Pat’s Product Review: CRKT Otanashi Noh Ken Folder

I spent more than half my life involved in the martial arts – and not just one style, either. I started out in Judo, and earned my Black Belt in this style. I went on to study several different styles of Karate, as well as Kung Fu. I hold Black Belt rank in five different styles of martial arts, with my highest Black Belt ranking a 6th Degree. Not bragging, not in the least, as I honestly believe that when you get your Black Belt, you are then a very serious student of the martial arts. I have adapted what I learned over 35 years and developed a street style of martial arts, for real-life self-defense, not for winning trophies. Whenever someone came to me, for training, I asked them why they wanted to learn martial arts techniques. If they said they wanted to win trophies, I directed them to another school. At one time, I ran four different schools, and all we taught were self-defense fighting techniques.
 
My advanced students – Black Belts – were afforded the opportunity to train in knife and gun fighting techniques, as well as unarmed techniques they learned from me. Having been around knives all my life, and tested them and written about them for a lot of years, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what makes a good fighting knife. I’ve also designed several fighting knives over the years, with my latest design sitting here on my desk – trying to decide which knife company I should send it to, for a possible collaboration, and get it into customer’s hands, as an affordable fixed blade fighter – custom handmade versions are available, but I want to get factory made versions out there, at affordable prices.
 
I received several requests from SurvivalBlog readers to test the new Columbia River Knife & Tool Otanashi noh Ken Model 2906  – and this is a new model for 2013, and I spent two weeks pouring over the new CRKT 2013 catalog and completely missed requesting one of these knives for testing. I contacted Rod Bremer, the owner of CRKT and requested a sample, and Rod always comes through – they were sold out, but they managed to find one in the warehouse for me…this knife is in great demand right now, so be advised.
 
The 2906 was designed by James Williams, who has designed several knives for CRKT over the past several years. Williams is a military veteran and a current martial arts practitioner/instructor. So, it comes as no surprise that he knows cutlery. His Hissatsu knife designs have become a favorite with military Special Forces around the world. I like his Hissatsu designs and own most or all of them, but the Model 2906 really added something to his already famous design – it’s one of those things that is hard to explain, but easy to understand, once you get the knife in your hand. the 2906 is a further design refinement on the Hissatsu line-up from Williams.
 
Many knives are designed for several tasks, and that’s not a bad thing. However, the 2906 is purpose-driven, and it was designed for one thing, and one thing only – to be used as a weapon . The 2906 was designed for SOCOM (Special Operations Command) as a primary or a secondary weapon to augment the handgun in the hands of well-trained professionals. Again, this knife is purpose-driven – it is a weapon, not a hunting knife, or a knife to be used around the kitchen – although it could be. However, it was not designed for these purposes.
 
The Otanashi noh Ken has an AUS 8 stainless steel blade, one of my favorites because it is affordable and easy to re-sharpen, and it will do all you ask of it. The Rockwell hardness is 58-59 – which is just right. The blade is 4.52-inches long – so this is a blade that can reach out there and touch someone. CRKT describes this blade style as a Clip Point – I guess it could be called that – albeit a very modified Clip Point design. The grind in hollow and the edge is plain. The finish is bead blasted, with a black corrosion resistant finish – very tactical looking. The lock-up is from the CRKT Frame Lock design, a very strong one – where one side of the handle actually locks the blade open ,and the other side of the handle is G10 scales – tough stuff. There is also the LAWKS manually operated locking device, that turns this folder into a virtual fixed  blade knife. The pocket clip allows for very deep carry in the pocket and it is NOT reversible – it is a one position clip. Opened the 2906 is 10.13-inches and the it weighs in a 6.4-ounces. There is a thumb disk on the top of the blade, however I found I can easily flick the blade open with my wrist for faster deployment.
 
I’ve often mentioned that, most knife fights are designed around slashing moves – and they are. However, you might be required to do some penetrating moves, and the 2906 thin blade, with a needle point on the blade has exceptional penetrating ability. I used some stacked cardboard and the knife VERY easily stabbed to the handle without much effort on my part – this knife can penetrate. I also had some thin sheet metal, and I used the LAWKS manual lock to further lock the blade open and I was able to easily penetrate the sheet metal without much effort at all. I can see the 2906 penetrating soft body armor, too.
 
