A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 6, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)

The AKM Rifle

If the rifleman is not well trained or is in no way mechanically inclined, this my favorite rifle that I know very well and will use exclusively in extreme cold weather. It is a rifle I can recommend to any one who would not be able to maintain the AR-15 rifle or any rifle. It is representative of the Cold War weapons and mentality.

Again, the military spends about a week to train new recruits about how to maintain the AR-15 platform. The AKM (a modernized, stamped receiver AK-47) should only require perhaps one day, or just a few hours to train a new shooter to maintain. It is that simple and easy to keep this rifle reliable, a veritable battle axe that can run when rusty and can use rusty steel-cased ammunition.Continue reading“A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 6, by Tunnel Rabbit”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

A Safety Tip for Kackling Kamala: You Can Accept Dick Cheney’s Election Endorsement

But Don’t Accept His Pheasant Hunting Trip Invitation

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

And he arose, and departed to his house.

But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” – Matthew 9:1-15 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 21, 2024

On September 21, 1931, Britain abandoned the gold standard. The Pound — henceforth a paper currency — was immediately devalued by 20%.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 4.)

Barrel Length and Effectiveness

The M4 Carbine with military 14.5-inch barrels and civilian 16-inch barrels were practical for the kind of police action tactics used in the Middle East where troops regularly deployed out of vehicles and in an environment where clearing buildings was necessary. And so their gear and weapons evolved to better suit those tactics. They did however discover that when in the open in the deserts of Iraq or shooting across canyons in Afghanistan their carbines were woefully inadequate. I will justify this opinion further and later in this article.

The 20-inch barrel makes the AR-15 much more lethal at all ranges as compared to the 16-inch (or less) barrel. Using a 20-inch barrel in CQB is perhaps less than optimal, But the higher velocities produced will make it possible for a 55-grain FMJ to penetrate Level 3 body armor. The higher velocity produced is more significant as a mechanism for killing in small caliber cartridges as higher velocities are needed to impart hydrostatic shock and to improve penetration.Continue reading“A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 5, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We’re back home! The project that we mentioned in our column three weeks ago was helping our eldest daughter move to the East Coast. Our part in this was transporting her car with a rental tow dolly, behind our full-size SUV. The car was stuffed full of her household goods. We took advantage of this trip to visit several relatives and to do some hiking and a bit of shopping. As usual for any road trips to the northeast, we bought/rustled up a lot of 1-gallon and half-gallon jugs of maple syrup to bring home—both for our own use at the ranch, and for gifts.

Most of the trip went smoothly. We had just one mishap: A nighttime deer collision in western South Dakota. A full-grown Mule Deer doe darted out of the darkness in front of our vehicle. We were traveling nearly 70 miles an hour. The driver’s side of our bumper hit her solidly across the hips, and then the deer went under our wheels. I didn’t even get the chance to hit the brake pedal, before the impact.

Thankfully, our SUV is equipped with a 600+ pound steel deer bumper. These bumpers are considered almost standard equipment, here in the American Redoubt. (Deer collisions are quite commonplace here.) That bumper turned what would have been major damage — and possibly even a “total loss” — into just some minor damage to the driver’s side quarter panel. Our deer bumper was built by a company called Reunel, now defunct. (Their company name, designs, and phone number were bought out by Buckstop Truckware, of Prineville, Oregon.) There are several other competing brands with quality deer bumpers on the market, including Ranch Hand, ARB, and Thunder Struck. If you live in deer country, I recommend opting for a heavy, full-size bumper that wraps around the headlights

We had some fun and educational stops, on our trip home. Lily will give you the details:Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 20, 2024

On this day in 1873, triggered by a bond default and a bank scandal, a panic swept the New York Stock Exchange. This railroad bond default and resultant bank failure shut New York banks for 10 days.

—

On this day in 1519, Magellan left Europe on his voyage of discovery.

—

We’ve just started a 3-week-long sale at Elk Creek Company.  Until October 11th, 2024, all of our Pietta brand blackpowder revolvers and all of our M1891 Argentine Mauser rifles have their prices deeply discounted.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.)

Suggested Low-Cost Replacement Parts

Here are some suggested low-cost spares/replacement parts, available from Palmetto Stae Armory  (PSA):

PSA Classic Lower Parts Kit, FDE

PSA AR-15 Bolt Carrier Group 5.56 Full-Auto Nitride MPI – 516446953 $69.99

Everything but the lower receiver and parts associated with the lower half that includes the butt stock:
PSA AR-15 Upper 5.56 16″ Carbine-Lgth 1:7 M4 Nitride MOE w/ Rear MBUS, BCG, & Charging Handle, $319.99

This might be the lowest-cost way to acquire all the replacement parts without buying an entire rifle. This blemished build kit has everything except the lower receiver:
BLEM PSA Freedom AR-15 Rifle Kit 5.56 16″ M4 Carbine-Lgth 1:7 Nitride – 507617B $299.99

Barrel Life

Garand Thumb did an impressive test of the PSA barrel to failure. He documented on video the barrel’s performance and longevity during an exhaustive multi-thousand-round test. See:  How Many Rounds Will A 400 Dollar AR-15 Last?  A PSA barrel lost it’s accuracy after about 5,000 rounds. Had slower firing testing been used, instead of the full auto magazine dump method, the barrel may have lasted much longer. But this is a valid test because it simulates hard use on a battlefield and is compared to the performance of premium rifles tested under similar methods. Fortunately, PSA rifles and parts are good enough and the cost is very low given their performance. PSA has the best price-to-performance ratio that is well-tested and reviewed. PSA’s parts are not the best, but they are good enough and there is a huge advantage to buying multiple copies from PSA. We can buy 2 to 4 examples for the same money spent on a single high-quality rifle. But we should understand the weak points and prepare accordingly. Buying complete spare uppers is the lowest cost and most practical for most people who are not gunsmiths or hobbyists who can replace parts.Continue reading“A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the Federal Reserve’s September 18th interest rate cut.

