Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." – Victor Hugo

The Time Has Come To Fully Diversify: Retreating From Banks And From The Dollar Itself

The recent political crisis over the delayed raising of the U.S. debt ceiling was just a precursor of a much larger crisis that will occur when interest rates inevitably rise. Once they do rise, it will become impossible for the Federal government to service its debt without massive monetization and concomitant mass inflation. There may also be some draconian stopgap measures such as levies on bank accounts (a.k.a. “bail ins”), nationalization of private pension funds, nationalization or forced common stock purchases for IRA and 401(k) plans, currency controls, bank holidays, bank withdrawal limits, currency recalls, limited access to safe deposit boxes, IRA and 401(k) withdrawals limits, and perhaps even another ban on privately held gold bullion.

For the past seven years I have urged my readers to diversify their investments out of U.S. Dollars and into tangibles. I am now repeating that with an even greater sense of urgency. It is high time to deliberately draw down you bank accounts and stop rolling over your CDs. I now urge my readers to gradually withdraw as much cash as you can, leaving only as much in your checking accounts as you need to pay your monthly expenses and to make your tax payments.

Beware of CTRs

If you have more than $10,000 in your account and you attempt withdraw it all at once, then by law your bank teller will fill out a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). These reports are available to the IRS and other government agencies. To avoid this, you need to gradually withdraw your cash, in unequal amounts, over a period of weeks or months. If you have a lot of cash to move, then one viable approach is to write checks to open bank accounts in other banking institutions, and then deliberately draw down those new accounts with numerous small cash withdrawals.(Less than $7,000 each.) According to Wikipedia, CTRs include “an optional checkbox at the top if the bank employee believes the transaction to be suspicious or fraudulent, commonly called a SAR, or Suspicious Activity Report.” If your bankers suspects that you are “structuring” withdrawals, then they will feel obliged to file a SAR.

What to do with the cash you withdraw:

1.) Get your beans, bullets and Band-Aids squared away. This should be your highest priority. Don’t consider “investing” in anything else until you get your key preparations established.

2.) Keep some greenback cash “mattress money” in small bills. If possible, keep enough cash for a couple of months worth of expenses. Again, keep it very well hidden at home, or bury it in waterproof containers.

3.) Only after accomplishing Steps 1 and 2, buy some physical silver. In the U.S., pre-1965 dimes, and quarters are the best choice. Keep your silver very well hidden at home, or bury it in waterproof containers. Make sure that you let a couple of trusted relatives know exactly where it is hidden, in case you might come to harm.

4.) Invest in some common caliber ammunition. Here is your shopping list, in a nutshell: Rifle: .30-06, .308 Win., 5.56 NATO, 5.45×39, 7.62×39, .30-30, and .22 LR. Pistol: .45 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W., .357. 38 Special. Shotgun: 12 Gauge, 2-3/4″ length. (Buy a good mix of buckshot, slug and birdshot shotshells, with an emphasis on buckshot.)

5.) Invest in some good quality battle rifles, handguns, and full capacity magazines.

6.) Buy productive farm or ranch land (with good pasture and hay ground) that is in a viable retreat region.

7.) Invest in your education. That is the ultimate form of portable wealth. A second stream of income may become important in the coming years, so getting an education in a practical trade would be wise.

8.) If you have substantial liquid wealth (more than $500,000), then start shuttling some of it offshore. But because of the coming currency fluctuations, I recommend that the majority of that be stored offshore in physical precious metals. If you don’t already have a deeply trusted relationship with a family in your offshore host country (you should!), then you will have to trust a bank deposit box in your offshore host country.

9.) Buy a few books of “Forever” postage stamps. These may become useful for barter, as they will hold their value against inflation better than cash.

10.) Invest in a depression-proof business that is portable. (See the blog article links in my reply to these letters.)

11.) Build your personal reference library.

12.) If you are elderly, then invest in preparedness for your children and grandchildren. In the depths of the Second Great Depression, you won’t be able to count on the government to help you. But you can count on your close relatives.

What NOT to do with the cash you withdraw:

1.) Unless you are a multimillionaire, don’t buy large quantities of gold or gemstones. Not only is gold too compact a form of wealth for practical barter, but it is also far more likely to be confiscated than silver.

2.) Don’t build up your Bitcoin wallet balance above 15 BTC. Because Bitcoins are a synthetic currency and Internet-based, they are subject the whims of larcenous politicians. Bitcoin transactions can be tracked, because nearly every Bitcoin transaction has a corresponding e-mail trail. (And anyone who thinks that their e-mails are all “safely encrypted” is fooling themselves.)

3.) Don’t buy urban or suburban real estate.

4.) Don’t buy a second home in a “resort” area. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, resort areas will be targeted by looters in times of social chaos.

5.) Don’t invest in fine art, vintage wines, rare postage stamps, classic cars, or collectibles. Those will sell for just pennies on the dollar in the Depression. (If you want any of those, then wait for the opportunity to “buy low.”)

6.) Other than some home security webcams, commo gear, a starlight scope, and a Dakota Alert passive IR intrusion detection system, don’t waste your money on electronic gadgets.

7.) Don’t invest in foreign currencies. There are no more “safe” currencies!

8.) Don’t invest in foreign stocks. Tangibles will trump, worldwide.

9.) Don’t over-prepare or over-invest in one area, at the expense of others. (For example, buying all guns and no storage food, or vice versa.) Balanced preparedness is the key!

