Notes for Tuesday – May 20, 2014:

May 20th, 1942 is the birthday of Carlos Hathcock, who died February 23, 1999. He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

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Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208.
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 52 ends on May 31st, 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.

The CMP: America’s Civilian Armory, by Uncle Mike

The M1 Garand, as a modern day tactical rifle, has many alleged faults. You can find that they may be only perceived faults. Here are a few alleged faults: No detachable magazine, obsolete, too heavy, and limited magazine capacity. I think that these perceived disadvantages can be actual advantages. It has no magazines to lug around. It is easily obtainable, especially from the CMP, with sturdy construction, and a great set of sights. Also this rifle is cost effective and reliable with available ammo. The 30-06 is one of the most popular cartridges.

An eight shot clip may not be ideal in today’s climate of unlimited ammo for military. Unlike the military, civilians don’t have a supply line or unlimited ammunition. The clip has advantages. First, it’s semi-indestructible. Run over it with your truck and you’ll probably get a flat tire. In the prone position, there’s no longer a magazine protruding from the receiver. You don’t have to lug around a bunch of empty magazines. With some simple manipulation the internal magazine can be topped off. Just pull back the slide. Partially eject the clip, and then place a few rounds in the clip. It’s not easy, at first, but it can be done, easily. When you learn to operate your rifle, correctly. Like loading, 8 plus 2 rounds for a match, string of ten. Place the empty clip in the magazine well; then place two rounds on the follower and close the action.

The “obsolete” nature of the rifle’s design can be looked on as a tried and tested battle rifle. It has been tested in the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of the Pacific and the arctic cold of Korea. A well maintained and lubed M1 Garand Rifle works in all conditions, as proven by its long service.

The heavy nature of the M1 Garand is a reassuring heft, made from steel and wood. At 9.5 pounds, it’s not that much heavier than the modern day battle rifle carried by today’s troops. It’s also an accurate rifle that can get solid hits at 300 yards and beyond. It has some of the best iron sights on any rifle. Because of the ubiquitous nature of the Garand, there are plenty of after-market upgrades– Tritium front sights, stock pouches, grab and go ammo carriers, and a variety of two and three point slings.

Unlike many rifles available today, the Garand receiver is forged steel made in a government armory or a government-inspected major manufacturer, such as Springfield, Harrington & Richardson, Winchester, and International Harvester. The later two are hard to find at this time. The CMP has announced it has a limited amount of International Harvesters but has not released them at this time. The real deal is available from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. They will send the rifle to your house, in most cases, for a nominal shipping fee. You can get a good shooting rifle, priced between $625 and $995. The various grades are divided by wear on the rifle. The higher the grade the more the price. The highest being the CMP Special at $1100, with a new barrel and new commercial stock. With a new finish and barrel you have a new rifle.

There are some simple qualifications to receive your “new” rifle. You must be a U.S. citizen, belong to a CMP-affiliated club where you show firearms activity, and pass a background NICS check. There’s a list of clubs on the CMP web site. None in your area? Join the Garand Collectors Association for only $25 a year. You get a great quarterly magazine and can study the history of your new rifle. The NRA is not considered an affiliated club, but my local club makes membership mandatory for all members, which is not a bad idea. The shooting component can be satisfied by US Military service, law enforcement service, or shooting in a match. My local club has a CMP Clinic that ends with a shooting match and is great fun and very informative.

The CMP promotes marksmanship and safety, and it uses the profit from rifle sales to run the various national matches, like Camp Perry, in Clinton, Ohio. They also have ammo, targets, training aids, shooting equipment, and Garand parts. With surplus M 2, 30-06, and other calibers including 30 Carbine ammunition available, it’s a great way to feed your new rifle. For those that like the .308 vs. the 30-06, the CMP now has a .308 Garand.

Over the years I’ve owned several Garand rifles, and I’ve never had any major problems with the rifles that I’ve obtained from the CMP. I did receive a rifle with a broken rear sight that they fixed immediately. They stand behind what they sell. The CMP publishes a short booklet, “U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 ‘Read This First,’“ which talks about field stripping, ammunition, safety, loading, unloading, firing, care, and cleaning. It has such nuggets as “When all else fails, read the Instructions.” All this in a 37-page booklet. It comes free with every CMP M1. It’s written in plain English and easy to understand.

After receiving your rifle and reading your booklet, you will need to clean and lube your rifle. Then take a trip to the range. I sight my rifles three inches high at 100 yards. I use the old pumpkin on a stick sight picture. I raise the elevation and then count the clicks back down, so I know what my zero is. When I get the result I want, I loosen the rear sight elevation screw and put the 100 yard hash mark at my zero. Tighten it down and your all set. I usually write down the number of clicks, in case the rear sight loosens. For us old guys, you can place white paint or use a china marker in the notches of the rear sight for easy visibility and manipulation. You can also mark the windage scale behind the rear sight. A neat little item is a Tritium front sight available from Brownells. There is more about this later.