Precious Metals:

Gold price rallies to all-time high shy of $2,600 as Fed cuts 50 bps.

Updates: Spot gold was at  $2,594.70 per Troy ounce on Thursday, in Asia. And silver jumped to $31.20. Platinum was also playing catch-up, rising to $1,004.50. (Up 1.4% in just a few hours of trading.)

On Friday morning, spot gold exploded to an all-time high of $2,630. I expect to see some profit-taking  late today and on Monday, but the bull market is clearly picking up speed. – JWR

o  o  o

Over at Gold-Eagle.com: UBS On Gold: It’s Not The End Of The Rally Yet…

Economy & Finance:

Fed Goes Big: Cuts Rates by Half Percentage Point. JWR’s Comments: The timing of the Fed’s rate cut move, just as early absentee voting in the presidential election is beginning, has a pungent fishy smell. It is quite clear that they want to boost the economy — including stock prices, car sales, and home sales. And then Komrade Harris will get a corresponding boost at the polls. As with every other dynamic in the socio-political-economic realm, we should ask: Cui bono?

o  o  o

Dow jumps 500 points, S&P 500 closes above 5,700 for the first time a day after Fed slashes rates: Live updates.

o  o  o

‘The party is over’ as Tupperware files for bankruptcy after years of troubles.

o  o  o

The unemployment measure you’ve never heard is flashing a recession warning.

o  o  o

H.L. sent us this, at Breitbart: Car Insurance up a Whopping 55% in Biden-Harris Admin’s America.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 19, 2024

On this day in 1796, George Washington‘s farewell address as US President was published. The full text of his speech is worthwhile reading.

—

On September 19th, 1778, the Continental Congress passed the first budget of the United States. While the budget may have passed, the states responded poorly to the call for taxes to fund the government, and the government resorted to printing paper money to cover debts. In effect, the first budget was a failure, due in large part to the states not responding to the demands of Congress and to the depreciation of fiat paper money. Are we talking about 1778 or 2014 here?

Also on this day in 1796, George Washington addressed the nation in his farewell address as president.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.)

Slings

Bottom line, a sling is a necessary part of the rifle. But it should be detachable, to suit particular situations. For those on a budget, Com-Bloc rifle sling will suffice. These are inexpensive, ruggedly built, and with the right swivels work on just about any rifle. If you can do better, then please do. But when building up an arsenal I would economize where possible so that the budget can buy more spare magazines, replacement parts, and ammo. Gucci is nice, but it saps precious funds away from more important items we might be willing to die for later.Continue reading“A Rifle is Not Enough – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at a recent nation-state bombing incident.

About Those Hezbollah Pager Bombs

A well-publicized news story: What we know so far about the deadly pager explosions in Lebanon. Some more details can be found here: Exploding Pagers: What We Know About BAC’s AR-924 Model Used by Hezbollah. And here is a follow-up article, from Wednesday: Hezbollah Walkie-Talkies Blow Up Across Lebanon in Second Wave of Attacks.

JWR’s Comments: To me, this incident has the ring of “life imitates art”. Many of you may recall in my 2013 novel Expatriates how a nation-state constructed and covertly distributed a large number of sophisticated compact explosive devices to another country and how they were all set off simultaneously. I wrote this fictitiously, to describe a plausible method of destroying an entire fleet of navy ships. In Expatriates, the fictitious electronic time-delay bombs were built into air quality monitors, and they contained a crystalline RDX explosive. That is a very compact and powerful high explosive. As I explained in the novel, Research Department Explosive (RDX) is more powerful than TNT, but much more compact. The following quote comes from the Infogalatic wiki:

“RDX is also known as Research Department Formula X, cyclonite, hexogen, and T4… …In its pure, synthesized state RDX is a white, crystalline solid. It is often used in mixtures with other explosives and plasticizers, phlegmatizers, or desensitizers… …RDX is quite stable in storage and it is considered one of the most powerful and brisant of the military high explosives.”

I’ll be curious to see what explosive composition the Mossad used inside their pager bombs, when that fact is eventually revealed. Because pagers are so small, I suspect that a pure crystalline explosive or one with just a bit of plasticizer added was what was used.

Drone Strike Triggers Huge Arsenal Detonation

H.L. sent this: Drone Strike On Arsenal Triggers Biggest Explosion On Russian Soil Of The War.  A brief quote:

“The site corresponds with the location of the Russian Defense Ministry’s main missile and artillery directorate arsenal, situated 488 kilometers northeast of Ukraine’s border…”

Tanks are Getting Humbled on the Battlefield

SurvivalBlog’s own Tom Christianson sent this: The Once-Dominant Tank Is Getting Humbled on the Battlefield.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”