Bottom line: The time for hesitation has passed. If you leave your liquid assets in a bank or in a savings and loan, then you are now a sitting duck.

– JWR

Credit Market Derivatives: The Eve of Destruction

Interest rate turmoil again affected holding company trading revenues heavily in the first and second quarters of 2013. According to the latest report from the U.S. Office of the Compttroller of the Currency (OCC), rate trading derivatives losses were $3.018 Billion in 1Q 2013 and $3.804 Billion in 2Q 2013.

It is noteworthy that the present-day casino in credit derivatives has built up in the era of ZIRP, where interest rate changes have been miniscule. The losses reported in the first two quarters were apparently triggered by the unexpected rate moves of less than 20 basis points. (Two tenths of one percent.)

While the total credit exposure to risk based capital has declined for the top four U.S. commercial banks that do derivatives trading, the notional value of their derivatives increased by $2.2 trillion, to $233.9 trillion. And JPMorgan (the world’s biggest derivatives trader) just by itself holds derivatives contracts with a notional value of around $71 Trillion! (To be precise: $71,289,673,000,000.) To put that in perspective, the total value of the US economy is around $15 trillion.

The counterparty risk in credit derivatives would be gigamongous, if interest rates were to spike several full points, and any large institutions then subsequently failed. If you thought that the bailouts back in 2009-2010 were huge, then just wait and see what the next credit crisis brings. – JWR

Guest Article: It is Hard to Know Wild Food Without Also Knowing Some Wild Medicines, by Linda Runyon

As I observe the current concerns about our food supply and our “health” care choices, I think back to the days in the 1970s when my husband, child and I took off to the wilderness of the Adirondacks.  Even though there’s so much turbulence going on now, I know that being in the middle of essentially nowhere with just your three-member family can be scary no matter how, when, or why you do it.  I was fortunate in that I was trained as a nurse in my younger days, and that experience did come in handy in being able to stay calm in the face of emergency.  But we didn’t have much in the way of dependable food sources or actual medicines and so, with some trial and error, I learned to use the plants around me for nutritious food and for relief and aid for the body.

 As regards the medicinal aspect, I knew that prior to modern medicine and its drugs, there were individuals who passed down, from generation to generation, the secrets of natural healing, often using herbs and various compounds to assist the body to heal itself.  Throughout the history of man, such people have provided whatever medicinal healing that was to be had, and most of the populace was grateful for them.  We are lucky to have the wisdom of herbal know-how passed down through the generations.

In this article I will tell you about some edible and medicinal uses for wild plants that I personally learned about to help my family survive on our wilderness homestead.  This will give you an idea of how possible it is to be off the grid and to still be able to deal with feeding yourselves well, and learning effective and free ways to handle health issues that could arise.  These wild plants grow pretty much everywhere and you are very likely to find them not only in your urban backyard, but also in  wilderness areas that you might inhabit.  The fascinating thing is that while I was getting a handle on feeding us for free in the wild, I was also discovering that many of those same plants also have medicinal properties, so it’s a “two-for-one” kind of deal, and the best part is that it’s all free!  Nature herself has provided us with the most amazing deal in health and nutrition, and yet there’s all that noise about the expense of food and of health care.  What a waste of time and energy, in my opinion.

I must remind you that the key to successful use of any wild plant, whether edible or medicinal, depends, as always, on proper identification.  I have said this many times in my books, in my 3-hour DVD, in my Wild Card playing deck, on my radio shows, in my newsletter, and in my classes years ago, etc.  It is the very first action that everyone needs to take in helping themselves to Nature’s free food store and pharmacy.  I always say that you should have at least 3 good field guides to help with identification, and color photos, and then go out and practice until you know you know your plants!  However, and this is a caution that I also state continually, there are some harmful plants that resemble really wonderful wild plants.  I’m going to go into a bit of detail here to give you an idea of what I mean, and so you will understand why I emphasize certainty with your identification. 

One of my favorite wild plants is Queen Anne’s Lace.  When you see the blooming flower head, you will know why it is called that.  Queen Anne’s Lace is a great wild edible because you see it in many places (once you know how to identify it), and it has a long harvesting season.  I would pick the flowers and saute them for a tasty treat.  I discovered that the stems can be cut and used for flavoring in soups and stews, the leaves can be included in salads, the dried seeds from the brown fall flowers can be used as a salt substitute (but not to excess).  Once I found out how delicious the lace flowers taste fried in hot oil and then cooled on rocks at my homestead outdoor “kitchen”, I didn’t miss potato chips anymore!  The roots can be gathered for a carrot substitute in the spring and fall, and you can even dig during the winter months to collect the roots.  You can see how useful this plant is for free food and to use as a very healthy salt substitute.

The thing is, unless you are careful, it is possible to mistake this wonderful plant with poison hemlock, just like it is possible to mistake mushrooms that aren’t good for you with ones that are.  The answer is not to stop looking for mushrooms, it is to learn the good ones from the bad ones.  In the case of Queen Anne’s Lace, the most obvious difference between it and hemlock is that the stems of Queen Anne’s Lace are fuzzy, and the stems of hemlock are smooth.  So just by feeling along the stem you will be able to tell which is the good, edible plant.  Another detectable difference is that Queen Anne’s Lace has a very distinctive “carrot” smell to the stem, leaves, seeds, and roots.  This information, along with other specifics on a few more poisonous look-alikes, are in my book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide.  An additional safety guideline that I have provided in all of my wild food publications are my “Rules of Foraging”, which I developed and refined over my many years in working with and teaching wild food.  That list of rules is included at the end of this article.

