Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) 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. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 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.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Why Not Canada?, by C.N.

I am often surprised to hear about people planning for an eventual societal collapse and hearing that you are choosing to remain in place where your worst fears are being realized. My question is, have you thought about the possibility of greener pastures  awaiting you just a short trip up north? I understand loyalty and having a fierce love for your country, however, in really bad times when bugging out is necessary, maybe Canada has what you might want for a short or long term visit. We are a kind and friendly people with one of the lowest homicide rates in the world (of 1.8 per 100 000), those are some pretty good odds.

If your country was to implode, why not come up here with us?
Perhaps you don’t really know Canada. Survival blog readers are a special type of intellectual and deserve to know the benefits of my country, as a precautionary measure. Due to the rural nature of most of our country, many of us are preppers or farmers or homesteaders by nature. I believe it’s fair to say that almost every Canadian knows someone who grows, fishes, or hunts, therefore creating a more self sufficient environment should something terrible happen.

Camping is a fun pastime for Canadians and you would be hard pressed to find a family who hasn’t experienced a night in a leaky tent  during a summer camping trip. The truth is, you just can’t hold your head high as a respectable Canadian if you can’t start a campfire, or properly get into a canoe. Many of us know our environment and our limitations within it.

Yes, we share the largest freshwater lakes but we have so much more then just that to offer. There are huge parts of Canada that are uninhabited and you can’t swing a cat without hitting 3 freshwater sources. 31,700 large lakes to be exact on our 9,900,000 square km (or 3,800,000 square miles) of land. 

Lots and lots of fresh water is not all we have, in addition to our being surrounded by 3 oceans we have the largest coastline in the world, 202 080 km or 125 570 miles long. We are the 2nd largest country in the world by area (including our waters) smaller then only Russia.

We are famous for our rugged and untamed landscape of 8 distinct forest regions, rocky Canadian shield, beautiful prairies, and stunning coastal regions. A tired joke from the prairies is that it took 3 days for my dog to run away (because it’s so flat that you can see him leaving for so long, get it?) Yeah, not as funny as it is true. Imagine that for a retreat location, being able to see intruders approaching for miles.

Plentiful forests are another great feature, enough wood to build with, burn and tap for delicious maple syrup. We love our maple syrup here.

Despite what you have likely heard, much of Canada is not entirely snow covered all year round, we have 4 seasons but they are not intolerable even without the comforts of the grid. Winter temperatures average around -15c (5 F) to -40c/F but that’s a really cold day, even here. Summer temperatures average between 20-30 degrees c (70-86 F) up to 40c (104 F) on a brutal hot day. This year my part of Canada didn’t even get snow, unfortunately the children were not as impressed as the adults.

Since Canada is so large (9,900,000 square kilometers, or 3,800,000 square miles), and has such a small population (35 million) in comparison, it should be an ideal bug out location for Americans, especially Christians since 77% of us identify ourselves as such.  

If I travel 2 hours north of the Canada/America border, it is likely that I would be lost in a less densely populated area. If I drove 5 hours north of that border I would probably be into thinly populated cottage/ fishing/ hunting country. If I went further than that, I would be in almost no man’s land with the odd smaller town spaced really far apart.

If population density is your concern, we can boast just 3.3 people per square mile, among the lowest rates in the world, with 80% of the population along the border, and mostly in the eastern portion of the country.

If the military is your concern, again Canada is the place to be. Our military (God bless them) is small to even us, with 67,000 regular personnel and 43,000 reserve personnel, hardly enough manpower to hold down just one of our major cities if one was concerned with martial law or that sort of thing.

As for natural disasters, Canada seems strangely immune as we have very few earthquakes, tornados or floods. Most often our largest threat from nature is a big winter storm which, I kind of enjoy. There is nothing like the feeling of being cozy and warm inside and watching the snow accumulate outside.

As a testament to our financial resiliency, somehow, we weathered the storm of 2008 seemingly virtually unscathed. By some  strange twist of fate our home prices are still rising and we are now the condo building capitol of the world. This shows that by some miracle Canada didn’t follow America during their unfortunate downturn. Perhaps our luck might continue should something worse happen, it might be possible for Canada to, against all odds, dodge that bullet again so to speak.

I am not a fan of poisonous things so a beautiful added bonus of living in Canada is that we have very little of that. Unlike the hotter climates, there is not a scorpion waiting in your shoe, nor a funnel web spider living under the rock your children play near. Our most dangerous insect by numbers is probably the mosquito which is found everywhere, only we do get relief from them for 3 seasons out of the year.

We do have some big scary animals, although again, the most dangerous is also the most unlikely. We have bear, deer, moose, wolves, coyote, mountain lion and caribou. The biggest threat now is hitting a deer with your car on a dark road at night. In the wild, the largest threat is likely a moose during mating season, they are fiercely territorial and will kill you just for being in their zone. Aside from the moose, and the possibility of getting in between a sow bear and her cubs, most animals seem to be content with not attacking humans. The bonus of all these large animals is of course, hunting. We are one of the worlds best destinations for hunting and fishing.   

What more could you want in a survival retreat?

Let’s recap and see if Canada covers all the basics of a great survival location.
 
1. Water – We all know how important water is, and if we are to believe the media then fresh water is becoming more and more unavailable to us. This is thus far, not a problem here and can’t possibly be for the foreseeable future.
 
2. Food – Canada has a very healthy population of fish and animals, easily enough to sustain a group living off the grid. Aside from the animals, there are many wild food sources including seaweed and plant life. It would be difficult to starve in the wild with even a small amount of information and gear.
 
3. Shelter – Forests and nature abound with many choices of what terrain to choose for a retreat and plenty of materials to build with and burn for fuel.
 
