Letter Re: Barbed Wire and/or Concertina Wire to Supplement Retreat Defense

James, It is 4:00 PM and I have been out since 7:00 AM this morning repairing and running new barbed wire on my property. I ran about two miles worth today. While I was out enjoying the sun and spring air I got to thinking about some of the profiles in your database and how some of our friends say they X amount of Razor Wire ready to be installed when TSHTF. I would like to suggest that during or after TSHTF is the wrong time to be doing this kind of work. It is back breaking, dangerous work to …


Letter Re: More About Understanding EMP and HEMP

JWR: Your discussion about EMP effects from ground blast or a low altitude nuclear explosion [posted on April 23rd] was excellent. Apart from electromagnetic coupling to conductors, which would extend the destructive horizon, atmospheric nuclear explosion EMP effects are limited in range. This is due to several factors, first by the rapid absorption of gamma rays by molecules in the atmosphere (small absorption layer or boundary effect), and second by the line of sight radiation from the decay of the short lived Compton electrons (limited horizon effect). You correctly discount the likelihood of a high altitude EMP (HEMP) as an …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader JH e-mailed to comment that a road infrastructure weakness has been revealed in Oakland, California. He wrote: “Yesterday a tanker truck loaded with 8,600 gallons of gasoline overturned and burst into flames collapsing the approach to the Oakland Bay Bridge. This bridge handles some 75,000 vehicles per day. Traffic will be re-routed for weeks or months. Does this not increase the strain on the other bridges in the area? What if another bridge/overpass is disabled? Is this not another indication to the terrorists that we are vulnerable in this vital area?” My advice: Plan multiple alternate “Get out of …



Note from JWR:

My thanks to all of the recent Ten Cent Challenge subscribers. I’m glad to see that so many of you find SurvivalBlog informative, useful, and worthy of support. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, but an increasing number of readers are being noble and signing up for the Ten Cent Challenge. Some of you that are “secret squirrels” just mail cash or anonymous money orders, with no return address. That is appreciated just as much. My sincere thanks!


Letter Re: Any Utility in Caltrops or Tire Spikes for Retreat Defense?

James: How do you rate caltrops for retreat defense? Would they flatten tires quickly enough to be useful? Perhaps on a long driveway? Thanks, – LKP JWR Replies: Caltrops have been used as a defensive measure for centuries. I have my doubts about their utility in daylight, but they might prove useful at night. To be useful in daylight for defense against vehicle-borne looters approaching a retreat slowly, caltrops or tire spikes would have to be concealed, which is a huge legal liability. Because we live in very litigious times, I DO NOT recommend using caltrops or tire spikes in …


Letter Re: Lead From Car Batteries–Can it Be Recycled Into Cast Bullets?

JWR, In relation to the question about casting bullets from battery lead: There are a few things you need to keep in mind when dealing with things like old batteries and such. The first is, when lead-acid cells are drained, the metallic lead is converted into lead sulfate. So the ideal battery to use for this is one which is fully charged. I suppose it is technically possible for you to take an uncharged battery, and cook the plates down with a dry base such as sodium hydroxide (mineral wood ash–pour water through wood ashes, remove solids will give you …



Note from JWR:

Please consider writing an article for Round10 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 $1,600.) 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. If you want a chance to win the contest, start writing and e-mail us your article for Round 10, which began on April 1st and …


Storing Oil and Lubricants for TEOTWAWKI

The recent discussion of firearms lubrication reminded me about a subject that I’ve meant to address again in SurvivalBlog: oil and lubricant storage for your retreat.  It is important to think through all of your oil and lubricant needs–everything from motor oil and transmission fluid to firearms lubes. Calculate what you use in a three to five year period, and stock up.  Then anticipate what you might need for barter and charity, and stock up even more. Because most families do not store any substantial quantity of oils and lubricants, they will make an ideal barter item in a long …


Letter Re: Keeping Firearms Functioning in Extreme Cold Temperatures

Hi Jim, Greetings from Ohio. As a former NCO in Her Majesty’s Canadian Forces, and a Winter Warfare instructor to boot, I’d like to suggest some additions to your excellent post regarding extreme cold weather firearms. While having the proper lube is of high importance do allow me to suggest that some basic handling techniques are of equal importance. Most importantly never bring your weapon near a heat source while operating in the deep cold. This is the most common mistake we would repeatedly see on operations. If you seeking shelter in any heated building/tent or so forth – leave …


Letter Re: Dry Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) Bleach for Disinfecting Water

Mr R.: Your blogs’ post on Ca++ hypochlorite as a stable disinfectant stock for water treatment was golden advice. I had some liquid chlorine bleach stored. It actually eroded out through the bottom of the plastic container. It dripped down and ate through steel mess trays underneath. Eroded completely. I remembered that chlorine is an oxidizer, and will do damage – duh ! – to organic material … hence it’s value as an antibacterial/anti-parasitic treatment. Cleaning up the dried bleach was irritating to eyes and airways. Again – duh ! – as terrorists in Baghdad have made evident. Fortunately other …


Odds ‘n Sods:

 RBS flagged this piece for us: Gold Demand is Growing And Supply is Not   o o o Yes another article on honeybee CCD. At least this one has some more scientific detail, but still no answers on the source of the problem.    o o o Economist Jason Hommel comments on: How to Buy Physical Silver, and Avoid Getting Scammed



Letter Re: Judging Soil Quality When Selecting a Retreat Property

Mr. Editor: My wife and I are nearing retirement and we are considering buying a piece of land for both our retirement home and for our retreat if the times get “interesting.” This land is in Oklahoma, which currently has reliable rains but was “Dust Bowl” country, back in the [19]30s. How can I know for sure whether or not the soil is still good, or if it is “played out”? Thanks, – B.K. JWR Replies: You’ve raised an important issue. The importance of soil quality in the event of a true “worst case” should not be overlooked. As S.M. …