Category: Investing/Barter

Letter Re: Controlling Your Inner Gun Nut–Balanced Preparations are a Must

Hello Jim, Like many readers I have always been somewhat of a gun nut. Back when I was young and single I spent a lot of money on guns and ammo including items I didn’t really need that have since accumulated over time. I was single and had money to spend. Fast forward to the present with wife and kids and money is tight. There is not much left for prepping. So I decided to take stock of what I really need for my core battery of weapons/ammo and sell the rest and use the proceeds for prepping. Here are …


Letter Re: Some Storage SNAFUs

Jim: Why do the incredibly robust “cheap” imported AKs have chrome lined bores , yet some of the expensive and finicky American-made ARs not chrome lined? Well, if you live in a humid climate, it makes a difference. I made the classic error of storing my guns in gun cases. In fact, that’s the worst way to store them as the humidity accumulates inside. One of them had nearly rusted solid in three years. Thanks to the ministrations of another firearm enthusiast, all my guns are being de-rusted, dipped in preservative oil and mylar bagged along with oxygen absorbents, rust …


Letter Re: Rampant Inflation in Steel Products

Hey Jim, I used to make my living as a construction electrician and had several big steel Greenlee brand tool boxes with my tools. There is usually one in the back of my truck all the time. Price of gun safes has continued to rise, so I took one of my boxes and cut out a plywood rack for my guns, then filled in around the rack with polyurethane foam. After it was set and cured, I painted the urethane foam flat black. The fit and finish on my Greenlee tool box/gun safe is good enough to protect my weapons, …


Ten Tips to Save Money on Ammunition, by Mr. Yankee

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As prices increase, many shooters are looking for ways to take the bite out of their shooting budget. Here are ten tips to help: Take the bite out of your shooting budget: If you are like most, you did not buy nearly enough ammo over the past few years. Most of us told ourselves that our budgets just couldn’t be stretched any farther. So our ammunition reserves either dwindled or stayed static despite knowing that prices were rising. Boy are we sorry now! Anyone who was not paying attention had a severe dose of sticker shock when hunting season arrived, …


Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival

Jim, I saw the article that mentioned Reloading for autoloading rifles, and some comments that seemed to not completely answer questions people may have. It is important to note that reloading any caliber is a delicate undertaking for any gun you are about to trust your life with. The use of case gauges is an important one, but for the part-time reloader they are an expensive investment (~$30-50 each!). A much easier method is to test the cartridge in the firearm, to accomplish this, if you are working on either a progressive or single stage press, reload a few rounds …


Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival

James, You might want to mention that reloading for semi-auto rifles requires an extra measure of care. After sizing, cases should be checked with a Wilson or Dillon case gauge to make sure they are are sized correctly. Maximum overall case and cartridge lengths have to be adhered to [Clint McKee,] the owner of Fulton Armory is very "down" on reloading for semi-auto battle rifles, and I believe most of the [bolt out of fully-locked position] Kabooms with AR-15 type rifles have occurred with reloaded ammo. While one should be very careful when reloading ammunition of any type, one must …


Ammunition Reloading for Survival, by NC Bluedog

Ammunition storage is one of the survival planning trinity: (“Beans, Bullets and Band-Aids”). But what happens when you run out? You can’t plant a garden for 7.62mm NATO or cut up old sheets to make .45 ACP. In this case you need to at least consider the practice (some would say art) of ammunition reloading. Speaking from a perspective of more than 10 years experience, I can honestly say that reloading is no more difficult than repairing a leaking faucet and baking a loaf of bread. It is very similar to making up a recipe with a few mechanical interventions. …


A Warning on Buying Full Capacity Magazines in “Kit Form”

Thankfully, the Federal ban on 11+ round firearms magazines “sunsetted” in September of 2004. But sadly some bans are still in effect at the state and local level. Most notably, these laws are still on the books: No pistol or SMG magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds in Hawaii. (High capacity magazines that only fit rifles are allowed. (For example, since there are AR-15 pistols, AR-15 magazines are banned.) No magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds in California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New York. (See State Penal Code 265.23 for details. To the best of my knowledge, …