4. Population- A simple check of Canada’s population reveals that 80% of us live relatively close to the border, and of them, most densely populated around Lake Ontario. It would be fairly easy here to settle into an area where very little people are, and others would have immense trouble getting to. 
 
5. Threats – There are very few threats here from nature. We get very few natural disasters and we have very few poisonous insects, and dangerous animals. Man made threats could be a train derailment of dangerous goods, or a nuclear situation, which is possible almost anywhere.
 
To conclude, I love America, and its people and I am in no way suggesting that Canada is superior. I am simply pointing out the benefits in the event that something should take a turn for the worst in the beautiful land of the free. Canada is situated in a position to provide all that you may be seeking in a retreat location, hopefully courtesy of SurvivalRealty.com or just as a temporary bug out location with a well stocked Recreational Vehicle, maybe for an ‘extended hunting trip’.

I have nothing against South America but as more and more Americans seem to be setting up bug out locations farther south, I have wondered about the risk to benefit ratio there, rather than here. In my humble (and perhaps flawed) opinion one might want to plan a secondary location in a more environmentally stable area without the risk of mudslides, tropical storms, frequent and larger earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

When planning a bug out location or a survival retreat I hope that I have highlighted the benefits of your friends to the north. Our low crime rates and low population in comparison to our vast area coupled with our many natural resources seems, to me, to be an ideal location, one of the best in the world and only a stone’s throw away. 

JWR Adds: The objection most often raised to Canada can be summed up in two words: Gun laws. If it weren’t for that factor, then the warmer parts of Canada (such as the Bella Coola region of western British Columbia) would become a popular haven for American survivalists. I should mention that I have had a couple of hyper-pacifist consulting clients that refused to own any guns, even in the face of very traumatic times ahead. (One client was from Canada, and the other from the U.S.) Since isolation would be their only defense, I recommended that they both relocate to live inside the limits of either Abbotsford or Creston, in British Columbia. (Small farming towns.) There are some amazing properties in the province.

Two Letters Re: Development of Montana and Idaho Economies

Hi,
Just wondering if you could add something to your information on Montana and Idaho? Could you tell us a little about the differences in property taxes in these states. We live in Eastern Washington, and I have to tell you the property taxes are becoming a huge problem. There seems to be a move to get us all off of the open space or agriculture tax rolls if you are in the northern counties. We have considered a move to Montana. But this is one area we are not sure about. If we found a 40 acre farmstead in either state, could we afford the taxes in the future? Do you think it will stay stable there? Or will the “powers that be” force these new tax codes down Montana and Idaho’s throats as well? Thanks! – T.T.

JWR Replies:
You can find a property tax estimator for Idaho, here. The levy rates are based on where you live with any particular county. The rates tend to be substantially lower outside of city limits. As an example, I punched in a $200,000 value and a typical rural tax location code, and the calculator showed an annual tax of $1,113.21.

I didn’t find a comparable online calculator for Montana, but I did find this page. It mentions that in Missoula County (where a well-known fellow preparedness blogger lives), the average rate is $14.11 per $1,000 of value.) So that would be $2,822 for a $200,000 property. That is more than double the property tax rate of Idaho, but of course to compensate, there is no sales tax in Montana. And, needless to say, $14 per $1,000 is not nearly as much as what most people pay per $1,000 in many of the more populous states that also have a 6% or higher sales tax. For example the “sock-it-to-you” states of New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Texas have rates exceeding $18 per $1,000 of property value. (But at least New Hampshire, like Montana, doesn’t charge sales tax.)

 

Sir,
Do we really want economic development and tourism in these states?  Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of relocating to a low-population area?
 
Here’s what I predict will happen if the tourism and development boom the writer wants happens.  The yuppies will come to the area, fall in love with the scenery, and move there. Then they will complain about their neighbors, who have been there 50 years, saying they have “junk” on their property (meaning farm machinery), and they dare to butcher their own livestock and game!  Speaking of livestock, the manure really smells.  Pretty soon it’s “There ought to be a law against this…”
 
And the yuppies will demand all the “free” government services (paid for by taxation) that they had back in the big city.
 
When their population reaches a critical mass, they will have enough votes to raise the taxes and pass the laws outlawing a homesteading lifestyle.
 
Not to mention the population increase.  And they will drive up property values, making it unaffordable for people of modest means to move there, or to remain there.  The people who were there first will be taxed off their property.
 
People who want to make money in the American Redoubt states should think in terms of online and mail order small businesses.  Otherwise they will be bringing the Golden Horde into their retreat area.

JWR Replies: The majority of the new population influx appear to be conservative and pro-gun, so that is an advantage. Conservatives will continue to outnumber any liberal newcomers. And many of the liberal newcomers tend to have smaller families. The bottom line is that the demographics are on our side

Economics and Investing:

This hardly comes as news to most SurvivalBlog readers: Fed: Americans’ wealth dropped 40 percent. Stepping back to look at the big picture, we must ask: Cui bono? The banksters certainly haven’t lost much money, since the government obligingly bailed them out with taxpayer funds.

Greek Blackouts Risked As Power Companies’ Cash Runs Out: Energy. (Thanks to Dennis M. for the link.)

Who really benefits from credit derivatives?

Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge: The ‘Big Reset’ Is Coming: Here Is What To Do

The more the government tries to “fix” things, the more that it fouls things up: China tariffs could slam U.S. solar panel firms. (Thanks to Ken of GettingPrepped.com for sending the link.)

Over at Forex Crunch: Eight Holes in the Spanish Bailout

Items from The Economatrix:

Is it Time to Prepare for Another Recession? [JWR’s Comment: Gosh, did I miss something? Here in my region, we never stopped having the recession that began in late 2007…]

Jobless Claims Fall for First Time Since April

US Rating Faces 2013 Cut if No Credible Plan

Spain Downgraded By Three Notches

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pierre M. recommended Rural Heritage magazine.