My procedure after any wild food foraging adventure (and they always were an adventure, like the time I ran, almost literally, into a bear—but that’s another story!) was to set aside a certain amount to eat while the food was still fresh from the fields.  With the rest I would use my dependable drying and storing methods to keep quantities available to me throughout the winter, and often for years at a time.  I would also properly prepare those plants that I had learned would be valuable for helping with body issues.  I can tell you that I was never as grateful for my knowledge of medicinal plants and my dependable identification of them as I was when there was an emergency and I saw the blood gushing out from the tip of my husband’s finger from a chainsaw accident. 

One of my most reliable plants for such injuries is shepherd’s purse, and I can’t recommend highly enough what a good idea it is to have it in powder form readily available for emergencies.  The powder of that plant is what I put on my husband’s fingertip to stem the bleeding, and I kept using it on that finger until the bleeding stopped and it was healing.  Shepherd’s purse is what I used during another injury episode, when I cut off the very tip of my finger with a hatchet one time.  It grew back with no problem.  My use of that plant in both of those instances taught me the incredible medicinal value of a single plant.  The native Americans kept a little bag of shepherd’s purse seeds around their necks in case of emergency.

Shepherd’s purse is not only very valuable for blood clotting, even for serious cuts like those I mentioned, but it also is a nutritious food source.  The leaves can be eaten in salads, sandwiches, soups, and as a side vegetable.  The stems and seeds can be stir fried, and the buds and flowers can be eaten raw.  Seeds can also be used as a pepper substitute, and roots can be used fresh, or dried and used as a substitute for ginger.  And this very important plant is growing freely all around! 

Another wild plant that may be even more valuable medicinally as well as nutritionally is mullein.  This plant is probably more well-known than shepherd’s purse because of its amazing antihistamine properties.  I have friends who buy mullein tea, tinctures and capsules to help with bronchial relief and sinus problems.  I was very, very grateful to know about mullein when my son developed a serious cough during a 20 degree below zero wilderness winter day.  The usual pine tea and honey was not having any effect.  I could see the tips of the brown mullein spikes nearby so I went outside in the freezing cold and frozen ground and was able to dig out a foot-long mullein root.  I used it to brew a concentrated tea for my son.  He drank 2 tablespoons every hour and his cough was calmed and he proceeded to get well from that point.  You should know that mullein root tea is an effective expectorant and thus can help a person discharge the mucus from the throat and bronchial tubes.  I was so grateful that those mullein plants were “standing sentinel” outside my door and that they were available even in several feet of snow and in below zero temperature, to help me help my son. 

One summer when I was teaching a Girl Scout troop and we were on horseback, a horse kicked out and clipped the ankle of one of my scouts.  It was a bad injury.  I removed her shoe and then shouted for the other scouts to get some mullein leaves quickly, which they did.  We crushed the leaves with rocks and then made poultices and applied them onto the swollen ankle.  We used the mullein stalks as splints and the leaves became bandages until we could get the scout to the hospital.  The doctor who treated her was amazed that the girl had a chip fracture but no swelling or pain, and he wanted to know what plant was on her ankle!  Think of the savings to everyone, in terms of time, money and pain, if this valuable information where more widely known.

Here’s what I learned to do when anyone in my wilderness family felt a cold coming on: I would scrub a mullein root, simmer it in water for 10 to 15 minutes, and then whoever needed it would drink the medicinal tea.  That one root could be used several times to make tea. 

When there is a burn or wound that needs healing and you have mullein leaves and a heat source, gently break up a bunch of leaves (or one large leaf), put that in a pot of water and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat, steep for 10 to 15 minutes and cool.  Take the leaves out, drain them a bit, and then place them directly over the bruised or hurt area.  Make a poultice with the cooled juice and add that to the area too.  A constant poultice will greatly aid in the healing process.  I knew that the Native Americans used mullein leaves to heal elbows and shoulders, so I figured out that placing mullein leaves in my sneakers when I knew I would be walking long distances would probably soothe my tired feet and prevent blisters, and I was right!  I put those leaves in my sneakers ever after when I went on my foraging trips.  I also liked to use mullein to help relieve the irritation from bug bites.  A different but very helpful use of mullein was for lamp wicks when we were snowed in.  A small piece of the leaf cut to size, dried, and soaked in oil will burn for quite a while. 

Another wild plant that is both edible and medicinal is plantain.  Plantain is so common that you are likely to find it growing in your lawn, in fields, and around construction sites.  It’s very plentiful and useful.  There are two types of plantain:  long leaf plantain, and common plantain.  The entire plant is edible.  Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, the stalks can be dried for vegetable chewies, the seeds used as sprouts in salads and other dishes.  But I can tell you from my own personal experience, and for anyone I know who tried it, the first thing I did for bee stings was to make a “band aid” out of the leaves of the common plantain and apply it to the sting.  Here’s how I taught children to do this:  First I would show them exactly how to identify that plant.  I would then have them pick three leaves, inserting one of the leaves in between the other two, and then roll that into a cigar-shaped, cylindrical form.  I would find a rock they could hold and then I would have them pound on their leaves to make them a little bit juicy.  That inner leaf, when unwrapped and moist, becomes a poultice for the sting, to help draw out the poison.  Water could be added if needed so that the poultice is moist when applied to the sting area. 

