Category: Retreat Security

The ABCs of WTSHTF, by Mark B.

The ABCs of When the Schumer Hits the Fan (WTSHTF.) aren’t what you have prepared, acquired or stowed but even more basic in the preparation processes that we sometimes take for granted. The A is the ability to learn, to adapt and to try. No matter how many classes we take or how much we have stored away there is the potential that we might have missed something or prepared for one scenario and ended up with another. We may be in the middle of TEOTWAWKI and not be fully ready but guess what, we aren’t scheduling it. Ability is …


Time For Retreat Logistics Stage Two–The Soft Items

If you are a regular SurvivalBlog reader, the odds are that you already have the majority of your key logistics squared away, like food storage, tools, guns, communications gear. So now it is time to stock up on “soft” and perishable items. These include over the counter medications, vitamins, chemical light sticks, matches, paper products, cleansers, spices, liquid fuels, and so forth. You need to exercise caution when stockpiling soft items, for several reasons: 1.) Shelf Life and Deterioration. Some items like pharmaceuticals, batteries, and chemical light sticks are best stored in a refrigerator. Keep in mind that items like …


Working Dogs and Horses in Bug Out and Retreat Planning, by TD

I have adopted many animals over the years and come to realize that sometimes you do get great things for free, other times you get hurt. How do you pick the right animals for you and your family? Do you get an animal just to suit one purpose or do you get a mutt that will hopefully fit the bill? How do you choose the right one? Dogs For dogs, first talk to someone who has the breed of dog you are most interested in and find out about inherent defects and temperament problems. If you have kids or grandkids …


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

Naish Piazza, the director of Front Sight sent me some of the frequently asked questions about the “Get a Gun” training and gear package offer that I mentioned in SurvivalBlog last week. 1.) What kind of Springfield Armory XD Pistol is given away in this offer? A Standard Model 4″ Barrel XD in your choice of 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. The perfect balance for good gun handling, power, speed and concealability. 2.) Is it 4 days or 5 days of training at Front Sight? You attend Front Sight’s flagship Four Day Defensive Handgun Course, the course everyone raves …


Retreat Livestock Guardians, by TD

When the grid goes down and predation goes up, from animals (wild and feral/formally domesticated) and other people will be a very large problem. The television show Jericho showed some of the problems with diminished game and a lack of dogs and cats. Right now a lot of city dwellers complain about the population of deer, raccoon, opossum, coyote and others. In the city they are a problem right now. If something drastic were to happen it would decimate those populations, removing most outside food sources for cities. Most people, who do not hunt for food, hunt for trophies and …


Economic Climate Change: The Long Winter May Begin This Summer

I’ve had several consulting clients contact me in recent weeks, all with notes of fear in their voices. They realize that something is horribly wrong with the economy, but they cannot properly isolate and articulate the problem. I haven’t been able to calm them, however, because to an extent I share their anxiety. In my estimation, the “something wrong” that we sense is nothing short of a monumental shift in the economic climate. America is clearly headed for a recession. Most economic recessions are simply a product of the business cycle. These recessions are relatively mild and they often last …


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 …


Lessons From Fiction–A Critique of “I Am Legend”, by Michael Z. Williamson

I finally had a chance to see [the 2007 movie] “I Am Legend“, and analyzed it as a writer, and from a technical perspective. I’ve seen a lot of discussion over his [use of a] M4 [Carbine as his primary weapon]. I have to say for that type of fighting, I’d prefer a shotgun. However, a shotgun doesn’t reload fast enough. He might be better off with a good .308 self-loading carbine, if he can find adequate soft-point ammo. In New York City, that’s unlikely. National Guard armories would only have ball ammo, and likely wouldn’t have anything other than …


Three Letters Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security–Planning for Rules of Engagement

Note from JWR: The discussion of use of force in retreat security (and “Less Than Lethal” means) has elicited large number of e-mails from readers. For the sake of brevity, and since so many letters covered the same ground, the following are just three of them. The first of these is from “FerFAL”. He is SurvivalBlog’s volunteer correspondent in Argentina.   Hi James, I’m glad to see that you are advising people to have non lethal weapons [in addition to guns] and (when the situation allows it) deterrent approaches when dealing with trespassers. Some situations require immediate lethal action, but …


Two Letters Re: Using Natural Caves on Private Property

Greetings Jim, Memsahib, and Readers, I wanted to mention a couple things regarding caves for shelter or storage. Many years ago, in my youth, I became interested in Spelunking (Caving) and was lucky enough to explore caves in Tennessee with seasoned Spelunkers with fifteen years experience. Depending on your climate you will not only get a ‘wet season’ where you have to deal with a lot of dampness but you may actually face the cave being almost totally under water. We found this out the hard way when on one trip the cave we were going to explore a lower …


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 …


Four Letters Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security–Planning for Rules of Engagement

James: First, thank-you for posting my question on SurvivalBlog. Second, thank-you for posting your thoughts. They are well thought out and very well presented. Your response sparked an additional couple of thoughts: Dogs have been man’s early warning and engagement system since the dawn of history. A barking dog tells the potential visitor that he lost any advantage of stealth and that he is facing a team. Two barking dogs are even better. Dogs over 50 pounds also represent a physical threat. The second thought is to split the axis (axes?) of confrontation. Killing flies by clapping one’s hands over …


Letter Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security–Planning for Rules of Engagement and Levels of Force

James, I finished my copy of the [post-nuke novel] “Malevil” [by Robert Merle.] One scene that was particularly well done was when the looter/vandals start destroying the wheat planting. I could see myself paralyzed by the dilemma: If they completely destroy my garden,then my family’s survival becomes less–perhaps very much less–probable. When I start shooting them their probability of survival drops to zero. From my understanding of decision making, especially decision making under stress, it is very important to have crystal clear, absolutely unambiguous triggers or “switches”. Pull that trigger or switch and the pre-made decision is implemented. Triggers need …


Letter Re: Using Natural Caves on Private Property

Sir: My friend has a piece of property that has a cave. The initial opening to the cave is circular, about four feet in diameter. Inside the cave is a large room with a 20 foot tall ceiling and an approximately 70 foot long floor. We have been inside three additional smaller [side] rooms. Also, we have found a source of water deep in the cave. We spent the night in the cave about two weeks ago. It got cool at night, but no bats or other animals joined us. The biggest potential problem I can think of is the …


Letter Re: The AR-10 as a Primary Rifle for a Retreat?

Dear Jim: I have read time and again about .308 rifles on SurvivalBlog, and how you often steer people towards the HK and FN brands. What do you think about the Armalite AR-10 I have two, and like them very much, and have extensive spare parts and magazines. BTW, you won’t hurt my feelings if you do not like them, I just wonder why you [don’t often] mention them. Sincerely, Mark in Albuquerque, New Mexico JWR Replies: I have a personal preference for L1A1s, FALs, and HK91s, but I hardly rule out functionally equivalent rifles such as M1As and AR-10s. …