Letter: My Current State of Readiness

Mr Rawles,

I listened and read as much as I could of the good advice of blogs like this and other sources of inspiration. I got myself an older 4X4 diesel pickup– an ’86 6.9L. Just the other day the original alternator went, but the engine didn’t seem to care as long as it got started. When my car alternator died, I was off the road in minutes. I’m starting to see the value of these old rigs. I’m considering taking off the turbo to eliminate an oil leak and simplify the system, because the turbo increases heat and can endanger the longevity of an otherwise running engine.

After I sold my home (thank the good Lord), I wanted to pull my good but not cherry ’58 Airstream into a RV park close to work. While I respect the business proprietor’s prerogatives, they did not want that old junk in their park. Even if I had a new Airstream I wouldn’t take it back to them, so I parked it in an RV storage yard for 40 dollars a month instead of $300 a month. That was the best thing to ever happen. I still have visitation rights till 9:30 pm at the Airstream. It seems I need a 400 watt and 1000+ watt inverter based on my power needs. One yellow top optima battery powers the system, but I’m done with their “special” charging needs and will increase my battery capacity with good old marine batteries. Heated water is produced from an Ecotemp l-5 unit. Since I have worked in the waste water treatment industry and have a background in the sciences, I am taking the water system on the Airstream to a true NASA ISS level of tech. I can’t wait till I can get some Graphene from Lockheed Martin; I can tell you that. Hopefully, I can give you a further report, as it is a work in progress. Overall, I perplex at the ten times cost of living when you have water, electric, and sewer hookup at a RV park. Mainly that society does not afford an alternative. You are either a bum or an indebted mortgage holder. Anthropologically, we are evolving as a species. Technology is pushing us forward, but we are now holding ourselves back. Governments regulate; humans innovate.

So the real news is my electric bicycle in the back of the pickup. It is a 48 Volt geared hub motor with 12AH battery. I use about 2-4 AH of charge to ride seven miles of graded terrain. Four of this being on the way home using it to fully augment my pedaling and to get home ASAP. It goes as fast as you want to go on a bicycle. I carry in a saddle pack a Shangri-La 5 tent, Tyvek ground cloth, a neoair sleeping pad, two “casually tarps”, and a Tennier industries orange down sleeping bag. The sleeping bag is proving to be too big, so I’m scaling back to lighter bags and emergency blankets. Along with other “no-brainer” supplies, like a multi-tool, this set up is quite liberating. When I curl up inside a handswen casualty tarp taco, I think of the irony of being a casualty of the financial crisis. In reality, I feel sad for all the others that will be caught unaware. I won’t feel sad, however, for those that scoffed, those that chose to consume a lion’s share as if it was their birthright, or those that will try to take from me what I have prepared.

I try to keep my diesel tanks full, so I can hook up to the trailer and roll out to my bug out location. If I must abandon the pickup, the electric bike will get me to my bug out. Unfortunately, my bug out location is currently just vacant land, and I will really need my Airstream base camp for prolonged survival. One other thing, I was putting my lathe into my storage unit (also sad) and needed something out of a gig bag. Haphazardly, I left a mayday bar and some cranberries in the bag. A mouse took up residence and destroyed the zip-up hoodie, socks, and food that was in the bag. The bag itself needed to be cleaned and disinfected. What a lesson! Imagine struggling your way to your supply cache only to find it corrupted and destroyed. So far, using the gear and failing is the best teacher.

Odds ‘n Sods:

S.G. – Academic study: SPLC Hatewatch list biased, but you already knew that.

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G.P. – Infections Linked to Chinese Seafood Markets in New York

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Here is an infographic from Lifehacker that shows you how to delete yourself from the Internet.

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Video: This looks like it exceeds the legal limit for fun… Shooting radio controlled planes with shotguns.

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M.W. found this neat little rocket stove. We would be interested in the opinion of anyone that has used it. It’s not exactly a backpacking stove, but it looks heavy enough to last.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,
??A race that can’t stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
??And they roam the world at will.”
– Robert Service

Notes from HJL:

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 Prepperis 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.

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.

An Old Man’s Long Gun Addiction, by *O.T.D*

I am 74 years old and have always been a little bit of a prepper. I was not into firearms and especially not hand guns, which I had never owned. I had rifles and shotguns from my youth, but never used them much after I got married. I had barely purchased a box of ammo for each. I even give them all away to my son a number of years ago. Then in the middle of 2009, I felt that everything was starting to fall apart and I needed to balance out my preparations by getting some firearms for protection in the home and on the street. I took the NRA handgun safety class, got my license to carry (LTC) and picked up a couple of handguns for carry. I was done, except for picking up a long gun.

The first problem was that I didn’t want to pay a lot of money for stuff.

Searching the Internet, I found the rifle I felt I could afford– the Hi-Point 9mm 995 carbine. I found a used one at a gun show for $200.00 and decided to buy it. I hoped the wife wouldn’t give me a lot of grief.