Of course this would all need to be done quickly, but before I took children out into an area where they could be stung, I always made sure that we would scope out where there were common plantain plants.  Then we would practice making the poultices so the children knew what to do.  They just loved the idea of doing something themselves that was effective against bee stings.  My work with teaching children about wild plants, both as food sources and as freely available aids for their bodies, is one of the most rewarding aspects of everything I did in wild food.  My recently released Wild Food Homeschool Package was compiled from my wild food materials specifically so that the activities I did with children would be available to parents to teach to their children. May these children pass it on through the generations and help us get back to our roots, literally.

While the current political outlook may seem very bleak, never forget that in every wilderness area where you go to seek survival, there will be wild plants growing freely all around you.  Be sure that you have with you materials that teach you how to become certain with identification, and which also include specifics on harvesting, drying, storing and preparing wild food and wild medicine.  I have done exactly that during my life, and now I have compiled all the information I could, to help you all do the same.  I hope it will be enough to see you, and everybody you know and love, through the tough times ahead.

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, 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 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 nor 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 using 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 Rules of Foraging greatly helps to reduce that risk, but even they are not foolproof.

About The Author: Linda Runyon is a widely recognized expert on wild food foraging. Her web site is: OfTheField.com.

Pat’s Product Review: Black Hills Ammunition

I actually got started writing back in 1983, when I reviewed books for a Christian bookselling company. These were soon-to-be-released books. My “pay” for reviewing the books, was that, I got to keep the books. I built-up quite a library of Youth Ministry books over a couple years. I had help along the way, with my meager writing efforts, and I still don’t consider myself any sort of writer, per see – but I hopefully can communicate with my readers, so they understand what I’m trying to convey to them.
 
It was 1992, before I started writing firearms articles, and it was as the insistence of the late Col. Rex Applegate – I worked for the good Colonel for three years and I will be forever grateful to him, for all he taught me. Now, when Applegate told you to do something – you did it – not out of fear, but rather, out of respect. Applegate told me to start writing firearms articles, and he opened a lot of doors for me in this respect. I met the late Chuck Karwan, who was a fantastic writer, and for quite some time, Chuck was my personal editor – checking over my articles before I submitted them. It was Karwan, who told me to just write the way I speak – easy-going. When I first started out, I was overly technical in my articles. “Thanks” Chuck – for all you did for me – you are missed! I met the great Wiley Clapp, who I had admired for years – we worked together on the very first video that Paladin Press put out. I also worked with Tommy Campbell, on this same video, and he was the top shooter, at one time, for Smith & Wesson. Peder Lund, who owns and operates Paladin Press – he published one of my books, “SWAT Battle Tactics” that I co-authored with my late friend, and Hall of Fame martial artist, Master John McSweeney.
 
Col. Applegate always taught me to give credit where credit is due. Don’t take credit for someone else’s works – acknowledge when someone has helped you along life’s road. So, it is with this attitude, that I would like to introduce SurvivalBlog readers to Jeff Hoffman, who owns and operates Black Hills Ammunition with his wife, Kristi. It was actually Chuck Karwan, who introduced me to Black Hills ammo back in 1992, and to Jeff Hoffman. If you’ve followed my firearms articles on SurvivalBlog, or in the gun magazines over the past 20 years (I no longer write for gun magazines) you’ll be familiar with the brand-name of Black Hills Ammunition. I use the ammo in just about every firearms article I write.
 
I believe it would be safe to say, that in more than 20 years of writing about firearms, I’ve easily fired at least a hundred thousand rounds of Black Hills ammo – maybe twice that amount – I’ve lost track. Jeff Hoffman told me, when I first start using his ammo, to never let my ammo locker run dry – and he’s been supplying me with his outstanding ammo for all these years. Without his help, I wouldn’t have been writing as many firearms articles as I have – I simply wouldn’t have been able to afford to purchase all the ammo I’ve shot while writing those articles. Black Hills is now one of the big names in the ammo industry, too.
 
One thing that Black Hills Ammunition does, that no other big name ammo company does, is that, they hand inspect each and every round of ammo before it is packed. No other big name ammo company does this! I have never had a bad round of ammo from Black Hills in all my years of shooting their ammo. I wish I could say the same of some other big name ammo makers – in particular, Remington. I’ve found numerous bad rounds of ammo from their boxes – many times primers were upside down or even sideways in a shell – and many dead primers, too. Jeff Hoffman assures us of the best quality control out there – if you want lesser quality ammo, you can find it, but you won’t find lesser quality ammo from Black Hills.
 
Jeff Hoffman, isn’t just an ammo maker, he’s also a part-time cop, a sniper on a SWAT team, too – and he’s authored a few magazine articles on the topic of long-rang shooting, too – he knows his stuff. He won’t settle for anything except the best ammo money can buy. Hoffman takes his job very seriously – he and Kristi are Black Hills Ammunition – along with all their knowledgeable and capable employees and staff.
 
