Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. sent us this: 25 Bitter And Painful Facts About The Coming Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis That Will Blow Your Mind

I warned you about this more than a year ago: Popular Mom-and-pop water purification business shuttered by DEA’s meth-hunting “knotheads”

KAK flagged this: License plate readers: A useful tool for police comes with privacy concerns

Robert O. suggested this NGC web page: U.S. Silver Coin Melt Values

Items from The Economatrix:

Wall Street Falls For Sixth Day

Eurozone Debt Bomb Reaches Land Down Under — Australian Bonds Head For Implosion?

45% in US Struggle to Make Ends Meet

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mat Stein’s new non-fiction book “When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival”has been released! Yours Truly wrote the Foreword. Let’s do our best to push it into Amazon’s Top 10.

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I heard from Mark Baciak of PNW Arms that his company’s relocation to The American Redoubt is almost complete. They have moved their ballistics division over and should have their weapons division moved by January, 2012. They are moving to Potlatch, Idaho. They have also announced a “Black Friday” sale with a 25% discount on all in-stock merchandise. I should also mention that their new line of solid copper bullet pistol ammunition will be formally announced in April.

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John G. in California mentioned that Empire Masonry Heaters makes a prefabricated masonry stove kit that is relatively inexpensive ($3,900) and easy to assemble.

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Another over-reliance on GPS news story: Single-engine plane makes hard landing in Pasco neighborhood. (Thanks to J. McC. for the link.)

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John N. forwarded this bit of odd news from Nanny State Britannia:You can’t buy that lime… it could be classed as a weapon: Shock for chef shopping at Asda

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“My advice: We are moving closer and closer to what I call ‘survival period’ — the period where the magic of compounding turns into what will be the poison of compounding. This isn’t a time for timing. This is a time for action. Reduce your exposure to bonds and all items that provide fixed interest rates. Similarly, reduce your exposure to stocks except the gold miners. Look to expand your positions in inflation-protected assets, especially gold.”

“Those who are holding stocks in the hopes of the usual rebound are going to be terribly disappointed in the years ahead. This bear market is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. In the end my survival vehicle will be gold. I say again, timing is hopeless. Gold will have purchasing power and true wealth as almost everything else is destroyed by this unprecedented bear market. The US Government is now so loaded with ever-growing debt that it has become a mathematical freak. We return to different times, when rising interest rates will eat up the US government. With $55 trillion in assorted debts, the US is in no shape to deal with rising interest rates. We are in a state of reverse compounding, leading to inevitable bankruptcy on a massive scale.” – Richard Russell, Editor of The Dow Theory Letters.

Notes from JWR:

Because of the apparent likelihood of the U.S. Congress passing the loosely-worded Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), we are in the process of moving the primary web hosting of SurvivalBlog to a dedicated server in Sweden. (The legislation could have far-reaching effects that will go far beyond stopping pirate sites.) Our URL will remain survivalblog.com, but our dotted quad address will be changing. We’d also like to establish a couple of low-bandwidth offshore mirror sites. Any volunteers? (Eventually, we’d like all SurvivalBlog readers to have a list of of four or five dotted quad addresses bookmarked, so that you won’t be without the SurvivalBlog , as long as there is any sort of Internet intact.)

—

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Adaptation to Cold Environments, by D.W.

The human body can do little to adapt to a cold environment. This is in contrast to the body’s ability to adapt and become more efficient when exercising in a hot, humid environment. Cold, wetness, and wind challenge the body to maintain core temperatures above 35oC (94oF). Heat loss or inadequate heat production elevates the risk of physical discomfort, hypothermia, or surface injury such as frostbite. Blood flow bears principal responsibility for maintaining peripheral temperature in cold weather and is the metabolic vehicle for the transportation of oxygen and generation of heat.

The one adaptable characteristic that can contribute to better tolerance of recreational activity in a cold environment is aerobic capacity (physical work). When working muscles and the thermoregulation system must compete for the same limited blood supply, reduced demand for the same level of work in persons with higher aerobic capacity can mean an increased margin of safety when temperature regulation becomes critical. A second advantage is that at the same workload, aerobically fit individuals derive a greater percentage of energy from stored fat. This is in plentiful supply even in the slimmest of individuals. Therefore, a lesser percent is required from the limited supply of carbohydrate foods, which need to be conserved in any survival situation in cold weather.

It can therefore be concluded that the ability to exist safely in cold, wet, or windy environmental conditions does not depend on a robust, adaptable body, but on mastery and use of information that enables self-preservation. Two major areas of information are critical: (1) knowledge of physiologic phenomena relative to exercise and temperature regulation and (2) knowledge of the insulation, ventilation, and protective properties of outdoor clothing and how to employ such clothing to gain the greatest advantage in a cold weather survival situation.
Management of Thermoregulation:
  As metabolic machines, humans produce heat profusely during recreational activity. Heat energy increases as the rate of physical activity increases. Roughly between 80% and 90% of the energy produced is in the form of heat. Just sitting on the couch produces 60 to 70 kcal/hr, or a body temperature rise of 2oF if none of the heat is dissipated. A moderate hiking pace with a day pack could raise core temperature 8oF in an hour if the heat were not dissipated. Thus generation of metabolic heat can be a threat to proper thermoregulation. It is remarkably easy to overdress for activity in cold weather, to sweat needlessly, and to thereby lose heat rapidly. The adverse effects of sweating in a winter survival situation can be compounded by wearing clothing that sweat can permeate. This reduces garment temperature to that of a refrigerator. Clothing manufacturers have done a marvelous job of producing materials that preserve a warm microclimate for the body to maintain warmth at rest or at low levels of physical activity. However, most have not designed garments that can efficiently ventilate metabolic heat during more vigorous activity. To minimize the risk of this situation, a person surviving in a harsh environment must know what clothing is appropriate and how to use their garments correctly.