The Hi-Point 995 is a semiautomatic (hand gun caliber) carbine that comes with a 10-round magazine that fits in the hand grip. It basically is a handgun with a long barrel and a butt stock. The 995 was designed as a result of Bill Clinton’s Assault Weapon ban.

It seems all used guns have never been cleaned. So, after detail stripping and cleaning the rifle, I took it to the range. I was pleased with the results. I decided to place a reflex sight on it. Now I can hit anything that I can put the red dot on. As the 995 is chambered in 9mm, it is best when shooting less than 50 yards. Another thing that is ideal with this firearm is I already had a 9mm handgun, and therefore did not need to get a new supply of ammo.

I got my rifle. Life was sweet, but, as many of you know, once bitten you are infected.

As a young man in my early teenage years, I hunted with a 22lr pump gun. I thought if I could find something like my childhood rifle, I could cure this infection. Plus, 22lr ammo was cheap and available at the time.

I found a nice old pump 22lr at my local gun shop for around $120. I was a little concerned with the bore, but the dealer said if it didn’t work correctly I could bring it back. Well the bore was not the problem. The receiver was eroded. So, when I shot the rifle I had to use my pocket knife to remove the spent casing. I was disappointed and returned the rifle.

It’s funny when you return a rifle and have $120 returned to you in a gun shop. You figure that just by adding a couple more bucks you might be able to buy another gun. Well I found a used Ruger 10/22 with the original wood stock for $150. I had not researched the 10/22, but it seemed like a good deal.

As many of you know (I didn’t) the 10/22 has more accessories available for it than most any other rifle on the market. A great thing about this 10/22 was it was manufactured in the 1980’s and therefore was pre-ban in my state. I put a sling, a folding stock, and a scope on it. Now it is a perfect SHTF rifle. Rifles chambered in 22lr seem to be able to hit everything you shoot at.

Life was sweet again, but the 10/22 really didn’t feel like the rifle of my childhood.

Every Saturday morning I take the trash to the dump, stop to get my mail at the post office, and then visit the local gun shop. On one of my Saturday visits to the gun shop, I ran across a couple of old J. C. Higgins Mod 29 22lr rifles. Sears Roebuck used to sell these rifles many years ago. The Mod 29 is a 14 round tube-fed semiautomatic and has (for me) a wonderful wooden stock. I lusted after one of these rifles. After a little haggling with the owner, I picked one up for $95.

I got the J. C. Higgins home for cleaning and found the rifle’s action must have been stored in mud. Thus, began my journey in becoming an amateur gunsmith. After detail stripping the action and cleaning the gunk out, I discovered that a feed spring was brokem. I needed to find a replacement. I am thankful for the Internet, as I soon found that the Numrich Gun Parts Company had bought out most of the spare parts from the manufacturer of J. C. Higgins firearms. I ordered the spring and a new butt plate. Now the J. C. Higgins Mod 29 is one of my favorite firearms.

I must say the J. C. Higgins Mod 29, even though a semiautomatic, feels like the old rifle of my childhood.

Well, I wasn’t done now. I started reading blogs and looking at YOUTUBE videos. Then, I came across the Russian Mosin Nagant 91/30– a bolt action surplus rifle. I was intrigued as it was only $125, had lots of history, the ammo was cheap, and I thought I could sneak this by the wife. I bought a 1938 Mosin Nagant 91/30 manufactured at the Tula Armory from my local gun shop. That was the start of my love with Russian designed firearms.

When you purchase a Mosin Nagant, it comes coated in a bunch of cosmoline and needs lots of cleaning before you should try firing it or for that matter even touching it. These rifles need to be completely detail stripped. This gave me a little more confidence that I could work on guns. The final results were great with this rifle, having refinished the stock and also adding a scout scope to it. The rifle, without the scope, shoots a little high and to the right at a 100 yards. With the scout scope, I have it zeroed in at 100 and 200 yards. It’s a great gun.

When researching the Mosin Nagant, I discovered that there were two types of receivers on this rifle. There was the Hex receiver, which I didn’t have, and the Round receiver, which I did have. Of course the Hex receiver is more desirable. I picked up a 1928 91/30 Hex Receiver Mosin Nagant made at the Izhevsk armory for $135 at another local gun shop. The stock on this rifle is pre-World War II and in wonderful shape. The rifle was dead on with the iron sights at 100 yards. I just keep this rifle in the gun safe.

I would like to make one point about the Mosin Nagant 91/30. It shoots 7.62x54r ammo. The round is the same size as a 308, actually .312. The ammo is available in surplus tins and is quite cheap. The rifle itself kicks like a horse. I had to buy a good shoulder pad to shoot this rifle without causing myself shoulder pain and injury.

Another Mosin that is out there, which I did pick up, is the Chinese M53 carbine. It is a copy of the Russian Mosin M44. The Chinese M53 can be picked up for between $99 and $120, but usually comes in real rough shape. After I cleaned mine up, I took it to the range and was less than satisfied with it. I couldn’t tell where the thing was shooting. I need to take it back to the range, but right now it is sitting in the gun safe.