When your rifle is clean and well lubed, you will find your ejected empties in a neat little pile in front and to the right of your muzzle. As your rifle gets fouled, you will see this ejection pattern change from a forward bias to a straighter, 90-degree angle. This often occurs in a poorly-lubed rifle.

Those familiar with the M14 or the popular M1A, produced by Springfield Armory, Inc., will find the safety and sights on the Garand very familiar. The safety on your rifle is a well thought out system. The safety in the trigger guard, protruding to the rear, is safe. When forward and out of the trigger group, the safety is off and the rifle is ready to fire. Also, the rifle will not fire unless the bolt is locked and the firing pin is aligned in the slot in the receiver bridge.

The CMP and most gunsmiths advise use of the specific GI 30-06, M2 , M72 Match loading or those commercial loads specifically designed for the M1 Garand. The CMP Armorers specify, if you use commercial ammunition, nothing heavier than 180 grains. There’s a small part that can help you, if you want to use a non-recommended load. It’s a vented gas plug. There are several models available. The one I use has an open gas plug with an Allen screw fitted to the center. You open it all the way, venting all the gas, and slowly tighten the screw until you get positive ejection and reloading. My experience is that this can be done in three or four shots. Frankly, I have one but don’t use it much. With fairly cheap M2 ball ammunition available, I see no need for commercial loads. As a reloader I am sorry to say that most of the problems I’ve seen with Garand rifles and ammunition has been due to reloads. The CMP booklet has a chapter called, “A Grim Sermon On Reloading”. They don’t encourage it.

I think that the M1 Garand is a well-balanced, powerful battle rifle. I’m not recommending you sell your ARs, M1As, or AKs, but for the average shooter it is a good possibility. By putting a Tritium front sight on your Garand it gives you a low-light sighting option. One of the points that helps in accuracy in your Garand is a tight gas cylinder lock up. One of the unintended consequences of my Tritium front sight installation was the tightening of this area. I went from three minute of angle to two by increasing the tension on this area. Some of the other points of accuracy improvement are a tight trigger group lock up and a good muzzle.

Don’t carry your ammo in a paper bag! There are several ways to carry your loaded clips. One is the GI ammo belt. These are being reproduced in the original khaki, green, or black. Also, bandoliers are cheap. I’ve been told that WW II GI’s liked to carry spare ammo in bandoliers and not in their ammo belts. Olangapo Outfitters makes a handy stock pouch that holds two loaded clips. They also make an upgraded 10-pocket ammo belt and what they call the Grab and Go Garand bag. It is carried to the side of the shooter, like a half SKS chest ammo carrier.

A good sling is a must. You can get an original style 1903 style leather sling from Turner Slings. I have one, but I am considering going to a web sling. It’s lighter and simpler to use. You can also get a modern two or three point sling from Specter gear. Scope mounts are available from the traditional M1D configuration, a side mount to a scout scope. Mounts are being sold by several manufacturers– B Square, Ammega Ranges, and Ultimak– available at Brownells.

“Tactical” is an elastic term. It can cover a wide group of firearms. For self defense everything has been used from the pistol and shotgun rifle to clubs and rocks. Painting a rock black and hanging a flashlight from it doesn’t make it an ideal self defense weapon. If your preferred platform is the AR or AK system, well and good. The M1 Garand has a unique place in American history and doesn’t scream “Black Gun” or “Tactical”. It has an eight round clip, so there is no 10 round “hysteria”. It’s also a lot of fun to shoot. You’ll be at the range more than in combat. In the eventuality that you need to defend yourself, the M1 Garand will not let you down.

Links:

http://www.thecmp.org/

http://www.thegca.org/

http://turnersling.com/

http://www.spectergear.com/

Letter Re: Multi-Purpose Power Solution

HJL,

Liquid fuels are expensive, heavy, dangerous to transport, and a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Even if you have enough stored for a year, what then?

Direct conversion of biomass to fuel for gensets has been proven successful for thirty plus years now. I have operated a design for powering small gensets that works as well today as it did in the early 80’s. It’s also driven a few thousand miles on a truck that runs on nature’s finest.

Due to space and weight limitations not present in stationary applications, refining wood into gas on board a vehicle is a much bigger trick than powering a stationary genset from wood. There are plenty of folks powering vehicles already. Checkout driveonwood.com for more info.

A solid fuel refinery takes up less space and weighs less than storing long-term, useful amounts of liquid fuels.

Biomass– wood, stalks, and stems– provide plenty of energy that does not need to be hoarded and is so low value it is not worth stealing. Various forms of dry biomass are likely to be even more plentiful in worst case scenarios.

The more people who switch now, the lower the bottom and the quicker the rise from the fall.