The long curved blade is also designed for slashing moves, and the actual cutting area of the blade is longer than the measured length of the blade because it is curved upwards from the hilt to the point. Again, hard to explain, however if you check out the CRKT web site, you’ll see how the long curve is on this blade. I can see this blade easily slicing down to the bone on an arm or leg. If a Special Forces Operator were to use this knife to take out an enemy sentry, I could see if easily slicing through the front of the throat all the way to the back of the neck – not a pretty picture, but I believe this folder can do it with ease. Again, this knife was designed to be purpose-driven, and that is as a weapon – primary or secondary. I wouldn’t willingly take a knife to a gun fight, however, I wouldn’t feel the least bit under armed against several attackers if I had this knife in my hand. This knife instills a lot of confidence because of the design of the blade.
 
The Otanashi noh Ken is one of those knives that has to be experienced, to fully understand it. It’s one of those knives that is hard to explain in words, but easy to understand, if you are involved in the martial arts, or in a high-risk military MOS, that may require you to use a knife against an enemy combatant. I like knives that are hard to explain, but easy to understand, once you hold it in your hand – it has to be experienced to fully appreciate it.
 
It’s not very often that a knife comes along that is totally purpose-driven. If you are looking for a knife that was specifically designed as a weapon, then take a close look at the CRKT Model 2906 for your next purchase. And, be sure to check out the other James Williams designs, I’m betting you’ll find a few more in the Hissatsu line-up that you’ll want. Currently – (I’m writing this on May 4, 2013) – this knife is still sold out on the CRKT web site. I told you they are popular. However, I’m hoping that they will have more in-stock when this article comes out in print. The Otanashi noh Ken doesn’t come cheap. It retails for $150. However this folder is well worth the asking price. So, take a close look at the 2906, and see if it might be something you want to add to your battery of weapons for self-defense and survival use. I plan on getting a second 2906 when they become available again – that’s how much I like this design! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: The Dark Side of the New Illinois CCW Law

Dear Jim,
I’m hoping that you will help me get the word out nationwide on this:

As many celebrate the passage of Concealed Carry in Illinois it comes with a very heavy price. Municipalities have 10 days from the law’s enactment to pass their own “Assault Weapons” bans. Many of us in the suburbs of Chicago will face a choice in 90 days to move our weapons somewhere else, render them permanently inoperable or turn them over to the police. Lets call it what it is, Confiscation!

No grandfathering, straight up outlawing of previously lawfully owned rifles and standard capacity magazines. It doesn’t spell out that they are going to come kick in our doors but it certainly makes it a possibility.

Please withhold publishing my name I have not decided what my course of action will be. The crooks who run Illinois are dishonorable and tyrannical and I very much fear for my safety as I exercise my 1st Amendment right while trying to do some small thing to try and save our rights under both the Second and Fourteenth amendments and for good measure I’m sure they will violate a couple more amendments along the way!

Thanks! – Fearful in Illinois

Recipe of the Week:

Sassy C.’s Shelf Stable Chicken Enchilada Chili

For my boys with large appetites –the following recipe only serves three people!

1 onion chopped (can be replaced with dried onions)
1 can chopped green chilis–do not drain, add both chilis and juice
1 large can white chicken
1 can corn
1 can black beans (can be replaced with dried beans that are cooked up)
1 can enchilada sauce (I’ve used both green and red–the green is a little more sour, the red a little more sweet. Use the larger can if you want to serve over spinach or lettuce)
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream*
 
-Saute onion in a little bit of oil until transparent (or reconstitute if using dried by mixing with chicken/enchilada sauce/taco seasoning). Add chicken, enchilada sauce and taco seasoning until taco sauce until simmering.
-Add remaining ingredients *except for* yogurt or sour cream. Simmer for 20 minutes.
-Add yogurt or sour cream just before serving–do not let boil, just let it get warm and serve.
-We serve this either over spinach, chopped romaine, over rice or quinoa, wrapped in tortillas or as a dip with corn chips.
 
*We use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because of digestion issues and the fact that Greek yogurt adds protein. Either is fine, just be sure you don’t boil the enchilada chili once you add this. Eliminating the yogurt/sour cream is also fine–we’ve done that and everyone still loves it!

