Letter Re: HK91 Magazines Inferior for Barter

Jim: Military surplus HK91 alloy magazines have been available for several years in the $1-to-$3 price range. It seems to me that the only people who should buy them are HK rifle owners who own less than 50 magazines. Before buying HK magazines as barter items, consider that the market has already been flooded with far more than are needed for the limited number of existing rifles. The German military torched most of their rifles, but sold most of the magazines. Other mags (such as for AR-15) may be great future demand, but I would not bet on the HK. …



Note from JWR

A reminder that we are still accepting entries for Round 2 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best article will win a four day course certificate at Front Sight. (An up to $2,000 value!)  The deadline for entries is the last day of January, 2006.


Odds ‘n Sods

I just noticed that our compadre “Warlord” over at the Alpha-Rubicon site posted a very handy article last year about how to construct a “fan in a can” for a home fallout shelter. See: http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/safefanwar.htm   o  o  o Noah Schactman at the Defense Tech blog mentioned an interesting briefing that is available in PDF about some recent non-lethal weapon developments: http://www.smallwars.quantico.usmc.mil/programs/NLW/JNLWPRefBook_feb2004.pdf  Ya gotta love those caltrops!   o  o  o The folks at the AUSurvivalist site (in Australia) have some interesting documents available for free download. See: http://www.aussurvivalist.com/downloads.htm



Note from JWR

I wish the readers of SurvivalBlog a Joyful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I also wish a Festive Hanukkah to our Jewish readers.  Thank you for your great letters and contributed articles, and your loyal patronage of our advertisers. Special thanks to the 28 readers that have made 10 Cent Challenge blog support contributions in recent weeks. I especially appreciate this because I know that funds are tight for many people this time of year. Have a safe, happy, and healthy Aught Six. 


Letter Re: Okay, You Have Moved to Your New Survival Retreat Home. What’s Next?

Jim: Many people are strategically relocating, getting settled into their new homes, preparing for the economic crash, and war that is surely coming. As the gent from Argentina said with hindsight: "more food" and trade goods. In addition to obtaining the obvious water, food, seeds, preparing the ground for a large garden, and protection there are some additional things all of us need to consider. Remember you are simply investing in your future. Here is my list: * Get to know the old timers, people who are active but advanced in years. Go visit them. Have them to your home. …


Two Letters Re: Which Rifle and Caliber is the Best for TEOTWAWKI?

G’day from Down Under. In you post on the TEOTWAWKI rifles, you mentioned .303s. While the rifles are plentiful, robust and inexpensive, the ammo is becoming very hard to find and expensive. Example, Winchester 303 SP is $ 48 AUD per box of 20 here. Good ex-military ball is about $80 to $100 per 100 (if you can find it) and will be at least 30 years old. The Ishapore Mk.2s are a much better bet, cost about the same, and take 7.62 [mm NATO]. Or perhaps, one of the ex-Israeli [K98] Mausers [chambered] in .308? However, I personally feel …


Letter Re: The Ubiquity of the M1911 in the U.S.

Dear Mr. Rawles, With respect to the great sidearm debate, I suspect that a much underrated feature of the M1911 family lies in the ubiquity of the family. As a disclaimer, I should note that I am an unabashed, though not uncritical, fan of the 1911 design. I am much inclined to believe that the Schumer and the fan will become commingled in my lifetime. Assuming that they do, the ballistic superiority of a round may become less relevant than the availability of spare parts, ammunition, and expertise for keeping the gun functioning. When you start to think of these …


Odds ‘n Sods

The latest statistics on annual state population increases were just released. I see that Nevada has been named the top gainer this year, yet again. Doubtless, a lot of that is attributable to folks fleeing California’s taxes, smog, crime, traffic and idiotic civilian disarmament laws. Sadly, the influx of liberal Californians is gradually turning Nevada into another California. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/22/AR2005122200268_pf.html   o  o  o Our British cousins will be feeling the screws turned yet a bit tighter, starting in Aught Six. The latest outrage to freedom is total surveillance of private automobile movements, with a huge database that will be …



Survivalist Skills–Secondary Skills from Your Day Job, by Rourke

In our modern world, jobs are incredibly and increasingly specialized. Many of us have jobs that may be of little use if TSHTF and society collapses. As many of us may have to look for another way to make a buck, or perhaps more accurately to trade or barter with, consider bettering yourself by attaining a high level of proficiency in at least one secondary survival skill (the more the better). I have listed below a few useful to survival skills, or secondary occupations that you can learn quite a bit about if you just treat it like a hobby, …


Letter Re: Fire Hose Outdoor Clothing, and FMJ vs. Hollow Points?

Dear James, Recently I received an interesting catalog in the mail. It’s from the Duluth Trading Company, and they manufacture rugged outdoor clothing made of fire hose material. http://www.DuluthTrading.com I have not tried any of their products yet, however, I plan to in the future and just wanted to share it with you and your readers for your and their consideration. I have a question for you too, if you don’t mind. Why is a FMJ round more desirable in combat than a Soft Point? My reasoning is that Soft Point ammo expands more, and creates a larger wound channel …


Letter Re: .45 ACP Stopping Power and the M1911

Mr. Rawles, First, I must say that greatly appreciate your website and the expertise that you share. I am 21, and am trying to lead getting my family and close friends prepared logistically for whatever may be coming down in the future. Your information and suggestions are a time/money saver (and likely eventually a life saver.) “Patriots” is an invaluable resource, and more can always be gleaned every time it is read. Thank you! I wanted to comment on the 45 ACP post from Dec. 20. I generally shy away from handgun discussions because handguns are a mediocre weapon, and …


Letter Re: Zenith “Trans-Oceanic” EMP-Proof Shortwave Radios

Jim: I just realized something that some of the SurvivalBlog readers might find interesting: All the older Zenith Trans-Oceanic radios have replaceable (“socketed’) transistors. The Zenith Trans-Oceanic radios model 1000 and 3000 all have Sockets. I recently replaced a PNP transistor in a 1962 Sony with a new 2N3906 and the radio worked! So, if someone buys one of these older multi-band shortwave radios with the transistor sockets, then they should buy a bunch of cross-referenced transistors and place them in a small metal can to protect them from EMP.  See: http://www.transoceanic.nostalgiaair.org/3000.htm Open the PDF file and you’ll see the …