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The book X-Events: The Collapse of Everything by John L. Casti will be released today. I recently received a review copy and I can vouchsafe that it is a book worth reading. Casti is a great author, and while a couple of the scenarios are far-fetched (such as “gray goo”), many of them will be of great interest to SurvivalBlog readers. Here is a summary: “X-Events provides a provocative tour of the catastrophic outlier scenarios that could quickly send us crashing back to the preindustrial age: global financial “black swans”; a worldwide crash of the Internet that would halt all communication; the end of oil; nuclear winter; “nanoplagues”; robot uprisings; electromagnetic pulses; pandemic viruses; and more. You won’t ever look at the world the same way again.”

   o o o

From the same gents who made the oft-mentioned video on cut shotgun shells, don’t miss this: Lost Arts Part 3- Wax Slugs

   o o o

Paracord:  The Most Versatile Item In Your Bug-out Bag. JWR Adds: Not only does paracord have umpteen uses, but it makes a great barter item. Large rolls are the most economical way to buy. And of course these are easily divisible into shorter hanks for resale. If you buy full 1,000 foot rolls of paracord in olive drab and coyote brown, you will find that it is like putting money in the bank.

   o o o

US students tell of surviving nine days in New Zealand wilderness

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In politics, few talents are as richly rewarded as the ability to convince parasites that they are victims. Welfare states on both sides of the Atlantic have discovered that largesse to losers does not reduce their hostility to society, but only increases it. Far from producing gratitude, generosity is seen as an admission of guilt, and the reparations as inadequate compensation for injustices – leading to worsening behavior by the recipients." – Dr. Thomas Sowell

Notes from JWR:

Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse will be released in just three months (on September 25, 2012.) I just noticed that someone has already kindly created a Wikipedia page for the novel. OBTW, please wait until the release date to order your copy. Thanks! To answer the folks who’ve been writing to ask me about the storyline: I can say this, without revealing any spoilers: Founders is contemporaneous with both Patriots and Survivors. It is set primarily in Kentucky and Tennessee. There are also sub-plots for Ken and Terry Layton’s cross-country epic journey (in detail.) There is also a new character: Joshua Watanabe, a missile maintenance sergeant at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

Today we present two product reviews: One from L.K.O. (our Central Rockies Editor), and one from Pat Cascio (our Field Gear Editor.)

L.K.O.’s Product Review: PocketPanel 6 Watt Portable Solar USB Phone Charger and Cinch Power CP505S Power Pack

In early January 2012, I began thoroughly testing the Pocket Panel: 6 Watt Portable Solar USB Phone Charger and the Cinch Power: CP505S Power Pack (USB Battery). These two products team up to make a compact, lightweight, portable power solution for USB powered devices such as cell phones, GPSes, digital cameras, bluetooth headsets, games, PDAs, MP3/MP4 players or small LED lamps. After a review of the individual components, I’ll summarize some quick system tests.

Pocket Panel: 6 Watt Portable Solar USB Phone Charger

The PocketPanel photovoltaic solar charger is rated at 6 Watts and 1.2 Amps. Reviews on the company’s web site suggest a typical full sun current around 0.9 Amps which suffices for many typical cell phones. In peak sunlight, the array produces enough power to charge a typical load device while actively using it. Modern smart phones require significant charging current, particularly at first, when significantly discharged. In use, the four 3″ x 5.5″ PV panels fold out to about 21.5″ x 7″; four corner grommets with 1/4″ holes provide flexible attachment or tie-down possibilities to maximize solar exposure. A velcro closure simplifies transport, and the unit folds to 7″ x 4.5″ x 1.25″ approximately. The high-efficiency mono-crystalline (17% efficient) require about half the size of earlier poly-crystalline designs and also deliver a higher percentage of rated power over a longer lifetime. (Wikipedia has an in-depth article on photovoltaic technologies, efficiencies, the history of solar cells, etc. They are laminated to a rugged fiberglass substrate, which mitigates some of the weight and fragility of glass. The weather-resistant unit weighs 0.83 pounds. The output is a standard (female) USB port making interconnection easy and versatile. Combined with the adapters in the Cinch Power CP505S, a wide variety of devices can be charged.

Cinch Power: CP505S Power Pack (USB Battery)

The Cinch Power CP505S Power Pack is high capacity, USB-connected battery system with multiple connection adaptors. The power capacity is rated at 5000 mAh (milliAmpHours at 3.7Volts). Output voltage and current are rated at 5.4VDC and 950mA, respectively, with a 500 charging cycle rated lifetime. This unit easily fits in a shirt or pants pocket, at 3.9″ x 2.8″ x 0.7″ It’s lightweight Lithium-polymer cell design brings it’s heft to a mere 5.1 ounces. Simple operation consists of bringing power in (e.g. via a USB-fitted solar charger) using the supplied USB to DC cable. The cable has a convenient self-retracting cord, collapsing to under 5″ and expanding to about 30″. The 3-level power indicator system (Low <20%, Med 20-80%, High >80%) indicates amount of stored charge via 3 LEDs. The On/Off toggle switches output power to the USB connector. A “Use” LED is lit when power is being supplied from the battery. When charged, the charging cable becomes the output cable by using the USB output connector, which then interfaces with a variety of supplied adaptors. Adaptors include: Sony Ericsson-K750, Mini USB/Motorola V3, iPod/iPhone, Micro USB, and Nokia-DC 2.0; this should allow a generous variety of Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, Samsung, Sony, MP3, MP4, etc. devices access to the battery power. The device features over-current and over-charge/discharge protection. It shuts off automatically when the connected device completes charging. An optional AC power supply is available as a backup for extended cloudy weather.

