News From The American Redoubt:

Crews to begin removing trees on I-5 to put in new traffic cameras – RBS

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The Idaho is now struggling with how far should police be allowed to go to get your DNA in legislation.

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Idaho bill effectively nullifies new federal gun control measures. – C.J. The bill has passed both the house and the senate at this point.

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Last week, we ran a link to an article about “How Wolves Change Rivers”. D.H. sent this in as a response: Rethinking predators: Legend of the wolf

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The Nampa Police Department is continuing to have to deal with the shooting of a dog. About 70 people packed the City Council chambers on Thursday to discuss the shooting. Many citizens are asking that the policeman be fired. – RBS

Economics and Investing:

Gold Versus Bitcoin: An Unnecessary Argument – B.R.

Items from The Economatrix:

Ron Paul & Jim Rogers Discuss Truth About Global Economic Collapse & The Elite Agenda

Eric Sprott – Gold To See Powerful ‘Golden Cross’ Within Days

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Fire-Sale Of US Treasuries Is A Warning Of Acute Stress Across The World

Homebuilder Confidence Misses Expectations Again As Outlook Plunges To 10-Month Lows

Breaking: Russia is OUT of the Swift System Starting TODAY

Odds ‘n Sods:

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The rhetoric is ratcheting up as the U.S. considers sanctions against Russia: Russia can turn U.S. to radioactive ash: Kremlin-backed journalist. – T.J.

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Oak Harbor, Washington Council member left a meeting after council refuses to kick out legally armed armed veteran. – N.G.

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Upstate New Yorkers Burn 1,000 Gun Registration Forms– G.P.

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A parent is appalled over essay, asking 8th Graders If They’d Rather Be Slaves Or Factory Workers. – Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large. While the parent spent time educating their child what slavery was and that was the cause of the young child’s distress, what was disturbing to me was how many of the students chose slavery as the best option.

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Video: ATF cracking Ares Armor safe. – B.B. The Jack-booted thugs hard at work. I hope they had to break a sweat opening it up.

Notes from HJL:

From californiarighttocarry.org:

“On March 14th Federal Judge Janis L. Sammartino ‘modified’ her TRO to allow the BATFE to conduct the raid pursuant to a warrant at the request of the ATF effectively nullifying her earlier TRO against the ATF in the case of Lycurgan Inc. v. Jones aka Ares Armor v. BATFE. The jack booted NAZIs of the ATF raided Ares Armor.”

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Today, we have two guest articles. The first, from our resident medical editor, deals with a subject that worries many of us&emdash; “Stretching your medicines when they are unobtainable”. The second is critically important if you find you are in that dreaded state of “refugee”, but could come in handy in many other situations&emdash; “Surviving Through Winter and Into Spring With Free Wild Food”.

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Update: Concerning the Wyoming welder in yesterday’s Odds ‘n Sods, A SurvivalBlog reader has informed us that he has offered his services to the family. Apparently, the whole trouble stems from the complaint of a neighbor. This follows a disturbing trend I have noticed. The county where I serve as a volunteer firefighter allows burning of weeds on designated “burn” days. In the past few years, I have noticed that most “illegal burn” calls stem from neighbors trying to get others in trouble because they dislike them, rather than actual fire calls. I really believe this “schoolboy” behavior stems from government encouraging us to “tattle” on each other rather than work through our differences.

In any case, The welder may be on the Glenn Beck show (possibly Monday). Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder with this family.

Guest Article: Seven Ways to Stretch Your Medicine Safely, by Doc Cindy

When the availability of medications becomes severely limited, what’s a person to do if they suffer from diabetes, or pneumonia, or chronic pain, hypertension, asthma, or any serious condition?

Underlying this simple question are several more. Without sufficient medication:

  • Will a diabetic’s blood sugar soar out of control?
  • Does a hypertensive patient run a serious risk of stroke?
  • Will a person on antidepressant or anxiety medications suffer withdrawal?
  • Will infection recur, possibly worse than ever, without a full course of antibiotics?

Now is the time to consider a future when medications are worth their weight in gold. The following are time-tested tips, which you can use when drugs are in short supply.

