Category: Self-Defense

Letter Re: Advice on Bear Protection?

Mr. Rawles, I may soon have the chance to take a job with the USGS in coastal Alaska. It will involve some field work, mostly in summer months. What should I carry for defense against bears? Pepper spray? A magnum revolver? For guns, if it makes any difference: I am in my late 30s, I’m 5’11” and weigh 220. I have fairly large hands. Thanks, – Future Cheechako JWR Replies: We live in bear country here at the Rawles Ranch. (Brown and black bears.) It is also mountain lion, moose, and wolf country, but bears are our biggest concern. By …


Letter Re: BATFE’s Confusion About Pre-1899 Antique Gun Federally Exempt Status

James: Regarding the letter from the BATF on your [Pre-1899 FAQ] web page concerning antique rifles keeping their antique status even if built as custom sporters, etc. I don’t remember the exact wording. But this question has come up and someone cited your letter as proof that once an antique, always an antique… Except I know of a respected [Class] 01 FFL who was told by the BATFE to stop building pre-1899 Mauser custom rifles because they then became “modern”, manufactured on that date [of modification], not when the receiver was manufactured. – Dutch JWR Replies: I suspect that the …


Letter Re: Advice on Registered Suppressors

Jim: Interesting question – is it worth it to get a Class III firearms license to legally buy a sound suppressor ([commonly, but erroneously, called a] “silencer”)? I’d always dismissed it as a a big hassle, but I’m now told it is not the hassle it used to be. Full auto firearms are a waste of ammo for the most part, but it occurred to me that a silencer would be a huge tactical advantage: 1. No muzzle flash and very little noise to give away your position, or attract return fire. 2. No muzzle flash or noise so you …


Letter Re: Save Your Fired Cartridge Brass

Dear Jim and Family, In the beginning of a collapse, you carry a concealed weapon, and deal with the police if you have to use it. Gunfights [typically] last 4 rounds or less, and its usually just one attacker. In theory, after the fight and you’ve survived, you get it back, eventually. Use a revolver or automatic, your choice, just be sure its small and light enough you always carry it. As the collapse deepens, you start encountering more and more threats, packs of them. They attack your vehicle, they go after your home, they try to stop you with …


Three Letters Re: Firearms Questions from a Distaff Newbie

James, I wholeheartedly agree with your response. For quite some time now, I have been trying to get family members to visit your web site and make the appropriate investment into their own security in a very similar fashion as you did. I always advise those who inquire about personal/home security that appear to be starting from ground zero, like the ‘Distaff’ writer, to add layers to your security. The easiest quick fix is a big canine. I have five (all adopted from shelters and subsequently trained to get along with each other.) Yes, a canine can be defeated. However, …


Letter Re: Firearms Questions from a Distaff Newbie

Mr. Rawles: I have been reading your blog and enjoy it very much. I have been stocking up and working at independence, but I am sadly lacking in the area of protection. I have been taught my whole life that guns are bad, evil, dangerous. I can barely bring myself to touch one. I shot a boyfriend’s handgun once many, many years ago but I really could barely stand holding it. I’ve never even let my children have toy guns or pretend to shoot people. My youngest son (8 years old) has been given a real rifle and a box …


Letter Re: 2nd Annual Bug-Out Drill at Tiger Valley in Texas

James, I started reading SurvivalBlog this year after a friend told me to check out the site and it has been a great resource. I had a couple of thing that might be of interest to everyone. First is the 2nd annual Bug-out drill at Tiger Valley in Texas. Tiger Valley will host its second annual Bug Out Drill, September 29, 2007. We will run the same distance as last year, 15 miles, but the physical challenges will be tougher. For those who didn’t attend the last event, the idea for this was spawned from reading the survival forum. I, …