Testing of Paired Products

For pocket transport, the panel array will probably fit best in a coat pocket, whereas the battery (smaller) can easily fit in a typical shirt or pants pocket. The rugged PV array works nicely in a south-facing window, with the attached battery charging next to it on a windowsill. I initially started charging the battery with the PV array around noon on a Friday in January at about 6600′ elevation. After an overcast and snowy Saturday, the full charge completed mid-morning on Sunday. The combo of panel, battery and adapter works well. The blue “Use” LED on the battery blinks to indicate power delivery. The charged battery powered my iPhone (normal sporadic usage for me) on this single charge for about a week. I then fully recharged the battery using the PV system which took about another day. A Vococal 3-LED adjustable clip-on reading lamp with a USB connector made a good constant load test in addition to my iPhone. Running constantly, this bright (more-than-adequate) 3-LED reading lamp ran for about 32 hours continuously.

A full five months later (after a full re-charge), the battery pack had 2 LEDs (somewhere between 20-80% charge) remaining, so the standby leakage current is fairly low. All in all, about the only minor drawback might be the suitability of this system for more extreme weather environments. Other portable PV systems (such as the Joos Orange Solar Charger) offer a bit more ruggedness for severe environments, but this combination is likely to be a good solar solution for many remote, backup and portable applications.

More information about the three referenced products is on their respective web sites: Pocket Panel, Cinch Power, and Vococal.

– L.K.O. (SurvivalBlog’s Central Rockies Regional Editor)

Pat’s Product Review: New Ammo Offerings From Buffalo Bore

For the past several months, Tim Sundles, who runs Buffalo Bore Ammunition has buried me in some of his newest ammunition offerings. Somehow, I think he doesn’t like me. He just keeps coming up with more and more new loads for hunters and for self-defense use, for me to test. Seriously, I don’t know of any ammunition company, that is as innovative as Buffalo Bore is. Some of the big name ammo companies might come up with a couple new loads each year – if that. Most are content to sit back on their past accomplishments – not Tim Sundles!
 
If any ammo company is coming out with more newly developed loads than Buffalo Bore is, I’d sure like to know who it is. I like that a small, American-owned ammo company is taking the initiative, and taking the time and effort to come out with so many new caliber loadings. And Buffalo Bore doesn’t produce “plinking” ammo – all that they produce is top-of-the-line premium hunting and self-defense loads. On top of that, Sundles adds a flash suppressant to his self-defense loads to help maintain your night vision, if you are forced to shoot at an attacker in low-light. (Which of course is when many self-defense shootings take place.) Are there many other ammo companies doing this yet?
 
One of the newest loadings I tested from Buffalo Bore is their .380 ACP +P 80 grain Barnes TAC-XP load – for those not familiar with the Barnes bullets, they are an all-copper hollow point design. These Barnes bullets retain 100% of their weight, as well as penetrating deeper than other conventional JHP bullets do. This is my carry load in my Ruger LCP .380 ACP back-up pistol. Tim Sundles tests all his loads in actual firearms – he doesn’t use test barrels to hype the velocities. I’m getting about 1,050 FPS from my little LCP with this load. It’s a bit stout in this little Ruger, but it can handle it. I believe the .380 ACP caliber is best reserved for use in a back-up gun capacity. However, with this load, I think it really boost your power factor quite a bit. So, with that said, it might be acceptable to use this round by Buffalo Bore if this is going to be your main concealed carry gun.
 
Next up are the new 9mm loadings, and these are both +P+ rounds, one is a 95 grain Barnes TAC-XP load at around 1,550 FPS and the other is a 115 grain Barnes TAX-XP load, at 1,400 FPS. Screaming? You bet! Once again, the Barnes all-copper bullets will get the job done, in either caliber. As a rule, I don’t like going below a 115 grain bullet in a 9mm round. However , the 95 grain Barnes bullet will get the job done because it will penetrate a bit deeper than a conventional bullet of this weight will do, and stay together. What I really like about this load is that even though it’s a +P+ load, it doesn’t feel much different than a conventional standard velocity load does. For me, this is a no-brainer, this is the load to put in your “house gun” that you have in your nightstand – it’s easy to control and will take care of the bad guys – and the recoil isn’t what you’d expect from a +P+ 9mm loading – it’s very controllable. The 115 grain Barnes loading is great for your carry gun – it will penetrate, hold together and get the job done. There is a bit more recoil with this +P+ loading, but nothing you can’t control in the least. My new Ruger P95 loves this load for some reason. Make sure you test any +P or +P+ loads in your guns to make sure they will function 100% of the time with ’em – in this case, I tested both of these loads in numerous 9mm handguns, and had no problems at all. Great loads!
 
Back when I lived in Chicago, and worked as a private investigator, I usually carried either a S&W .38 Special snubby or a Colt .38 Special snubby of some sort, as a back-up gun – one of these guns was usually carried in an ankle holster. There were times, when I (only) carried a .38 Special snubby of some sort. One time, when working for an alarm company – I installed alarms on the day-shift, and answered alarms at night – I carried a .38 Special snubby. While this wasn’t a big problem working the day shift – it wasn’t the smartest thing to do when answering alarms at night – all alone. This became a reality to me one night, when I answered an alarm and was confronted with searching a huge warehouse by myself. I realized if someone was too far away and started shooting at me, that little .38 Special snubby wasn’t gonna be of much use – I went out the next day and purchased a 4″ barrel .357 Magnum Colt Trooper Mk III revolver. Okay, back to the snubbies in .38 Special:
 
Most people don’t understand how much velocity (thus “power”) you lose when loading a 2″ .38 Special snubby revolver compared to the power you get from a 4″ barrel or 6″ barrel .38 Special revolver. It is very significant – so much so, that more often than not, a JHP round won’t expand when it hits an attacker – which then makes that bullet nothing more than a solid – passing through the body and not doing as much damage as you’d expect. Enter the Buffalo Bore “Standard Pressure” short-barrel, low-flash 110 grain Barnes TAC-XP round – and this baby will give you about 1,000 FPS velocity from your snubby .38 Special revolver – enough velocity to make that bullet expand. Best of all, this round is very controllable. This is “the” round you want if you carry a .38 Special snubby revolver for self defense. And, I believe, the .38 Special needs all the help it can get.
 
