Two Letters Re: Advice on a Multipurpose Rifle

Sir, While I do basically agree with your statements on rifles for defense, I think you should rethink your comments about the lever gun in 30-30 or 45-70. You mentioned several drawbacks to the lever gun that I’d like to address if I may: 1) Slow reload time: While it is quite true that a 20 round detachable magazine is faster than any other empty reload method except a second gun, the trick to the combat use of a lever gun is to continuously reload. While my combat experience is over 3 decades old now and I was using an …


Economics and Investing:

Stocks were down yesterday, but precious metals were up. Its a good thing that you are a SurvivalBlog reader, and wisely got out of stocks and into silver and gold, long ago. G.G. sent this: Long-term unemployment soaring Also from G.G.: John Williams: A Hyper-Inflationary Great Depression Is Coming In a recent issue of his excellent (and free) Outside The Box e-newsletter, John Mauldin had these comments: “It now looks like almost 30% of the Greek financing will come from the IMF, rather than just a small portion. And since 40% of the IMF is funded by US taxpayers, and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Christopher W. spotted this in Science News: New Wound Dressing Makes Bacteria Commit Suicide    o o o Several readers sent this: Dugout Dick helped make Idaho, Idaho; The death of the ‘Salmon River Caveman’ ends an era in the state’s history.    o o o Bob at Ready Made Resources mentioned a interesting new product for gardeners: Hot Pepper Wax Repellent . It is a natural pest repellent for your garden, that doesn’t have the drawbacks of insecticides. They are offering free shipping on one quart bottles.    o o o Reader R.S.R. spotted a web-based e-mail privacy tool …



Understanding the Carry Condition Codes for M1911 Pistols

I recently got a letter from a SurvivalBlog reader who sounded confused about what “Condition One” means for a single action (SA) auto pistol.  So I’ll presume that it is time to backtrack a bit and post a short piece on the standardized Model 1911 “Condition Codes.” These were originated by Col. Jeff Cooper. OBTW, these terms are also applicable to most other semi-auto pistols with exposed hammers: Condition 0 – Ready to fire: The pistol has cartridges in the magazine, a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is off. Condition 1 – The …


Easy and Inexpensive FM Voice Satcom Operations, by David in Israel

There are many free to use communications satellites for use only by licensed amateur radio operators, more are launched almost every year with more capabilities. Not licensed? Call the ARRL’s toll-free number at 1-888-277-5289 and request an informational Amateur Radio prospect package. You only need to pass a 35 question Technician exam which uses questions from a public question pool and usually pay less than $15 for an exam seat to begin using the Amateur Satellite Service along with free access to the expansive terrestrial repeater network and Morse code on several HF bands, more when you advance in level. …


Letter Re: Advice on a Multipurpose Rifle

JWR, I am a 50-something urban homesteader, selling my house to move to a rural area. I currently own a handgun (S&W 459 9mm) and a shotgun (Mossberg 12 gauge pump) and am researching what kind of rifle would be good for my new urban homestead. I am a good shot, not pro and not wild, just get within the target lines. I have hunted in the past with a 30-06 but feel with my age and all this would be too much for me now. Not to mention that I am a petite female at only 5’1″ tall and …


Economics and Investing:

CMBS Delinquencies Hit Fresh Record, Now at $51 Billion, 268% Increase. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Also from G.G.: Still No Credit Where It’s Due (Commercial and industrial loans have contracted 19% in the past 12 months. Consumer credit is down 6% in the year to February, when it stood at the same level as June 2007.) RBS sent us this: Idle rail cars generate cash for Boise Also from RBS comes this article in Der Spiegel: The Mother of All Bubbles Could Push Euro Zone into Bankruptcy. Thanks to Steve S. for forwarding this: China May ‘Crash’ in …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Newsweek magazine quoted me about the complex interdependencies of technological societies in an article about the implications of the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Finland. But sorry, you have to read Polish. (It was Newsweek‘s Polish edition. (I was quoted on the third page of the online edition.) Well, at least they mentioned the title of my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. 😉    o o o Reader RBS sent this: A swap of seeds in Boise on Saturday will tap into a practice with roots in the dawn of agriculture    o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“As the dollar breaks down, you’ll also likely see disruptions in supply chains, including shipments of food to grocery stores. People should consider maintaining stockpiles of basic goods needed for living, much as they would for a natural disaster. I sit on the Hayward fault in California. I have a supply of goods and basic necessities in case something terrible happens—natural or man-made—that will carry me for a couple of months. It may take that long for a barter system to evolve, which I think is what you’re going to end up with; at least until a new currency system …


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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case …


Survival Rations and Food Security, by J.I.R.

I think we can all agree that a deep larder is good insurance for bad times. There is some variation on how we approach this topic, but we probably all have a lot in common. I would like to present my approach to food storage to give your readers (perhaps) a new perspective. Some of them may have inadequate plans for feeding their families. First, I have to admit that I am probably not as well prepared as a lot of readers and that my preparations could easily be improved if I were less lazy or worried more. I don’t …


Letter Re: Using Pipe Infrastructure to Your Advantage

Beneath many of our very feet are hundreds of miles of underground piping which utilized correctly can provide valuable resource in the event of a TEOTWAWKI situation. Storm drainage pipe siphons rain water from urban areas into surrounding streams and rivers. Accessed through manholes and curb gutters water runs off the street into basins and concrete piping. (Concrete piping varies in size, however most urban areas use diameters 36” and upward.) In the event of a G.O.O.D. situation slipping into some form of drainage would at least allow stealth movement for a decent distance (remember water always flows toward the …


Letter Re: An Australian Comments on the U.S. Constitution

Sir: As a foreign reader of this blog (Australian) I keep a very close eye on the U.S. politics. I find myself envious of a country that has a Bill Of Rights such as yours. I carry great admiration for those that defend it, but at the same time it depresses me that so many Americans take it for granted. In Australia, Federal authority is so pervasive that the only thing the our states provide is an excuse to employ another tier of overpaid under-worked public servants. Yet regardless of how tight a government’s stranglehold on their populace may be …


Letter Re: Thoughts on Practical Self-Sufficiency

Hello Jim: For supper tonight we are having a meal made with ingredients that I gathered from our place, with the exception of the meat which was purchased. I put a smoked ham hock in the crock pot over night. I also soaked some leather breeches (dried green beans) and some horticultural beans over night. These were added to the crock pot this morning along with a couple of hands full of ramps that I had dug yesterday and a couple of hands full of dandelion greens that Abigail had picked last week. Lastly some red potatoes from our garden …