Note from JWR:

There are just two days left to place a bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle with bayonet from my personal collection. The high bid is still at $500. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction bidding ends at midnight tomorrow, October 15th. Just e-mail us your …


Two Recent Incidents Illustrate that the U.S. Treasury Wants to Have it Both Ways With “Legal Tender”

Consider the case of a lad that tried using some $1 US Mint Presidential series proof coins as spending money at a restaurant. And now consider the hung jury in the tax evasion trial of a building contractor that paid his employees in US Eagle one ounce (“$50”) gold coins, at their face value. So if I understand these stories correctly, the U.S. Treasury wants us to accept their “legal tender” coins at face value, when the face value is more than the metal value of a coin, but they’d happily see us thrown in jail when when use a …


Letter Re: “Get Your Ark” Food Storage Pails

Mr. Rawles: First off, I would like to thank you personally for the nice note you sent to thank me for becoming a “10 Cent Challenge” subscriber. The services you provide are worth much, much more than the $36.50 [per year that] you ask. To be honest, you’re a better man than me; if I were you, I would probably make the subscription mandatory. I do have a question for you: in your considerable opinion, how would you rate the usefulness of this product from a preparedness perspective As you can see, they tout “The ARK” [bucket-packaged storage food unit] …


Odds ‘n Sods:

RBS sent this: U.S. Foreclosure Filings Nearly Double in September Over Same Month a Year Ago   o o o Thanks to L.W. for sending this link: Only Now, the Full Horror of Burmese Junta’s Repression of Monks Emerges    o o o Morgan Stanley Traders Lost $390 Million in One Day    o o o Hawaiian K. sent us this: Windbelt, Cheap Generator Alternative, Set to Power Third World



Note from JWR:

If you value what you read at SurvivalBlog, then please consider becoming a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. The subscriptions are voluntary, and gratefully appreciated. They help pay the bills around here, and keep me from going back to technical writing. Many Thanks!


Letter Re: A Learning Exercise with “Get Out of Dodge” Applicability

Dear Jim, I thought I’d relay an exercise I learned from last year. Every year, I do a large historical re-enactment in Pennsylvania. I take two tents totaling 300 square feet, my forge, tools, clothing and gear for a family of four down to a four poster bed, tables, chairs and workbench, plus merchandise to sell. This fills a conversion van with rear seat removed and a standard kit-built trailer. It’s great rehearsal for bugging out. Packing takes about 8 hours. Before I left, I realized the brakes were a little soft. I made a point of leaving lots of …


Letter Re: Advice on FN FAL Rifles

Good Morning Jim, I have been a dedicated reader of your site since almost the beginning and am (finally) mailing my 10 Cent Challenge [voluntary subscription payment] today. My weapons of choice have always been [Model] 1911 pistols and AK variants. I have long lists of reasons for those choices, but that is a discussion for another day. I am now thinking of buying a FN FAL and have no idea where to start. I know that FN FALs are your battle rifle of choice, and I understand your reasons. Can you help me (and your other readers, I’m sure) …


Letter Re: A Reader’s Perspective on Assembling a Survival Firearms Battery

Jim, it seems that several of your readers have been exercising their keyboards on the subject of “survival batteries” lately. This has been great sport since the days of Mel Tappan and I have seen countless lists of just was is “absolutely” needed. Methinks that many of these well-meaning folks have never carried firearms on a regular basis and used them for work. I spent 12 years in the law enforcement business, eight of which I was an NRA certified instructor. I carried a gun, both in uniform and concealed, for every day of those 12 years. Based on my …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Steve H. and Ben L. both mentioned this: New fire-retardant gel can save homes. Ben’s comment: $12,000 to $20,000 may seem like quite a bit of money, but compared to the total price of a house, is it really that much?    o o o I just noticed that JRH Enterprises had a couple of scarce Gen 3 AN/PVS-14 night vision weapon sights available. With the current heavy government contract demand to support the war in Iraq, these don’t hit the civilian market very often!    o o o The price of wheat has gone up 75% in just the …



Note from JWR:

Today we present the first article for Round 13 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 13 ends on November 30th. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the …


Letter Re: A Political Solution to America’s Pending Economic Catastrophe

Mr. Rawles: I recently read your novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. I actually had to read it twice. (The first time for enjoyment, and the second time to take down notes.) With all of the recent news about the collapse of the credit market, monetizing of the National Debt and out of control Federal spending (which all sound frighteningly close to the first chapter of “Patriots”), I can only wonder how much longer America can hang in there before we suffer a total economic collapse. I can only see one possible hope: a return to a fiscally-sound constitutional government.And …


Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Run and Hide, Walk and Talk I hear it all the time from clients, the magical question of “where can I buy a property that will allow me to hide-away from it all and not be noticed”. My answer is simple. If you want to really ‘hide’ from the powers that may or may not be, live in the biggest city you can find in a flat across from the nearest public transportation system, period. If you think that moving to a small town will give you that wanted anonymity, you’re wrong. In a small rural town and setting most …


Odds ‘n Sods:

By way of SHTF Daily, James Saft of Reuters reports: Americans charge it as Bank of Subprime closes. A collective $909 billion balance on credit cards? ¡Ay Carumba! Meanwhile, we read at The Baltimore Sun: Credit card debt is ready to blow: (Thanks to Hawaiian K. for sending that link.)    o o o RBS flagged this: Heating Oil Prices To Jump 22 Percent Over Last Winter, Says Energy Department    o o o RBS also sent us this: Mortgage Lender Thornburg ups estimated loss on loan sales    o o o I hope that most of you took my …