I only use surplus ammo with Mosin Nagants and that ammo is corrosive. The reason I use surplus is the cost of non-corrosive ammo is too high for me. After shooting at the range, I just swab down the bore and bolt with Windex, run a patch through the bore, and I’m done.

This brings me up to the 2012 elections. I didn’t have a semiautomatic rifle in a larger caliber. I used the re-election of Obama as an excuse to buy a Romanian AK-47 WASR 10/63 in 7.62×39 caliber. I picked it up the day after the election for $575 just before the price went to $775. (As you can see I have become less inhibited about price.) If you don’t know, the 7.62×39 ammo is cheap and has been available all through the ammo shortage the last couple of years.

Now the AK47 is another Russian-designed rifle that just shoots in any condition. It is a simple design with large tolerances, and even I seem to understand how it works. I replaced the butt stock with a Dragunov style MAK-90 Maddi Fiberforce Stock and a new hand guard. I then attached a good muzzle break to reduce the muzzle rise when shooting. This helped, but it still has a little more recoil rise than I like.

Again, as I was studying the AK-47 on the Internet, I noticed that many people had built their own No-FFL rifle from part kits. Thinking that I might be able to build one on my own, I started shopping the Internet. As it turned out AK-74 part kits were more available than AK-47 part kits. Notice I said AK-74, it is the same rifle, except it is chambered with the 5.45×39 round. This round is just a little smaller than the AR-15 ammo, which is 5.65×39. So I proceeded by picking up a Bulgarian AK-74 parts kit, a U.S.-made chromed barrel, 80% receiver blank and rails, screw kit, Tapco trigger, and quite a few tools.

I would not recommend this to anyone unless you like to build stuff, want a No-FFL rifle, and are not concerned with the final cost.

This project was a lot more work than I thought, but I got an AK-74 out of it and learned the following:

  • How to MIG weld,
  • Precise hand drilling and reaming,
  • How to use a hydraulic press,
  • The fine points of needle file use,
  • How to press a barrel into an AK front trunnion,
  • How to head space a rifle,
  • What an angle grinder is used for,
  • How to heat treat a receiver, and
  • How to assemble and disassemble an AK, what seemed like hundreds of times.

I also became a constant customer of Harbor Freight. I like to refer to the rifle as my Bubba Build, because of my lack of skills going into this project.

I have a few points to share about building an AK anything. The first rifle is not cheap, and you need to come up with lots of tools. Also, the only way this is legal is that only you take the 80% receiver to a 100% receiver. There is a little Federal law 922R, which you need to comply with (look it up).

As it turns out the AK-74, when shooting 5.45×39 caliber ammo, is a dream to shoot. The rifle with a 30 round magazine is much lighter than the AK-47. The AK-74 comes with a big fat muzzle break, so recoil is less and I am able to hold it on target much easier. So, if you would like a sweet AK try the AK-74.

Another thing I would like to point out, most of the ammo for these rifles is relatively inexpensive and available. The only exception to availability is the 5.45×39 ammo, which is not available locally. I have been able to pick it up on the Internet in 1000 round boxes for around 28 cents a round, including shipping.

What Do I Use These Guns For?

The Hi-Point 995 chambered in 9mm is serving as a home defense weapon. The 9mm bullet is less likely to pass through the outside wall and hit a neighbor. I have it setup with a reflex sight, so centering on a target is not difficult. My wife has shot this rifle a few times, and our intent is for her to use this weapon.

The Ruger 10/22 has been reconfigured with a folding stock, sling, extended magazine release lever, Alangator TriMag magazine coupler, and a scope. The rifle is a good small game rifle that can be carried easily on your back and in the truck. The way the rifle is configured it becomes a good SHTF small game rifle.

The J.C. Higgins Mod 29 has only been cleaned up and used for fun plinking at the range. It is an easy rifle to shoot and is quite accurate with the iron sights. Working anywhere from 10 to 100 yards, it is fun. I use it as a rifle to get my son-in-law and grandson comfortable with firearms.

The 1938 Mosin Nagant 91/30 has been refinished with a Brass Stacker mount placed over the original rear iron sight. I placed a long eye relief scout scope on the mount. The rifle is “dead on” at 100 and 200 yards. This is a rifle when you want to reach out and touch something with a big slug. We live in a hilly and forested area, and a 300 yard view is about as good as it gets.. This rifle fits in well.

The AK-47 had the wooden stock replaced with a MAK-90 Maddi Fiberforce Stock. I also replaced the original hand guard with a quad rail hand guard. I put a light that has a pressure switch on the rail and have sighted it in for close range shooting. The rifle came with the standard side plate. I placed a side rail mount on it. The great thing about these side rail mounts is that they can be removed when traveling. When reattached, the scope still holds sight. I attached a reflex sight on the rifle sighted in at 100 yards.

I use the AK-47 as a home defense weapon. I realize that the 7.62×39 round will go through walls, but that is one of reasons I want it for home defense. Our bedroom is on the 2nd floor and I would need to shoot through walls if, God forbid, we have an intruder.

The Bubba Build AK-74 also has a side rail mount with a 1 power scope attached. With the old eyes I find it easier looking at cross hairs in a scope than working with the iron sights for long range.

