Thoughts on a General Purpose AR-15 Rifle – Part 2, by Steve A.

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) The mid-length and rifle length gas systems are known for operating the action more smoothly when compared to the carbine length system. The mid length gas system increases for the carbine length barrel. The longer gas tube gives a longer bolt carrier dwell time in the rifle, which lets all the moving pieces work a little more slowly and less violently but still quickly and energetically enough to let the bolt carrier move back fully and allow the bolt to strip the next round off of the magazine reliably. The entire recoil …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the prospects for copper prices, in 2023. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Reported on Tuesday: Gold price up amid bullish outside markets. o  o  o At the Von Mises Institute website: The “Barbarous Relic” Helped Enable a World More Civilized than Today’s. Economy & Finance: The chief investment officer at …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 22, 2022

December 22nd is the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This Army Security Agency (ASA) SIGINT soldier of the 3rd Radio Research Unit was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, another tale of woe from the disarmed English populace. A British Prepper Arrested for Gun Possession Here is some typically breathless reporting from the UK: Dover doomsday ‘prepper’ hoarded 17 guns and thousands …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 21, 2022

On December 21, 1620, William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. — Today marks the Winter Solstice.  We can be encouraged to know that starting tomorrow, the days will be getting longer, here in the northern hemisphere. Officially, this is the first day of winter, but the weather has been “wintery” here in our valley for more than six weeks. We now have a foot and a half of compacted snow on the ground. Yesterday we woke up to some bitter cold.  Tomorrow’s expected high temperature is -1 degree …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — Tim J. suggested this great video essay from Reid Henrichs (pictured): There is a Reason This Government Wants Us Disarmed, And It’s Not for Safety. o  o  o Some troubling news: Latest Twitter Files Bombshell: The Deep State Is Really a Tangled Collaboration of State Agencies, Private Contractors, and NGOs. JWR’s Comment: Any …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 20, 2022

On December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, news of the extremely low temperatures expected this week in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.) Idaho New Surveillance Footage Revealed in the Stabbing of University of Idaho Students. o  o  o Made in Idaho: Shopping local for the holidays. o  o  o Old construction equipment …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 19, 2022

December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (born 1852, died May 9, 1931), who was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light. I’m related to the Michelson family by marriage, so his name often came up when discussing family history. — On Dec 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published “American Crisis”. Paine wrote: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love …


Recipe of the Week: Sweet and Sour Lentils Over Rice

The following flexible recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader D.G. D.G. writes: “This Sweet and Sour Lentils Over Rice recipe is a variation on something that my wife found online, back in the early AOL days of the Internet.  This is one way that we use up some of our storage food stocks. When you combine legumes and rice, you get a complete protein that your body can digest and use just as well as it does meat. Note: This recipe can be scaled up or down, depending on how many people you are serving.  Plan on 3/4 cup of lentils …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the likely recession in 2023. (See the Economy & Finance section.) Precious Metals: Michael Pento: Fiscal and Monetary Policy Shocks. o  o  o Video interview: Gold is ready to ‘explode’, 2023 will be a ‘commodities boom’ – Todd Bubba Horwitz. Economy & Finance: China’s retail sales shrink far more than expected, …