Pat’s Product Review: Windham Weaponry M4 Clone

I hear from SurvivalBlog readers daily. I enjoy hearing from you all, and many of you want me to do test and evaluation on “Whatever” firearms, knives or other survival gear. I wish I could test everything you all want me to test, but it is impossible for a number of reasons. First of all is the expense involved, and secondly, the time involved in doing a round of test and evaluation – there’s not enough hours in the day. I constantly get SurvivalBlog readers asking me to test various AR-15 style rifles on the market. Honestly, there are so …


Sneaky Places to Store More Stuff, by Jessica Hooley

You’re a prepper and you’ve got tons of “stuff”. Food storage, fuel, first aid kits, bug out bags, the list seems to go on and on. And regardless of a prepper’s dream of unlimited storage space, there never seems to be enough room. At least not for me. Most living accommodations make storage the final priority; putting style above all else. Regardless of your living situation, I’m here to tell you there is more space! We’ve just got to get a little sneaky and creative. Just as a disclaimer: Some of this stuff might sound crazy. But aren’t you used …


Seeking Input – Drafting My Next Novel: “Expatriates”

I am now writing the first draft my follow-on novel in the “Patriots-Survivors-Founders” series, under the working title “Expatriates.” Tentatively, this novel will be set primarily in three locales: A.) Darwin, Australia, B.) Tavares, Florida, and C.) Borongan, Samar Island, Philippines. There will also be some mention of Bella Coola, British Columbia. If any SurvivalBlog readers have lived in or near any of those locales , I’d appreciate your input, via e-mail. I’d also appreciate hearing from anyone with experience and seismic oilfield exploration. OBTW, my novel “Founders” should be released in October 2012, in hardback, as an audiobook, and …


Letter Re: Risk of Corruption Rankings–Redoubt States are Unfairly Slammed

James Wesley: Did you see this article: Study ranks Wyoming’s corruption risk as high, and this map? How is it that states like Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming could be so corrupt? That doesn’t seem possible, and it contradicts all my prior research about The American Redoubt. What is you take on this? Thanks, – Kevin L. JWR Replies: The study that they cited was on a perceived potential for corruption (a hypothetically calculated “risk of corruption”). The ratings were skewed, because they were in part based upon the willingness of state governments to report to the Federal government.  Some states …


Letter Re: Canada’s Upcoming Body Armor Bans

Dear James: The body armor ban in Alberta, Canada comes into effect June 15th, 2012.    To summarize, unless you are using Body Armor in your exempted profession, e.g., police, security, etc., etc., you have to get approval to buy, or own Body Armor.  FAQs see:  Body Armour Control Fortunately, there is an exemption for “an individual who has been issued a valid licence under the Firearms Act (Canada)”, and – contrary to the FAQ page above – my reading of the actual law indicates that this exemption for Firearms License holders is not restricted to the scope of your profession.   …


Recipe of the Week:

Lin H. wrote: “Don’t buy spaghetti sauce in jars or cans since it is easy, thrifty and adaptable to make your own. You know what’s going into it, you can do many different meals with the one basic homemade recipe, and the ingredients are easily kept in your home (and preparedness ) pantry.”   Lin H.’s Easy Red Spaghetti Sauce   1-2 tbs. olive oil (optional, depending on your meat choice) 1/2 lb. meat (ground beef or pork or venison, bulk sausage, diced smoked sausage, cut bacon, Vienna sausage dices, cut pepperoni slices, diced canned ham; the possibilities are wonderfully …


Economics and Investing:

Tom. H. sent this bit of CNBC punditry: Silver: Poor Man’s Gold Turning to Fool’s Gold? [JWR’s Comment: It is actually U.S. Dollar-denominated investments that are for fools. The Dollar is doomed. Silver and gold are merely a couple of the best hedges on that inevitability.] Don’t Call Them ‘Extreme Couponers’: Meet the Coupon Enthusiasts Over at Seeking Alpha: A Run On Guns Is Making Investors Happy G.G. sent this: Obama’s Budget: ‘Interest Payments Will Exceed Defense Budget’ in 2019. [JWR’s Comment: Or much sooner, if interest rates jump.] B.B. sent this: World food prices rise further, raising fears of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Count your blessings, all you pampered middle class First Worlders, after you watch this five-minute slice of life: The Dentist of Jaipur. By the way, don’t miss how they seem to be re-using a syringe (that made me shudder) and the same pink “anesthetic” liquid is later used as an antiseptic. <Sarcasm On:> Well, hey, “anesthetic” and “antiseptic” sort of sound the same, so they should work the same, right? <Sarcasm Off.> (Thanks to K.T. for sending us the link.) o o o Carolina Readiness Supply is having their 2nd Annual Preparedness Seminar May 4th and 5th in Black Mountain, …



Notes from JWR:

May God Bless You and Yours, as we honor the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus. — 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, …


Doomsday Glocker, by G.B.A.

Contrary to the title of this article, I am not a hardcore Glock enthusiast, but I have carried them and used them extensively.  While you may not agree with my thoughts on the Glock, I provide them to you based upon my personal experience with the Glock.  I may be wrong, but I am sure of what I know. So, you are prepping for a WTSHTF scenario and are contemplating what handgun to choose.  You’ve already settled on your rifle, but now you want something else.  You want something that can be: conveniently carried, is concealable, is of a respectable …


Economics and Investing:

R.C. sent this: Higher Rates End Obama’s Borrowing Cost Holiday. Speaking of interest issues: Interest on Federal Debt Hit $104B in First Half of FY2012—Despite Low Interest Rates Owe The IRS? Bill Would Suspend Passport Rights For Delinquent Taxpayers. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.) The latest from Silver Shield: The Myth of Silver Confiscation Items from The Economatrix: Iran, Oil, Europe Pose Risk To Economy:  Geithner Stanford’s Lazear:  US Suffering Worst Economic Recovery In History Iran, Oil Prices, And Gambling With The World Economy Gasoline Prices May be Getting Close to a Peak


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader B.B. sent this news from Canada: Gun owners alarmed by ammunition rule- Confusion over storage requirements. But meanwhile, some good news: Senate kills long-gun registry. (Thanks to N.L. for the latter link.)    o o o Our friend Commander Zero recently commented on: Gender issues in preparedness    o o o G.G. mentioned that Lisa Bedford (“Survival Mom”) was just interviewed by Lew Rockwell    o o o Mac Slavo of the SHTFPlan blog recently posted a link to this trucking industry warning from 2006: When Trucks Stop, America Stops    o o o An American Redoubt Job Opening: …



Letter Re: Small Unit Tactics in a Post Collapse Environment

Captain Rawles, In addition to the points you made in reference to stealth and scarce ammunition supplies post collapse, in your commentary on the named article, I would make a second point: While the squad level tactics described have proven to be rather effective for active duty military in offense;  the average Joe and his family unit will most likely not have those kinds of numbers.  The average familial size seems to be right around four, these days.  So unless one is lucky enough to have found/joined/founded a group for this purpose, when it gets to be Schumer time the …