I can’t possible cover all the different ammo that Black Hills Ammunition manufactures in this article, however, I wanted to touch on a few calibers in particular. First up is their .223 Remington and 5.56mm calibers – and no one, that I’m aware of, makes a wider assortment of .223 Rem ammo than Black Hills does. They have the bases covered from their 36-grain Varmint Grenade loading, to their heavy 77-grain Sierra Matchking Hollow Point – and everything in between. And, most folks aren’t aware that, Hoffman makes a proprietary round for ALL of our US Special Forces units – it’s a 77 grain 5.56mm round, that is proven very effective for longer shots on the enemy. I’ve only, in the past year, have been able to get my hands on some of this ammo for testing in my AR articles – it’s always in demand by our troops, so I didn’t mind waiting, until there was a few rounds that could be shipped to me – I prefer our SF guys get it before I did! If you can’t find a Black Hills loading in .223 Rem or 5.56mm rounds that shoots well in your AR rifles, then it’s the gun – not the ammo! Simple as that! You should also be aware that, Black Hills has a pretty extensive line-up of remanufactured ammo, too – not just their red box new ammo. We all have our favorite loads, and if I were to pick one .223 Rem round from Black Hills, it would be their 68-grain Heavy Match Hollow Point loading – it shoots great in any AR I’ve run it through.
 
In the 9mm department, I have two favorites, and I don’t know if I could nail it down to just one of these rounds as my favorite. I like the 124-grain JHP +P load, that is coming out of full-sized duty guns at about 1,250 per second. I like the 124-grain bullet because they penetrate a little deeper and expand well. It’s a great load. I also love the 115-grain Barnes all-copper Tac XP +P load – this load is coming at about 1,200 feet per second, and it penetrates deeply and stays together – no matter what it might hit. Many years back, we didn’t  have such a variety of 9mm self-defense ammo – the few JHP loads we had, just didn’t perform all that well, that’s why the FBI and many police departments switched the .40 S&W load – they wanted a load that would penetrate deeply enough to do some damage, and a round that held together, too. An interesting turn of events is now taking place with many police departments in that, they are dropping the .40 S&W round and going back to the 9mm with high performance JHP ammo. Many police officers aren’t into shooting, and don’t practice on their own, and they have a lot of misses and low qualifying scores with the .40 S&W round. When they went back to the 9mm – their qualification scores really shot up there, and they are getting the same manstopping results on the streets in real life, that they were getting with the .40 S&W rounds. What’s old, is now “new” – all over again.
 
Black Hills has a 140-grain Barnes all-copper Tax XP .40S&W round that I really like. It is coming out of the barrel at around 1,100 feet per second, and once again, the Barnes all-copper, hollow point bullets penetrate deeply and stay together. If I had to pick one Black Hills .40 loading to carrying in my handguns in .40S&W, this is “the” load of my liking! It is controllable, and will get the job done. ‘Nuff said!
 
When it comes to the grand ol’ .45ACP, Black Hills has a good selection, but once again, I have my preferences. For self-defense, I like their 185-grain Barnes, all-copper, hollow point, TAC XP load that is rated at +P. However, I’ve found this load to be very controllable, too. It will penetrate deeply, and the bullets stay together – this is important! This round is coming out of a 5″ Bbl 1911 at about 1,100 feet per second. For everyday shooting, I like the Black Hills .45ACP 230-grain FMJ load – while not advertised as a “match” load, I’ve always had match-grade results with this loading, and wouldn’t hesitate to use in in a competition – it’s “that” accurate. And, don’t forget, Black Hills also manufactures reloaded handgun ammo for all your paper-punching needs.
 
In the .308 Winchester round, I love the 168-grain Hornady A-Max loading – this is just a great all around big game loading, as well as being an outstanding “sniper” load, for those long range shots. If I had to pick one .308 Win loading for my big game hunting needs, this would be it. They also produce a 180-grain Nosler Accubond loading, and this is great for long-range shooting at big game, like elk or moose.
 
I don’t do much reloading these days, I simply don’t have the time any longer. However, when I do reload, I only reload .300 Win Mag rounds, and I’m very proud of a load I came up with. Enter the Black Hills .300 Win Mag 190-grain Match Hollow Point load – this load is used by snipers all over the world, and it is, without a doubt, the most accurate .300 Win Mag load I’ve ever fired – in any rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag. Given a good rifle, and a good shooter, it will do all you ask of it, and routinely shoots sub MOA. My own .300 Win Mag reloads equal this load, but I can’t beat it – not matter how hard I’ve tried – I’ve tweaked my .300 Win Mag loads every which way I can, but I can’t beat this Black Hills loading – I can only match it!
 
So, these are only a few of my favorite Black Hills Ammunition loadings. I’m betting you’ll find something to your liking, if you take the time to go through their web site. Just be advised, the great ammo drought is still going fairly strong, and you may not find everything you want at Black Hills these days. Jeff Hoffman, has worked very hard at keeping me supplied with his outstanding ammo for my articles, and even so, he’s out of certain calibers and types of ammo these days. I’m dying to get my hands on some of the .45ACP 185-grain Barnes all-copper TAC XP +P loads, but they are out-of-stock right now – but Jeff has me on his list, to send me some, as soon as they get more made.
 
Look, if you want a lesser ammo, then go to one of the big box stores and buy it. You’ll be getting good ammo – but you won’t be getting ammo better than what Black Hills Ammunition is making these days. If you want some of the best ammo on the planet, then check out what Black Hills has to offer. One word of advice, though – you’ll be spoiled, and the ammo from the other big name ammo makers won’t be up to your expectations, after using Jeff and Kristi Hoffman’s ammo. You’ve been warned! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Some Brief Advice on Establishing Trusts

I often have readers and consulting clients write to ask me about establishing family trusts. These are used to shelter assets including land, houses, vehicles, and firearms. In the context of present-day America, one of the goals of any good trust is anonymity. So I recommend that you pick a generic “vanilla” name that is innocuous and that is un-related to your family surname, your locale, the nature of the included assets, your politics, your religion, or your personal interests. The goal here is to have name that won’t trigger suspicion or scrutiny. Some good choices would be “The Hallifax Trust” or “The Sunnyside Trust.” Some bad choices would be: “The Porter Family Patriot Trust, “The Spirit of 1776 Trust”, “The Auric Trust” or “The Kalashnikov Trust.”

