Note from JWR

We woke up to a foot of fresh snow this morning.  It is nice knowing that we have a well-stocked house and a couple of fully snow-capable four wheel drive rigs. Our kids had great fun sledding. But I’m not looking forward to the toboggan run down the mountain tomorrow morning.  I commute to a “real job” as a technical writer five days a week.   How to Find Ethanol Compatible Vehicles (SAs: Alternate Fuels Ethanol, Survival Vehicles, 4WDs, SUVs, E85) I recently had a SurvivalBlog reader contact me, bemoaning the fact that he was unable to find a 4WD …


Off-Grid Power Basics, by “James Dernier”

Electricity 101: Electricity is fundamental to our first world every day life. We know electricity mostly in one of two forms in the home, from the wall, and in a battery. The electricity that comes out of the wall is high voltage (~110-120 volts [JWR adds: alternating current (AC), in North America–except Mexico, which uses a more macho 127  volts] AC), relatively low amperage, and alternating current. The electricity that is stored in batteries comes in a variety of voltages and amperages but is always direct current (DC). Size AA batteries are 1.5 volts, along with most other battery types, …


Letter from “Hawgtax” Re: New Years Resolutions

Merry Christmas All, As 2005 draws to a close, I look back and ask myself “Am I better prepared than I was at this time last year?” Quite honestly, a lot of what I accomplished was attributable to “SurvivalBlog.com”. A fine bunch of folks who trade practical information. Anyway, here’s what I did/added during 2005: 1. Installed a wood burning stove in the house. 2. Insulated and dry walled the outbuilding which functions as reloading area, ammunition storage and shop. A separate room within a room provides climate controlled food storage area. (8 below zero this morning outdoors, but in …


Letter Re: Precious Metals 401(k) Investments?

Jim, I have been thinking about my 401(k) money that I can’t get to till I am 59-1/2. I have done some homework on it, and here is what I have found out. Our Federal Government has confiscated the gold eight times in the past. When they do, they pay face value. Double Eagles are $20.00, that’s it. Talk about taking it in the neck! There is a way to put gold into an account, where it is stored for $100.00 per year, in the owner’s name, but it seems one cannot get [numismatic] pre-1933 gold coins (which are non-confiscatable) …


Letter Re: JLD PTR-91 HK91 Clone Rifles

Hi Mr. Rawles, I saw your posts today on the HK91s. I’m not sure if you are aware but there is now a new “clone” by JLD Enterprises. The PTR-91. These are made on HK tooling but with modern CNC processes. These are very affordable, under $1000 through many dealers online. They fix some of the original problems of the HK91, though you will still want a trigger job, and a mag paddle release. One of the main differences between the PTR-91 and HK 91 is the barrel. The PTR-91 does not have a hammer forged barrel, rather a heavy …


Letter Re: M1911 Pistols–What Constitutes “Over the Top”

Jim – I have to pick a small bone with you on your response regarding what ways to trick out your 1911. During a special symposium at Gunsight with 11of 12 shooters being prior service and/or law enforcement, 10-15% of all rounds in the targets hit the hand/pistol of the bad guy – seems there is a mechanical slaving of where the eye focuses and where you hit the target in some cases (the eyes and weapons system are calibrated to hit what is sighted–sort of like a chin turret on an Apache or Cobra) Why on earth would you …



Note from JWR

Today we present another entry in 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. We are pleased to post the following article on selecting clothing for winter outdoor survival. It was written by a serving military officer and certified winter instructor that lives Somewhere in Scandinavia. I was impressed by his excellent English.  In fact, his article took less editing than many that I’ve received from native English …


Clothing for Winter Outdoor Survival, by “Beauchamp Comber”

Introduction To survive a sustained period of cold the most important thing is to know how to pick the right clothing and utilize the clothes to its fullest extent. This means understanding the body`s heat production and how choosing the right clothing can regulate and maintain warmth depending on what kind of activities one does. Clothing in itself does not produce any heat, but they retain more or less the heat that the body produces depending on their material. Fabrics that are lose and fluffy feels warmer than hard fabrics because the fibers contains more air. Another important point, is …


A Source for Inexpensive Two Point and Three Point Slings

In my experience, most of the three point nylon tactical slings that are on the market are outrageously over-priced. You often pay as much as $49 for a couple of dollars worth of nylon and hardware. Even with a few dollars more for their labor, these marketeers are still selling a 400%+ markup item! So I was pleasantly surprised to find that a gent in North Carolina that runs a home-based business making “No Nonsense” two point and three point nylon slings. The really good news is that they are just $5 each postage paid for the two point type, and …



Billionaire Richard Rainwater Concurs with Peak Oil Assessment

An interesting piece recently ran in Fortune magazine, regarding billionaire Richard Rainwater’s views’ on Peak Oil.  (The “Hubbert’s Peak” in global oil production, expected sometime in the next few years or perhaps 20 years, or perhaps 100 years, depending on who you talk to.) See:  http://www.fortune.com/fortune/investing/articles/0,15114,1139979-4,00.html SurvivalBlog reader Chuck, who first mentioned the Fortune article to me commented:  “I had the opportunity to review several of Richard Rainwater’s oil deals while at Mitchell Energy. His projects were always well conceived and forward-looking.”


David in Israel: More About Rifle Slings and Magazine Duplexing

The Israeli sling is the product of requiring most Chaileem since the surprise Yom Kippur war in 1973 to carry their personal weapon everywhere they go until they exit active duty. This leads to a design for a sling that is as comfortable in a bus terminal hitchhiking or walking in town but still quick to bring into action. The only thing I can think of to improve the Israeli sling is to replace the front cord with Kevlar boot lace threaded through parachute cord to resist UV, Kevlar is very heat resistant. Here with semi-auto being the general rule …



Letter Re: M1911 Pistols–What Constitutes “Over the Top”

Mr. Rawles, I’ve just finished reading your novel “Patriots”, and wish to thank you for providing such an insightful guide to preparation and the survival mindset, and a pretty darn entertaining read, to boot! My question concerns your preference for the M1911 .45 ACP pistol as a sidearm for one’s survival preparations. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the round’s advantages over lesser-powered cartridges such as 9mm or .40 S&W. And, since the ergonomics of the 1911 design in particular tend to suit me well personally (indeed, to whom does it not), I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding …