Odds ‘n Sods:

My mention yesterday of South African military surplus 7.62 mm NATO ball ammo prompted several readers to write me to ask for my recommendations on surplus ammo dealers. I recommend: AIM Surplus, Cheaper Than Dirt, Dan’s Ammo, J&G Sales, Midway, Ammunitionstore.com, Natchez Shooter Supply, and The Sportsman’s Guide. Of these, the last that I heard that had any South African 7.62 mm NATO was Cheaper Than Dirt, but they now seem to have dropped it from their catalog. But you might want to give them a call to ask if they still have any left on hand.   o o …




Charity in Disaster Situations–Insuring the Cohesion of the “We”

At the risk for sounding preachy, I’d like to re-emphasize the importance of storing extra logistics so that you can be charitable when disaster strikes. Charity is Biblically supported, and makes common sense. (I strongly advise it, regardless of your religious beliefs.) When the Schumer Hits the Fan (SHTF), you will want neighbors that you can count on, not people that you fear or distrust. By dispensing copious charity to your neighbors that did not have the same foresight that you did, you will solidify them as strong allies instead of envious potential enemies. In describing communities, psychologists and sociologists …


Letter Re: Retreats in the Eastern United States

Dear Editor: As you likely know from my prior communications, I am a long time reader of your web site, your novel “Patriots”, and your recent “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” book, which is, other things being equal, well written and interesting. However, the obvious exclusion, which you freely articulate, is the Eastern US. I’ m bringing this up for two reasons: 1) I am an ex-military Emergency Room Physician, who is convinced that TEOTWAWKI is very, very near ( the next signal is when the US Dollar Index goes below 77, that’s it! The “Patriots” [economic collapse] model will …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Quoting AllAfrica.com, economist Richard Daughty (a.k.a. “The Mogambo Guru”) commented on the dire straits of the hyperinflated Zimbabwean dollar: “…in local currency, ‘current gold producer price stands at Zim$16,000 per gram.’ This is the producer price, which works out to Zim$497,655.63 per ounce.” The Mogambo notes that the Zimbabweans that invested in gold back before the currency inflation began in earnest are now thankful for their foresight. My observation: Someday you may be similarly thankful. Just plan ahead. If you haven’t done so already, diversify your investment portfolio into gold and silver. Sleep soundly.   o o o S.F. in …




Letter Re: Advice on Stocking up on Clothing For Families With Children

Mr. Rawles, I’ve read your book and perused your web site extensively, yet there is one issue which I cannot find a plan or answer for: growing children. I have three and five year old boys. Kids grow of course, and fast. Stocking up on clothing, shoes, et cetera while planning for future growth is like stocking up for five or six separate people. I’m sure there are many of us who would appreciate some advice on this issue, and maybe some time in the future you could address it. As a comment, I highly recommend an anti-diarrheal such as …


Letter Re: Some Suggested .308 Battle Rifle Upgrades

Jim, A few tips/modifications that I have picked up regarding 308 rifles that I hope may be helpful. All the “battle” rifles could stand to lose a little weight and be a little more user friendly. Surprisingly, I have re-worked my FN-FAL down to under the weight of many AR-15s out there with their axle-sized heavy barrels! A heavy barrel carbine seems like a oxymoron to me. Any weight you save, increases the amount of ammo you can carry. FAL/L1A1– Remove the FAL muzzle brake (its too heavy and too long), replace with a [Smith Enterprise] Vortex flash hider or …


Odds ‘n Sods:

As mentioned over at The Claire Files, there is a family in Pasadena, California, that feeds themselves with just the produce from a garden on their small suburban lot. They even have excess to sell to restaurants!   o o o Reader RBS mentioned this commentary from Pastor Thomas Horn: Does God Have An Emergency Preparedness Plan?    o o o Hawaiian K. recommended “A good, puncture-resistant bike tire.”



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 …


Letter Re: Bad News on Peak Oil: Five Year Slide to a 50% Production Crash

Dear Jim and Family, I have bad news on the Peak Oil front. We’re about five years from losing 50% of our current production, in real world terms. The producing countries are failing in their big fields, many from 8-15% decline a year (Cantarell in Mexico is down 25% from last year, Ghawar is down 10.5%, Burgan in Kuwait down 12%, Iran down something like 16%, Russia down 12%, UK/North Sea no longer exporting). Even if there are no wars and no embargos, we only have about 5 years before we only have around half as much oil (gasoline, diesel …


Letter Re: Resources on SurvivalBlog

Mr. Rawles: I discovered SurvivalBlog just by accident about two months ago, when I was doing a Google search on “FN-FAL” [rifles]. I pretty soon discovered your blog was a treasure trove. Not only am I totally addicted to reading the new postings every day (I read it on my lunch hour at work), but I’ve also started working my way back through the archives. (It was just two weeks ago that I discovered the little “Search Posts on SurvivalBlog” window down under your rotating ads. Maybe you should put that up at the top, so people can spot it …