Letter Re: The Potential Combat Effectiveness of Shotguns

Jim, There is a fairly heated discussion going on at the FALFiles Forums about how useful a shotgun is in a Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) situation. I was curious, what exactly is your take on the issue? Personally, I do not feel a shotgun can effectively replace a rifle, however, it still proves an effective tool when the extreme-close situation arises. I suppose one can distill this argument down to only “defensive purpose” shotguns such as those built for tactical situations (3″ chambers and open/cylinder choke), those you aptly refer to as “riotguns”. While the effectiveness of a shotgun …


Front Sight’s New “Get a Gun” Training and Gear Offer

Front Sight has been a SurvivalBlog advertiser for nearly as long as I have been writing the blog. The Memsahib and I have both attended four-day courses at Front Sight, and we can attest that the training there is absolutely top notch. We were both very impressed with the world class quality of the instruction and the quiet professionalism of the instructors. The Front Sight experience is hard to put into words. You really need to experience it for yourself. To be prepared for the potentially dark days ahead, I highly recommend that at least one member of your family …


Letter Re: Reloading for 7.5 Swiss

Dear Jim, Regarding East Tennessee Hillbilly’s otherwise excellent summary of reloading: In the back of the Arsenal of Democracy I keep a case of each caliber I shoot. The 7.5 Swiss cartridge has a wider case, thicker base and thicker rim than .308. I don’t believe it’s possible to fabricate 7.5 Swiss cartridges from .308. – Michael Z. Williamson JWR Replies: I have read that .284 Winchester brass can be re-formed to 7.5 Swiss without much difficultly. The same thread mentions that Graf & Sons sells virgin Boxer-primed 7.5 Swiss brass that they had made up with their own head …


Letter Re: Learn How to “Roll Your Own” Ammo

James; One skill that will be in great demand by almost everyone in a post-TEOTWAWKI environment will be a skilled and resourceful ammunition reloader. Equipment is relatively inexpensive and downright cheap if you know where to look. Pawn shops almost never buy reloading equipment because it is slow and, or difficult to move. I have made arrangements with a few pawn shop owners and when a batch of reloading stuff comes available from estates they just give them my number. No matter how much gear there is, a pawn shop will only offer, if they even make an offer about …


Letter Re: Which .22 Ammo to Store–High Velocity or Subsonic?

Jim, You mentioned the following in your List of Lists: “WTSHTF, ammo will be worth nearly its weight in silver. Store all of your ammo in military surplus ammo cans (with seals that are still soft) and it will store for decades. Stick to common calibers, get plenty of .22 LR (most high velocity hollow points).” High velocity .22 rimfire can be heard from a long way off. Would human predators stalk you and close in for the kill? Think stealth after the SHTF. Here are some figures: High velocity 22 40 grain @ 1,250 fps (hypersonic) = 136 foot …


Letter Re: Battle Rifle Recommendations for a Californian

Mr. Rawles, I am a resident of the People’s Republic of Kalifornia (PRK). I’m looking to buy a main battle rifle (MBR). My rifle collection currently consists of a few .22 rimfires and a [Federally exempt antique Model] 1893 Mauser, which I purchased on your recommendation from The Pre-1899 Specialist. It seems as though most of the [firearms design] features one would look for are restricted (if not outright banned) here [in California]. My question for you is, what would you suggest for a California resident’s MBR?. Thanks, – C3 in CA. JWR Replies: California does have some almost unbearable …


The Four Gs Update: Have You Got God?, Groceries?, Guns?, Gold?

In the next few paragraphs I’ll be tackling four issues that for many years, I’ve labelled “The Four Gs.” One of my contemporaries, Richard “Doc” Sweeny, even made the concept into and acronym: GGGG, for “God, Gold, Guns, and Groceries.” God. I consider faith in God the cornerstone of my family’s preparedness. Faith in God’s sovereign control of the future gives my family hope and peace in these troubled times. If there is no hope, then why prepare? Our hope is in Christ Jesus. Groceries. There are continuing reports of shortages around the country of wheat flour, corn meal, rice, …