I replaced the original hand grip with a Hogue Rubber Grip with finger grooves. This is one of the better replacement parts on the rifle. The grip makes it very easy to handle and shoot the rifle.

I’ve used the AK-74 in three gun shoots at the local gun club. I’ve found it is a great battle rifle because of it’s size and weight. This right now is my favorite long gun.

The long gun infection seems to have abated for the time being, and as you can tell the infection did not prove to be cheap.

One can argue that I have too many different types of ammo. I can agree with them. I had that in mind when I first started out on this journey. However, when I got hooked on Russian firearms, that thought left my mind completely.

My ammo types are:

  • 22 long rifle, which has tight availability. (Fortunately, I had a good supply before the shortages.)
  • 9mm (Again, I have a 9mm handgun and a very adequate supply.)
  • 7.62x54r (It is easily available as surplus and is corrosive. It also costs less than 25 cents a round.)
  • 7.62×39 (This is available and costs about 26 cents a round, any day of the week at Walmart.)
  • 5.45×39 (This one, for me, is only available at gun shows and the Internet. It runs less than 30 cents a round.)

I also have reloading supplies for 9mm, 7.62x54r, and 7.62×39 rounds. I only have this for when the SHTF, and I can’t get any more retail ammo.

My rifles and the costs, not including attachments and the ammo to feed them:

  • Hi-Point 995- $200
  • Ruger 10/22- $150
  • J. C. Higgins Mod 29- $95
  • Mosin Nagant 91/30 Tula armory- $125
  • Mosin Nagant 91/30 Izhevsk armory- $135
  • Chinese Mosin M53 carbine- $119
  • Romanian AK-47- $575
  • Bulgarian AK-74- $600 for kit and parts.

I have run out of money for the time being and probably couldn’t get anything more by the wife anyways.

I joke a lot about my wife, but she picked up her LTC a couple of years ago and goes with me to the range once a month to shoot her hand gun. She has become very good with it and leaves me alone to fire my rifles.

A few afterthoughts:

J&G Sales is selling AK74’s built from part kits and unchromed-lined barrels for $569.95, which is just a little more than you can build one.

After I wrote most of this article I happened to read the Survivalblog article titled “Building Your Own No-FFL AR from a 80% Complete Receiver”, by Nomad.

I ordered the EP80 receiver for $50 and quickly turned it into a 100% receiver with a $25 rotary tool from Harbor Freight and a couple rotary bits. I bought a lower parts kit for around $70 and assembled the lower with only a few problems. Right now I’m not in a position to finish the rifle, but the project would certainly be interesting and much easier than building an AK. A complete 7.62×39 AR upper can be had for around $500, which would help me by not having to get a different caliber of ammo.

So, the addiction may be dormant, but I can easily fall off the wagon.

Letter Re: EMP

Hugh,

While the routers and switches do require power (which will be spotty at best), they too will be fried by the EMP. Many of the modern ASICs are based on IBM proprietary copper chips and as a result really don’t get along well with any form of EMP. It’s bad enough that I’ve seen a floating ground stretched between two buildings fry Cisco, ACC / Wellfleet, and Extreme gear.

The only purpose-built router that is tempest hardened is the very old TGS router by Cisco. This was an AGS that was built into a hardened shell. Wide scale deployment of this router outside the Air Force was not seen.

Telcos, of course, were and are so cost constrained in most of their wide scale deployments that pennies per device and dollars per central office are the dividing line between profit and loss. Hence to think they would spend extra on Faraday cage enclosures or tempest rated devices is laughable.

My estimation, having consulted with all the large regional carriers globally as well as having built a large number of FOREX networks, is that it won’t even take a Carrington level event to nail the Internet or most banking. – H.D.

Hugh Replies: It is a common misconception that all electronics will be killed by an EMP blast. This just isn’t so. The EMP needs an antenna to transfer the energy into the conductors of the electronics, and any length of metal can act as a antenna. Some electronics, such as your land-line phone or your AM radio, by necessity have long lengths of wire designed into their operation. The phone uses copper wire to connect to the closest switch, which is sometimes up to two or three miles of wire. Your AM radio has a built-in antenna that probably has more than a 100 feet of copper wire. These lengths of conductors make for efficient transfer of energy, and those electronics will probably die. Your cell phone, on the other hand, has a very short antenna, and the amount of energy transferred into the electronics is much, much smaller. Of course, the cell tower is probably connected to the power grid and will most likely be taken out, making your cell phone useless, even if it survives the EMP event. Modern electronics are so sensitive to static electricity that they ALL come with some amount of built-in protection. You can view the protection on a tiered basis. The integrated circuit will always have protection as part of its design. A well-designed PC board will have another layer of protection on it, and so on. Protection built into electronics will work regardless, but protection designed for external connections requires the help of the installers. If your ground is not properly connected, you are starting out in a hole and will probably loose the device. Cars are designed to operate in noisy environments. Even though there is significant wire that interconnects the small computers, they have relatively decent grounding, shielding, and rf/emp spike protection. It all depends on how close the electronic device is to the source of the EMP, how much antenna the device presents to the EMP spike, and how well protected the device is from an EMP spike. Military-grade electronics will generally be hardened because they are expected to be targets. Consumer devices will display varying levels of protection, depending on how they are installed and any added protection given to them. The bottom line: You don’t know how close to the EMP spike you will be, so if you absolutely need survivablilty in your electronics, you have to go with the best protection possible. If your electronics are nice, but not necessary, you can relax the requirements a bit and hope for the best.