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Chicken Enchilada Recipes

Recipe: Mexican Casserole – Food Storage Style

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

Economics and Investing:

Five years of the Fed and Treasury Department’s forced Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP) have badly distorted our economy, removing any pretense of a “free market.” All that we have left are markets on life support. With yields of less than 1/4 of 1%, passbook savings accounts are joke. Money market rates ranging from 0.40% to 0.85% aren’t much better. With ZIRP, local, state, and Federal government over-spending has had no serious consequences. But when rates eventually do spike, there will be a bloodbath. Bond yields are completely out of whack. Banks have been given unrealistically high reserves. So ZIRP is also a bailout in disguise that is keeping insolvent banks floating, long after they should have failed. Worst of all, ZIRP has created negative rates of return, after adjusting for inflation. This discourages genuine savings and investing. Out of desperation, savers and investors now plunge their money into the stock market, hedge funds, mutual funds, junk bonds, and derivatives, which have become enormous casinos with wild price gyrations. This enormous malinvestment now threatens an era of market manias, panics and crashes. With a stagnant economy, there is no end in sight for ZIRP. It will likely continue to 2014 and beyond. In the long run we will all suffer for it. So we must ask: Cui bono? It clearly isn’t you and me that benefits. It is the government and the banksters.

UPS Shares Slide on Dimmed Forecast. Note that this is a key sign of a declining economy.

Items from The Economatrix:

It’s Here: The Stealth Collapse Of The American Economy

Excess Reserves at the Federal Reserve. One of The Biggest Financial Scams In History: A Whopping $1.794 Trillion

John Galta:  The 67% Stock Market Crash No One Wants To Talk About

IMF Cuts World Growth Forecast Again

Odds ‘n Sods:

I recently heard about a useful site: PrepperDating.com. I ‘ve just added that link to my Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area static page.

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Sarah Connor saw it coming: Boston Dynamics has been busy working on an entrant for DARPA’s Virtual Robotics Challenge, a contest aimed to create robots that can help in disaster situations. Gee, “…someday save you from a crumbling building.” That sounds so noble. So what about: “… someday relentlessly track you down and shoot you, or crush your skull.”

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The good folks at Cajun Safety and Survival are offering a brand new but out of the box Zoll AED Plus defibrillator complete with alarmed and strobed cabinet, priced at $2,000 ($1,700 for the unit and $300 for the cabinet.) With the cabinet, this would be an ideal AED to donate to your local church or private school. They have promised to donate 15% of the purchase price to the Memsahib Memorial Fund, benefiting the Anchor of Hope mission school in Zambia. There are no requirements to owning this unit other than having the money to buy it.

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Micah Wood of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries wrote to mention the movie “Attack on Darfur.” Micah’s summary: “You can mostly fast forward till about 40+ minutes in (the first 40 minutes has lots of swearing and violence and too much of setting the stage of journalists being ushered around by African Union (AU) people who have a mandate to not intervene), but then a ‘convicted’ journalist demands a gun from the AU observer to go back and help defend a village that they just left, knowing that it would be attacked by the Janjaweed. It has an interesting outcome. (I don’t want to ruin it for you.)”

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Ready Made Resources is currently offering a Goal Zero Yeti 1250 photovoltaic power system with a bonus third solar panel (a $240 value) for $1,599, with free shipping.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Panics do not destroy capital; they merely reveal the extent to which it has been previously destroyed by its betrayal into hopelessly unproductive works."  – John Stuart Mill

Notes from JWR:

Please pray that any protests following the George Zimmerman verdict will be peaceful. I urge my readers–especially those in cities in the southeastern United States–to be prepared to hunker down at home to avoid a lengthy period of rioting. (This could be similar to the west coast riots following the Rodney King trial decision.) The history of riots here in the States shows that riots during summer months can be the worst and the most protracted.

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Barton Biggs passed away one year ago, today. He was a money manager who favored personal preparedness. He is greatly missed.

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This is also the birthday of Colonel Einar A. Malmstrom. He was born in 1907, died in the crash of a T-33 on August 21, 1954 near Great Falls, Montana. He was a decorated Air Force pilot, a Luft Stalag POW in Germany, and a test pilot. By the way, Malmstrom AFB was one of the settings for my novel Founders. (The base was named in his honor.)