The Creator designed a world with plentiful energy provided above ground by the daily passage of the sun overhead. That this energy “manna” is not good enough, not even considered when seeking to serve energy needs, is a sign of the times.

A 1993 US DOE report by Larry Dobson presented the potential quite clearly. The report is not hard to find for those who seek to learn more. –DAB

Letter Re: Building Your Own No-FFL AR From An 80% Complete Receiver

Hugh,

I am a firm believer in what JAG is advocating. I, too, have built different AR15 platforms. The first was an FFL registered stripped lower receiver and a full kit (shipped through UPS with NO FFL paperwork) from Model 1 Sales. Everything went together smoothly. Anyone with any mechanical aptitude can do this. I next bought an EP80 and drilled and milled the lower with a drill press and Dremel tool. This, too, is easy if one works carefully. I have since bought two 80% aluminum forged lowers and a jig. I don’t mind the extra expense of the jig, as it will provide piece of mind while I drill and mill the lower. The bottom line is an individual can make an unregistered rifle that is LEGAL to own. They can be cheap enough to cache and reliable enough to depend on. The AR15 platform is made from a design that is easy to assemble and disassemble, clean, and shoot for the smallest frame adult. I feel that every home could benefit by having one of these around. The one thing that I would add is a .22 caliber upper or adapter for plinking. The ammunition costs less and shooting at tin cans or targets (safely) is fun, relaxing, and a good way to teach firearm safety and handling. – CDH

Economics and Investing:

No Raises For Anyone: Real Hourly Wages Decline For The First Time Since 2012. – T.F.

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Why The Fed Won’t Flinch As Unemployment Drops And Inflation Rises

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Items from The Economatrix:

Richard Russell – Shorts May Get Crushed In The Silver Market

Full-Blown Currency Wars, Gold, World War III & Serious Panic

Ask The Expert – Jim Willie (May 2014) | Sprott Money News : Sharing The US Government Has A ‘Suicide Tendency’, Jim Calls Out The Banking Cabal As The US Dollar Edges Ever Closer To Its’ End

A Demographic Time Bomb: Over The Next Decade 20 Percent Of The US Population Will Be 65 Years Of Age Or Older

Odds ‘n Sods:

Feds Hit Online Gun Stores With “High Risk” Label. – B.B. Gun stores in the same category as porn?

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BEAUMONT: Jury weighs police pepper spray that blinded woman – T.Y.

“Clark used his department-issued JPX gunpowder-propelled pepper spray weapon and fired it less than a foot away from her face.”

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NASA Study Concludes When Civilization Will End, And It’s Not Looking Good for Us – S.O.

Now I’m really wondering why NASA is still part of the government budget process.

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Obama Syndicate Assaulting Americans from Every Angle. – B.B.

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Why the Hell is the Department of Agriculture Buying Submachine Guns? – RBS

Notes for Monday – May 19, 2014:

JWR wanted to share this interesting podcast on a A Swiss view of prepardness.

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While the BLM took a beating over Cliven Bundy, it looks like they are still up to their old polices: Feds Seize New Mexico Ranch to Rid the West of Ranchers.

Seven Secrets of Medical Prepping, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

Someone once commented that my book held no “secrets” to medical prepping, that everything in the book could be found elsewhere. I’d have to agree, but it would take you hundreds of hours to compile the information. My experience has taught me to be cautious of secrets. Don’t they usually just cause trouble? Nothing in medicine should be secret, anyway. In fact, the subtitle to my Survival Medicine courses is “Taking the Mystery Out of Medicine.” Still, “secrets” can be fun, and what follows are seven “secrets” you should know, if you don’t already:

  1. Out-dated drugs aren’t actually expired. Drug “expiration dates” are comparable to “best if used by” dates. Medications are tested to prove they are safe for a documented period of time, but this says nothing about safety or efficacy beyond the test date. When stored according to manufacturer directions, pills, tablets, and dry powders are likely safe and effective for years beyond their printed expiration dates. (The Shelf Life Extension Program has confirmed this for many drugs, including several antibiotics.) However, out-dated liquid medications are significantly less likely to remain stable, and therefore should be used with caution.
  2. Fish antibiotics are the same as human antibiotics. At least in many cases this is true. Keep in mind that fish antibiotics are legally sold OTC for aquarium use, not for human ingestion. However, if you’re going to go the fish antibiotic route, make sure you find a source where you can confirm the drugs are USP grade, AB-rated generics. Ideally, the seller would provide images of these medications showing their imprint numbers, which then can be double-checked against a pill-finder, several of which are available online. However, I again recommend that you develop a strong, trusting relationship with your personal physician and work with him or her to obtain an emergency supply of recommended antibiotics (which I’ve addressed in earlier articles).
  3. Laymen can learn to suture as well as professionals. Having taught suturing classes over the last few years, I have concluded that the layman can learn to suture as well as a professional, at least when it comes to straightforward lacerations, such as those seen daily in Urgent Care Centers. If you’d like to learn, perhaps a local physician, dentist, PA, nurse practitioner, or midwife would be willing to assist. There are also a handful of schools for preppers, missionaries, and crisis workers scattered across the country which you could attend.
  4. OTC drugs are as strong as prescription drugs. Why don’t people believe this? I think it’s largely because when the average person visits a physician, they want something “better” than they could have procured on their own, thus making the trip to the doctor “worthwhile.” However, readers of SurvivalBlog are above average, and should educate themselves regarding the amazing array of potent medications that have changed status in recent years from prescription to over-the-counter. Some of my favorites include: ibuprofen, naproxen, Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Prevacid, Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Monistat, Lotrimin, Lamisil, and most recently Nasacort. Older essential OTC drugs include insulin, aspirin, gentian violet, Primatene Mist (now replaced with Asthmanefrin), Benadryl, Bonine, and Dramamine, as well as several others. Knowing when and how to use these is the next step.
  5. Many medicines don’t work most of the time. In many situations, drugs offer little or no benefit over “tincture of time.” Many illnesses that are often treated with medicine would resolve on their own, given a little more time (than impatient Americans allow). For example, using antibiotics to treat sinus infections offers almost no benefit, even among patients with X-ray-proven sinusitis (93% chance of no benefit). The answer is similar for adults with middle ear infections (but young children do benefit). Is saline irrigation better for preventing infections in wounds than simple tap water? Maybe for one patient in 36. Do prophylactic antibiotics help prevent infection in people with animal bites but no sign of infection yet? No. Do topical antibiotics help pink eye? Maybe; about one in seven patients gets well faster. Does aspirin help prevent a first heart attack or stroke in healthy people? One in 1667 will benefit. Check out www.thennt.com and search for your favorite problem or disease. The “number needed to treat” along with “number needed to harm” are interesting concepts introduced into medical research in the past decade or so. If a doctor gave you a drug and told you, “When I treat ten patients with this medicine, I’ll help on average only one,” would you take it? Even knowing these statistics, doctors use medicines that offer little value simply because patients want something. These numbers are not meant to depress you but rather to allow you to conserve your limited supply of drugs for serious problems.
  6. Neither drugs nor doctors actually cure anyone. The best a doctor or medicine can do is to optimize the environment to allow the God-given healing process to occur. Antibiotics don’t cure anyone directly, they just (hopefully) kill enough germs to allow your immune system to take care of the rest. AIDS patients don’t die of HIV, they die of diseases their own immune systems cannot overcome, regardless of how many antibiotics doctors prescribe. Surgeons don’t cure appendicitis; they just remove the infection to allow the body to heal itself. The closest to a cure doctors can achieve is by recommending something your body actually lacks, such as Vitamin C that can “cure” scurvy. However, this is actually just providing your body with the building blocks it needs to function, in the same sense that food “cures” starvation, at least for awhile. How can this help you? My main point is to relieve you from worry. Not that you don’t want to optimize the healing environment by eating a balanced diet, observing good hygiene, brushing your teeth, et cetera. Do what you can, and then thank the Great Physician for His healing touch.
  7. You can be better prepared than a physician to care for your own health. In truth there are no secrets of medical prepping. The information explosion has made all the health information available to doctors available to you as well. While there’s still time, educate yourself for free online, and buy an assortment of primary care textbooks. Also, whereas doctors do have a great deal of medical education and experience, very few are doing any sort of preparation for a rainy day or TEOTWAWKI. Even if you don’t have the confidence to provide medical care, you can acquire the tools, medications, and instruments for someone with training to use. Invest a few hundred dollars in common medical items to equip a small clinic (stethoscope, pen light, otoscope, syringes, suture material, plaster, OTC medications, bandages, splints, dressings, et cetera.)

So there you have it. The cat is out of the box. You know all my secrets. (Well, actually I do know a few more that I don’t put in writing, in order to protect all of us. However, if and when you meet me in person, feel free to ask.) For further information on the above topics and many more, visit my web site at www.armageddonmedicine.net, where you can also register for upcoming Survival Medicine Workshops.

Scot’s Product Review: Milt Sparks Holsters

In a way, I am reluctant to write about Milt Sparks as it will probably just make it harder the next time I need a holster, but my readers deserve to know, so here goes.

Milt Sparks Holsters is named for its founder, Milt Sparks. Sparks began making holsters in the early days of competitive combat shooting in the 1960’s and 70’s. Magazine writer and founder of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper, among others, helped popularize Sparks’ work. What really made Sparks’ products so popular, though, is the quality of design and production.

