Category: Odds ‘n Sods

The folks at The Pre-1899 Specialist tell us that their new batch of 8 x57 pre-1899 Turkish contract Oberndorf Mauser rifles is going fast. This is by far the nicest batch of Turks that they’ve ever acquired. Since they were all made between 1894 and 1896, they are Federally exempt “antiques” –which means no paperwork required for delivery to most states. (They come right to your doorstep, with no pesky 4473 form required!)    o o o Gold and silver aren’t the only commodities on a stratospheric trajectory. Copper and uranium recently hit all time records. Oil is very strong, …

A Blackwater Brigade for Darfour?    o o o U.K.’s Prime Minister Blair Calls for a Technological Revolution to Combat Climate Change    o o o SurvivalBlog readers in the Great Lakes region should consider getting training from Dave Schleicher of Eagle Personal Protection, in Michigan. Dave is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor who shares his knowledge gained at a wide range of schools including Lethal Force Institute(LFI-I and LFI-II certified), Options for Personal Security (Handgun Skills and Tactics, Carbine, Surgical Speed Shooting), Universal Shooting Academy, Gunfighters, Ltd., Suarez International (Low Light Gunfighting, Close Range Gunfighting, Knifefighting) and E.A.G. Tactical (Combat …

This story is amazing:  http://www.phishhook.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=550448  Of course this was criminal enterprise, but some of the same techniques could be used to conceal entrances for secret rooms and/or an underground retreat.    o o o Eric Fry of The Rude Awakening e-newsletter notes: “22-year highs in silver; 24-year highs in sugar; 25-year  highs in gold; 26-year highs in platinum; all-time highs in copper, crude oil and natural gas…Welcome to the commodity markets of 2005-06.”    o o o Fred the Valmet-meister says: “If you liked Frontier House on PBS a few years ago, you’ll like the new “Ranch House” miniseries (eight …

The wizened Dow Theory sage Richard Russell comments on the U.S. Dollar and the Housing Bubble:    o o o U.S. Marines in Iraq say: “Too Much Body Armor“:    o o o Here is an interesting blog that I just found today: Airborne Combat Engineer    o o o The Associated Press reports on Enormous Pro-Illegal Immigration Rallies in the U.S. Unfortunately, I think that congress is likely to cave in to the pressure and institute some form of amnesty. To the left wing of the Democrat party, the conservatively estimated 16 million illegal aliens in the country represent …

I just stumbled across Rogue Turtle, an interesting site with a wide range of survival and preparedness information.    o o o Wiggy’s (one of our first advertisers) is offering a special 15% discount on all of their sleeping bags until the end of April. These are the best sleeping bags I’ve ever used. They are extremely durable. Their two-bag FTRSS is my personal favorite. Every well-prepared family should have a full set of Wiggy’s bags. Even if you plan to “bug in” rather than “bug out”, a warm sleeping bag could be an absolute life safer in the event …

Survival Blog reader S.H. recommends a site with free PDF field manuals, including TC9-56 SKS Rifle, M16A2, et cetera: http://www.chqsoftware.net/catalog/freestuff.php This Canadian company also has a interesting looking CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training series…something folks should consider if they are in an urban environment.    o o o Missouri Teenager Survives a 1,300 Foot Tornado Ride: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/14158868.htm    o o o The H5N1 virus responsible for the current virulent strain of bird flu has mutated into two genetically distinct strains, US scientists have confirmed. They fear this could increase the risk to humans – and complicate the search for  …

A SurvivalBlog reader mentioned a source for MRE entrees, MRE crackers, full MRE meals, and T-Packs: See: http://www.longlifefood.com/    o o o Joining the U.S. Army and Marines, the U.S. Air Force jumps on the digital camouflage uniform bandwagon: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,91425,00.html?ESRC=dod-b.nl    o o o Survival Blog reader S.H.sent us this news story: “Oregon family found after 17 days in mountains.” Always nice to see some happy news in the media these days. It seems that they were prepared. “The family lived through the ordeal on dehydrated food and other provisions.” See: LINK    o o o The folks at The …

A little bird just told me that Oregon Freeze Dried’s shelves are just about empty, with no re-supply expected until June or July. The demand for long term storage food, spurred by the global spread of Asian Avian Flu has been tremendous.  If you want any freeze dried foods then order them soon, while there are still supplies in the pipeline. If you wait another month, you will probably be out of luck. We have four different advertisers that sell freeze dried foods. Please consider giving them your business, and be sure to mention SurvivalBlog when you do.    o …