It is noteworthy that a number of WWII veteran pilots met their demise in the P-80/F-80 and T-33. (The latter was the two-seat trainer version of the F-80.) In addition to Einar Malmstrom, there were also ace pilots Richard Bong and Don Gentile. The level of complexity of the new 600 m.p.h. jets was daunting, and in some ways the T-33–like many other jets with steep glide ratios–was an unforgiving aircraft in the event of engine trouble. The early ejection seats lacked a canopy breaker. With many years of service, the Lockheed-designed trainer has plenty of lore. My father, Donald Rawles, was a T-33 instructor pilot during the Korean War. Many of his student pilots were French and Belgian, which made his role even more difficult and at times downright perilous, due to the language barrier. I can remember reading through one of his old notebooks. It included a lengthy hand-written engine re-start procedure, in the event of a flameout. I cannot imagine going through that checklist in the brief time available in a low altitude glide, or much less when recovering from a flat spin.

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Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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.) Two BirkSun.com photovoltaic backpacks (one Level, and one Atlas, both black), with a combined value of $275, G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and H.) 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.

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 and F.) 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.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 47 ends on July 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.

Tea Tree Oil When There Is No Medicine, by B.R. in San Diego

Disclaimer: I am a retired military officer and school teacher.  I have no formal medical or first aid training.  My recommendations are made based on anecdotal personal experience.  Nothing I recommend should be undertaken without first consulting with a physician.
 
When there is no medicine.
Preppers have usually read and probably own copies of well-respected books having to do with post-TEOTWAWKI conditions in which medical and dental care are not available.  Most of us have accumulated some knowledge of what medicines to stockpile, their uses, and shelf-lives.  After persuading a physician to write prescriptions for the desired medicinals, some have expended precious resources acquiring some useful broad spectrum antibiotics and other controlled substances to treat injuries and illnesses in the absence of doctors and hospitals.  All of this is good.  To the stockpile of prescription drugs, most would add hand sanitizer, alcohol, betadine, OTC medicines, bandages, sutures and all manner of first aid equipment and supplies.  If you have to bug out on foot, it might be a lot to carry. 
 
Bug out with what you can carry. 
I can imagine a lot of bug out scenarios where 72 hours becomes a few weeks or a year if your preparedness is sufficient.  Water, food, shelter and self-defense; knowledge and abilities; and restoration of society are all important elements of any plan. None of which will come to much if a small cut becomes infected or lack of dental hygiene allows tooth decay.  Small things you say. Details.  Okay, but there are far more wounded than killed in any battle, and infections kill more soldiers than enemy action.  As a people we are probably smart enough to knock out an abscessed tooth, and we may even amputate a gangrenous limb.  But there may be a way to avoid these unpleasant and desperate remedies. There is an inexpensive all natural substance that is an antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifungal liquid which can treat a wide variety of injuries and medical conditions without side effects.  It is tea tree oil.  It is available all over the internet and in some health food stores for a few bucks.  Here are just some of its uses.  There are many more.
 
Cuts, abrasions, burns, bee stings, acne, cold sores, ringworm, warts.  
Use it as you would triple antibiotic ointment, which is not antiviral, antifungal or anti-inflammatory. Most pain has its root cause in inflammation.  Treat the inflammation and the pain is greatly reduced or eliminated.  Bandage the wound, of course.  Check the wound and retreat, of course. I stopped using Neosporin when the lanolin-based ointment was replaced by the white petrolatum based product.  Petroleum jelly is not as readily absorbed through the skin. Tea tree oil is absorbed almost instantly. Try this: dab a single drop of tea tree oil to the outside of your cheek and see how long it takes before you taste it.  It will be instantaneous.     
 
Strains and sprains of the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons.

Tendonitis.  
Call me crazy, but tea tree oil works as well as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.  Dab it on with a fingertip, Q-tip or cotton ball.  Repeat every few hours.  Healing will be quicker than with NSAIDS.  Unlike most oral medicines, tea tree oil works on the inflammation at the site of the injury, not in your head. Repeated use of tea tree oil does not damage your liver. After taking some medicines, the pain is still there, you just don’t feel it. Make a patch out of a one inch square piece of cotton cloth and a few inches of medical tape.  Dab the cloth with tea tree oil and apply it to the injury site.  Change twice a day.  You will experience greatly reduced pain and inflammation.  I have had good results using a mix of 10 per cent tea tree oil and 90 per cent Bag Balm. Rub it in. You can treat your injury and soften your skin at the same time. This mix is particularly effective when rubbed on your rough heels. I know people who have experienced good results with a mix of 10 per cent tea tree oil and 90 per cent aloe vera gel. It works better than either product used alone.
 