In the past, I’ve recommended creating a separate gun trust, primarily for NFA registered ($5 and $200 Federal transfer tax) guns and suppressors. But that window of opportunity appears to be closing. – JWR

JWR is Looking for a Beta-Light Mapreader or Torch (or Two)

For my own use here at the ranch I’m looking to purchase a fresh and bright (less than three year old) original tritium Beta-Light map reader. I can use one with or without an integral compass.

If you are confused about what I’m seeking, see this photo. I’d also consider buying one or two Beta-Light Torches (flashlights).

They should be marked with any of these NSNs:

Map Readers:

NSN: 6605-99-186-9075
NSN: 6605-99-458-1598
NSN: 6605-99-593-2157

Torches (tritium flashlights): NSN: 6260-99-965-3582

I can pay cash (Bitcoin, PayPal, PMO, greenbacks, or whatever,) or I’m willing to work out some great trades from the hundreds of full capacity magazines that I’ve stocked up for barter in Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR.) – JWR

Recipe of the Week:

J.B.’s Creamy Rice Pudding

Take 1 cup of white rice and add 2 cups of water in a pot capable of holding at least 9 cups. 
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 6 minutes.  Stir once or twice.
Cover pot, turn off heat and go milk the cow or goat.  While you’re at it, go check the chickens for a few eggs.
Return in no less than 30 minutes.

Fluff the now cooked rice and add 3 cups of fresh milk and sweeten to taste. Stir well.  One to two cups of sugar is plenty for most.
(At this point some raisins or other dried fruit may be added if preferred.  For a more unique taste, two oz. of Jack Daniels may be added.  The alcohol will evaporate leaving an interesting flavour.)
Return to heating & bring to a slow simmer for 45 minutes to an hour stirring occasionally. Be sure to stir the very bottom of the pot.  
If the pudding is getting dry or cooked out, add some milk.  You cannot over cook it but you can burn it if there is not enough moisture. Keep an eye on it.
At the end of an hour of simmering things should be looking pretty much like pudding.

The last step: Slowly add 2 well scrambled eggs and a healthy splash of vanilla.  
Increase the heat a little and stir vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes until egg & vanilla are well mixed in & the egg is cooked.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, let cool, give thanks and enjoy.  

(If doubling or otherwise multiplying the recipe, the times do not change, but the pot size will.) 

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Traditional Pudding Recipes

Rice Pudding recipe

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

Economics and Investing:

Insider: Supermarkets Have Less Than One Day Supply Of Food On Hand

RBS sent a link to some fascinatingly detailed information: Farm Subsidy Data. RBS says: “The database tracks $256 billion in farm subsidies from commodity, crop insurance, and disaster programs and $39 billion in conservation payments paid between 1995 and 2012. Just enter your ZIP code and you will find who has taken subsidy money from the Feds.”

Worth ranting about: Dylan Ratigan speak up about U.S. government obligations.

Items from The Economatrix:

Complete Collapse & Economic Meltdown Will Shock The World

Why The Gold Surge Is Just Starting: Peter Schiff

US Credibility Continues To Erode: Gundlach

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader AmEx (American Expatriate) sent: What the Government Does with Americans’ Data

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Over at my friend Commander Zero’s blog: Feds Say Possession of “Large Amounts” of Weapons May Indicate Terrorist Activity. JWR’s Comment: The linked article has a photo of what could best be described as a “starter” gun collection (a couple of ARs, a FAL, an AK, and a few handguns.) If that constitutes a “weapons cache”, then the agents must be from some gun-deprived eastern Nanny State. They would surely have a fit of apoplexy if they walked into JASBORR. This somehow reminds me of a piece that I wrote back in March of 2007. (That, BTW, is still wandering around the Internet in one of those endlessly-forwarded e-mails–with attribution to my authorship removed, and no mention of copyright.)

o o o

Cheryl liked this one: Washington’s Blog: Americans Have Lost VIRTUALLY ALL of Our Constitutional Rights

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” – Mark Twain

Notes from JWR:

October 20th is the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) Part of each year, he lives on his ranch in North Idaho, deep in the American Redoubt. Also at his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses that were used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo.

—

This is also the birthday of exhibition shooter Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) His classic book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is still in print, after 75 years! McGivern was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana.

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Today we present another entry for Round 49 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $8,730 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy. G.) Two BirkSun.com photovoltaic backpacks (one Level, and one Atlas, both black), with a combined value of $275, H.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. I.) A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225, and J.) Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad. They have a combined value of $195.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P.), E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials F.) A full set of all 22 of the books published by PrepperPress.com. This is more than a $200 value, and G.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security., F.) A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises , and G.) A Nesco / American Harvest Gardenmaster Dehydrator with an extra set of trays, and the book The Dehydrator Bible, from Mayflower Trading. (A $210 value.)

Round 49 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Keeping Time When The Schumer Hits The Fan, by Brad F.

