Letter Re: Well “Torpedo” or “Bullet” Bucket Construction Plans

Jim – Do you have a diagram or plans for a well torpedo? In case I have the term wrong, a PVC tube with a flapper valve at the bottom that when sent down the well shaft hits the water, the tube fills/sinks, when you pull on the rope the flapper valve closes sealing in the water for you to pull up the well shaft. I have the well. What I need is the way to install the flapper valve. Thanks, – DAB JWR Replies: For any readers that aren’t familiar with them, narrow shaft well buckets–also sometimes called “bullet …


Letter Re: Positive Feedback on BulletProofME.com

Hey Guys, I was the first to order an Interceptor [body Armor (IBA)] vest from BulletProofME.com and I am very pleased. I disassembled the vest to check the inserts, and there was a momentary panic because they were made by Second Chance in 2005. I sent the serial number and lot number in to Second Chance, and they told me the vest had no Zylon. With that knowledge, that vest turned into a heck of a deal. Thanks, – Jeff


Odds ‘n Sods:

I got a note from the Western Rifle Shooters Association today. They’ve offered a free scholarship to the first 10 SurvivalBlog readers who send an e-mail to westernshooters@gmail.com with the word “SurvivalBlog” in the subject line, for their upcoming Kooskia, Idaho shoot/clinic on July 7-8. All they ask is that if you say you are going to be there, be there. (Don’t take a place and then not show.)   o o o Reader Tim. L. mentioned that Dr. Hans F. Sennholz (whom I quoted yesterday) passed on to the great reward on June 23rd. He was a great Austrian …



Note from JWR:

There are now just two days left in the special two week “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” Six Pack Sale. For any orders postmarked on or before June 30th, I’m offering a box of six autographed copies of my novel “Patriots“, packed in a well-padded USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate box, for $93, postage and Delivery Confirmation tracking label costs paid, to any US or APO/FPO address. That is just $15.50 per copy! And again, I pay the postage. Get your Christmas shopping done early this year! Make sure that your order is postmarked on or before June 30th. See …


Letter Re: The BIS Issues a Global Economic Depression Warning, Points to China as Potential Trigger

James: UK’s Daily Telegraph has a warning from Bank of International Settlements (BIS) about danger of global economic depression. [JWR Adds: This was also featured by NewsMax in the US.] Here are some excerpts from the Daily Telegraph article: [begin quote] “The Bank for International Settlements [BIS], the world’s most prestigious financial body, has warned that years of loose monetary policy has fueled a dangerous credit bubble, leaving the global economy more vulnerable to another 1930s-style slump than generally understood… …The BIS said China may have repeated the disastrous errors made by Japan in the 1980s when Tokyo let rip …


Prudent Precious Metals Investing: Its All in the Timing

You may have noticed that on Tuesday the spot price of gold fell to a three-month low, and silver fell to a six-month low. Rather than shaking my confidence in the metals, I look at this as a buying opportunity. I am still fully confident that the metals are in a primary bull market cycle that is likely to extend for another decade. It is difficult to “time” investing in fluctuating markets, especially the metals, which tend to be volatile. However, there is a time-honored tradition of buying on dips. Tuesday’s sell-off represents a big dip in what is an …


Letter Re: Bicycles for Emergency Transportation

James Rawles; I have been riding bikes since I was old enough to learn some 35 years ago. In my teens I had a paper route with over 100 customers and I used a ladies single speed bike (the lower center bar allowed me to get on and off easier)with wide (balloon) tires and two of the biggest baskets you could find on the rear like saddle bags and one up front so I could grab a paper and throw it up on the porch. The wide tires handled the weight better than the narrow ten speed tires. I could …


Letter Re: Advice on Bear Protection?

Sir: I read your blog every day but I fell behind when I took a long weekend fishing. If I am not hunting with a rifle, I carry a [Colt Model] 1911 or Glock 10mm for brown bear protection in Alaska. I’m not trying for a one shot stop, I just want to change the bear’s mind to not touch me. The gun you are carrying is 100% more effective than the elephant thumper [that you left behind] in the gun safe. If the gun on your hip is too big then it inhibits the work you are trying to …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Two different readers have mentioned this book catalog. Lindsay’s Technical Books. An assortment of unusual books with tinkering “how to” information. They should be a SurvivalBlog advertiser! o o o Police bust coin melting racket in Kolkata (West Bengal)



Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 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 11 runs for two months, ending on the last day of July. This article is a bit long, and some of you may …


Reverse the Public School Brainwashing and Keep Your Kids Safe, by Captain Dave

The recent school shooting at Virginia Tech demonstrates a huge underlying societal problem that many of us are either ignoring or are ignorant of. Because society has spent much of the last several decades trying to stamp violence out of schools and out of our children, we end up with kids who are made-to-order victims that will line up to be shot execution style rather than fight back. The answer to school violence is not to arm the campus police, have campus SWAT teams, or class rooms that can double as fortresses, it is to teach our children to protect …


Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina and Indiscriminate Weapons Confiscation

Dear Jim and Family, Some months ago, our president signed into law a bipartisan bill that protects Americans from gun seizure during a disaster. In theory, every emergency worker (including police and National Guard) knows they cannot take guns from citizens, period. In theory. In practice its far more likely that we can all expect: the worst case scenario. This is uncomfortable as you have no idea if the cop down the street is honest or a bully who’s taking guns because he can, or because he’s been ordered by by his boss, or a buddy on the force with …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Harvey J. sent us a link to a web site that ties in nicely with our recent posts about utility uses for bicycles: Hauling Cargo by Bike   o o o We’ve recently added two new Affiliate Advertisers: 1.) TotalVid. They provide a wide range (thousands) of instructional videos via high speed Internet download. Many of these videos are for practical do-it-yourself skills. They offer a free trial subscription. Check them out. And, 2.) KeepYouSafe. They provide off-site backup of crucial documents for both businesses and families. Oh, and speaking of our Affiliates, I should also mention that Nashbar …