The Internet is a complex beast. For operation, it requires connectivity. The better the connectivity, the more useful it is. Small islands of operation only give you local communications, but even if sufficient chunks of the Internet survive, it won’t be the same. Commerce and banking are the core of commercial Internet. Without those, an Internet will only give us communications at best. T.P. sent me the link to this video clip from “Jericho”, which had me ROFL. Caution: This clip contains some offensive language.

Letter: 401K Rollovers And Precious Metals Investment

Hello Hugh,

First of all I am not an investment expert, so I have to read and call experts. I recently left a company and moved to North Carolina. I was going to cash out my 401K, but I was starting a one-man business so I waited. I formed my own company and got started. After a short while I looked at 401 cash out options. (I am only 45.) One great option that is available is called a solo 401K. First, you have to be a one-person shop. That is easy. Go to the courthouse and register a DBA false business name. (If you are doing business as anything other than your name and not a corporation that is what it is called.) It’s just $16 in NC. Then go online to the IRS and apply for an EIN-Free. Then go to your bank and get a business account. (It’s just a $100 deposit at Wells Fargo.) Now call a solo 401K company. (I use Ira Financial group.com.) There was a one-time fee of $1200, then an annual $200 fee if you add to it. I rolled over $50K. There was no penalty and no tax, and I bought gold and silver coin delivered to me. No penalty. Mine to hold. Easy for anyone to start a business that never has to amount to a thing. I hope it helps. Please research! – R.M.

Economics and Investing:

Bitcoin firm CEO found dead. There sure are a lot of “coincidence”. We are now up to eight since January 1.

Items from The Economatrix:

U.S. factory activity growth hits highest since May 2010: Markit

Gas And Oil Prices Soar And Petrol Could Be Next: Ukraine Crisis Shocks World Markets Amid Fears Russia’s Energy Resources Will Be Hit By Trade Sanctions

Russia And China Stand In Agreement On Ukraine – And That Is Very Bad News For The United States

Personal Income Faces First Year-Over-Year Drop Since Recession Ended: As Incomes Collapse, Spending Via Consumer Credit Begins To Increase.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Whole House Heating From A Single Wood Burner Or Open Fire The old Connecticut farm house I grew up in, had coal furnace in basement, and grills in first floor ceilings under the bedrooms. Dad put in oil furnace, BUT he kept the coal furnace and bin full of coal. Just in case!!!! Kept the DUG well, though he had drilled well put in. He was a prepper before the word was invented. – H.L.

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Canadian Gun Confiscation Begins. Again – J.W.

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L.G. sent this link in: Understanding The Stress response: It Can Buy You Valuable Seconds

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Ancient “Giant Virus” Revived From Siberian Permafrost. What could possibly go wrong here? Don’t we have several popular horror movies based on just such a principle?

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From H.L. – One of the longtime, faithful readers of Backdoor Survival was without power for five days during the recent ice storm in Aiken County, South Carolina. Read the whole story; There are some good ideas in there.

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C.S. sent in this link to photo of Syrians in line for food at a refugee camp. That is a powerful motivator for prepping.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, ‘Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?’” – Socrates

Notes From HJL:

The secession movement in the U.S. is still running strong, but just not how people thought it was going to run. There are several areas of the U.S. that feel they are not represented by their state legislators very well. It’s not so much a conservative versus liberal conflict as much as a rural versus urban battle. Gun control laws seem to be at the heart of the issue, but there is more. The New USA? Secession Movement Gains Steam – US – CBN News

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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 Prepperis 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.

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.

Prepping For The Kingdom: A Spiritual Perspective Of The Coming Collapse, by J.L.

Regardless of your eschatological views, you can be sure of one thing. When people unexpectedly fall on hard times, many an agnostic-in-practice suddenly become spiritual. It is known that the two places where prayers are most commonly offered are church pews and the back of a police cruiser. Humans return to their Creator in their time of need, as demonstrated time and time again in the Old Testament. Israel returned to obeying God after they encountered judgment for their disobedience and foolishness. Americans are no different. During the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, churches were flooded by individuals looking for answers, comfort, and reconciliation with their Maker. Disasters, terrorist attacks, and financial ruin often become a reality check for the masses of “Christmas & Easter Christians” that get distracted with the everyday monotony of life. It all comes down to perspective. So, here is my challenge relating to prepping with eternity in mind: Carpe Aeternitatem– seize eternity!

I am sure we can agree that physical and spiritual preparedness is taught, encouraged, and even commanded by scripture: Genesis 6 & 7, Proverbs 21:20, Psalms 28:19, Proverbs 20:13, Proverbs 6:6, Matthew 25:1-13, Proverbs 22:3.

