Category: Investing/Barter

Letter Re: A Lifetime of Prepping Without Knowing It

Mr Rawles, I recently read “Patriots” and wanted to let you know how this book got me to thinking about how to be prepared for a potential social collapse. I thought through all of the steps that needed to be taken and realized that I’ve been prepping since I was born. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City, but my family history was one of extreme self sufficiency. My mom who lived through the last great depression taught me how to can, garden, make things stretch as far as possible and be able to survive without …


Letter Re: Cartridge Lead Hygiene

Jim, Any serious firearms enthusiast should know the basic makeup of most ammunition normally includes a lead containing primer and projectile and while this does not present an immediately serious hazard per se, anyone planning on handling ammunition and firearms should be mindful of the risk of prolonged exposure to lead components and both pre- and post-TEOTWAWKI, take precautions to protect themselves. As an Army reservist for eight years (doing the occasional field exercise with blank ammunition and the annual range qualification), we would eat our IMP rations after loading hundreds of magazines without a second thought towards washing our …


Letter Re: Defensive Firearms Options in Canada

Letter Re: Defensive Firearms Options in Canada Hi Jim, This is in response to Roger C.’s letter “Prospects for Canada in a Societal Collapse.” My guess is southern Alberta would be one of the best places in Canada to be in in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. Albertans generally buck the norm when it comes to Canadian values. Even among the conservative Canadian west, we are far more socially and fiscally conservative. This makes Albertans generally more self reliant, charitable, and less dependent upon government handouts than most other Canadians. We have a stigma for “cowboy culture” here for a reason. Other …


Hunting Rifle Selection for Big Game: Plain and Simple Basics, by SplitHoof

Recently I have been asked by a number of friends and associates for specific recommendations on the selection of suitable rifles for hunting big game (including feral hogs, deer, problematic black bears, etc.). Rather than spending considerable time conversing with everyone on an individual basis through a whole bunch of e-mail messages, I will offer some of my own brief personal observations as a starting point, and then will be glad to answer any additional questions for those who may be so inclined to ask.  I must make it perfectly clear from the start that I do not consider myself …


Shifting to Tangibles in an Age of Inflation

I’m often asked by my consulting clients why I put so much emphasis investing in tangibles rather than in traditional investments that are denominated in United States dollars. The problem with dollar-denominated investments is that they are vulnerable to inflation of the currency unit itself. The U.S. governments over-spending and deep indebtedness is bound to catch up with it someday. And when it does, inflation and economic ruin will be the result. But there is protection from inflation. If the majority of you assets are in tangibles and they are in your immediate possession, then you will be insulated from …


Letter Re: Advice on Pre-1899 Guns and Ammunition Availability

Dear Sir: I recently read your FAQ regarding the laws involved in purchasing pre-1899 firearms. It was dated 2004. Have any of the protocols significantly changed in the past several years? I am also curious to know which pre-1899 revolvers function best with current production ammunition. Any info would be of assistance. Thanks. – Louis P. JWR Replies: My advice on buying pre-1899 guns is essentially unchanged. Prices for pre-1899 antique cartridge guns are continuing to advance much more quickly than inflation. (Just as I had predicted.) In recent years, Smith &Wesson revolvers have started to catch up in price …


Budgeting for Family Preparedness, by Allen C.

Having been a wilderness survival and firearms instructor for many years, I never considered the need for a survival retreat until I got married and moved from the country to a small city of about 30,000.  My minimalist lifestyle had allowed me a certain level of financial freedom.  Driving used cars and fixing up a home that had been previously condemned meant I had not made a car payment or house payment in years.  I spent summers running a high adventure camp for the Boy Scouts of America and worked for city the rest of the year as a firefighter …


Grub, Guns, and Gold!, by Barry P.

I grew up in a home where the parents believed in being prepared. When my dad went back to dental school after working for fifteen years as a biochemist, we lived for three years on the food storage they had acquired. But we didn’t use the food storage during those three years only. We had always enjoyed wonderful whole wheat bread, pancakes, cookies and cakes made from the wheat in our food storage. We learned that this food wasn’t to be used just in case of emergencies. We ate and rotated the items in our storage on a regular basis. …


Letter Re: Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up

Hello Jim, I just wanted to comment on the article, Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up. I have been stocking up on most of the items Scott mentioned for my own use, but had not considered them for barter. I’ll be looking at them differently, now. One which I have given thought to bartering is tobacco. Your readers can forget stockpiling commercial cigarettes, they will go stale, shortly. As Scott mentioned, you’ll need to know how to roll your own, or purchase an inexpensive rolling machine. Cigarette tobacco can be bought …


The Essential Gun for Survival, by Cory M.

At least one firearm chambered in .22 Long Rifle (LR) rimfire should be part of every survival plan.  If you do not currently own a firearm or if a .22 is not part of your current arsenal it should be high on your “next to buy” list, if not at the top.  The .22 is essential to your TEOTWAWKI preparation.  From providing food for the family to [marginal] self defense, the .22 will work for you.  Here are a few reasons the .22 LR is so important to your preparation and survival. Practice Whether or not you are currently familiar …


Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up, by Scott in Wisconsin

If the power grid fails for a weekend, dollar bills will always be accepted.  And I think it’s a good idea to keep at least $500 on hand in your home, in $5 and $10 denominations.  If the stores are open, but their credit card machines are not working, you’ll still be fine. But what happens if things really fall apart?  It’s easy to imagine a time when cash will no longer be king. What if an EMP knocks out all our electronic infrastructure?  If you’ve read “One Second After,” you get a feel for how quickly all our technology …


Letter Re: A Source for Rifle Racks and Build-It-Yourself Rack Plans

Jim, I found an Internet vendor who makes and sells gun racks right here in the USA! His prices are good and he publishes the dimensions of the racks on his site so anyone who is handy can build them at home. I know you hear this everyday but I’ll say it anyway. I sincerely enjoyed your books and SurvivalBlog. I am sorting my way through the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. I want you to know I appreciate your attempts to open the public’s mind to the crisis which is coming to our country. Knowledge gained and then …


Letter Re: Ammunition and Magazines for Barter

James Wesley: The idea of using ammo as currency has been ridiculed by many. “It’ll never happen.” they say. “It would take an economic catastrophe for ammo to be used as money.” Not so. Today some friends of my wife came over (we were moving) and asked what we had for sale. One gentleman jokingly asked if I had any ammo (.22, .223 and .308) or magazines (Ruger 10/.22 or SKS) for sale. I looked at my wife and she nodded. Okay, she knows them well enough to feel comfortable with the exchange. I don’t need to sell any of …


Letter Re: Conjecture on the Value of Silver in Barter Transactions

Hi Jim, I would like your thoughts on something. I have been stocking up on silver for many years, but I’m wondering what you think will happen to the value of it at TEOTWAWKI. Here is my thinking, right now silver is worth around $18 U.S. dollars per [Troy] ounce, that is easy to understand. But if the dollar goes away then how do we put a value on the silver? I have been told that silver will go way up if the dollar fails but I can’t seem to understand how it will work. Currently I could trade silver …


Letter Re: Advice on a Multipurpose Rifle

JWR, I am a 50-something urban homesteader, selling my house to move to a rural area. I currently own a handgun (S&W 459 9mm) and a shotgun (Mossberg 12 gauge pump) and am researching what kind of rifle would be good for my new urban homestead. I am a good shot, not pro and not wild, just get within the target lines. I have hunted in the past with a 30-06 but feel with my age and all this would be too much for me now. Not to mention that I am a petite female at only 5’1″ tall and …