Head lice, fleas, and ticks.
Add a few drops of tea tree oil to shampoo, or rinse hair with a quart of water mixed with 10 drops of tea tree oil.  For safe tick removal, dab the critter with tea tree oil.  It will back out.  Never tweeze an embedded tick at the abdomen, and don’t try to burn it with a lighter or extinguished match head.  It will deposit saliva as well as stomach contents under your skin. Tea tree oil is much gentler on the tick, which many prevent it from vomiting with its head under your skin. You want the tick to back out.  You don’t want to kill it while it is still attached. In North America, ticks can be vectors for dozens of diseases.
 
Blisters. Soak a needle and cotton thread in tea tree oil. Pass the needle and thread through the blister at the widest point and leave six inches of thread passing out both sides of the blister. The blister will drain by wicking the moisture out through the thread.  Dab more tea tree oil on the blister twice a day.  Pull the thread out when the water is gone and the blistered skin has re-adhered. If a blister has ripped open, swab the whole thing with tea tree oil twice a day.  Keep it clean and bandage it.
 
Athlete’s Foot.
Tea tree oil is an excellent antifungal and is unbeatable as a treatment for athlete’s foot.  Washing feet regularly in a solution of a few drops of tea tree oil in a gallon of warm water will prevent re-infection.  Soaking socks and sneakers in the same solution is an excellent preventative.
 
Hemorrhoids.  
If you’ve got hemorrhoids, you’ve got an inflammation of some very delicate tissues. Did you bring the Preparation H in your bug out bag? If not, dab on a little tea tree oil until the condition is cured.  If bowel movements are painful, dip a finger in tea tree oil.  You will know what to do with it.  Do it before and after. 
 
Psoriasis.
Let’s be clear.  There is no cure for psoriasis. However, there are many reports of people achieving significant relief of the symptoms of psoriasis by treating the infected area with undiluted tea tree oil.  It may take six months of daily treatments.
 
Toenail fungus. 
18 per cent of people who treated their toenail fungus twice daily for six months with tea tree oil were cured.  60 per cent achieved significant improvement of appearance and reduction of symptoms.
 
Oral Hygiene.  
First of all, tea tree oil tastes and smells terrible.  So naturally, I use it in my mouth.  After brushing and flossing or waterpicking, I dip a GUM Bo Between interdental stimulator in tea tree oil and run it between the teeth, rinsing the device in water and redipping every third tooth.  The tea tree oil is very rapidly absorbed, so the taste doesn’t last long.  Spit, don’t swallow. The rapid absorption also allows swishing with water or mouthwash shortly after the application. Those with bleeding gums will see this condition disappear in a week of daily treatments.  After that, twice a week is often enough.  Most adult Americans have gingivitis or some periodontal disease.  In the absence of regular dental exams and cleaning, the situation will likely get worse.  Much worse.  Quickly.  A dental hygiene kit of toothbrush, floss, GUM, and an ounce of tea tree oil will greatly improve a person’s chances of lasting a year or more without toothache, tooth loss, inflammation or gum disease.  If I had to choose between toothpaste and tea tree oil, I would carry the tea tree oil for its many other uses. But I wouldn’t brush my teeth with it.
 
Products containing tea tree oil.
Soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste, gels, shampoo, surface cleansers and many other products with a wide variety of applications are available with tea tree oil as an active ingredient.  Products containing tea tree oil are particularly effective when sanitization or disinfection is desired as well as general cleaning. You can make your own.  Recipes are all over the internet. Each of these products has its uses in your everyday life as well as post-TEOTWAWKI.    
 
