Pat’s Product Review: SIG Sauer P226 MK25

I still remember the very first “SIG” pistol that I ever saw. It was back in 1980, and I was an FFL dealer. A fellow asked me to order him a Browning BDA .45 ACP. At that time, I hadn’t heard of the Browning BDA. It wasn’t until I actually received the gun for the customer, that I discovered the Browning BDA, was, in fact, a SIG. At the time, this fairly new gun, was being imported by Browning. It just didn’t take off back then, for some strange reason – it was probably a little bit ahead of it’s time. …


Letter Re: Cabela’s Recon Hunt Software

James Wesley: I would like to let everyone know about an application called Cabela’s Recon Hunt. It has a very low cost, gives access to every map that is offered to the public. Lots of maps can be stored off line (depending on the memory capacity of your device) and one of the best features is that you can make notes that say where you saw game at certain GPS coordinates. (Or perhaps where there is a cache of supplies stashed. Though I wouldn’t label it as such.) But on a hand-held device enclosed in a Faraday cage this could …


Letter Re: Sugar and Salt Storage

JWR: As many of you out there are doing, food storage will be key to survive the future. Mylar bags with food grade buckets are a great way of storing your food and I applaud the recent article "Sugar and Salt Storage. I would like to add my own little experience so that others may possibly benefit from it. Instead of using one 2×4 across the top of the bucket, use two. Gather the top of the mylar bag, then sandwich it between the two 2x4s, using C-clamps if needed. Then fold it over for sealing, using the extra surface …


Recipe of the Week:

Notutopia’s Long Term Storage Chicken Ragout  Serves Four The dry ingredients for this recipe (everything but the chicken meat and the water) can be multiplied and bulk mixed and then vacuum packed in quart size mason jars with an O2 absorber for long term storage. 1 c dried diced or sliced carrots 1/2 c dried sliced celery 1/2 c dried diced or sliced potato 1/4 c dried sliced mushrooms 1/4 c dried sliced olives 1/4 c dried chopped onion 2 T tomato powder 1 T dried parsley 1 c dried peas 3 cubes chicken bouillon pinch of anise seed ground …


Economics and Investing:

RBS sent this: Bud Conrad: The Only Way Out Is to Inflate; Austerity not working?more money printing on the way G.G. flagged this one: Jobs Recession Now 49 Months: Longest Since WWII Matthew N. noted this article: Harrisburg to skip bond payments due next week. JWR’s Comment: Take a lesson from the sovereigns and just call it a “credit event.” No cause for alarm. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. Items from The Economatrix: Financial Bubonic Plague Not So Fast On That Whole Economic Recovery Thing Wall Street Up On Jobs Data, Brushes Off Greek Default


Odds ‘n Sods:

M.H. sent this video: Life in a CONEX. Note that building codes in many states would restrict this, but in most of the American Redoubt states, there is no building code outside of city limits.    o o o And speaking of the advantages of the American Redoubt, read this: Jeff Knox praises ‘losers’ of Brady Center’s national scorecard.    o o o Can you spell shrapnel, boys and girls?” Family’s surveillance cameras rolling as tornado hits West Liberty. (Video is from the March 2, 2012 tornado in West Liberty, Kentucky. Thanks to Jay in Missouri for the link.) If …



Note from JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …


A Community Action Plan, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Introductory Note: I wrote this plan as the local Neighborhood Watch Captain and instructor for a nearby monthly Preparedness Workshop. I’m convinced of the value of having a written plan to follow in the immediate aftermath of a disaster or crisis. I’m sharing this for those sheepdogs who do not yet have a plan in hand – start with this and edit it. Make it your own. But have a plan. When it gets crazy this may help you get through it all. Be Prepared. Trust God. We can do both! FIRST 15 MINUTES Walk / bike / drive through …


Observations From a Rookie Prepper, by Silver

I am a rookie prepper, too bad for me. This underlying lump of fear of bad times coming has been residing in the pit of my stomach for a long time, ignored and deprived of the necessary attention it is well deserved of. Recently I have awakened to the call of cover your own ass or someone or something else will force me to become non-existent. So to heed the warning sign of government irresponsibility and bad times coming I let the monster of fear come to the surface, and so I have begun my journey of self-reliance. This is …


Letter Re: A Poor Man’s Guide to Prepping and Food Storage

Hello Captain, I just read “A Poor Man’s Guide to Prepping and Food Storage,” by T.P. He mentions getting free meat by way of road kill and says “It helps to be able to tell how long an animal has been dead.”   I can help. Having been a bricklayer in the Southwest and the Northwest for 35 years, I have worked with and become friends with many native Americans. Years ago one of my pals told me that he ate road kill all the time. When I asked how he knew if it was fresh or not he replied: …


Letter Re: David in Israel on Coronal Mass Ejections

James,  I read in today’s SurvivalBlog, ”David in Israel on Coronal Mass Ejections.”  In it, David mentioned that “good grounding is always a good idea.”  That got me to thinking, as I had read in fairly authoritative reports that normal electrical grounding for EMP or CME, unless it is done in very specific and professional ways, is not a good idea for the average person unless he or she has specialized training and equipment.   I checked the references cited below, which covers the effects of both nuclear EMP and solar storms.  In the references below, one finds that of …


Economics and Investing:

K.P. suggested this piece at Zero Hedge: Germany to Review Bundesbank Gold Reserves in Frankfurt, Paris, London and New York Fed. Here is a brief quote: “The concern is that were the eurozone to collapse, Bundesbank’s losses could be half a trillion euros – more than one-and-a-half times the size of the Germany’s annual budget. In that scenario, Germany’s national patrimony of gold bullion reserves would be needed to support the currency – whether that be a new euro or a return to the Deutsche mark.” (When the going gets tough, they will repatriate their gold. Count on it.) Zero …


Odds ‘n Sods:

US Government Admits It Has Seized Hundreds Of Domains Registered Outside The US    o o o Jonathan B. mentioned an article about the Raspberry Pi, a microcomputer with many potential applications.    o o o J. in Boston wrote to mention that another near X-Class solar flare is in progress. J. notes: “The current Solar activity is curious. 11429 has simplified significantly and I’d be surprised if in fact it turns out that the source of the the flare at midday on Saturday. The only other current candidate for this would be the emerging 11420 (returning). If so then …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” – Psalm 61:1-4 (KJV)