  1. Remove disease-causing factors from your environment. If you’re asthmatic, you may thrive without an inhaler once you stop sleeping with your cat. Animals anywhere in the house account for a large proportion of medication-dependence in patients with asthma, allergies, or COPD. If all COPD patients quit smoking today, the number of hospital admissions for COPD should easily be cut in half. Infections from animal bites would be rare, if pets and strays were treated with greater respect.
  2. Prevent serious withdrawal symptoms via tapering. Withdrawal from almost any potentially-addicting medication can be prevented via a tapering scale. The most common prescription drugs to consider are benzodiazepines (such as Xanax, Ativan, or Valium) and narcotics (such as Vicodin, Percocet, or Codeine). When withdrawal is a concern, tapering by 10-25% every three to seven days is quite safe (and in truth, many people can succeed cold turkey). The two main concerns regarding tapering are anxiety, due to fear, and re-emergence of underlying symptoms. An alternative to tapering the dosage is to extend the time between doseanti-inflammatoriess. Such medications are (temporarily) put on hold, with the option of administering a dose if symptoms become truly unbearable, gradually stretching the interval between doses. (A word here regarding antidepressants, particularly Effexor: Although stopping these drugs does not cause withdrawal, a discontinuation syndrome is common, and one of the above approaches is often needed when stopping these medications.) In general, narcotics and anxiety medications should be reserved for pain or anxiety so severe that activities of daily living are impossible without treatment.
  3. Minimize your effective dose. This applies to nearly all medical conditions. Rather than simply popping a pill when your arthritis flares or your back acts up, try half a dose of your pain reliever and wait a few hours for results. If you take Prilosec or Prevacid twice daily for heartburn, perhaps once daily will suffice. One inhalation of Albuterol may work as well as two. You can measure the effectiveness yourself using a peak flow meter, available inexpensively at your pharmacy over the counter (OTC). Precious narcotics may be stretched by using only if Tylenol or OTC anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen are ineffective.
  4. Understand when to treat symptoms rather than infection. The goal of antibiotic therapy is to minimize bacterial growth until your own immune system can take over. This does not necessarily mean taking an antibiotic until all symptoms are resolved. For example, for sinusitis, three days of Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is as effective in the long run as a 10-day course. The natural history of many illnesses includes a period of post-infection inflammation. You may still experience nasal congestion for several days after a sinus infection is gone, but this does not mean you necessarily need an antibiotic that long. This is also true of bronchitis, where a cough may linger for weeks. Five days of antibiotic therapy is enough in most cases, where an antibiotic is actually required; in fact, most cases of acute bronchitis are viral and require no antibiotic at all. If “everybody has it,” a bronchial cough is likely viral. (For chronically recurrent bronchitis due to smoking, antibiotics are often helpful and may prevent pneumonia if COPD is significant; so, quit smoking now!) Symptomatic treatment should be directed primarily at improved function rather than improved feeling. If you can breathe okay at rest, consider skipping a dose of Albuterol so you’ll have plenty left when it’s time to chop wood. For bladder infections, 1-3 days of an antibiotic is often sufficient, rather than the 5-10 days typically prescribed. Some bladder infections can be resolved without antibiotics by simply increasing fluids (aim for a gallon of water a day).
  5. Supplement or replace prescribed medications with herbal or OTC alternatives. Chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma can be treated, at least in-part, with over-the-counter preparations. Consider trying corn silk tea for hypertension or cinnamon for diabetes, or ibuprofen or willow bark tea for gout, or caffeinated beverages for asthma. Though these medications are not as strong as prescription drugs, they may help you stretch your medication when times are slim.
  6. Alter your diet to improve your health. If we all ate a third less, we’d all be a third (or more) healthier. In times of plenty, a calorie-restricted diet improves the health of patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and gout, just to mention a few. In times of scarcity, we may have no choice. A diet high in potassium and low in sodium improves blood pressure. Heartburn or reflux can almost always be improved by avoiding known irritants such as alcohol, fatty food, acid foods (citrus, tomatoes), excess food, and spicy foods (as my patient who was eating 40 green onions a day discovered). Diabetes can often be cured with carbohydrate restriction. Then stockpile the medicine you don’t need now for a rainy day later.
  7. Find alternative answers now, while you can. Here are examples from my own practice: A good friend not only feels better, but learned to treat hypothyroidism herself with an over-the-counter desiccated thyroid product. An overweight patient lost 100 pounds and was able to discontinue insulin. Another found glucosamine-chondroitin allows her to function better than prescription medication. Another changed his diet and eliminated gout. Yet another was able to control her cholesterol with herbs rather than medication. Now is the time to explore your options, while labs and testing can confirm their degree of effectiveness.

Based on thirty years of medical experience, the above are the most common and effective ways to minimize your dependence on medication. However, there is more to health than the physical, and depending on our Creator God rather than medications alone is often, I believe, the ultimate answer.`

Cynthia J Koelker, MD is SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor. For further information on the above topics and many more, visit her web site at www.armageddonmedicine.net, where you can also register for upcoming Survival Medicine Workshops.

Surviving Through Winter and Into Spring With Free Wild Food, by Linda Runyon

The intensity and length of this winter’s coldness reminds me of a survival disaster that happened to me during one particularly frigid and frightening winter in the Adirondacks at our wilderness homestead.