If you are bugging out, you have many of the same goals and use many of the same techniques as long distance hikers.  A hike of 2,600 miles requires a light pack.  You can lighten your load if everything you carry has multiple uses. Your jacket is also your pillow.  Your trekking poles are your tent poles. Your bandana is your camp towel. Tea tree oil has many uses; some are medicinal, some are merely convenient.  Tea tree oil is like WD40.  New uses are found every day, but it won’t stop wrinkles. Every bottle of tea tree oil states it is for external use only, and keep it away from children.  That means don’t drink it, and don’t let kids have it. I wouldn’t put it in my eyes or ears, although treatments for earache and pinkeye can be found.     

Letter Re: Old Military Physical Fitness Manuals

JWR,
You were spot on with your comments regarding the improper stretching.  In fact, the U.S. Navy has recently made major changes to it’s authorized workout routine because PT standards from just a year ago are now considered potentially harmful.  The new workout routine is as follows…The beginning of a workout involves “Dynamic warmups” instead of stretches to prevent injury.  Here’s a link to the PDF on dynamic warmups.   The workout commences once the full-body dynamic stretches are complete.  “Static Stretching” is only done at the end of the workout.  Here’s another link that highlights good and bad forms. Regards, – Anonymous Sailor

Letter Re: Dehydration and Rehydration Solutions

James,
Rehydration can still be accomplished when a person cannot take anything by mouth. Normally he would be given an IV. In a SHTF situation, this may not be possible. Rather one can fill an enema bag with normal saline (very dilute salt water-recipe on the internet-need not be sterile) attach a rubber urinary catheter to the enema tip, Using vaseline jelly feed the rubber catheter into the rectum carefully as not to pierce the bowel and let the tepid salt water very slowly drip in. It should be able to be absorbed because it is going in very slowly and a little higher up rather than being forcefully expelled as would happen if an irritating solution was used to treat constipation. This should only be done of course when the benefits outweigh the risk. – Sharon G.

Economics and Investing:

Gold And Silver – Knowledge Is Not Of Value. Using It Is

Bill Bonner’s latest commentary on mass inflation: Gono, but Not Forgotten

F.G. sent this news from Arizona: APS seeks higher bills for new solar customers

Items from The Economatrix:

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts:  US Trying to Push Back a Dollar Blowup

US Consumer Borrowing Up As Credit Card Use Rises

15 Signs That The Quality Of Jobs In America Is Going Downhill Really Fast

Odds ‘n Sods:

Why we need full capacity magazines: Multiple attackers.

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Signing UN Arms Trade Treaty While Congress at Summer Recess. (This move arrogantly contradicts the U.S. Senate’s vote, in March.)

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Federal judge: Post Office violated man’s rights by banning gun from parking lot

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Some sad statistics: 27 Facts That Prove Families In America Are In The Worst Shape Ever

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A reader in Oz metioned that the Wikipedia article on the NLR (Nous sommes la résistance)–“an Australian prepper organisation” has been recommended for deletion. It seems notable enough to me, but of course I’m an inclusionist.) Those who are familiar with the machinations of Wikipedia are encouraged topolitely chime in, one way or the other.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” – Matthew 25:40-46 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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.) Two BirkSun.com photovoltaic backpacks (one Level, and one Atlas, both black), with a combined value of $275, G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and H.) 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.

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 and F.) 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.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 47 ends on July 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.

Airsoft, Pellets, and BBs: Inexpensive M1911 Practice, by M.M.

With the continuing ammunition shortage, inexpensive firearms practice has become impossible.  .45ACP centerfire pistol ammo, when available, pushes a dollar a round.  I haven’t seen .22LR for a lot less than fifty cents a round either.  Ridiculous!  However, there are replica, 1:1 scale copies, air or gas powered guns and ammo that simulate the M1911 firearm shooting experience in every respect except the noise and recoil.  You can practice indoors, in any weather, without disturbing a sleeper in the same room with a “weapon” indistinguishable from the real thing at a price that isn’t just low but down right cheap!
 
Notice I said indistinguishable.  There are jurisdictions where mere possession of these replica guns can get you arrested, fined, jailed or even killed.  I have the clippings!  Do your own research on local laws and for heaven’s sake use good judgment and discretion when transporting, displaying or using these items, even in the privacy of your own property.  These guns shoot actual projectiles, so eye protection is a must as well.  Remember the lament Ralphie heard in “A Christmas Story”!  Noise is generally not a factor.  “Silenced” shots in a movie are not noticeably louder.
 