The “why” you survive the coming collapse is just as important as the “how” you survive TEOTWAWKI. It would be grievous indeed to successfully survive the worst global disaster of this age, and yet fail to maintain your spiritual duty and calling to help a lot of people get right with God. What will be most important in eternity? How high my quality of life was after the SHTF, or how effective I was at reaching the hurting and the lost? Now, there is no excuse for not maintaining a standard of preparedness. You will not be much help to anyone if you yourself are not self-sufficient; and the more prepared you are, the greater your ability to help and counsel others. Let’s just make sure we have the necessary tools and skills to indeed shine our light before men during one of this country’s darkest hours. Here are some tips for prepping for the Kingdom.

  1. Consider taking crisis/trauma-counseling courses. Many counseling courses are relatively inexpensive and can be done online or by video. You can be sure your loved ones and refugees with need effective counseling, and a psychiatrist or counselor may not be readily available. Spouses, children, and neighbors will experience everything from violently defending homesteads to the tedious, mind-numbing drudgery of medieval chores. These traumatic experiences will need to be addressed and processed. In the aftermath of a global crisis, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will run rampant, and someone needs to be ready to help. People will need sound Christian counseling in order to maintain some level of functionality. Don’t rely on your own “toughness” to make sure you can deal with the emotional upheaval affecting your family and neighbors; get some serious training today for how to deal with the non-tangibles of life.
  2. Stock up on PAPER Bibles, concordances, and devotionals. Understatement: Much of life will be different with the loss of electricity. The Millennial generation is more comfortable using search engines and e-bibles as a means to read and study the Bible. In the near future, many young people may not even have a paper Bible. Furthermore, this generation has swapped memorization for ease of access when it comes to information, and Scripture is no different. Why Memorize Psalm 23 when I have it at my fingertips 24/7 in 10 different translations? The result is that fewer Christians know their Bible and fewer homes will have multiple Bibles. The principle of “two is one, and one is none” applies to God’s Word as well. I doubt Bibles will be printed en masse after the collapse, so find a bulk supplier and get a case for posterity! Wouldn’t it be great if you could give each of your grandchildren their own Bible?

    In addition to this, it would behoove each of us to have hard copies of important historical church documents, such as the various creeds and writings of the early church fathers. You may wish to also have on hand copious documents relating to your particular denomination. In a time of upheaval, we would be amiss to fail to preserve our heritage and the doctrinal thesis upon which the Church currently rests. With a breakdown in connectivity and communication, I foresee a great blending/shredding of Christian beliefs. If there is a lack of available theological leadership, Christians and new converts will need resources to steer clear of heresies and heretics.

  3. Prepare for “old- school” church. Many small home churches and a few larger gatherings may become the norm. You may not be called to preach, but providing means for the church service is just as vital. Will you need hymnals, new convert materials (see #2), sacraments, non-electric musical instruments? How about large portable tents and voice amplification for large outdoor gatherings?
  4. Have designated donation food items that will open doors for you to share the Gospel. In the age of social justice, nothing is trending as much as caring for physical needs before spiritual needs. Many will be looking for a handout, and many will go away empty-handed. Being the one that can help a hungry soul will undoubtedly give your testimony weight and influence in sharing the Gospel. Caution: This avenue of outreach must be carefully planned and executed as throngs of hungry refugees could easily overpower the most prepared survivor. However, hermitage and hoarding is not an option for the believer! “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me. ” (Matthew 25:40)
  5. Encourage your Church to develop a crisis plan. I believe that in the event of a governmental collapse, local churches may easily become the center of community decision-making and the center of community identity. Many modern Americans don’t know anyone on their block beyond the neighbor to their left, right, and across the street. This disjointed public community will only become more skeptical of each other in the event of an emergency. The people they know and trust are those that they fellowship with at their place of worship. Churches can provide a neutral location of safety and security where common good can be established. Churches are also one of the strongest indicators of a person’s personal identity. Churches are usually gifted at organizing individuals under a common vision, and they tend to be altruistic in their motives. Churches are where millions of people rally for a cause once a week, every week. That cannot be said about any other campaign, cause, or non-profit establishment. This being said, churches need to be prepared to fulfill the Great Commission in the event of TEOTWAWKI. Although some pastors could be resistant to making plans and decisions based upon a future societal collapse, many would agree that a “crisis plan” would be very appropriate for the church in preparing for local natural disasters and large-scale community tragedies (school shootings/bomb threats). These simple plans often create procedures and protocol for facilitating helpful order and support in the face of community-wide problems. These plans create a foundation that could easily and quickly apply to a TEOTWAWKI situation. A starting plan of action is better than no plan at all.
  6. Study to show yourself approved. (2 Timothy 2:15) There will definitely be a spiritual leadership vacuum. Will you be prepared to fill it? Your community, family, and anyone you come in contact with will need regular, quality biblical teaching. Whether you are an eloquent Billy Graham or a stuttering Moses, you will need to become a spiritual leader in your realm of influence. There are three prerequisites for this calling: Bible knowledge, a thriving personal relationship with God, and (you guessed it) leadership. Of these three, where are you deficient? Shore up that weak spot so you can be prepared for the most important need of the human: God.