The only problem with Sparks’ products is that it can take months to get them. Sparks has always been a small operation with an eye for quality, and that means they don’t make them fast and they don’t make them cheap. Each holster is custom made to order for the buyer. There is even a scalper market for their holsters. People try to sneak in extra orders so they can sell them on auction sites at a large profit. Sparks tries to prevent this, as they think the end user deserves to get the holsters directly.

Something else that makes me respect Sparks is that they give credit to others when one of their products borrows an idea. This is unusual these days and worth noting.

Milt Sparks brought Tony Kanaley into the operation in 1983. Kanaley eventually took over the business. Sparks passed away in 1995.

Summer Special

The Summer Special is one of the best known concealment holsters on the planet. The holster is simply so good that it has been the inspiration of countless other holsters. Most makers have a variant in their line of products.

The Summer Special was originally designed by Bruce Nelson, a California law enforcement officer working narcotics. He needed a holster that allowed him to carry a well concealed, powerful sidearm. At that point in time, there weren’t very many good choices. Nelson came up with an inside the waistband (IWB) rig that featured the rough side of the leather out. The roughness helped anchor the pistol to the clothing and body of the shooter so it stayed in one place, a critical factor in being able to present the weapon quickly and accurately. Placing the holster inside the waist also helped with concealment, as there would be no visible holster to give him away if his shirt rode up.

Nelson also discarded the spring clip that was often used in those days to hold the holster to the shooter’s clothes or belt. These clips often allowed the holster to pop off the belt during the draw. He replaced it with a simple leather loop that goes around the belt, making sure the holster stays in place.

A last detail is in the mouth of the holster, which is reinforced with metal so that it stays open after the pistol is drawn. This allows you to reholster the weapon easily. This is important for both a law enforcement officer who might need to cuff a suspect as well as a non-officer who needs to put the weapon away as the police arrive.

While Nelson made holsters as a sideline, his law enforcement career kept him too busy to fill the demand for his leather. He gave permission to Sparks to produce his design knowing that the results would be well made.

While I like the Summer Special, I have found that the rough side out absorbs sweat faster than a well waxed smooth side out holster. My climate is hot and sticky, so that’s a factor.

I also like for the holster to ride a bit lower than the Summer Special. The Summer Special places the pistol high, so you can get an excellent grip, but I like having the pistol’s center of gravity a bit lower as it feels more stable to me.

The belt loops on the Summer Special also sometimes collide with my belt loops. I like cargo pants and shorts, and some of mine put a wide belt loop right where I want to carry a holster. The closely spaced belt loops on the Summer Special don’t always spread wide enough to get around these belt loops.

These thoughts about my personal needs led me to try another Sparks holster.

Executive Companion

The Executive Companion (EC) is another inside the waistband holster. It carries the pistol a little bit lower than the Summer Special and is smooth side out. I find it amazingly stable, and I have no trouble getting a good firing grip on the pistol. Besides carrying the pistol lower, it added leather in kind of a paddle shape around the sheath that holds the pistol. The extra leather contributes to the stability of this design.

Another bit of good thinking was to add an extension to the backside top of the holster that goes between the pistol and the shooter. It helps keep your clothes out of the holster and protects you and your clothes from the gun rubbing. It also protects the gun from your sweat and helps keep the safety on.

Adding to the goodness, they came up with a system of interchangeable belt loops. You can swap them out so they match your belt width. This is a pretty big deal, by the way. If your holster can swivel about on your belt because the loops are too wide, you won’t get a consistent draw stroke. That’s bad.

My only problem with the EC is that, like the Summer Special, the belt loops don’t like to go around the loops on some of my pants. That’s a clothing malfunction, of course, not a holster one. Fortunately for me, the next holster, the Versa-Max (VM)– my favorite concealed carry rig– takes care of that.

Versa-Max

The Versa-Max, in some ways, seems like an improved EC. It continues the paddle of leather around the actual pistol sheath, though it’s a bit reduced in size from the EC. It is also smooth side out and has the interchangeable belt loop system.

The big thing for me about the Versa-Max, though, is the placement of the belt loops on the holster. They are spread out so they are positioned well ahead of and well behind the pistol. This does a bunch of good things. First, I can position the holster more easily around that nasty wide loop on so many of my pants. What is probably more important, though, is that the loops pull the gun closer to the body for better concealability. It also places the thickness of the loops away from the gun, making the whole package a little bit thinner.

The ride height is pretty similar to the EC, which works quite well for me.

The VM also has a trick, something its name hints at. As well as a regular IWB rig, it is a tuckable holster. You can set it up with clips that allow you to tuck your shirt in over the pistol. This truly improves concealment, though at the expense of speed. You have to yank the shirt up and out to get to the pistol. It is a mode of carry that works well with thin pistols like the 1911 or Browning. It can work especially well with something like the Officers ACP models that have a shorter butt than a 1911 or Commander.