I am a retail jeweler that is nearing retirement and am looking forward to my move to the Redoubt where we already have a house with some land to grow and raise things on.

So in reading the SurvivalBlog, I have been thinking how we will keep time after the watch batteries run out and the mechanical watches stop working, and of course the electric clocks have stopped.

There are multiple ways to achieve accurate time keeping when the power is off, some temporary and some permanent. My first solution is to buy a solar powered wrist watch, then make sure that I have one or two mechanical clocks and when time permits, construct a sun dial.

The recommendations below are just my take on solutions and if you choose to purchase any products that I suggest, I will have no economic or other benefit. I just thought that time keeping might not be a high priority on everyone’s list of lists but something useful to think about.

In the past I have sold Citizen Eco-Drive watches and they have been very reliable. They come with a five year warranty and have performed well, with a very low percentage of non working watches.  Citizen first sold them in the mid 1990s, so I expect that they have improved the technology since then. I have not owned one since then as I have been wearing high end mechanical watches which need expert watchmakers to keep operating. When the Schumer hits the fan, these will eventually stop operating and the other battery operated watches that I have will also stop when the small power cell goes dead.

The Eco-Drive has a solar collector under the dial and the battery will not ever have to be replaced. Any light will charge it. Casio also makes a solar drive watch, but most are more expensive and have complicated functions.  Citizen has a large selection of watches with Eco-Drive as I viewed the company web site today. Unfortunately, men’s styles outnumber the women’ styles in the Eco-Drive.

My recommendation is the simple stainless steel with time and calendar only as the complicated movements are nice to look at and the stop watch function is useful at times, but they add an unknown factor of failure. So the simple timekeeper is what I will buy online soon. My choice is model number AW1150-07E. 

Most people will opt for the metal bracelet. Not me. I want the comfort of a leather strap as they tend to soak the sweat and are more comfortable for me. The watch that I will order comes with a synthetic black rubber band. I will get a few black leather bands and spring bars that attach band to the case so I can replace as needed as leather is my preference.

Normally, I do not recommend that a person attempts to change the power cell in their own watch as there are many mine fields in doing so. It seems that the cheaper the watch the more difficult it is to remove and replace the case back. Jewelers have special tools to either unscrew or snap open the back and a pressure tool to reinstall the snap backs and that results in a broken crystal on occasion. So unless you have a screw case back and proper wrench, it is unlikely that a non jeweler would have much success at battery installation even if the correct battery was on hand.  There are at least fifty different batteries that fit watches and they have various shelf lives, lithium having the longest shelf and working life, most are silver oxide and the advertised shelf life is one year. My experience is that the shelf life is much longer. I have not done a real time study but used some that have been around for several years and they worked just fine.

A person that is determined to keep his or her battery powered watch( with a screw back only) operating for a long as possible could go to their local jeweler to find out the specific battery required and then order from a jewelers supply a number of batteries and a case opener . I talked to Roseco, Inc., 13740 Omega Road, Dallas, TX 75244 -972-991-9731 and they will sell to non jewelers watch case openers and batteries. The one that I recommend for a screw back watch would be L-G Master case opener wrench Stock number WCW100. ($45.95) This is an adjustable wrench that will fit ladies and men’s watches. Small screwdrivers, item number SSE100 ($4.69) also from Roseco, Inc. will be required and the Home Depot or Ace Hardware also has similar small sets in stock.

One thing to know is if the crown on the watch is pulled out, it ;eaves and incomplete circuit and the watch will stop as the battery is not being used. So a watch will have a good battery that is not using power at the maximum, only the shelf life discharge. This would be a way of keeping several watches in reserve, remember they might work when needed or not depending on the shelf life of each specific battery. I have seen some that will work five years after the crown is pulled out, most likely the exception.

If a person is handy, most windup clocks can be cleaned and oiled and they will run and keep time.

Overview of the task: Remove from case, remove hands and dial, go carefully with this as hands and dial damage easily. Clean movement in a petroleum based cleaner, kerosene, benzene or other light solvent, using a brush to remove black residue from the bearings. Rinse in rubbing alcohol and let dry. Using very light oil, 3 in one, etc. apply a VERY VERY SMALL amount in each bearing and a little on the Main Spring. Attach dial and carefully install hands, hour hand first and then the minute hand,  line up the hour hand at the 6 o’clock position and then put the minute hand at the 12 o’clock position and the hands should be in time with each other, and last, the seconds hand if there is one. Make sure the hands are level and do not touch each other as that will stop the clock. Return it to the case; be sure to clean the crystal before installation. Most clocks have time adjustments but the clock most likely was keeping time before it stopped, so it should keep time after cleaning if adjustments have not been disturbed.

If adjusting is required there usually is an adjustment on the escapement or balance wheel on a windup clock. On a pendulum clock the adjustment is to raise or lower the pendulum, lower is slower. Amazon has several books on clock repair listed.

There is another solution to a battery powered clock, which is to have a solar panel with battery charger and rechargeable batteries. Then the only challenge is to reset a clock when changing batteries and if you anticipate when the battery will expire or just plan to put a freshly recharged battery in at regular times you should be able to do it quickly and the time will not be off too much.

