and blew it off as a …


Letter Re: What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

Dear Sir: I believe I represent the younger group of your readers. I’m 28 years old, third year medical student. I have no wife, kids or major responsibilities beyond school at the moment. I have a Facebook account which I mainly use for socializing with classmates of friends back home. Also as a relatively young adult/student I enjoy the long summer vacations many of my contemporaries do not due to work or other obligations. However unlike many of my classmates and friends I was born and raised up to the age of 14 in the former Soviet Union and have …


Letter Re: Bug Out Vehicle – Re-Inventing the Car Trunk

Hi SurvivalBloggers, I just watched this video: Bug Out Vehicle – Re-Inventing the Car Trunk (more of a slide show) that was mentioned in SurvivalBlog. I see a couple of obvious problems. Firstly; If he is going through all of this trouble to provide space for emergency/survival gear in case of emergency, why is he leaving the small donut spare tire in there? They are not rated for high speed, heavy loads, or extended distances. Go pick up a spare rim and tire! Yes, a full size spare weighs more, and takes up a bit more room… but in my …


Economics and Investing:

After a two week interlude (including a Holiday weekend), the FDIC Friday Follies have resumed, with the announced closure of Horizon Bank, Bradenton, Florida. OBTW, have you noticed how bank failures have become so commonplace that they are hardly even mentioned by the mainstream media? Treasurys Tumble Following Weak 30-Year Sale. The rate of return on Treasury paper are bound to rise, and that will push up prevailing interest rates, and that in turn will further slow the economy, including home sales. We are poised to enter a death spiral, folks. Watch interest rates and the US Dollar Index (USDI) …


Inflation Watch:

Grocery Shrink Ray Minimizes My Brownies. “At least it’s less embarrassing and diet-damaging to devour an entire pan of brownies with the rebooted, withered Betty Crocker Turtles.” Getting ready for more inflation? One can only wonder why the US Postal Service now requires SDR valuation calculations for insured international shipments.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Marie K. flagged this: Nine Years After 9/11, Public Safety Radio Not Ready    o o o Reader Matt R. wrote to mention that sites like ft.com (frequently cited in our Economics and Investing column) require user registration. For the sake of privacy, there are free sites like BugMeNot.com that provide login usernames/passwords to these newspaper sites that would otherwise require registration.    o o o “Kron” spotted this useful item at Low Tech magazine: How to tie the world together: online knotting reference books    o o os The military and firearms manuals formerly housed at the Survival Bound …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 30 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of …


Advice on a One Man Git Kit, by J.S.I.

Growing up in a family which camped a lot, the family slang for what is now usually called the B.O.B. was “the Git Kit.”  As I am now an ossified old coot, I reserve the right to keep calling it just that. Something I have noticed in most written descriptions of BOBs/Git Kits is a generality of speech bordering on the uselessly vague.  No weights, no measures, no manufacturers, no clues!  It’s enough to give  Horace Kephart’s ghost a ripping case of hives. With that in mind, I dug into my gear with the goal of providing a more detailed, …


Product Review: Choate Machine and Tool AR-15 Hook Stock

The Choate Machine and Tool AR-15 Hook Stock (see photo) is another well-designed piece of hardware from Choate. The hook at the bottom works very well for supported fire, and isn’t in the way otherwise. The internal compartment is large enough for a full cleaning kit, spare bolt and some other sundries. The length is the same as the A2 stock, with a slight cant forward at the bottom. For tall shooters, this makes for a very comfortable stance, especially when prone. I would rather the bottom was cut for a mil spec sling mount, rather than having a standard …


Letter Re: Learning from Living History Interpretors

Jim, D.R.W.’s essay titled “Learning from Living History Interpretors” describes a very clever and practical way to learn to do things as our ancestors did. He has hit on a great plan. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, we may not be starting from scratch–i.e. with only a rock and a sharp stick–but we will need to have skills that are foreign to almost all of us today. Those skills will restore a sense of community and division of labor. What better way to restore civilization, therefore, than to learn useful skills that will be beneficial to ourselves and others? Learning to …


Economics and Investing:

Over at the View From the Porch blog, Tamara posted this gem on the recoveryless housing market: Missing the point. The comments that follow are also worth reading. Reader Sue C. highlighted this article: OECD Says Slowdown ‘More Pronounced’ Than Anticipated KAF sent this: Stimulus? Who Said Anything About a Stimulus? Items from The Economatrix: Stocks Resume Rally as European Debt Worries Ease. Consumers Cut Back on Credit Card Use Once Again Job Openings Rise for First Time Since April Hopes Rise as Jobless Claims Fall, Trade Gap Eases Stocks Extend Gains After Drop In Jobless Claims Mortgage Rates Edge …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Today is the big day for Mayor Eddie Perez–his scheduled felony sentencing day. Perez is one of the many members of Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns that are criminals. This so-called “law and order” group has had an inordinately large number of member-mayors that have been felony indicted or convicted including Sheila Dixon, Kwame Kilpatrick, Gary Becker, Larry Langford, Samuel Rivera, Jerramiah Healy, the late Frank Melton, Will Wynn, and David Della Donna.) Perez faces up to 60 years in prison after conviction on five corruption charges.    o o o More than a dozen readers recommended this Stratfor …