Heritage

The Heritage is much like the Summer Special, though it rides even lower than the EC or VM. It is also smooth side out. The big draw of the Heritage is a waterproof lining. I’ve mentioned sweat, and the Heritage is the only holster I haven’t managed to sweat through to the pistol. The belt loops, though, mirror the Sumer Special, so it won’t work with some of my pants. I also like the ride height of the VM and EC better, so this isn’t my favorite holster. It occurs to me that I would be really happy if Sparks would add the waterproof lining to the VM. Maybe they’ll read this!

Mirage

The Mirage is a really neat rig. It is an inside the belt but outside the pants minimalist holster. It offers great concealability and comfort with a very special trick. Sometimes we have to go into a non-gun permissive location. With the Mirage, we can leave the holster on and simple stash the pistol in our car. The Mirage is almost invisible on our belt, so we can leave it in place. A special beauty of this holster is that it is ambidextrous with belt loops for both sides. Sparks says it is best for the 1911 or Browning Highpower, but they will make it for other guns.

Belts

Sparks makes super belts. They are sturdy, long lived, and cut on the contour of the body to fit better and feel better. You can’t go wrong with a Sparks belt. They are strong enough to carry your gun and reloads. Belts are critical to the successful carry of arms, so be sure to get a good one. Sparks is a good place to look.

Other Products

Sparks makes a number of other products, but I haven’t owned or tested all of them. They have magazine pouches and a wide variety of holsters, both inside and outside the waistband. I’m pretty sure, however, that all of them are well designed and well made. There is a new holster I hope to see called the Nexus that uses magnetic fasteners rather than snaps on the belt loops. It sounds like a great idea if they hold well enough. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Scot Frank Eire

Recipe of the Week: Pizza Dough, by K.M.

I worked in various pizza kitchens as a youth, and now make it at home regularly. We like to add a few extra ingredients to the crust for flavor and nutrition.They are optional, so experiment and find the mixture that best suits your tastes. Total “Flour” component should be about 3-cups, but make sure at least 2-cups are a quality bread-flour, or else you get more of a granola-bar than pizza-dough.

Ingredients:

  • Approximately 1.5 cups warm water (100-110 F degree’s; use a thermometer as too hot/cold matters.)
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 package dry yeast (live yeast also suitable, vary instructions as needed).
  • 2 tsp. Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp. Sugar
  • 1/4-1/2 stick butter, softened (usually whatever was left out on the counter from breakfast)
  • Approximately 2-cups Bread Flour (It’s best to use due to extra gluten protein, but any other type is suitable in the right situation.)
  • Approximately 1-cup “extra” flour (This may contain some/any mixture of the following in 1-cup total volume):
    • Whole Wheat Flour/Wheat Germ
    • Flax Seed/Flax Meal
    • Sesame Seeds
    • Almond Flour
    • Sunflower pieces
    • Cornmeal
    • Just about any other nutty, dry, nutritious product you like. Experiment by adding sparingly at first. You can use about a cup worth before the mixture looses its resemblance to pizza dough. Oily products, like seeds and nuts (especially the almond flour), will make crust crispier and more oily (as will adding extra butter!)

For my 1-cup of “extra” flour, I typically add about 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour and 1/2 cup of flaxseed and ground flax meal, with a pinch of some other seed for texture.

Other spices and flavorings worth considering throwing in: dried Oregano, dried/fresh Basil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parmesan cheese. Use a Pinch to a Tablespoon; your tastes will guide you. Incorporate it as part of your 1 cup ‘extra flour’.

Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees F., though 400-450 may be more to your liking, depending on dough, elevation, and oven. Experiment as needed. Heavier doughs will need more heat to cook through.

Instructions:

  1. Fill Measuring cup with 1.5 cups warm water (around 100-110 degree’s F). Add 1 tsp. of sugar, a dash of bread-flour, a few drops of olive oil, and the dry yeast; mix well with a fork. Live-yeast users can skip this step, and simply add yeast and water to other ingredients at step 3. This will “awaken” the dry yeast. The sugar, flour, and oil supplies their food and gets them turned on to your dough-mix. Within 5-10 minutes, you should see activity (bubbles forming). Lack of activity is a problem; dough will not rise properly. If no bubbles, the yeast is likely inactive/dead. May take up to 20-minutes. Too cold/warm water or old yeast are usually the culprit. Old yeast can revive, but takes longer.
  2. While yeast is “waking up”, combine remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. (A stand mixer with dough hook works best.) Mix to homogenize; if hand-kneading, make an indentation in the center to hold liquid.

    I typically like to add about 1/2 Tsp. Dried garlic powder (b/c I like garlic!), and several good shakes of Parmesan cheese to the mixture as well. A good pinch of Oregano is also nice.