Another solution is a sun dial which has ancient roots. There is a good video demonstrated how to make a sun dial. Even though it is constructed from foam board, I would think one could be made from stainless steel and brass or copper for markers that will be my plan. Just remember to get your location correct in order for the sun dial to be accurate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GOFiJSElI  Sun Dial
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Sundial  simple Sun Dial

It is fortunate that I have a Jaeger Le Coulter Atmos Clock which is powered by air pressure. They will operate for 10-20 years without service. In a TEOTWAWKI situation when this clock stops it will not be able to be repaired until the world is functioning again. When this clock was sent to the company, Le Coulter, for servicing six years ago, the cost was $1,500. These are available on EBay from $700 to over $2,600. I believe the retail cost is $5,000 at this time. These might not be in the budget and buying a used clock that may operate for a long time  that is costly to repair or might not be able to be repaired might not be the best use of funds while prepping. Just wanted to inform what is available in time keeping that does not need electricity.

My solution is to have most of the above time keeping devises and to monitor them as to accuracy and adjust as required before they become critical.

When I move to the American Redoubt, I will take some watch batteries, work bench and tools to replace batteries and even to clean and repair windup clocks if there are any in the neighborhood. Since I am thinking about the subject, I will make an effort to stop by yard sales etc, and buy all Big Ben or Baby Ben clocks as they are easy to repair and of course, no electricity or batteries needed. Many people have old wind up wall or desk clocks and they will come in handy in the future if they are operating.

Letter Re: Jewish Resistance During WWII

James,
Your mention of Zus Bielski’s birthday and the film Defiance. (and the book upon which it is based) brought to mind an excellent 90-minute documentary by PBS, “Resistance: Untold Stories of Jewish Partisans,” produced in 2001. It is available online at Vimeo.  (or from PBS Home Video on DVD)

It includes interviews with many partisans among them Aron Bielski, the youngest of the brothers (still living). After more than half a century since the holocaust, the myth still persists that all of the Jews just walked peacefully to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  More than 20,000 Jews fought the Nazis as partisans. In this group memoir, eleven men and women, now in their 70s and 80s, recount their battle against the Nazis in Poland, Lithuania, and Belorussia from 1941 to 1945. They chronicle their battle for survival, the almost insolvable dilemmas facing Jewish partisans (provisions, weapons, and prejudice) and the emotional aftermath of war. This is among the best documentaries of their story that I have seen. – Dollardog

Letter Re: Preparing for EMP and DEW — A Layman’s Guide

Dear Editor:
In answer to Norm’s question: Yes, insulating items that are already inside a Faraday shield appears to be superfluous. As long as the shield works (is unbroken and made of the right materials and configurations to counter the frequencies targeted), the overwhelming vast majority of the energy does stay outside. This has been verified in our tests and is a basis for the products we make. For example, we tested our laptop EMP shield against an EMP simulator made by APELC in Texas – no visible upset was observed despite their machine throwing over 150 kV/m at our shielded laptop. An unshielded computer next to the shielded one was reset – had we attached cables to provide a pathway into the unshielded computer, it’s likely that computer would have been permanently destroyed.

To give you an idea of what “overwhelming vast majority” means – we also covered their probe with our shield to protect it from being damaged. At a field strength of roughly 150 kilovolts/m or higher, the probe measured 15 volts – and the closure around the probe was not very good, so it’s very possible the probe would have measured even less with a good seal.

We have some videos of the testing on our web site and Youtube channels (EM Starfish Defender) that you can see – while we don’t provide the field strengths, they should all be  50,000 -150,000+ volts/meter. Our Marx generator and the APELC device are roughly equivalent – the major factor is the APELC device (outdoors version) uses much more power because it generates a pulse at a distance whereas ours is up-close (and therefore needs less energy to achieve the same field strength). Their machine also produces a spark in a shorter time frame than ours.

I have received a lot of questions being tossed my way. I was hoping to clarify a couple points that I could have written better.

Point 1: I had written that E1/E2 is not significant over large distances. I failed to clarify that this is true on an INDIVIDUAL level, not a societal one. According to Army graphs, field strengths of up to 25,000 v/m of E1 energy can be generated across most of the United States. A field strength of 50,000 v/m covers a far smaller area. The EMP Commission report stated that radios and personal computers require strengths of 50 kv/M or more on average in order for anomalies to start occurring – even then, most of the time these small electronics can be fixed by resetting them. (All numbers are approximate and the report should be consulted for the exact statements). Our own testing results are consistent with this finding – so most small/personal electronics are safe from E1 to start with – UNLESS a “super-EMP” is used. In a Faraday cage, they are definitely safe, even from “super-EMP” weapons.

HOWEVER, societal-scale electronics such as traffic lights, railroad switches, etc can exhibit anomalies, according to the EMP Commission Report, in field strengths as low as 6-7,000 v/m – these are approximate numbers and the full report should be consulted. That said, anomalies does not equate to destruction. A simple manual reset should fix most problems. Repair times are estimated to be relatively short. The main problem is attempting restoration with communications, electricity, and transportation all being down – nobody has tested out the theory, which is the problem with EMP.

Credit to D. Gore for pointing out that this needed clarification.

Point 2: I had stated that one of the biggest fears that we have are that the backup systems at nuclear power plants are not EMP-proofed. According to Ralph Machesky (who works at Applied Research Associates), they are not. This makes sense from our perspective, because the backup generators are supposed to be there in case the primaries fail, which is not supposed to happen; EMP-proofing the generators seems beyond the minimum standard. We also believe this to be the case. However, if any readers work in the industry and have first-hand knowledge of whether this is true or not, they should feel free to chime in.

Thanks again, – Joel Ho