Back in the 1970s, I had moved my family away from hectic, urban living to the peaceful and beautiful Adirondack area of upstate New York. One summer I happily foraged and harvested many wild edibles I found all around me. I gathered enough nutritious bounty that summer to prepare and can 420 mason and atlas jars of food in the form of pickles, wild berry jams and jellies, cattail inner piths, milkweed buds, and other edibles that were suitable for canning. I had already collected that many jars for that purpose, so all I needed to get were new lids. When I was done with that process I stored the jars in my handy, insulated, 9 foot refrigerator pit that we had dug on our property. That many jars filled the entire storehouse. I calculated that between those cans and additional wild foods I’d harvested, dried, and stored, we’d have an ample supply of food to last us through the winter and into spring. By then it would be time to harvest the early wild edible leaves, buds and blossoms that would herald the arrival of new wild food–my favorite time of the year.

Alas, I learned a difficult but vital lesson that winter. And that is, when you live in the wild and are not near a grocery store, you had better create and maintain multiple stores of long-lasting food. (And of course, free wild food would be my first such choice.)

Imagine my terror and despair when, after a particularly intense January blizzard in -20 to -30 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, I dug out to my refrigerator pit only to find that nearly all of those carefully-prepared and stored jars had exploded from the severe cold! I was heartbroken and very afraid. As I pondered the mess, that just two days ago had been a wealth of nourishing food, the thought came into my mind that I would have to do what the Algonquin Indians did when they were desperate for food in very harsh winters; they became tree bark eaters. In fact, the name Adirondack is a derivation of a negative word that the Algonquin’s neighbors (the Iroquois) used that means “bark-eater.”

I did not care that it was a negative term. All I cared about was that I was able to recall it when I needed it, and that the innermost part of the birch bark is what you can scrape off to have a powdery kind of substance that is very nutritious.

That winter day, I mentally rolled up my sleeves, surveyed the immediate area where a number of branches had been blown down by the storm, and found a birch branch. I cut into the reddish inner bark, scraped until I had some powder, made myself some birch bark tea, and sipped it slowly. Making a tea out of a wild plant and drinking it slowly is not only refreshing, but is also one of the essential steps I developed to help me determine if a wild food is okay to consume or not. Over time and through much experience, I worked out my “Rules of Foraging”, and I followed them rigorously throughout my foraging life.

Those rules are based on years of trial and error, as I tested the various wild plants I came upon and added the acceptable ones to our diet and to my ever-expanding list of “forageables”. The “Rules of Foraging” are provided at the end of this article, and in my wild food books and my DVD. I knew, when I left the woods and set out to teach the skills of the forager, that the essence of getting to know a potential wild edible plant would have to be boiled down to a procedure that anyone could apply. I was also very aware that the single most important bit of advice I could impart was how to safely eat the bounty that is wild food. The rules are as complete as I could make them, so feel free to copy and use them for yourself, and supply them to anyone who has the wild food adventure spirit!

Because winter vagaries are the norm in New England, where I grew up, I did have an idea about the environmental challenges of winter living. However, that first winter of living fully in the wilderness had its own unique set of circumstances, as did the following winters that I lived away from civilization. Some additional wild food tips on winter survival that I discovered are these: In case you were wondering about whether any leaves that get blown off during winter storms might be edible, my experience is that they are not. I found a black mold on winter leaves in the snow, so do not consider them a food source in winter. The next tip is that if you have any apple trees in your vicinity, chances are that there may still be some frozen right on the branches that you can pull off and eat when they defrost in your home, or you could dig beneath the trees and find frozen apples there. The same would be true for berries on bushes or that have fallen to the ground.

It’s kind of amazing what you can come up with when your survival depends on it, and I was very fortunate that our family chose a location where we did have access to land where many naturally growing plants could be harvested all year long. This next tip is something you do before winter happens, and that is to memorize each of the edible plants and trees in your area so that when their leaves are gone and other identifying characteristics are under snow, you’ll know where and what they are and can forage from them. You could also make this a warm weather game to play with your children before winter comes, so they will feel empowered by their edible plant and tree identification when it is winter. There are any number of ways to interest and involve children to learn the survival value of wild edibles they can find right nearby.

One thing to know about another edible tree– the pine tree– is that when you are foraging in the cold and need nourishment, and you know there is a pine tree nearby, get some needles from the tree, wash them in the snow, and twist the needles to get the pine juice from them. It really helps to pep you up a bit.

Birch tree twigs are similarly beneficial in that chewing on them is not only satisfying to the taste but also is a good workout for your teeth! So that first winter I discovered birch tea and chewing twigs, and I wanted to increase my options to include birch flour. The first birch inner bark piece I brought home was from a large branch and that bark was very hard. I knew I would not be able to grind it into flour with my little non-electric, cast iron meat grinder, so I went back outside and found a younger, thinner branch.