Also, in the .38 Special line-up from Buffalo Bore is their .38 Outdoorsman +P round. If you carry any kind of .38 Special out in the boonies for self-defense against critters – this is the round you want. The 158 grain Hard Cast Keith bullet, at 1,250 FPS from a 6″ barrel or 1,150 FPS from a 4″ barrel revolver will give you plenty of penetration – which is what you want and need when facing critters in the wild. If you look at those velocities, you’ll note that they are right on the heels of many other makers .357 Mag rounds – what’s not to like here? While I would personally look at carrying a .357 Mag revolver if I were in dangerous country, if all I had was a .38 Special of some sort, this is the round to carry.
 
Not to be left out, if you carry a snubby .357 Mag revolver, and you’re out in the boonies, take a close look at the Buffalo Bore .357 Mag Barnes 140 grain XPB round – this is a different bullet than the TAC-XP – the XPB bullet is designed for control expansion, and it will penetrate deeper than the TAC-XP round will against wild animals. This is the round you want in your .357 Mag snubby if you are carrying it for self-defense against critters out in the wild. Once again, a very controllable round, at around 1,150 FPS. I really liked this one.
 
Are you a big bore fan? Yes, me too! I really love shooting the .44 Magnum revolvers – and I can sometimes be “caught” using a .44 Mag when I’m out deer or black bear hunting. The .44 Mag is really quite a caliber – you can load it up, to super-charge it, or load it down to .44 Special velocities for plinking fun or self-defense. If forced to own one revolver, this would be the caliber I’d choose over all others. Tim Sundles does a lot of handgun hunting – he does this for several reasons, one is because he loves to hunt, and secondly, he gets to test his new round that he comes up with against real critters in the wild. How many big name ammo companies get out there and actually tests their ammo? Not many.
 
A new .44 Mag loading that Buffalo just came out with – and I’ve only limited testing with – is their 200 grain Barnes XPB load, which should be an excellent load to use against deer and  most black bear. I usually prefer a heavier load to use against black bear, but this load will get the job done with the XPB bullet because it penetrates a bit deeper and stays together. Coming out a 4″ barrel revolver, you can expect over 1,500 FPS from this round. And, best of all, even though this is a .44 Mag round, it is more controllable than you think – this is because of the 200 grain bullet. Most folks stick with 240 grain bullets for much of their .44 Mag shooting – and they “kick” a lot more than this 200 grain Barnes bullet does. From an 18″ barrel rifle, you can expect over 1,800 FPS – that’s screaming! If you look down at this Barnes XPB bullet, you’ll get lost in it because it looks sooooo deep. If you are hunting bigger game, check out some of the heavy .44 Mag from Buffalo Bore – they have something there you’re gonna love!
 
These next two calibers that Sundles sent me – I didn’t have firearms for – so I had to borrow a couple of guns. The new buffalo Bore  .357 SIG, 125 grain Barnes TAC-XP low-flash round will be, in my humble opinion, “the” round to carry if you depend on a .357 SIG for self-defense.  If you want a .357 SIG load, that uses an expanding bullet, that penetrates very deeply, this is the round for you. I admit, I’ve only had limited experience with the .357 SIG round, and I’ve never actually personally owned a gun in this caliber. There’s several good reasons for this, first of all, for some reason, this round just hasn’t caught on – at least, not in my neck of the woods. Secondly, .357 SIG ammo is hard to find – once again, in my neck of the woods. Lastly, .357 SIG ammo is more expensive than other calibers – like the .40S&W is. This is slowly changing, as I’ve noted that prices are coming down a bit – especially for FMJ practice ammo.
 
What we are looking at, with the .357 SIG round is a .40 caliber case, that is necked-down to take a 9mm bullet. One thing I like about these types of rounds is that, they are very reliable when it comes to feeding from the magazine to the chamber.  Tim Sundles tells me that, his .357 SIG round, will roughly penetrate 20+ inches of flesh and bone, and expand to about .55 caliber! Yes! During testing, this round is coming out of a SIG Sauer P229 at about 1,300 FPS – screaming! What I’ve found, is that, the .357 SIG is just about the same as a +P+ 9mm round in power and velocity, but without the excessive recoil that you expect from a +P+ loading – and it’s easier on the gun – it doesn’t get battered as much, as a 9mm +P+ round would do to a pistol.
 
What I’d like to see Buffalo Bore come up with, is a super-deep penetrator round (FMJ) in .357 SIG – this would be an outstanding round to carry out in the boonies – it would give you all the deep(er) penetration you’d need against critters. And, knowing Sundles, I’m sure he’ll be coming out with this type of round – he’s done it with the 9mm, with his “Penetrator” round, and he’ll do it with the .357 SIG round – watch and see. I’m really impressed with the .357 SIG – from my limited shooting of this caliber over the past year or two, and one of these days, I’m gonna lay-down some hard-earned cash and actually purchase a handgun in this caliber.
 