In all of the above preparedness suggestions, there is a common theme. We cannot forget the Spiritual side of ourselves or our loved ones when attempting to be “practical” in our allotments. It can be easy to only think in terms of tangibles when we are paring down our necessities to the basics, but often the non-tangibles (faith, joy, peace, prayer, worship) add more to the quality of life than the greatest new survival gadget. Indeed, we should invest heavily in having the ability to maintain our family’s spiritual growth long after Christian book stores shutter their doors, and Bible “dot-coms” cease to exist.

In all of our preparation, we must take note of Psalm 127:1– “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Recognize that the Lord will bless and protect those that seek Him, and use Godly wisdom in preparing, However, others may have prepared far beyond any measure and have no surety for success in the coming storm.

Two Letters Re: Prepper Primer For Your Non-prepper Loved Ones, by T.S. – Part 4

I have to disagree with T.S.’ conclusion where Ham radios are concerned.

The days of 40-pound or more base station radios is long gone. Even the backpack type radios from the Korean and Vietnam era that many preppers seem to be so fond of are large, bulky, and inefficient by today’s standards.

There are many lightweight, portable solutions beyond that of the typical HT (handi-talkie). Take the Yaesu FT817ND, for example;it has multiple power options, is super lightweight, can easily fit into a cargo pocket and doubles as a general coverage/shorthand receiver.

If someone is versed in Morse Code the options absolutely explode. From simple transmitters small enough to be housed in a tuna can or even a small altoids tin. To full blown packet station using a raspberry pi, low power screen, a few small batteries and a keyboard.

For me, any communication solution that doesn’t include HAM radio is incomplete.

On a side note, there is software/app called Serval for android phones that allows the phones to work independently of cell towers through the use of peer to peer mesh networking. This offers another communication solution in a grid down/emergency situation. (I am not affiliated with the Serval project in any way.) – B.I.

o o o

Please be aware that safeties, slide, and magazine releases vary by manufacturer. Thinking that they are standardized could lead to a hazardous situation. – D.A.

Hugh Replies: Both of these responses have good information in them. Be aware that, like many of the articles published here, the authors are not writing generic how-tos, but are writing with a specific scenario in mind. In this particular case, T.S. was writing for his family with the equipment that they had on hand. In order for you to apply his writings to you, you must make the appropriate changes and substitutions for your beliefs, supplies, and knowledge levels.

Letter Re: Random Thoughts On Prepping

I really enjoyed the article “Random Thoughts on Prepping, by Stymie.” I want to thank him for writing that article for the blog. For a long time, I’ve also questioned the thinking that the golden horde would migrate to places like Idaho. I keep telling myself that better minds than mine have come to that conclusion, but I still can’t quite buy it.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about the issue of establishing a truly remote homestead as a prepping strategy. We bought property in the Sierras, in Northern California, above the snow line. I kind of question how likely that horde would be to come our way. Granted, there’s decent hunting nearby and on our own land,but most of that golden horde wouldn’t have a clue about hunting and would starve if they had to depend on it to feed themselves, much less a family. Where are they going? Would they go up to Truckee with more than 200 inches of snow per year or over Donner pass? They still have snow in June up there. If they got there, there’s nothing to eat, since almost nobody has gardens or much stored food. Then, if they got that far, where are they going? Another 300 miles of Nevada desert and then they’d be in Utah. That’s not where I’d head. In fact, it’s the very last way I’d head if I was part of the horde. I’d either go no farther than the inland California valley where plenty of food can be had, or north into Oregon farmland. Aternatively, maybe I’d stay on the Pacific coast in some out of the way place where I could fish and with a year-round growing season, or maybe even down in Mexico. The very last place I’d head would be Donner Pass and the Nevada desert beyond it. I worry that this is confirmation bias on my part. I buy the golden horde from Reno migrating down into the California agricultural areas; in fact that’s the only direction I’d head if I lived in Reno. Even later in a complete breakdown scenario when large well-organized locust-like groups are on the move, there just isn’t enough food here to support them and no big distribution centers either. There’s hardly even any markets. The people up here all make the long drive west and down the mountain to stock up for the week.

My husband and I live a few miles outside of a small town in the mid-level Sierras. We live at the end of a dead end road that’s at the end of two more long dead end roads that aren’t county maintained. We retired young and spent ten years before retiring looking around the country to determine where we wanted to retire. Our non-negotiable requirements were reasonable acreage (because at that time my husband thought he wanted to be a gentleman farmer) and at least 50 inches a year of rainfall. We have six neighbors on our road with acreage between 4 and 750+ acres each. As it turned out, my husband changed his mind about farming after we retired. He’s a big guy and has trouble with his knees. I think he realized just how much of farming is spent on your knees. So I became the vegetable gardener. That was a steep learning curve. Despite all my adventurous ways, I was a city girl and clueless about growing food other than for the fun of it. Although I spent some time on a cattle ranch when I was young.