The curl of that inner bark reminded me of cinnamon stick rolls that come from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, and that birch inner bark was easier to cut into and peel out the inner layer. That bark piece I was able to further slice into long slivers that I could grind (and grind, and grind), and I was finally able to produce a kind of coarse flour that I used for baking. At that time I wasn’t able to get the flour as fine as I would have liked, but nowadays you can get really sturdy grinders to do the job. I recommend that you have at least one that can operate without electricity as part of your survival arsenal.

One other reason I thought of the birch tree as my first tree-foraging attempt is because that tree, as well as the willow tree, have parts that have can be isolated to become the active ingredient in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, which Bayer has marketed so successfully). So, I knew that I would get a double benefit from the winter birch– food and medicine. Since birch has that medicinal quality, you’ll want to combine birch flour with other flours when you are baking with it. Birch sap is also another food source from that tree, but since it takes gallons of birch sap to boil down into a little bit of syrup, that turned out not to be as viable as tapping maples for their syrup.

As a note here, over the years I learned quite a lot about harvesting various useful and edible parts of trees to the point where I had so much information to share that I wrote a book about it. That book is “Eat the TREES!”, and it includes a wealth of details, stories, and specifics on identifying, harvesting, and storing tree parts. For example, I learned that pine inner bark can also be ground into flour, but that it has an intense flavor, so you would want to combine it with other flours to make it taste better. I experimented with the various flours that I created from edible trees and plants, and I came up with some good combinations. In the Wild Food Recipes section of “The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide”, I discuss which wild plants make good flours, and there are many recipes in that book that include wild flours.

While that first winter was a true survival challenge, it did show me how valuable trees can be when you really have a hunger situation in the dead of winter and not many other food options. I was very fortunate that during the previous summer and into fall I’d had the foresight to dry a good quantity of various wild edibles that grew freely nearby. These included lamb’s quarters, amaranth, clover, and others of the plants I discuss in my materials that are found on my website– OfTheField.com.

The wild plant, amaranth, in addition to being very plentiful, is a particularly excellent wild food and makes such a good flour that today you can find it in many food stores. It is also listed as one of the recommended flours in gluten-free recipes. My first attempts at amaranth flour were coarser than current commercial, finely-ground flour, and they use amaranth seeds while I used the entire plant. I used to pour out my dried amaranth parts into a pillowcase, pound it into a powder and store it in glass jars. At the time, in the wilderness, it was wonderful to have that nutritious food on hand.

I want to mention specifically here, because it’s very important, that if you are going to store any wild food, you have to be sure to get it bone dry– crinkly dry. It is possible to dry wild food over a fire as long as you string the food up high enough! You can string up your plants to dry around the house (sometimes my rooms looked like a forest!), and in warm weather I would place my tray of edibles in the car to dry beneath the back window. And if you are considering building a solar food dehydrator for your food drying needs, my son Eric has compiled an informative and entertaining .pdf course on that topic, which you can find on our website. The reason I stress the drying aspect regarding wild food is because I had some instances of mold growing on my stored, wild food, and I had to get rid of it. Such a waste. You do not want to think you have food available, and then find out you didn’t dry it well enough before storing it.

With thorough drying and storing procedures, it is possible for wild food to keep for many years, and still retain the nutritional value. I still maintain pounds of dried amaranth, both leaves and grain tops, for possible survival use, and I can tell you that I have even now dried pine needles, mints, balsam leaves, curly dock, and others that I gathered and dried carefully 38 years ago. It is a real treat to have flour that you made from various wild plants, but that flour lasts generally only about six months, while the sustainability of adequately dried plant parts is measured in many years.

The spring that arrived after that harrowing winter was probably the most eagerly awaited of my life. As the weather started to warm enough for the beech trees to bud, I gathered tree tips and buds and brought them home to put into stews, stir-fries, and salads. I also gathered the buds and tips of pine, balsam, and oak trees that had begun to grow but then froze when the weather turned colder again. I knew they wouldn’t be continuing their growth and that there would be plenty more, so I gathered to my heart’s content and added them to my food ingredients. I also revisited the birch trees and gathered some spring inner bark, which is kind of buttery and much easier to harvest and grind. And then as spring got underway for real, I was able to go about my usual harvesting routine for the early spring wild plant parts, and on into the rest of the harvesting season that would continue until the snow fell again.

I can assure you, I was much better prepared for my next winter in the Adirondacks!

About The Author:

Linda Runyon is the editor of the “Of The Field” website and the author of many wild plant books and instructional materials.

THE RULES OF FORAGING

These rules are for your own protection when investigating plants that are new to you. If followed closely, they will protect you in the field.