This article will focus on the M1911 pistol but there are a staggeringly impressive variety of air-powered clones for most of the favorite prepper firearms including M4geries, 870s, M1A, Glocks and Rugers.  Plus, they can be amazingly inexpensive.  A basic plastic M1911 Airsoft spring pistol goes for less than $15.  A similar Airsoft M4gery rifle starts at around $30.  5000 Airsoft “rounds” are about $15.  You can equip yourself for some very long practice sessions for less than $100.  You can also go overboard too, so watch that.  Electric motor powered full auto Airsoft M4gerys start at $120 or so but can jump into real firearm prices at nearly $500.
 
Introducing new shooters of any age to safe gun handling, proper trigger control, and focused sight picture has never been easier with these non-lethal guns.  You or a friend can critique your own performance as well.  I quietly judge new shooter friends’ gun handling safety awareness with these guns before we go to a real firearm range.
 
Keep in mind that the various air gun ammo types have different ballistic capabilities.  Lead pellets are far better for actual marksmanship at significant distances, for example.  Like paintball, but less messy, Airsoft ammo was developed for live fire gaming against other human beings and is safer, but not absolutely SAFE to be hit by.  BBs fly straighter and farther than Airsoft pellets, but not quite as accurately as lead .17pellets.
 
Airsoft guns started in Japan like pellet guns in Europe and seem to have been developed for exercising the fun parts of shooting and to sidestep national gun control measures by not being classified as firearms.  Airsoft ammo are plastic spheres of various colors 6mm in size and from .12 grams to .28 grams each in weight.  Lead airgun pellets are typically .17 caliber cones with some kind of mushroom shape on top. (That shape varies according to purpose.)  BBs are generally zinc plated steel, silver balls 4.5mm in diameter.  This article will discuss mostly M1911 clones for each type of air powered ammunition.
 
Airsoft
 
Similar to paintball, Airsoft free fire zone ranges and supply stores are found in most metro US cities.  Various tactical games are played at these indoor and outdoor facilities.  Made from light plastic, Airsoft ammo generally leaves the gun at less than, usually far less than, 500 feet per second (FPS).  2-300 FPS is more typical.  Assuming clothing, getting hit with one below the head will sting and might leave a welt, but no worse.  Commercial ranges generally have chronographs and a maximum FPS limit allowed.  Safety headgear, goggles and face-mask are mandatory there as well.  In your own basement or living room, firing at a pellet trap only, eye protection from ricochet is sufficient.
 
Airsoft M1911s, like all Airsoft weapons, are distinguished by a bright orange barrel tip and come in a huge variety of models, some more accurate copies of the M1911 than others.  Plastic, part plastic or all metal guns, working grip safeties or not, working slide safeties most of the time, traditional or more modern sights, etc. are some of the features to watch. The least expensive are single shot spring powered pistols.  That means you have to rack the slide before each shot.  Magazines with extras usually available but specific to each gun model,  hold 16 or so rounds.  They vary in price from about $10 for a springer to perhaps $30 or $40 for gas models.
 
For example, a simple starter package, the Crosman Airsoft Stinger Challenge Kit includes 2 plastic pistols, dartboard style target and 1,000 rounds in 2 colors for less than $40.   A heavier all metal and therefore more accurate simulation of an M1911A1 is the UTG Sport Airsoft 1911 Full Metal Spring Pistol with 2 Mags  for around $25.
 
Moving upscale in Airsoft M1911s, I must mention the “GBB” for gas blow back repeating models.  There are many models, but all are powered by 12 gram gas cartridges.  The gas allows for reciprocating slides and semi-automatic firepower just like the real deal, called Real Steel by Airsofties.  Some even field strip very similarly to the real M1911.  The Elite Force 1911 TAC CO2 Metal Airsoft Pistol runs about $125 is one of several top examples.  These models tend to have  modern custom features such as Novak style sights, ambidextrous safeties,  and checkered fore-straps too.
 
Besides being more mechanically complex and using an additional consumable the GBBs, like any gas powered gun, require the operator to lubricate the cartridge to gun O ring seal with silicone based Pellgunoil or similar.  By the way, 25 gas cartridges runs about $20.  Gas powered guns are dependent on ambient temperature.  The warmer it is, the faster the pellets fly.  Subsequent shots release more gas from the cartridge which condenses and cools the cartridge area of the gun, slowing FPS as much as 20% for later pellets or BBs.  You might expect to get about 80 shots per cartridge.
 