Neighbor 1 is a doctor, with wife and kids. His wife homeschools their kids. They could feed everyone for a mile around with their vegetable garden alone.

Neighbor 2 is an engineer who worked in the space program; he’s retired now and single.

Neighbor 3 is a dedicated hunter and a mechanic, working on machinery of some kind; he has a wife and son.

Neighbor 4 is a county sheriff dept. deputy, with a wife and kids.

Neighbor 5 are a chef and school teacher; they are the parents of the sheriff’s deputy.

Neighbor 6 are the uncle and aunt of Neighbor 3 (the hunter), a retired truck driver and his wife; they own 750 acres that lie on three sides of our combined properties.

Then, there is us: My husband has every tool known to man. He has arc welding tools, watch-making tools, blacksmith tools, furniture-making tools, machining tools (including a drill press), and every other kind of tool representing three generations of tinkers and makers. He has tools I never heard of, and he knows how to use them. He’s also an award-winning craft brewer, president of the town garden club (more on this in a bit), and past president of large fish keeping and breeding organization. So he knows everything there is to know about keeping large fish and pond systems healthy by natural means (biological filters) and with brute force (constructed sand filters and so forth.). He majored in Zoology at UC Davis and worked as a fireman and EMT to work his way through college. He’s been a Ham radio operator for over thirty years and used Ham radio to spy on China when he was in the Air Force, while stationed on Okinawa. We have a retractable 50 ft. Ham antenna. How cool is that? It’s only visible when we use it. Heh, heh. It’s electric but can also be cranked up by hand.

As for me, I approach life as if I can make, fix, or do anything, too. Soapmaking, canning, quilting, inorganic chemistry are a few of my skills. I’ve built houses and plumbed bathrooms and dug ponds for fun. I have a B.S. degree in Geophysics. Geophysics guys are the ones who look for oil, study volcanoes and earthquakes, and map the deep ocean bottoms– all the geology that you can’t climb into to look at. It has to be done with remote sensing. Interestingly, one of the biggest source of jobs for geophysicists is remote sensing for government spying– satellite and drones and so on. I got that degree for fun and never worked in it. I’m a dedicated shooting, archery, and martial arts enthusiast. I can sail, have owned two large sailboats and lived aboard both.

We have a large garden and a propane-heated, fully-automated 8’x12′ greenhouse and are in the process of building a second 12’x16′ greenhouse that we’ll either heat with house heat exhaust or wood stove or both. Our house has an 8 kilowatt solar system. It’s a two story home with the bottom level earth-bermed on three sides and easily defensible on the fourth side. We live within a half-mile of a large river, and our access to the river is completely private via utility access roads that lie on our own property or our neighbors. There are no crossings on that river for miles in either direction.

All four sides of our combined properties are defensible– inaccessible even by ATV, except for a single point of ingress. Between these six neighbors and ourselves, we have three large, established gardens and a large chicken house. I’ve seen over 90 wild turkey at one time, grazing our land. We have our own herd of nine deer about 150′ from our house in the woods, who we feed (Purina Deer Chow aka Antler Max) and provide water for but wouldn’t hesitate to eat if necessary. They’re so tame we can stand within four feet of them, and they don’t even blink. This they do despite the fact that I also shoot on my land. There are several other deer groups in the vicinity who aren’t that tame. We have two stocked ponds. The surrounding terrain is heavily wooded and steep with strong undergrowth of poison oak and traveler’s misery. The only ingress is through an easily defended road (below our homes) with steep ravines on both sides. There are two old mines on our combined land (and a lot of old mining equipment).

The little town closest to us is a hamlet even by small town standards. There are no traffic lights and only one stop sign in town. There’s only a single off ramp to access the town for five miles in either direction. As president of the garden club there, my husband knows every garden and greenhouse in the area and is super well-loved by the town. I have no doubt he could organize the garden resources to feed the town, if the need arose. The people in this town grew up here and spent their whole lives here. There is a market in town, and the guy who owns it has, in emergency situations in the past, opened the doors to the town and fed the town for free. He regularly helps out families in a personal crisis.

When we were looking for a place to retire, I had nightmares about being stuck in some God-forsaken dust bowl with nothing but wind and dirt as far as the eye could see. There I was, in my old apron, staring at nothing in the distance, with dirt in all the wrinkles on my face. I’m not even a social type of person. Still, that doesn’t mean I want no contact, no restaurants, no movies, no Internet for the next 35 or 40 years.

Back to the question of a remote redoubt, maybe we were blessed with an unusually great combination of neighbors. I can’t say. I think our “group” skills are probably nearly perfect for a SHTF situation. I question whether I could have found this good a group by looking for them. If I had looked for them and invited them to join us in a remote redoubt, I have to wonder how many would have made it there. Then, we would have been in too close quarters, living together like sardines. I’ve asked myself a thousand times if we’d be safer in a more remote place. I guess, even if my life depends on it, I’d rather take my chances in a place like I have, despite California’s stupid gun laws.