  3. After about 10-minutes, your yeast should be bubbling along nicely. Add this and all remaining ingredients to the dry, and mix on low-speed for about 6-10 minutes. Hand-kneading will take longer. See instructions for hand-kneading dough elsewhere if unclear. The dough should be slightly sticky on the edges of the bowl, but still pull away cleanly. Add more warm (not hot) water/flour ingredients as needed to get right consistency. (I know, it’s a challenge your first few times). A “wet” yet silky bread-dough consistency is what you’re looking for. Trial and error work best, but it should stick to your hands a little. The extra moisture will work off during the rise process, but don’t make it too wet.
  4. After mixing, cover dough with plastic wrap or a moist towel, and place in a warm area to rise. Rubbing some olive oil on exposed surface helps in dry environments; just use your hands and cover liberally, excess will incorporate into the dough. Sunlit window sills work well. Check dough every so often and punch-down when it reaches the edges of the bowl (or about doubles in size). You want the dough to rise at least twice (rise, punch down = once; repeat for second rise.) More is OK, depends how active your yeast is. (Rapid-rise usually not required.) You will need at least four hours to rise. Depending on conditions/temperature, more time may be needed. I typically make dough after breakfast for use at dinnertime. You can make dough at night and store in refrigerator overnight. Remove to the counter-top in the morning and follow same steps. This usually generates an additional rise overnight, and is what most pizza-shops do. (The last kitchen chore before the night’s clean-up is making tomorrow’s batch of dough.)
  5. When ready to roll, I typically break up into two balls of equal size. This yields us three pizza’s (one regular crust, two thin crust– I break one of the dough balls into 2 pieces for 2 thin-crust pizzas). Grease or flour your pan (square cookie sheets work well too!), and roll dough on floured kitchen table to uniform thickness about the size of your pan. It should be springy and snap-back, so it may take 5+ minutes to roll. Sometimes it helps to roll for a few minutes, then let dough rest for a few, before rolling some more. Cold dough rolls poorly, as does dough that is too wet (add flour as needed). You will develop a feel after 10 batches of the stuff, so don’t lose hope if the first one doesn’t turn out. Roll dough to about the same size as your pan, making sure it is loose on the rolling surface. (It may tear if it sticks.) Transfer dough from rolling surface to baking pan, use your fingers to pinch an edge that holds it shape; roll some more if it keeps springing back, or stretch by hand. If you want to try for stuffed-crust, roll about 2-inches past edge of pan. Tuck in a pinch of mozzarella cheese and roll it over back to the size of the pan! I like to lightly sprinkle garlic salt, or cracked white pepper around the crust when I’m done putting it on the pan. If you’re real good and the dough has good elasticity, you can see through your thin-crust dough, and it will bake up like a cracker. This takes about 1/4 of a dough-ball. That took me years to learn, however, they don’t last more than 10-minutes out of the oven!
  6. For thick/regular crust, I bake dough @ 425 for 8-10 minutes before topping. I like a crunchy-dry crust, not wet and limpy. YMMV.

Top your pizza as desired. 99-cent jars of spaghetti sauce doctored with extra Oregano, Basil, and a dash of sugar are what we use. White/Garlic pizzas are also popular with the non-tomato kids in the house. 1/2 stick butter and a good spoonful of diced garlic (2-3 cloves?) on low in the nuker until melted, spread as you would red-sauce. Cheese as desired, but don’t forget the Parmesan! Back in the oven for another 8-10-minutes, or until cheese/toppings start to brown. Thin-crust pies do not get pre-baked, throw the toppings on and right in the oven.

I have found a few gluten-free dough recipe’s that are decent. Cook your gluten-free pizza’s first, while rolling out the gluten ones, and you shouldn’t cross-contaminate in the oven. We have two diet-restricted people in our house, and get a tub of the Pillsbury Gluten-Free pizza dough from the store on pizza night. It’s a family favorite, healthy, and economical. Kids love helping decorate their pie, and it encourages them to try different toppings.

Tips, tricks, advice:

  • Play with the temperature. If the cheese is burned and crust still raw, pre-cook the crust longer, or try rolling it thinner (more flour, less “stuff”, helps too), increasing temp sometimes helps as well. You also may want to alter the water/fat content. However I find using two kinds of fat (oil and butter) produces a better crust than only one of the two (oil alone is better; butter gives it that crunchy crackling texture and lots of flavor).
  • Slice toppings thinly. Veggie’s get crispy and crunchy and taste so good. Too much grease can be a problem, too, so use meats sparingly, especially if making homemade sauce. Too many toppings are a moisture problem, too. Remember, it’s a pizza, not a deep-dish pie.
  • Adding extra yeast, or using the fresh variety, will help w/ a lighter and more airy crust. Adding up to 1/3rd of the volume in heavier flour-like products really makes things dense. If you find you don’t like it, cut back to 1/2 cup of “extra”, and add 1/2 cup additional bread-flour, for 3-cups total flour.
  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with favorite herbs and spices, or get creative w/ the sauce ideas; for the dough it’s pretty generic: Olive oil, garlic, and Rosemary with shredded grilled chicken is to die for. Boss-Sauce/Frank’s Red Hot with shredded chicken tastes like Buffalo-Style Wing’s. Taco-pizza is every kid’s favorite (taco-sauce instead of pizza-sauce, add taco-meat instead of pepperoni). Pineapple and many other fruits go surprisingly well with anything (Chopped Ham!), just watch the juices. Dough can also be used for Calzones, and many other ideas as well.

