Choosing the Appropriate Handgun for You and Yours, by Officer Tackleberry

There are many areas of debate, speculation, opinion and urban legends when it comes to anything involving guns and/or self-defense, with handguns probably being at the top of this list.  I will share my experience, training and research to try to help with this debate. The first thing to consider is what caliber is right for you and your family.  When it comes to establishing a caliber for your family’s security, there seems to be a belief that the .45 is the only way to go, especially in the semi-auto platform.  I couldn’t disagree more with the reasoning for this …


Letter Re: JWR’s List of Lists in an Excel Spreadsheet

Sir, I would like to thank you for your excellent site. I have been steadily working my way through your archives for the past several months now. I have been a prepper for quite a while thanks to my upbringing. However, for me it is more of a serious hobby than anything else. Being in the military and changing duty stations fairly rapidly is not conducive to long term prepping, as has been mentioned before on your site. That does not mean that I cannot plan however. I have attached a “List of Lists” in MS-Excel spreadsheet format. The initial …


Letter Re: U.S. Bank Failures Accelerate in Pace and Increase in Size

James Wesley: On Friday, eight more banks were closed according to this article. I did a little research and found out that so far this year, 50 banks with total assets of approximately $30.4 Billion (you have to add the numbers up in the total assets column) have failed according to this site. By this date last year (April 17, 2009) 25 banks with $12.5 Billion in assets had failed according to the companion site. How’s that “hope and change” working for you? This could be a record year if the pace keeps up. – S.M. Economics and Investing:


Economics and Investing:

Yishai recommended this article: Released to Near Silence, the U.S. Treasury 2009 Financial Report Shows Dire Course Sue C. suggested an essay by Herb Mayer: An Economics Lecture No Student Will Ever Hear Items from The Economatrix: 10 US Cities in Economic Freefall Exxon’s Income Tax: $0 John Paulson: The Man Who Made Billions Betting on the US Housing Crash Goldman Sach’s Client-First Pledge Exposed as Lie Black Gold, Yellow Gold (The Mogambo Guru)


Odds ‘n Sods:

Hunter in Alaska spotted this blog article: The Whiskey Standard (by way of Instapundit).    o o o Our thanks to R.B.S. for sending this: Copper thieves dismantle office building’s roof.    o o o Crime Prediction Software is Here and It’s a Very Bad Idea. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Ferd liked this Lifehacker article: Make a Waterproof Fire Starter Out of Dryer Lint (and Some Other Trash)    o o o Brian B. sent this: Rallies supporting the United States’ 2nd Amendment were held across the country Monday


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Somewhere ahead I expect to see a worldwide panic-scramble for gold as it dawns on the world population that they have been hoodwinked by the central banks’ creation of so-called paper wealth. No central bank has ever produced a single element of true, sustainable wealth. In their heart of hearts, men know this. Which is why, in experiment after experiment with fiat money, gold has always turned out to be the last man standing.” – Richard Russell


Note from JWR:

Notes from JWR: I’m scheduled to be interviewed by libertarian survivalist Reginald Kaigler on The DEMCAD Show (a Freedomizer Radio podcast), this evening (Monday) from 6-to-7 p.m. Eastern Time. — Today we present another entry for Round 28 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 …


Plentiful Water, Right at Your Feet, by Matt H. in Washington State

I want to bring up a topic that should be critical to those trying to prepare. I am one of the folks that wants to survive in place in a suburban environment. The serious weak link in any survival program is that of water. We have all read the endless articles about finding and preparing potable (drinkable) water. The endless stories of filtering, boiling, bleach-treating. I believe one area has been overlooked. Proviso: The following is presented for educational purposes only, and should only be considered in life and death situations! Can I tell you all a little about my …


Letter Re: An Earthquake Wakeup Call in Australia

Greetings! I’m a SurvivalBlog addict who lives in the coastal suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, and last night at roughly 11:25 p.m. my shower was interrupted by an earthquake! It wasn’t strong enough to move furniture. In fact, as earthquakes go it was pretty weak (later revealed as a 3.8), but since we’re near the coast I wasn’t taking any chances, and neither was my wife! Seconds after it was stopped I was drying off and we were both getting dressed. We locked the doors, shut the windows, grabbed our phones and our boy, put the dogs in the car …


Economics and Investing:

By way of the Appenzell Daily Bell: George Soros Warns that the EU May Collapse. From Damon S.: 14 Pieces of Really Bad News for the U.S. Economy The number that I mentioned in the blog on Saturday was too low. Here is the correction: U.S. shuts eight more banks; 50 total have been closed this year. Items from The Economatrix: Consumer Mood Unexpectedly Worsens in April US Housing Starts Up Bill to Restore Jobless Aid Clears Senate Hurdle Pensions Crisis “Threatens Entire UK Economy” $4.00 Gas by the End of 2010?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Yishai sent this Instapundit item: U.S. Military Warns of Oil Shortage by 2015.    o o o Reader Damon S. suggested a web site with some free plans for building beehives.    o o o Matt B. mentioned a clever “stealth” house built into a grain silo.    o o o David R. was the first of several readers to mention this: MIT Student Develops Cutting Edge Low Cost Healing for the Developing World



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of …


Two Letters Re: Icelandic Volcanic Ash

James, As a geologist (masters degree) I have written for 30 years on issues of geologic hazards for numerous publications and made presentations to governmental entities regarding same. I preach preparedness for disaster as a way of mitigation for the inevitable. This is my heads up for your readers. The unpronounceable Icelandic volcano (Eyjafjallajokull) that is currently erupting and disrupting air traffic mostly over Europe is becoming quite a demonstration of natures ability to mess with our technology. A much bigger worry is a nearby volcano called Katla which is also located under a huge ice cap on iceland. Katla …


Letter Re: The Broke Survivalist — A Learning Experience

James: Vaerity mentioned, in her valuable post, that she would like to pursue some rifle training. I’ve got one word for her: Appleseed! Ladies shoot free, and she already possesses the preferred “Liberty Training Rifle” – the Ruger 10/.22. She will experience two full days of high quality rifle marksmanship instruction, for the cost of a bargain box of .22 LR ammunition. The bulk-packed ammo is still under $20 per box [of 550 cartridges.]. You just can’t find a bigger bang for the buck!! Check out teh Appleseed web site for scheduled events in North Carolina. Best Wishes, – S.H. …