  1. DO NOT collect plants closer than 200 feet from a car path or contaminated area.
  2. NEVER collect from areas sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals.
  3. DO NOT collect plants with RED STEMS, or red striations or stripes.
  4. ALWAYS BE FAMILIAR with all dangerous plants in YOUR area of collection.
  5. POSITIVELY IDENTIFY all plants you intend to use for food.
  6. Take a piece off the plant and roll between your fingers. SNIFF CAREFULLY. Does it smell like something you would eat? If it doesn’t, DISCARD IMMEDIATELY. If it does, go to rule 7.
  7. Take another piece off the plant and roll until juicy. RUB the tiny piece on your gum above your teeth.
  8. WAIT 20 minutes.
  9. DOES YOUR GUM ITCH, BURN, TINGLE, SWELL, OR STING? If no reaction occurs, go on to rule 10.
  10. Take another piece of the plant and put in a teacup. Add boiling water and steep for 5 minutes. SIP SLOWLY for 20 more minutes. WATCH FOR NAUSEA, BURNING, or DISCOMFORT. If no reaction occurs, you may ingest a small amount.
  11. WAIT ANOTHER 20 MINUTES and watch for any reaction.
  12. Keep all samples AWAY from children or pets.
  13. Store all seeds and bulbs AWAY from children and pets.
  14. Teach children to keep all plants AWAY from their mouths, and DO NOT ALLOW children to chew or suck nectar from any unknown plants.
  15. AVOID smoke from burning plants. Smoke may irritate the eyes or cause allergic reactions QUICKLY.
  16. BE AWARE of your neighbor’s habits with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides.
  17. BEWARE: heating or boiling doesn’t always destroy toxicity.

DISCLAIMER: This is information about wild food. The editors of SurvivalBlog and the author make no claims as to the correctness, safety, or usability of the data. The information contained herein is intended to be an educational tool for gathering and cooking wild plants. The information presented is for use as a supplement to a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle. The nutritional requirements of individuals may vary greatly; therefore the author and publisher take no responsibility for an individual using and ingesting wild plants. All data is to be used at your own risk. Using the above Rules of Foraging greatly helps to reduce that risk, but they are not fool-proof.

Pat’s Product Review: CMMG Mk4LE AR-Style Rifle

Today, we’re taking a close look at the CMMG Mk4LE M4-style carbine rifle. It is made in the U.S.A. Over the past 30 years or longer, I’ve had the opportunity to test a lot of AR-15-style rifles; some were excellent, some good, and some were just so-so, not eliciting any real surprises. I know a lot of folks love the Colt line of ARs, and I don’t have a problem with that at all, but I work hard for my money, and I look to get the most for my money. I’ve only owned a few Colt ARs over the years because they are so expensive. I’m not saying they aren’t worth it. I’m just saying I want the most I can get for my money.

There are companies who claim to be “manufacturers” of AR-style rifles, when they are nothing more than an assembly line. They buy the parts from other makers and have their name stamped on the lower receiver and barrel, and just throw the parts together. Some are decent guns, and some are real bargain basement guns, looking like something they really aren’t. Corners are cut, and you aren’t really getting what you think you’re getting in many respects. CMMG is NOT one of those companies.

The good folks at CMMG are producing some outstanding firearms these days. Some time back, I reviewed their new Mk9 T, 9mm AR. SurvivalBlog readers got a first look at it, long before any other gun writers, magazines, or blogs had a sample; I had the first one. I was very impressed with the 9mm from CMMG. However, I’ve owned several different variations of the standard “M4” over the years, and that is the gun we’re looking at today.

A quick run down is in order, the Mk4LE is chambered in 5.56mm and will also shoot .223 Remington, and they are not the same round. The 4150 CrMo barrel is 16-inches long and has a Nitride coating on the inside. CMMG used to call this a WASP coating but no longer use the term, for whatever reason in their literature or on their website. However, the barrel is stamped “WASP” on it, and it has a 1:9 barrel twist. There is the standard A2 flash suppressor on the end of the barrel. The hand guards are M4 type with an aluminum heat shield. The pistol grip is the standard A2 configuration as well. The upper and lower receiver is forged 7075-T6 aluminum– the industry standard. The trigger pull is mil-spec; it is not the greatest but not the worst I’ve run across. There is a mil-spec 6-position telescoping butt stock. The front sight is the “F” height and forged, and the rear is a flip-up/fold down MagPul back-up polymer sight. The gun weighs in at a little over six pounds without the magazine, and you get a 30-round aluminum magazine with each gun, plus a lifetime warranty. No sling was included, and I wish AR makers would at least include a plain old GI Nylon or web sling with their guns. The upper receiver is a flat top version. I took off the MagPul poly rear sight and installed a detachable carry handle on my gun. This is a personally owned gun rather than a sample from CMMG.