Letter Re: Greenspan, Gold, and the Safe Store of Value

Dear Mr. Rawles, Regarding the use of gold as a store of value, it’s important to realize that gold often functions as a fiat currency. It does have intrinsic value for jewelry, electronics, rust-proofing, and some chemistry applications but the vast majority of its value comes from the shared expectation that people will accept it as being valuable in the future. The only difference from fiat dollars is that it’s harder – but not impossible – to increase or decrease the gold monetary supply, and that supply isn’t controlled by any government. In a disaster situation things get even worse, …


Letter Re: Hand Tools–Their Importance, and Sources

Mr. Rawles: In yesterday’s blog, you mentioned that bolt cutters are important to have available. This reminds me of something that my father always taught me: There is no such thing as “wasting” money on tools. With maybe a few exceptions, you can never have too many [tools], because you can use the extra ones as barterables or to pass on to your kids. A lot of things can be improvised, but proper tools can’t [be improvised]. As a prepper, I have a big assortment of tools, mostly hand type. I do have some power [tools], but I consider those …


Letter Re: Confusion About Ban Markings on Rifle Magazines

Mr. Rawles: I was at a gun show last weekend, stocking up on ammo and magazines. A dealer had some original [Ruger] Mini-14 magazines (made at the factory, in white boxes) that were marked “restricted for law enforcement use..” or somesuch, stamped right into the body of the magazine. I also saw some Beretta M92 magazines with a whole bunch of the same kind of “thou shalt not…” small print. I thought that the [Federal] magazine ban had expired. I’m confused here. Could I get in trouble with my local police if I buy magazines with these marks? Thanks, – …


Reader Poll Results: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume — 100 Words and 100 Pounds

Some of these stretched the 100 word limit. (I skipped posting one that rambled on far beyond the limit.) The poll’s premise in a nutshell: “If someday you went to the gates of a survival community post-TEOTWAWKI and pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken objectively, would you vote yourself in?”   I am a shoe maker (not just a repairman) can repair saddles tan leather have done ranch work mechanics weld gardening skills set a broken …


Letter Re: Advice for a Preparedness-Minded ROTC Cadet

Hi, I appreciate your advice. Here is my situation: I attend college full time in a post-industrial [Eastern United States] city that has had a 50% population decline in 30 years. Most people here are on welfare, and the largest employers are prisons. I am in a bit of a predicament because I only make about $6,000 per year, so I cannot really afford to spend much on supplies. My goal if things go downhill is to do a ruck march (assuming EMP, otherwise I would drive) with my ROTC-issued [TA-50] equipment to my family’s summer home in farm country …


Letter Re: Hidden Retreats Versus Open Fields of Fire/Visibility

Hello; Thanks for your efforts and the structure of your blog. I appreciate the lack of flaming and demeaning commentary. Wanted to get more input on this subject ” Hiding retreat versus open fields of fire/visibility”. We are leaning towards camouflaging, as much as possible views of our home from the road. However, this conflicts with my Army provided training, where on fire bases, we have open fields of fire and high visibility. I believe we need a compromise. As a less than visible retreat will avoid [confrontation with those who are] the less observant. But open fields of fire/ …


Letter Re: Employment as a Gunsmith, Both Before and After TSHTF

Mr. Rawles, I am a new reader of your blog. One of my co-workers recently told me about it and I am hooked. I never knew there was such a large gathering of like minded people. The reason for this e-mail is to ask about gunsmithing courses. Being new to your site I may not be looking in the right direction. If this is a subject that has not been covered can you or any of your readers recommend an online or correspondence course? Thank you. – Randy G. JWR Replies: I have not yet covered this topic, so here …


Letter Re: Advice on Sealing Your Primers

Hello Jim, I’d like to chime in with my experience on [sealing ammunition primers–a topic raised by Teddy Jacobson.] If you’re looking for a sure fire way to protect your ammo under the worst possible conditions, you can’t do better than George and Roy’s Primer Sealant. The sealant is nitrocellulose based (the same as military and commercial ammo makers use), rather than lacquer based. I was a distributor of the sealant for a number of years and part of our sales pitch was that if you sealed your bullets with George and Roy’s, you could throw the ammo in a …