In between in price from the GBB models and spring guns are the NBBs.  These guns are usually metal and definitely gas cartridge powered but the slides don’t move.  NBB stands for “non blow-back”.  Since the gas isn’t powering the slide movement, more pellets can be fired per gas cartridge.  The SIG Sauer GSR CO2 Metal pistol is a good example for $60.
 
Pellets
 
Leaving the Airsoft universe behind, .177 Pellet guns, on the other hand, are more serious guns.  Traditionally pellet rifles are used for target shooting sports, hunting and pest control and can fire over 1,000 FPS.  Pellets, properly placed from these rifles can be lethal for rabbit and smaller mammals and birds.  Pellets run about $10 for 500.  Keep in mind that pellets are cheap for practice, but quite dangerous to be hit with and think safety, appropriately.
 
The Colt-licensed 1911A1 Air Pistol is an elegant training weapon.  Actually it is a gas cartridge powered revolver packaged in M1911 clothing.  A pricey $200 is still far, far less than an actual firearm or even a .22LR converter.  The pellets leave at a rated 395 FPS.  The slide doesn’t move, but the other controls work as expected.
 
The Beeman P1 also available at Amazon and elsewhere, fires pellets up to 600 FPS and has M1911 similarities but is balanced entirely differently and is mechanically dissimilar at the stratospheric price of $480.  Crosman’s not quite released MTR77NPC is a .177 pellet 1,000 FPS M4gery rifle and will retail for less than $200.
 
BBs
 
I don’t know why the steel BB was developed.  I suspect it was for boys of all ages.  I don’t want to be hit with one of these either, so confine them to a basement or garage range indoors and away from windows and valuables of any type anywhere.  That said, there are a number of M1911 style CO2 gas cartridge powered BB guns available.  
 
To start, there is the inexpensive Colt Defender. For about $50 you get an Officer sized all metal pistol.  The downsides are that none of the controls are really M1911 operational.  The grip is thicker than standard to accommodate the gas cartridge, too.  OTOH, for draw, aim, fire exercises it works just fine.  There is no separate drop out magazine.  18 BB’s are manually loaded next to the gas cartridge.  Cleverly, the grip panels and mainspring housing slide open as a unit when the mag release button is pressed.

The $90 built by Daisy, Winchester 11 is rivaled by the slightly more expensive “Tanfoglio Witness” M1911 as very accurate copies in almost every respect to a real, operating M1911A1 firearm.  The slides move, triggers are the proper shape, safeties both thumb and grip  work as expected.  The left grip panel on the Winchester pries off with a fingernail to reveal the gas compartment.  There is a clever lever system built into the mainspring housing to tighten and puncture the gas cartridge for use.  The magazine is a very thin unit released by the traditional button.  The “Witness” model isn’t on Amazon as a BB model right now, but is easy to find online.  Additionally, I don’t know why they named a M1911 clone the “Tanfoglio Witness” either, as the actual “TW” firearm that I remember is only distantly related.
 
Original military issue M1911A1s have marginal sights.  The ASG STI Duty One CO2 BB pistol imitates its namesake and has all the modern features of a custom .45 except for the non standard trigger shape for $100 and the slide moves too.
 
If you can wait a little while, or want to order direct from Hong Kong, Cybergun / KWC, the Taiwanese manufacturers of the “Tanfoglio Witness 1911” are coming out with a “tactical” version for around about $100 that has Novaks, ambi safeties, grip safety and a correctly shaped trigger.  It is available now in Canada from ReplicaAirguns.com. 
 
In Conclusion:
 
By the by, no one is compensating me to mention any of these representative models of these various practice weapons.  Worse luck, I’m now somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have this plastic and pot metal arsenal.  Still, I can practice at home anytime without undue expense.  
 
Amazon is hardly the only online source either:  Try www.airgundepot.com, www.evike.com, www.pyramydair.com  or www.airgunsofarizona.com/ among many others to do your comparison shopping.  Wal-Mart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain and similar chains will have some of the huge selection available and basic air gun shooting supplies.  There even might be a dedicated specialty shop nearby if you are unfortunate enough to still live in a major city.