There is an on-going debate over AR barrels. Many insist that they need a chrome-lined chamber and barrel. I’m not one of them. I can take or leave chromed barrels. The military mandates that all their M4s have chrome-lined barrels for longer life and easier care. However, many experts say that chrome-lined barrels are not as accurate as barrel that are not chromed. In my experience, and I’ve owned both chromed and non-chromed barrels, the difference in accuracy isn’t all that different. I own ARs with chromed barrels and chambers, some with the Nitride coating, and some with no coating, and I honestly don’t see any difference in combat accuracy between the barrels.

There is a bayonet lug under the front sight for all you deer hunters, who insist on a bayonet on their ARs. The only time I used a bayonet on an AR was in my Infantry School for stabbing stuffed dummies. However, I know a lot of folks insist on having a bayonet lug; to each his own. I don’t have a dog in this fight.

I like the heat shields in the two-piece hand guards on the CMMG AR. Many, many makers or assemblers of ARs elect to use much cheaper hand guards with no heat shields. I prefer mine with the heat shields. During rapid-fire, the hand guards can get hot. The hand guards are the M4 style– oval and not the smaller “carbine” hand guards.

I’ve been cutting back on how many rounds I put down range during my firearms testing. To be sure, I lose money on firearms articles. I receive some gun samples from the gun companies, but by the time I’ve done the paperwork, calculated my gas going to get the guns and doing the testing, and added the cost of the ammo I expend (I get some ammo free but not all), I actually lose money on each and every gun article I write. So, I’ve cut back to about 200 rounds of ammo for my testing. However, sometimes a gun is a just a lot of fun to shoot, and I get carried away. During my testing for the Mk4LE, I fired more than 400 rounds over several shooting sessions. No one ever accused me of being a good businessman!

When I first bought this rifle for my personal use, I fired it with the MagPul poly rear sight, and the gun’s zero was dead-on for a 300-yard zero. I’ve only run across this, having the sights zeroes when I took the gun out of the box, a very few times over the years. When I replaced the MagPul rear sight with a carry handle rear sight, I had to adjust the windage a bit to get my zero back.

I used Winchester’s www.winchester.com 55-grain FMJ USA-brand white box for function testing. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition www.buffalobore.com I had their 69-grain JHP Sniper load, and from Black Hills Ammunition www.black-hills.com I had their 55-grain FMJ reloads, 52-grain HP reloads, and their 68-grain Heavy Match HP fodder. I also fired the Winchester 55-grain FMJ for accuracy; I was getting 3.5-inch groups, if I did my part. The Black Hills 68-grain Heavy Match HP load gave me a 2 3/4-inch group, and the Buffalo Bore 69-grain JHP Sniper load tied the Black Hills 68-grain Heavy Match HP load. I mean it was a dead-heat time between those two roads. All this firing was done using open sights, too, over a rest. However, I thought the Mk4LE was capable of better accuracy. So, I mounted a cheap 3-9X40 scope on the gun and didn’t zero it. I just wanted to see what the gun was capable of. The Black Hills 68-grain Heavy Match HP load gave me several groups right at 1 1/2 inches and the Buffalo Bore 69-grain JHP Sniper gave me groups just a hair bigger, and I mean it was just ever so slightly bigger. On another day, the accuracy test could have gone the opposite with the Buffalo Bore load beating the Black Hills load. Needless to say, my groups weren’t centered on the target since I didn’t zero the scope, but it was still on paper.

There were zero malfunctions during my testing, and I fired not only 400 rounds during my testing, I’ve also fired this gun numerous times since I purchased it, and I’ve yet to encounter anything resembling a malfunction of any kind. I’ve gotten the gun hot, very hot, firing four 30-round magazines through the gun, as fast as I could pull the trigger. What a waste of precious ammo, but I like to know what a gun is capable of, and it just perked along.

I like to save the best for last. The Mk4LE has a full-retail price of $849.95. However, you can usually find them discounted quite a bit at your local gun shop. I purchased mine for $799.00, and I’m extremely pleased with it. You can find lesser-priced ARs on the market, and you can find more expensive ARs as well. With the CMMG Mk4LE, you are getting a solidly-built gun with all the features you want in an M4-style rifle. You can check out the CMMG website and find quite a few different variations of M4-style rifles. I’m willing to bet you’ll find exactly what you’re needs require. For survival, law enforcement, small game hunting, personal/home protection, and just plinking fun, I love my CMMG Mk4LE and have all the confidence in the world that it won’t let me down under the harshest conditions– survival or combat.