I almost “hate” Tim Sundles, for coming up with this next round for me to test. I’ve been a fan of the .41 Magnum round for about 25 years. My late friend, Tim Caruso, from Colorado Springs, Colorado actually turned me onto this caliber. While not quite the power of a .44 Mag, the 41 Mag round will take care of many of the same tasks that a .44 Mag will, and with less punishing recoil. On top of that, I’ve always thought the .41 Mag would make an excellent self-defense round with the 175 grain bullets instead of the 210 grain bullets. Well, Tim Sundles just came out with a 180 grain .41 Mag Barnes all-copper hollow point load, and this bullet is coming out of a revolver at around 1,500 FPS – depending on barrel length.
 
I had to borrow a .41 Mag revolver from a friend to test this load, and it makes me “hate” Tim Sundles all that much more – I haven’t owned a .41 Mag revolver in several years. Why? I have no idea! I love the S&W Model 57 .41 Mag revolver – and I guess I’m now gonna have to get another one – one of these days. Of course, Tim Sundles is on my wife’s “I’m gonna kill him list…” since he is “forcing” me to go out and find a new .41 Mag S&W Model 57 or 657 revolver one of these days. I keep telling my wife “I only need one more gun…” and she keeps reminding me: “You said that last time….” to which I reply “it’s still true…I only need one more gun.”
 
This Buffalo Bore 180 grain Barnes bullet is the XPB style – great for hunting medium to medium-large game – it will penetrate deeply and has controlled expansion as well. It would prove a great deer round, if you ask me. If you’ve never fired a .41 Mag handgun, you owe it to yourself to at least try it – you’ll find just as I did, that the round is a lot more controllable than the .44 Mag is, and it can do “most” of what a .44 Mag round can do. The .41 Mag has always been a bit of a red-headed step-child if you ask me – never getting the credit it deserves. If you have a .41 Mag of some type, you really need to lay claim to a box or two of this new Buffalo Bore .41 Mag ammo.
 
As I mentioned at the start of this article, Tim Sundles, has been burying me in new ammo to test. Yes, shooting new rounds is always fun and challenging, and quite often, I’m one of the first to get these new loadings – I appreciate this. And, SurvivalBlog readers are often the first to get real-life, first-hand test results on new Buffalo Bore Ammunition. I’ve heard from several SurvivalBlog readers, asking me if any of the ammo or gun companies pay me to promote their products. Never happened – never will! If anything, I should be billing Tim Sundles for my time and effort in shooting all the ammo he sends me! LOL!!
 
Seriously, if you are into handgun hunting and take your self-defense needs to heart, you want the best-of-the-best, when it comes to ammo. You’re not gonna find any cheap plinking ammo from Buffalo Bore – they only make hi-quality, self-defense and hunting loads. Sure, Buffalo Bore ammo is a bit more expensive than ammo from the big name ammo companies. However, what Tim Sundles is offering – you can’t find from any of the big name ammo companies, period. Sundles puts in a lot of time and effort to come up with these new loadings, and he also tests all these new loadings himself, too.
 
Like I said, Buffalo Bore is an American-owned company (in Montana), and it’s a small company, that is rapidly carving itself a real niche in the self-defense and hunting calibers scheme of things. You won’t find another ammo company, of this size that is producing and developing a more vast line-up than Tim Sundles is doing. There are lots of “good guys” in the firearms and ammo fields – I’ve been doing business with them for more than 20 years as a writer. However, Tim Sundles is, without a doubt, one of the really good guys and he’s working hard to give us something no one else is giving us. He deserves your business, checkout his web site – and I’ll be reporting on even more new rounds he’s working on for us all.
 
Now, I’m waiting for the spring monsoon rains to stop in my area, so I can get out there and test the new Buffalo Bore, .40 S&W, 140 grain Barnes TAC-XP “standard pressure” rounds in my Glock 27 That .should make a great combo – with this round coming out at approximately 1,300 FPS in a slightly longer barreled gun. But I’m thinking, this will be a controllable round in this pocket rocket pistol from Glock. 

Letter Re: Development of Montana and Idaho Economies

Jim:
Can you give me your thoughts on Montana and Idaho for business development, state of the state’s employment, state government’s interest in business development, general thoughts on state and personal wealth, state budget woes if any? I’m wondering would the government mentality in Montana would be inclined towards establishing world and nationally recognized things in some city center that would increase employment, tourism and their standing? (I’m thinking about Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas, Buffalo Bill Center in Cody, Wyoming., and even that odd Rock n-Roll Museum in Seattle. Things like that…. Do they already think that way? Would there be state government incentives for such projects?

Thanks, – C.F.

JWR Replies: Montana is one of the few states that is presently not running up debts.  Idaho has some debt, but still nothing compared to California, Texas, or most of the states on the eastern seaboard. Both states have unobtrusive state governments that are pro-business.  The Montana state legislature only meets in alternating years, so it doesn’t breed career politicians. (I should mention that 2012 is the “off” year.) The budget priorities are roads and schools, rather than welfare and political correctness.

There are a few drawbacks to Montana: The state seems excessively beholden to Federal funding–particularly to Federal highway funds. (The same could be said for Idaho.) Montana also suffers from low property tax revenues, because so much land is Federally-owned (National Forest or BLM.)   A few Democrats still get elected, mainly because of tradition, since Montana was a major pro-union mining state before 1930. So there are a lot of vestigial pro-union sentiments, and misplaced multi-generational loyalty to the Democratic Party. But most Montana Democrats are extremely pro-gun, which makes them actually better suited to being Libertarians or Republicans. Some traditions just die hard.

There is a personal income tax in Montana, but it is fairly low (lower than Idaho’s), but there is no sales tax, which is an advantage.  But the state makes up for that lost revenue in part with fairly high car registration fees.  (About $150 per year for a typical four year-old car or truck.) In Idaho, annual registration is much less.