That’s our Sunday Dinner usually twice a month. Some form of leftovers usually gets thrown on top of one of the pies, and it costs about 10-bucks to feed a family of five, usually for 2-nights (leftovers after work on Monday!) Now that we have two with a gluten restricted diet, that adds a little to the cost because their dough is more expensive, but it’s still a remarkably affordable and healthy meal option. It’s also versatile as so many things can be added to the crust, or cooked on top, if times ever force one to get creative with the cooking. We’ve even made dessert pies w/ apples, brown-sugar, and cinnamon! – K

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlogreaders? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letter Re: Low Calorie Diets

Hi Hugh,

I have been fortunate enough to have met and talked to a number of Preppers and others preparing in the event TSHTF. One of the common things I’ve learned from them is the value of a food with a very high caloric and energy content. They have all shared that oils (Olive, Avacado, et cetera) are one of the most difficult items to procure in nature. They also happen to be the most dense food. In other words, an ounce of edible oil has far more calories then an ounce of protein or an ounce of carbs.

For those attempting to survive on low-calorie dehydrated or freeze-dried meals, do the following: Add a teaspoon or two, or three, to the soup (or food) you are preparing. A few tablespoonfuls can easily double the caloric content and energy available in a meal. I’ve done that in the Sierra Nevada when I’ve been backpacking for over 30 years. It works great! So be sure to stock up on as much edible oils as possible. Keep them sealed and in the dark. – M.A.

Letter Re: Breastfeeding Babies

Hugh,

I wanted to add something to the great blog about the benefits of breastfeeding. It has to do with my experience having breastfed four babies that are now all teenagers. I had many difficulties with breastfeeding. My mom was encouraging, having breastfed all four of hers, too, but I had one problem after another. I could write a book on my stories, but I’ll simplify to make my point. I struggled through with determination, having to bite down on leather at some points because of the pain. I came down with multiple cases of mastitis with each child. There were times I thought my immune system had abandoned me! I even turned to pumping with my 4th, thinking that would help. It did ease some of my pain, but I still got mastitis once. It was through the advice of a great pediatrician that I ended up asking my OB for Diflucan (one pill) for a thrush (candida) infection for which my son also needed to be treated. Taking this medication completely changed my breastfeeding experience. I discovered that the pains I thought were from breastfeeding were actually from a candida infection. And that when I would feel the first pins and needles pains, that was the beginning. Obviously you need your doctor’s help with these diagnoses, but I was surprised at how little they knew about this. (FYI, I needed to be treated several times over a six-month time span, so don’t be surprised if this helps for a time but then comes back.) I have given this advice to many women over the years, and never once has it failed to help them. So although I personally will not need this medicine for breastfeeding, we are preparing for our own daughters’ future needs by having it on hand. It has a generic form now: fluconazole. A pleasant side effect for us from taking the meds was that my babies had gotten a nasty diaper rash. Somehow, this was all connected, because when I treated my candida, their diaper rash subsided. I don’t understand it all, but I do know this was a real life saver for us.

Also, on the idea of pumping instead of breastfeeding. I’m sure there are more professional opinions than mine, but I found it to be a great choice even though I was a home schooling mom and didn’t need to be away from my babies. The two things I liked about it were you get to see how much milk your babies are getting, and others can feed the baby too. One of the complaints of new moms is that they think their babies aren’t getting enough milk. This is rarely true, but without a meter to measure, it’s a concern. Pumping removes this unknown. It also allows dads and other family members/friends to be able to feed the baby. Now, it means you’re doing double duty, pumping and feeding, but I was also able to freeze the extra milk and use it for months after I had to stop feeding. So keeping a breast pump (double sided is best) on hand for future needs is also an important prep, and, as I mentioned earlier, it helped cut back on the number of instances of mastitis for me, reducing the amount of times I had to use antibiotics. If you’ve ever had mastitis, you’ll know just how miserable that can be!

I hope this information can help those of you who “try” breastfeeding and feel like quitting. It is the single most important choice you can make for your children when they’re first born and growing. Additionally, you can’t go back years later when they’re faced with health concerns that might have been prevented by breastfeeding them and redo it. So many things in our society are, well, “if you don’t like it, just quit”, or “if it gets too hard, just give up”. In the future, you might not have that option when it comes to feeding your baby, and you might be able to use this information to help you through it. – P.M.