I don’t like to compare one gun against another. However, if your local dealer has other AR-style guns in-stock, compare them to the CMMG. If they happen to have a Colt AR, compare that side-by-side to the CMMG. Then make your decision on which you want to spend your hard-earned money on. I’m betting most would pick the CMMG over the Colt. Also, please, all you Colt fans, save the hate e-mails. I’m NOT putting the Colt AR down. I’m just alerting SurvivalBlog readers to some other options when it comes to an AR for self-defense, survival, or whatever your intended purpose is in wanting an AR. The Mk4LE is a lot of AR-style gun for the money. I have to carefully watch how I spend my money these days, just like everyone else. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio Pat Cascio

Pat’s Product Review – Cold Steel’s Espada

I like big knives, especially for camping and survival purposes. They can handle most chores with ease, whereas, smaller knives usually require more work. The Cold Steel Espada line-up for folding knives are awesome, to say the least. While they are made in Taiwan, you get as good as you want from that country. We live in a global economy, and we’d all better get used to products from other countries.

We’re taking a close look at the G10 Espada, large size folder. They also have a medium and an extra-large, as well as the polished G10 series. However, I’m only covering the G10 “economy” model, which is not quite the right term for this massive folder. Where the G10 polished series is a little bit higher in price, the handles are polished, and the bolsters are also polished, the G10 Espadas have a simple, checkered G10 handle scales with no bolsters and partial stainless steel liner, but still 90% of the strength of the polished G10 model.

The large G10 Espada has a 5 1/2-inch blade, made out of AUS 8 stainless steel– one of my all-time favorite steels because it holds an edge a good long time, and it’s fairly easy to touch-up the edge. Plus, we have the added advantage of the steel being a stainless steel. Keep in mind, no steel is really “stainless”. It just means that it stains less; you still have to care for it or it can rust. The 5 1/2-inch blade is 4mm thick. With the blade open, it is 12 1/4 inches long. Oh yeah! This is a handful of a folding knife. However, the knife only weighs in at 8.2 ounces. I’ve had smaller folders to test that weighed more.

The large G10 Espada has a large bowie-style clip blade, and it is meant for serious cutting, too. With the belly of the blade, you can cut, slice, dice, and slash through just about anything. As I’ve mentioned before, many knife fights involved slashing moves. However, with the long 5 1/2-inch blade, you can stab and stab deeply. The Espada gets its name and design origins from Spain. Cold Steel’s owner, Lynn Thompson, is a very serious student of history and cutlery. For my two cents worth, he got the Espada right. It just looks like something from Spanish cutlery.

The Espada has the Tri-Ad Lock, and this is one of the strongest, if not the strongest lock I’ve encountered on any folding knife. To prove how strong the Tri-Ad Lock is, be sure to check out the video on the Cold Steel website. You’ll be amazed at the demonstrated strength of the lock. Thompson puts his products through some serious testing, to be sure. While the Tri-Ad Lock “appears” to be nothing more than a simply lock-back lock, it is NOT!

The checkered and nicely configured handle scales have been designed to put your fingers on the handle, where they belong in a fencing grip. I also like the gracefully curved butt end of the handle scales. You get two pocket clips– one for right pocket carry and one for left pocket carry. They are on the butt end for a tip-up blade carry. The curved handle sticks out of the pocket, so it is easy to grasp in order to draw the knife, which is easy. There is a “disc” on the top rear of the blade. As you draw the knife from your pocket, if you apply a little pressure to the side of your pocket as you pull the knife out of your pocket, the disc will catch on the top of your pocket, and as the knife comes out, the blade will “automatically” open and be fully opened when it comes completely out of your pocket. It’s faster than any “automatic” folder. It only takes a few minutes of practice to learn how to deploy the knife, with the blade open, as it comes out of your pocket.

One of the methods I use for testing a knife blade is chopping down blackberry vines. They are extremely tough, and many knife blades simply don’t have what it takes. The large Espada sample I had didn’t take much effort at all to slice a blackberry vine in two. A light swing of the blade and the vine was easily sliced in half.

For survival purposes, the large or extra large Espada can replace a fixed blade knife. You can chop with the large Espada, and it chops quite well. No, you can’t chop down a tree with one, but it can chop all out of proportion to what any folding knife should be able to do in the chopping department. I also used the knife around the kitchen. I do a lot of the cooking in our house, simply because I’m a very good cook and find it relaxing. Meat, frozen or thawed, was no patch for the large Espada. Veggies and fruits were no challenge at all; the knife just zipped through it all.

Now, I honestly thought that the large Espada was gong to be too big for my pockets. However, I wear one brand of cargo pants and one brand only, and they have extremely DEEP pockets. Once the Espada was put in the pocket, I didn’t notice the knife in my pocket at all, not even when seated. My friend, Lynn Thompson, at Cold Steel, carries two of the polished extra-large Espada, one in each pocket.