The gun laws are minimal in both states.  The speculation is that Vermont/Alaska/Arizona/Wyoming style permitless concealed carry will be enacted in both Idaho and Montana next year.  (In Montana, the Democrat governor vetoed this law last year, but, a veto-proof majority is expected when the bill is re-introduced in 2013.)  It is noteworthy that open carry is already legal in both states, as is permitless concealed carry outside of city limits.

A large number of gun and ammunition makers are moving to Montana and Idaho, particularly to the Bitterroot Valley and the Flathead Lake region. One of my favorite AR makers is in Kalispell, Montana. (Nemo was formerly called SI Defense.) Here at the ranch, we have several of their AR-15s and one of their AR-10s.

Idaho is definitely luring gun and ammo makers. Here is a recent news story.

Idaho and Montana are quite similar, but land prices are a bit higher in Northwest Montana, only because private land is so scarce.

I don’t know of many “magnet” venues that are specifically planned for Idaho or Montana.  The Charles M. Russell Museum in Great Falls is already big draw.  (There is actually traffic there, in the summer!)  Not quite Branson, but…

There could easily be state incentives for that sort of development.  If nothing else, the State tourism boards would give their full support.

Another thing to consider is that both states already have active state film boards, to encourage movie, commercial, and and music video productions in the states.  

Both states should encourage or partly sponsor film festivals (a la Sundance), and attempt to create tourism.  I believe that Idaho should latch onto “Extreme Sports and “Extreme Sports Films” as a centerpiece.  (For example, Warren Miller’s ski and snowboarding movies.)   Likewise, Montana should do the same for shooting and hunting.)

Snowmobiling, ATV riding, horseback riding, hunting, and all of the shooting sports are quite popular in both states. Either state could easily set up (and capitalize on) an endurance horseback riding championship, or a big Ironman sports event.  And I can’t believe that they don’t already play up the amazing (but under-publicized) “Ride the Divide” ultra endurance bike race. (That documentary movie is available via NetFlix streaming. It is quite a film.)

The Boomer Shoot could be publicized much better and a machinegun shoot and gun show like at Knob Creek should be added. One limiting factor is that there are no large convention centers in northern Idaho or Western Montana where a 3,000-table gun show could be held.

Another low-cost tourist lure would be music festivals. If Idaho or Montana wanted to magnify their tourist season, they could encourage/promote six big events over six successive weekends in June and July, all within a 200 mile radius.  I predict that the roads in the region would be packed with RVs each year.

For winter sports, someone in Idaho or Montana ought to consider creating the snowmobile equivalent of the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Why hasn’t anyone created the snowmobile equivalent of biathalon–perhaps with handguns? Snowmobiles and guns. You gotta love that.

There are lots of things that both states could do to encourage investment and tourism.  The scenic beauty in the Northern Rockies is almost overwhelming, but after living here for a few years, you get so used to it that the grandeur is is heart-stopping only when the lighting is “just right.”

Idaho already has a couple of “high tech incubator” projects, in conjunction with their universities, to lure (or foster new) high tech companies.  The same should formally be done for companies in the firearms industry. FWIW, I tried to encourage Dave Selvaggio to move DS Arms out west, but he balked.  I suppose that he is still too comfortable in the People’s Republic of Illinois.  Someday, he will, after the gun laws and high taxes reach the revulsion point.

In my opinion both states should declare themselves gun and ammo maker havens, by offering special tax incentives for the first five years after a company’s relocation.  They could really make headlines if they declared: “No corporate taxes and no employee state income tax for the first five years after relocation.” And Montana should capitalize on their “Made In Montana” guns law.

In summary, there is a lot of potential in Idaho and Montana. Granted, both of them are a long drive from any major population center, but of course their light population density is part of the appeal.

Letter Re: Cashing Out of a Company Retirement

JWR,
I would like to solicit an opinion from you, and maybe get some feedback from other SurvivalBlog readers should you elect to respond.  I was recently laid off from my job, and I will be pulling out my retirement savings from their troubled retirement fund.  I had already planned to move it into silver to protect it from the inevitable future crash.  I am well aware of all the conventional wisdom regarding retirement planning, but I am considering putting this money towards purchasing land that will move my family and me much closer to my goal of off-grid self-sufficiency.  This would be a big change and accomplishment since we are big city apartment dwellers right now in the Fort Worth, Texas area.  I’m a native Oklahoman, so country living isn’t new to me.  It might be a bit of a change for my Florida-born and raised wife, and our two boys who have known nothing but the just-in-time convenience of supermarkets,  and all-night Wal-Marts.  Any thoughts, concerns, warnings? 

Thanks for your awesome blog. Discovering SurvivalBlog in 2008 was my “unplugging from the Matrix” moment.

Regards,- Jeff R. (an Okie behind the lines in Texas)

JWR:
Granted, silver is in an advantageous dip right now (an excellent time to buy) but I’d recommend that rather than putting it all into silver, that you put half of the funds into starting a home-based business.  After all, you will still need a retirement income.

See the SurvivalBlog archives for lots of self-employment and home-based business recommendations. (Note that some of the more lengthy articles on that topic were posted between 2005 and 2008.  So start reading that archive at the bottom and work your way up.)

Letter Re: Curious Postal and Common Carrier Drivers

James Wesley:

I was wondering if you could pose the question of “mail-order stuff” to the UPS or Fed-Ex drivers that read SurvivalBlog. Have they been told to “see something-say something”?
Thanks, – Ed S.

JWR Replies: I haven’t heard anything definitive on that topic in recent years. I’d appreciate UPS and FedEx drivers chiming in.

