Letter Re: Solar Panel Shortage — Caused By Oil Price Shock

Hi Jim. Just a quick one on [photovoltaic] solar panels. My brother and I had to put an order in for three 80 Watt Sharp brand panels that are usually just sitting on the shelf here at a major distributor. A container full arrives in two weeks but it’s already sold out! We have to wait a month. I did a little investigation with Google and found that the shortage is worldwide, is due to people, mostly Europeans, gearing up due to energy/oil cost. Silicon [photovoltaic panel] demand is beginning to outstrip supply and the foundries are running at maximum …


Letter Re: Six Versus Eight Plies for SUV and Light Truck Tires

Hello, I’ve been enjoying reading your blog for several weeks now and wanted to add a bit on truck tire ratings from the perspective of somebody who used to own a small tire shop in truck country (rural Alaska). The whole thing with rating a tire by the number of plies dates back to the days of bias ply tires when the tires actually were load rated according to the number of plies. That system has been obsolete for years with the advent of radial tires, which are not constructed the same way to achieve the same strength. The letter …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader R.H. recommended this site with product reviews on flashlights–both traditional and LED type.    o o o It is nice to see that gold have silver are bouncing back from their summer doldrums, with gold at over $650 per ounce and silver at around $12.10. I believe that this coming fall and winter may show some impressive gains in precious metals prices.    o o o Front Sight is currently running its own writing contest. The prize is a Front Sight lifetime membership! For any of you that who would like to put your thoughts about Front Sight, …



Note From JWR:

We just returned from a trip to Yosemite Valley to attend a family wedding and dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel. I can’t think of a more beautiful place than Yosemite for a wedding. What a magnificent slice of God’s creation! I’ve just received another 14 books from the same estate that I previously mentioned. All are survival, preparedness, and practical skills titles. I will also be selling an Original Swedish Contract Oberndorf Mauser Model 1894 carbine, made in 1895, chambered in 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser. (Antique, No FFL required!) See my catalog web page for details.


Three Letters Re: Six Versus Eight Plies for SUV and Light Truck Tires

Jim, For the reader wanting 8 Ply tires, get a floatation light truck tire with D, (8 ply) E (10ply) or F (12 ply) load rating. Get a BF Goodrich All Terrain KO (that’s what I have on my 4WD Xterra) for all around 4WD use. For more rocks and mountains he may go to a BFG Mud Terrain. Mickey Thompsons for bigger budgets. But the BF Goodrich tires are great tires. Go to an off-road shop instead of Wal-Mart for the tires and talk to somebody knowledgeable. – Tim Mr. Rawles: The issue of course is better side walls, …


Letter Re: Advice on M1 Garand 7th Round Jams?

Sir: I’ve been experiencing a few “7th round jams” where after the 6th round is fired and the bolt is starting to go forward to pick up the 7th round out of the clip, the entire clip just jumps up part way (like it does after the 8th round) and the bolt stops against it. The only solution is to pull the bolt back, and push the clip and 2 remaining rounds back down and continue firing. JWR Replies: The same thing happened to me with my DCM Garand. The offending part turned out to be the “follower arm” (the …


Two Letters Re: Preparedness Course Errata: Vitamin B Versus Vitamin D

Jim: Just wanted to give you a little clarification on vitamins and livers. It’s not Vitamin D that has the problem with overdosing by eating livers. It’s Vitamin A, which builds up primarily in polar animal livers (not just Polar Bears- there was even a case of people overdosing from eating their sled dogs) because animals in polar regions tend to eat a lot of high fat fish. Most bear livers won’t be a problem. I imagine that if you get a black/brown bear liver at the end of the Salmon run, and eat a lot of the liver that …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Richard Celata (of KT Ordnance and Promised Land Products) recommends: The recent commentary by Franklin Sanders (audio, 45 minutes) titled “Real Versus Fake Money,”    o o o SurvivalBlog reader S.H. recommends a site with a neat set of photos of Swiss mountain bunkers. He notes: “Many are very clever in their design elements. roofed and painted to look like log homes or even stands of trees. Some great ideas here for the serious retreat.    o o o U.S. heat wave continues     


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“You can go out and eat ’em, that’s for sure But there’s nothin’ a home grown tomato won’t cure You can put ’em in a salad, put ’em in a stew You can make your own, very own tomato juice You can eat ’em with eggs, you can eat ’em with gravy You can eat ’em with beans, pinto or navy Put em on the side, put em on the middle Home grown tomatoes on a hot cake griddle. Home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes What’d life be without home grown tomatoes There’s only two things that money can’t buy …


Note From JWR:

The high bidder in the latest SurvivalBlog benefit auction was David T. in Texas. He has won a RWVA Super Shooter’s package, including range time, shooting classes, and two shooting jackets. Our special thanks to the RWVA and Fred’s M14 Stocks for sponsoring this fund raiser! OBTW, speaking of the RWVA, they have a Rifle Instructor’s Camp coming up at the end of August in Ramseur, North Carolina–a great opportunity for you to learn how to teach others how to shoot like a pro, including your own family members. A new benefit auction begins today. This one is for a …


Two Letters Re: M1911 Pistol Modifications

Mr. Rawles, I read your post about the rattler and the changes you made to the Colt .45. I’m glad things worked out well and you obviously have a nice touch with your work. I worked for a gunsmith for 5 years and would recommend to your readers that they make one modification at a time, then check for function and reliability. It just saves time if something – this way just one thing – doesn’t function properly. It takes more test ammo, but there is no substitute for reliability.- C.G. in North Carolina Dear Jim, First let me say …


Letter Re: Push or Pull Carts For All-Terrain Hauling

James: Regarding Redmist’s suggestion to use closed-cell polyurethane foam tires, those tires add a bit of weight, and often you are trying to keep the weight down on the load, Slime® sealant is cheap light weight insurance inside your tires, just ask any hardcore ATV rider and they will tell you so. I happen to be in the process of making a hand cart for hauling waterfowl decoys into fields where taking a truck is not allowed, a axle, hubs, wheels and tires from a completely trashed ATV, two pillow block bearings and some serious thought and welding and I’ll …


Preparedness Course Errata: Vitamin B Versus Vitamin D

My apologies for not catching an error in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. On page 14, there were references to Vitamin B being fat soluble. Either I mis-spoke, or the transcriber misheard me. Either way, my apologies! To clarify: Vitamin B and Vitamin C are water soluble, so they cannot be over-dosed. The human body just sheds what is not needed, through urination. In contrast, Vitamins A,D, E, and K are fat soluble. The greatest risk of overdosing is with Vitamin D-3. Vitamin D over-dosing happens most often with over-anxious young mothers that mistakenly assume that if one …