New mutations in parts of the avian flu virus might provide a possible route for the virus to enter the human population. From the journal Science: http://www.livescience.com/humanbio…_flu_morph.html    o o o Silver has been spiking upward for the past few days ($10.65 per troy ounce, the last time I checked), but beware of an impending short-term correction. Every bull market has its pull-backs and profit taking. Buy on the dips!    o o o The French anarchists riot again. This time, we are told, the riots are about job security.  Job security? (I guess these are different than those U.S. …

What the anti-gun mass media has wrought: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/8188403/detail.html   As recently as the early 1950s, it was not unusual for residents of the large cities in the eastern U.S. to carry uncased rifles to or from shooting matches on public transportation. But now, the sight of a man with an air rifle causes a panicked evacuation? Ay, ay, ay…    o o o Walter J. Williams (of www.shadowstats.com) warns of the possibility of a “hyperinflationary depression.” Gee, this sounds like the storyline from a novel I read once.For an interview with Williams, see: http://www.weedenco.com/welling/Downloads/2006/0804welling022106.pdf    o o o Schools Told …

Navy SEALs to Get Modified M14 Rifles: http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw060317_1_n.shtml    o o o Asian Avian Flu Raises Hackles in Israel:  LINK    o o o The folks at The Claire Files are organizing a postal rifle match. See: http://www.tcftalk.com/clairefiles/index.php?topic=9031.0    o o o A bill before the Tennessee legislature would reject NAIS: http://nonais.org/index.php/2006/03/21/tn-bill-refuses-nais/  Let’s hope this is the beginning of a groundswell.  

U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said on Monday said that it was “increasingly likely” that bird flu would be detected in the United States as early as this year.See: this page o o o Category 5 Cyclone Slams Australia: CBS World News o o o Hurricane Katrina: What Went Right?: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/12030 o o o Kevin Sites, a journalist in Afghanistan: http://hotzone.yahoo.com/ o o o Big caliber safari rifles: http://bigfivehq.com/ o o o Some interesting economic and investing commentary: http://www.safehaven.com/archives.cfm o o o Silver is bouncing along at around $10.30 per ounce. That is a 16.85% gain for the year!

More silver ETF news: The Street.com o o o Update on Peak Oil: http://mondediplo.com/2006/03/03oilfields o o o I’ve heard that there is now just one slot left for the next specialized Tactical Lifesaver Course. This class will be held on April 15-16, 2006, in Douglas, Georgia. A Iraq war vet Physician’s Assistant (PA) will teach you a lot of skills that the American Red Cross doesn’t. (Such as: how to prep an intravenous infusion, how to insert and orthopharyngeal airway, wound debridement, suturing, how to treat a sucking chest wound, and much more.) Don’t neglect taking this course. See:http://www.survivalreportblog.com/Tactical_Lifesaver_Course.html Because …

A gent on the FALFiles Forums recommended some potential sources for Surefire 123A lithium batteries: Amondo Tech: http://www.amondotech.comt Lighthound: http://lighthound.com/ Battery Station: http://www.batterystation.com/ Battery Junction: http://www.batteryjunction.com/index.html o o o How the Asian Avian Flu May Affect Your Life: ABC News o o o I mentioned last weekend that I had dropped by the gun show table run by Darryl Holland (of Holland’s of Oregon), and sent him home a Browning A-Bolt bolt action rifle for muzzle threading with 1/2″ x 28 threadsand installation of a Holland’s muzzle brake. I was delighted to see that the barreled action arrived at our …

SurvivalBlog reader J.K. mentioned that FEMA has a very informative booklet available, “Taking Shelter From The Storm” See: http://www.fema.gov/fima/tsfs02.shtm. This booklet includes case studies and engineering drawing for several different safe room locations. o o o SurvivalBlog reader Overhill spotted this Asian Avian Flu planning guide from Uncle Sugar: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/planguide/ o o o And you thought that the U.S. 1994 “Assault Weapons” ban was dead and buried–or at least “sunsetted”? Guess again. The ultra-liberal wing of the U.S. Senate has re-introduced it, as new legislation. (S. 645) The sponsors are mostly “the usual suspects”: Lautenberg, Corzine, Schumer, Boxer, Kennedy, Durbin, …