FWIW, I should mention that David Koresh (of Waco) first came to the attention of the BATF because a UPS driver reported seeing “grenade casings” protruding from a ripped cardboard box that was sent to the Waco church address.  Well, those were actually inert dummy grenades that Koresh had been buying to re-paint and assemble with used (dead) practice grenade fuse assemblies to turn into gag/novelty gifts mounted on wooden plaques.  (Those read: “Complaint Department, Take a Number” with matching “#1” tags attached to the grenade pin.) Do you remember those? They sold those a gun shows and via mail order. Well, eight months later, this happened. Please, dear readers, be very careful about the items you mail order and both the paper trails and electronic cookie crumb trails that you leave behind.

Recipe of the Week:

Brad’s Budget Artisan Bread
 
In the spirit of sharing, I thought I would offer a recipe for bread that high-end bakeries charge a lot of money.

You will need the following reusable items (and after these purchases sit is very inexpensive):

Baking (aka Pizza) Stone
Pizza Peel (The thing you slide pizza into an oven with, but you could use the back or a sheet pan if you flour or corn meal it well so the dough can slide off easily)
Food grade container or tub with a lid (not air tight, but so it will keep stuff out)
A pan for holding water in the oven (I use the bottom part of my Broiler Pan)

Ingredients:
6 cups of water that feels barely warm to the touch.
3 Tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt
3 Tablespoons of SAF Instant Yeast
13 cups of unbleached white flour.
A little extra flour for sprinkling.
Corn Meal if you prefer it to flour for coving your peel.

Stir ingredients together in order listed above in the container you purchased. No need to Knead the bread, just stir it all together.  The dough will look wetter than your usual bread loaf would, but this is how it should be.
Let stand on the cupboard for 2 hours. You will be amazed at how much it grows in the container.
Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours ( you can use it after it has stood on the counter for two hours, but this will make it easier to handle)

It can now be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

When ready to use, sprinkle a little flour on your hands and on the top of the dough then just tear off a hunk the size you want to use, and shape it into a ball. You don’t want to handle the dough too much and it really doesn’t need it.  Place the dough on the floured / Cornmeal covered Pizza Peel and then gently rub flour on the top of the round of dough (this is called a gluten cloak) and score the top of the dough with a sharp knife. This will help enable it to rise.  You can be as creative as you want to with the scoring.  I prefer just cutting lines shaped like “((|))”, but you could do a square or any other design you wish. Let it stand for 20 minutes on the peel, and then set your oven to 450F with the baking stone and pan in the oven. When the oven hits 450 the dough will be ready. If the bread hasn’t risen much don’t worry, it will in the oven (this is called Oven Spring). With the hottest tap water you can get out of your sink, fill a glass to about one and a half cups. Take the glass and your pizza peel to the oven. Open the oven and with a jerking motion, slip your dough onto the baking stone. Next quickly pour the water into the pan (which should be below the baking stone) to ‘flash’ your oven. Then close the door and let the bread bake for about 30 minutes. Remember the bread is really going to rise so make sure you have no racks above the stone.

Chef’s Notes:

When the bread comes out of the oven it will have a crackling crust you can thump, but it will soften quickly. Let it rest on a rack for a while if you are not eating it right away (I dare you to wait….yeah you won’t) then the crust will become chewy and crunchy again, but the inside will be moist and delicious.

If you use a grapefruit sized round of dough, you should get about 8 loaves out of this recipe and it will take less than 15 minutes of hands on time each day. There is a bakery near my house named ‘Kneaders’ and they charge $6 for one of these loaves. When I make it, I make at least two loaves and then give one away to someone in the neighborhood or at work. I also barter with it for eggs, so enjoy the fruits of your labors. We find that we pay about $1 for each loaf we make, and I know exactly what is in it.

When serving this bread, I recommend real butter and raw honey for an exceptional treat.  These loaves also make really great bread bowls for chili, stews, and especially chowders.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Ancient Roman Recipes

Wild Game Recipes

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have tested extensively? Then please e-mail it to us for posting. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

R.C. sent this: Ready or Not, Stagflation Is Here

Reader Sue C. suggested this: Insight: In Greece, a Painful Return to Country Roots

Peter S. spotted this piece by Mish Shedlock: Monopoly Money vs. Bernanke Money, is There a Difference?

Argentina loses a third of its dollar deposits. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)

G.G. flagged this: CBO: Federal debt to double in 15 years–Fiscal challenges worst since WWII

Also from G.G.: Regulators close four banks in four states; makes 28 US bank failures so far this year

Items from The Economatrix:

US Factory Orders Post Surprise Fall in April

Are Stocks About to Repeat Their Summer Horror Show?

Eight Key Numbers in Job Report

Greece: Despair as Collapse Accelerates

Odds ‘n Sods:

Pantry Paratus has announced a discounted bonus package for buyers of All American Pressure Canners. For just $25, with the purchase of an All American Pressure Canner they will include their new “Pantry Paratus Canning Starter Kit”(a $62.90 value) that has the following in it:
• 1 Box Tattler Reusable Canning Lids–Wide Mouth
• 1 Box Tattler Reusable Canning Lids–Regular
• 1 Package of canning labels
• 1 Canning chart magnet
• 1 6 piece Canning Essentials Tool Set
• 1 Set, JarBOX tote

Note that this offer expires on June 15th, 2012, so order soon.

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Echoes of the Jarbidge Shovel Brigade: Spotted owl could be game-changer in Tombstone water war.

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The book The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases (by “Enola Gay”, of the Paratus Familia blog) is now available directly from Amazon as a print-on-demand book, and a Kindle edition is available at lower cost.

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I noticed that SurvivalRealty.com now has more than 100 active retreat property listings. Be sure to check them out!