A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Silver on eBay, by Gil G.

When I put some serious thought into purchasing silver as a hedge against the rapid inflation of the US dollar, I was overwhelmed by the complexity of the task. Go to eBay’s web site and type in the search criterion “junk silver” and you will be slammed with about 2,000+ different auctions on an average day advertising everything from “face value” (FV), to Troy weight and standard weight, to vials of silver flakes and silver jewelry from someone’s estate sale.  A little bit of knowledge goes a long way when it comes to buying precious metals, especially if you’re shopping …


Three Letters Re: A Second Look at the Mosin-Nagant Rifle

Mr. Rawles, I am writing in reference to Frog’s post about the Mosin-Nagant rifle. I have owned several Mosin-Nagant rifles myself. They were designed to kill enemies of the Soviet Union. They were not designed to necessarily be the safest rifle around. If you’re not very careful while using a Mosin-Nagant rifle, it can blow up and injure you. I learned that lesson the hard way in 1998. I also learned about the importance of eye and ear protection while shooting as well. No one should ever fire a Mosin (or any firearm) without eye and ear protection. When my Mosin …


Economics and Investing:

When currency isn’t current: Old $50 bill found real, but not before bearer arrested. SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Wealthy Americans Queue to Give Up Their Passports C.D.V. suggested this commentary from Jim Powell at Forbes: Obama’s Plan to Seize Control of Our Economy and Our Lives Items from The Economatrix: What if a Collapse Happened and Nobody Noticed? Jobs Growth Seen Rebounding in April Factory Growth Best in 10 Months; Bolsters Outlook Smart Money Banking Big on Gold and Silver to Soar


Odds ‘n Sods:

B.B. sent this from a Buffalo, New York newspaper: ‘Preppers’: Ready for anything. The article mentions Shelf Reliance, Emergency Essentials, and even JWR.    o o o Tip H. sent this article from Wazoo: Yellowstone “Super-Eruption” less super, more frequent than thought    o o o Another WWII fighter plane mystery unearthed: “In March a Polish team out in the Western Desert [of Egypt] came across a P-40 aircraft which had apparently made a forced landing, in which the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft identity has yet to be confirmed but is believed to be from 260 Squadron RAF and its …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In addition, inflation should creep higher. Do not be mellowed by the affirmation of a 2% target rate of inflation here in the U.S. or as targeted in six of the G-7 nations. Not suddenly, but over time, gradually higher rates of inflation should be the result of QE policies and zero bound yields that were initiated in late 2008 and which will likely continue for years to come.” – Bill Gross, PIMCO Investment Outlook, May, 2012


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Don’t Be Blind-Sided By a Secondary Event, by Bill W.

I’m 62 years old and live in the suburbs of a large town in Georgia (not Atlanta).  I think of myself as an intermediate prepper.  I’ve studied a lot and have plans in place for myself and my family should events turn sour.  I’ve got all the survival manuals in place and have prepared to defend my family should the worst happen.  My family is prepped and ready to go.  Though I’ve not bought much in the way of food stuff, I have all the hardware and I know where to get the food stuff on short order.  I keep …


Letter Re: Safeguarding Videos of Constitutional Abuse

JWR: One concern I have is that if I were to record unconstitutional actions by police, would my phone be seized and the videos erased? One solution may be to record via internet stream. Then they would have to also think to take an extra step of checking for the software and logging into your account to delete your videos. Meanwhile, you could call someone from jail and request they copy the video before it gets deleted. I found a review of the three different sites. I recommend that you keep your recorder software signed in and ready to go …


Letter Re: Sport Shooting for Preppers

As C.K.’s article points out almost all of the publications that cover prepping acknowledge the need for self-defense, but very little ink gets spent on developing or maintaining real proficiency.  His suggestion that readers consider either practical shooting (USPSA) or defensive pistol shooting (IDPA) really hits the target.  The follow-up letter by Sean from COS advocating hunting as another way to develop and maintain skills also hit the mark. Many articles and even most of the survival fiction stories provide descriptions and explanations for the “right” guns to buy.  “Survival Gun Selection” on the left side of survivalblog.com is an …


Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this: The Media Won’t Touch this Story About the End of the US Dollar Coincidentally, M.E.W. noted one large paper that just did: How US debt risks dollar doomsday: The US dollar is getting perilously close to losing its status as the world’s reserve currency. Should it cross the line, the 2008 financial crisis could look like a summer storm. Mac Slavo: What is America’s Economic Breaking Point? Items from The Economatrix: The Illusion of an Economic Recovery Jim Sinclair Has Something to Say US Economy Grows at Tepid 2.2%, Misses Estimates Oil Prices Rise On Improvement In …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Another Self Reliance Expo will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 18-19, 2012. There should be a half-dozen SurvivalBlog advertisers with booths there.    o o o Tim J. suggested this article: More families building their own tornado shelters    o o o Courtesy of Chris M.: Lockdown–The coming war on general-purpose computing, by Cory Doctorow    o o o Seed for Security has announced a new bonus offer. You will receive a free Garden Bean Collection with the purchase of two Garden Bean Collections. This is a $14.99 value. Included in this collection (all seed counts are …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"What is the meaning of a gold standard and a redeemable currency?  It represents integrity.  It insures the people’s control over the government’s use of the public purse.  It is the best guarantee against the socialization of a nation.  It enables a people to keep the government and banks in check.  It prevents currency expansion from getting ever farther out of bounds until it becomes worthless.  It tends to force standards of honesty on government and bank officials.  It is the symbol of a free society and an honorable government.  It is a necessary prerequisite to economic health.  It is …


Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


A Second Look at the Mosin-Nagant Rifle, by Frog

I got myself into prepping and survivalism after the turn of the century, so my main resource was the Internet. That in and of itself was a whole learning process, as well — but the scope of this article will focus on what appeared to be an amazing find in that great, infinite Google. $80 for an accurate, reliable, rugged bolt-action repeater that was on-par with a .30-06, ballistically… and had dirt-cheap ammo, to boot? There had to be a catch, and oh, how the forum-goers toting $5,000 AR setups assured me (and plenty of people in similar metaphorical boats) …


Letter Re: Low-Cost Knives for Long-Term Survival

Mr. Rawles, I am writing with regards to M.B.’s piece. I have had the 12″ Ontario machete (economy version) with the the “D” handle for the past two years. I would completely agree that this is an uncomfortable handle which can be difficult to obtain a proper grip on. However, I solved this problem cheaply with a little bit if DIY, by folding some tough tissue paper and wrapping it around the handle two or three times. I then wrapped the handle and tissue in electric insulation tape, using about two layers of tape. Since doing this, the machete is …