The Espada reminds me of the original Crocodile Dundee movies, where a mugger is attempting to rob Dundee and pulls out an automatic folder. Dundee reaches behind his back, pulls out a huge fixed-blade Bowie knife, and tells that mugger, “That’s not a knife (referring to the mugger’s knife), now, this is a knife”. I’m sure the mugger peed his pants. Well, the Espada reminds me of just such a knife. You’d better believe that if someone pulled out the large or extra large Espada and threatened me with it, I’d sure remember an appointment I had across town and get there, in a hurry. The Espada is not for the faint of heart. It’s an awe inspiring folder, and when you pull it out of your pocket, anyone standing nearby, will wonder where you had that big folder hidden.

I’m sure the large and extra large Espada won’t be legal for pocket carry in a lot of jurisdictions, so please check your local and state laws before carrying this folder. Like all Cold Steel knives, the Espada is always in demand, and they might be a little hard to find, but they are well worth it. Full retail on the large G10 model is $167.99; it’s worth every red cent of it, too. If you’re in the market for a folder than can act as a fixed blade knife and a new knife for your survival gear or BOB, take a close look at the large or extra large Espada. I think you are going to be quite impressed. The knife is awesome, to say the least. Some folks have just described it as “scary”, and I can’t argue with them on it. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat CascioPat Cascio

Recipe of the Week: Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans chicken broth 14.5 oz (chicken or vegetable)
  • 1 cup lentils (uncooked)
  • 2/3 cup brown rice,or rice medley, and I’ve used white. (Not instant)
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 chopped celery and carrots (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
  • 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or a blend is preferable) Use more if you like.

Directions:

  1. 3Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. . Mix all ingredients EXCEPT cheese in a baking dish. (I use an 11 x 7 pan)
  3. .Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
  4. 3Then remove the foil, add the cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

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

Letter: Libertarianism Debate

Hello again,

First of all I must thank you for easing up on the “no tinfoil” restrictions today with allowing comments on the mind-body-connection and Chi Gong!

Secondly, since you started out as editor with stating that you were open to input regarding the discussion on free markets etc. I thought maybe the following (short) article might interest you. – Mrs. Icebear

Hugh Replies: We still have a “no tinfoil hats” policy here. The reason we have to be careful about eastern medicine is that it is difficult to separate the exercise and health aspect from the spiritual aspect. They are often bound too tightly together within the eastern mind. Personally, I practice “Tai Chi” as an exercise due to rheumatoid arthritis in both of my elbows, but I find that I must consciously alter many mental instructions that are given. A person can be easily led astray spiritually, if they are not careful to filter out the erroneous information. There is only one, straight and narrow path to truth:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 (KJV)

I appreciate the link, which I have intentionally not passed on. The author has some serious foundational errors in her thinking. In addition to having a flawed outlook on God (notice the reference to God as “her”), the author has built a straw man that does not include “The Rule of Law”. Libertarians do indeed believe in the Rule of Law and that is why they are against the confiscation of one man’s wealth to fund another man’s poverty. Free market, without “Rule of Law” devolves into chaos.

Here is an easy way to think about it:

Why was the American Revolution so successful in building a moral nation, yet the French Revolution turned into a godless, mindless, bloodbath of vengeance? They both started from the same ideals, yet one became a most-respected, federally-constituted republic and the other a sniveling democracy with no political backbone, respected only by those whom she conquered.

The “Rule of Law” is the difference. Without that, the strongest may win, but once in a position of power, they decide the law no longer applies to them. (He who has the gun, makes the rules, so to speak). Now, 230 years later, we see that the “Rule of Law” is actively being ignored by those in power here, bringing this great nation to her knees. May God have mercy on us, though we certainly don’t deserve it.

Hugh

Odds ‘n Sods:

Speaking of the “Rule of Law”: Protecting The Constitution From Executive Order

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For those who like to kill time via video games: This War of Mine plays the battlezone as civilians. – G.P. I normally don’t post links to video games, but this one is a little different. Rather than focusing on killing the opponent, the players are focused on survival and protection of “the group”

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Revealed: Justice Dept. Prosecutors Average 33 Reckless or Intentional Legal and Ethical Violations a Year – B.R.

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Here is a warning for you: Hold onto your house keys. This app is part of a service that will make copies of your keys by simply taking pictures of them. It’s time to take OPSEC up another level. – A.J.

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Martial Law Cannot Be Far Away Now! Massive Car To Car Warrantless Search In DC Region – M.J.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.” – Robert Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Notes from HJL:

Ares Armor has now been raided by the ATF despite wining a temporary injuction against them. There is no official word yet, buy here is a Youtube video of agents rummaging through the inventory with evidence of the door being pried open. Presumably, they are also confiscating the customer data as well. – B.B.

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Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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 gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand,
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589.
  3. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  4. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P .),
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  8. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  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 51 ends on March 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.