My Approach to a Semi-Auto Scout Rifle – Part 2, by Swampfox

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) Before the Test – Make Your Own Ballistics Gel For ballistics testing at home, there are several options. At the time of my Mini-14 tests, I did not have any ClearBallistics gel or other commercial choices. If you want to do this a lot, perhaps buying a kit would be a good investment. I was short of time, so I whipped up some Knox gelatin. It is easy to do, but it takes a little time and patience. If you are going to be doing a lot of testing, you will need …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at some new compact off-grid power system options. Off-Grid Solar Generators on Display at CES Trade Show Over at PV Magazine: Off-grid solar generators on display at US trade show.  A …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 11, 2023

Today is the birthday of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair “Paddy” Mayne. (11 January 1915 – 14 December 1955.) He was a British Army officer from Newtownards, lawyer, amateur boxer, and a founding member of the Special Air Service (SAS). He was awarded the DSO and Three Bars. Many of his contemporaries and historians believe that he should have been awarded the Victoria Cross. This is the birthday of big game hunter and writer Peter Hathaway Capstick. January 11th is also the birthday of Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.) And today is the natal day of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — We’ll start off with this: United Van Lines 46thAnnual National Movers Study Reveals Where and Why Americans Moved in 2022.  JWR’s Comments:  I must mention that one glaring error can be found in this report’s discussion of Oregon. It states:  “We’re also seeing younger Millennials migrating to vibrant, metropolitan economies, like Washington, D.C. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The basic issue in the world today is between two principles: Individualism and Collectivism. Individualism holds that man has inalienable rights which cannot be taken away from him by any other man, nor by any number, group or collective of other men. Therefore, each man exists by his own right and for his own sake, not for the sake of the group. Collectivism holds that man has no rights; that his work, his body and his personality belong to the group; that the group can do with him as it pleases, in any manner it pleases, for the sake of …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 10, 2023

On January 10th, 1929, the first Adventures of Tintin comic book was published. Hergé’s books became hugely popular in Europe and around the world. — January 10th, 1776 is the day that North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin issued a proclamation calling on the king’s loyal subjects to raise an armed force to combat the “rebels”. This ultimately led to Colonel Donald McLeod leading the men on an assault on the Patriots that ended with fifty of his men dead and 880 captured. The Patriots lost only two of their number. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on Wallowa County Oregon’s bid to join the Greater Idaho movement. (See the Region-Wide section.) Region-Wide Wallowa becomes 12th Oregon county to seek secession to Idaho.  This article begins: “Wallowa County in eastern Oregon submitted a petition aimed at forcing a ballot initiative …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A tyrant in effect is one who, though having the appearance of civil authority, is but a man ordering fellow men to great evil. His injustice is worthy of a higher type of resistance, for it concerns the whole of civil life; it is not merely an injustice here or there. He is a private man waging an unjust war against the people. With force, the people can pressure him to act justly, remove him from office, or declare separation and independence (when possible). Since the people resist an aggressor, revolution is a type of defensive war.” – Stephen Wolfe, …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 9, 2023

January 9, 1943 was the birthday of gunsmith Paris Theodore, developer of the ASP modifications to the S&W M39 pistol. January 9, 1890 was the birthday of Karel Capek, a Czech writer who wrote the science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti, or in English: Rossum’s Universal Robots). He coined the word “robot”. On this day in 1776, writer Thomas Paine published his pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence. — I just heard that SurvivalRealty.com has a new property listing in Costa Rica. I see that it has some very interesting features and substantial …


Recipe of the Week: Navy Bean Crockpot Soup

The following recipe for west coast navy bean crockpot soup is from SurvivalBlog reader J.J.. This is a slowed-cooked crock pot recipe. J.J. writes: “I was able to acquire this recipe from a navy cook decades ago and it’s a keeper. I have never had a navy bean soup that could top this recipe. The aroma will drive you crazy but it’s worth the wait. The dill relish is truly the secret ingredient. If needed, you can add extra water to replace any that has evaporated. Be advised not to use any ham that has water added in, ham bone …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the rising price of gold. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Gold price rallies to six-month high on safe-haven buying. o  o  o Will Gold Return to All-time Highs in 2023? o  o  o Silver Price 2023 Outlook: Will Silver Underperform Gold in 2023? Economy & Finance: Forget recession — …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 8, 2023

January 8th, 1931 was the birthday of the late Algis Budrys (he died on June 9th, 2008). He was the Lithuanian-American science fiction author who wrote the classic survivalist novel Some Will Not Die. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by a Rawles family member. — We are still seeking entries for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and …