At rest body heat is lost primarily by radiation of body surface area. Radiant heat forms a barrier of warm air around a person, unless there is a breeze. In the presence of moving air or when a person is moving, significant amounts of heat are lost by convection. Loose fitting clothing pulled by body movement creates a bellows-like convection action of air between the skin and clothing, purging body heated air out, like smoke up a chimney. The neck, waistband, sleeves, pockets, and pant legs are the usual orifices. Using garments that have the ability to selectively loosen or close these “chimneys” to intentionally lose or conserve heat from the microclimate within the garment is always prudent.

Heat loss by conduction is the least frequent mode of transfer in a wilderness environment, although conductive heat loss occurs across the skin whenever it is in physical contact with matter that is 2 degrees C cooler or warmer. Some examples of heat conduction that occur in the outdoors include sitting on rocks, lying on the ground, or being in contact with clothing that has been cooled by evaporation of sweat or environmental moisture. Unquestionably, the most important mode of heat loss is through evaporation. A body engaged in physical activity of sufficient vigor to produce sweating will lose 70% of body heat loss through evaporative cooling. Because cooling occurs at the site of evaporation and, of most consequence, when evaporation takes place on the surface of the skin, the value of garments that can transfer, or “wick,” moisture away from the skin to be evaporated on outer layers of clothing is readily understood.

It helps to know the mechanisms of heat loss to critically evaluate the design and type of clothing material selected to be worn in a hostile environment. Being able to selectively control the amount of heat loss by evaporation and convection is the key to outfitting. Most important is the ability to regulate skin temperature in the trunk, where most sweat glands are located, the head and neck, and the areas of natural folds in the body such as the axillary (arm pits), crotch, and backs of knees. Using buttons, zippers, and Velcro fasteners and simply adding or shedding layers of clothing are methods by which to regulate heat loss. Despite manufacturer’s claims about product ventilatory capability, any activity of greater activity than walking requires conscious temperature regulation. The challenge is to maintain near normal core body temperature, to conserve body energy stores, and to lose body heat to the extent that sweating is minimal. This requires balancing clothing to be worn against expected climatic conditions and properly assessing the amount of physical activity that one will endure. All of these factors influence thermoregulatory balance.

Selection of Clothing:

Material properties important to outdoor activities: (1) THICKNESS. The thicker the material, the greater the insulative value, so long as it stays dry. (2) FIBER REACTION TO MOISTURE. Four qualities are important: (a) The ease of “wicking” action. Transferring moisture from body surface to material. (b) Evaporative ability. The rate of drying. (c) Moisture regain. The amount of moisture the material can absorb before it feels cold. (d) The amount of insulative value a material loses when wet. (3) THERMAL CONDUCTANCE. The less the conductance, the better the insulation. (4) RESISTANCE TO WIND.
  The most commonly used clothing materials for outdoor activities are wool, cotton, nylon, polyester, and polypropylene. The four material properties are different for each of the fibers cited.
   WOOL is a poor conductor of heat and therefore a good insulator. It has a moderate affinity to absorb moisture, but it can absorb a great deal, about 35% to 55% of saturation, before it feels wet. Its evaporative ability is poor, but its fiber suspends water vapor without decreasing its insulative value.
  COTTON feels great in summer time, however has meager value in a harsh environment, where conservation of heat may be needed. Cotton loses up to 90% of its insulative value when wet. It readily regains moisture therefore its moisture regain is poor.
  NYLON evaporates moisture quickly, is a good insulator, and has good quality of moisture regain. Because of its durability it is often the material preferred for outerwear. However unless nylon is tightly knit, it doesn’t screen wind and water well.
  POLYESTER is justifiably the most widely employed material in outdoor clothing today. Polyester is a poor conductor (good insulator), high in moisture regain, and in some forms good in wicking.
  POLYPROPYLENE, like cotton, wicks moisture well, but unlike cotton it has a very low conductive index and high evaporative qualities. These properties are what make it so popular as an under layer material for active outdoorsmen.
  DOWN and SYNTHETIC LOFT material are not often appropriate for clothing to be worn by the physically active. They certainly have value when insulation is needed for quiet situations such as fishing, sitting around a camp fire, using a sleeping bag, or other relatively inert functions. The greater amount of “loft” possible in the material, the better the insulative value. There are other synthetic hollow-core fibers such as QUALLOFIL, THINSULATE (THERMALOFT), or POLARGARD that approach the insulative value of down, and are much less bulky, lose less insulative  value when wet, and, being predominantly hydrophobic, dry more rapidly when wet.

Layering Clothing:

  UNDERLAYER: Warmth and wicking ability are the principal requisites for layers next to the skin. Polyesters designed for moisture transfer and polypropylene best satisfy the needs of this layer. Some manufacturers have added a small percentage of Lycra to the polyester to achieve a consistent snugness to the skin. This enables the garment to be somewhat more effective in both insulation and moisture transfer. On days when the temperature is above freezing , the under layer may not be needed.
  INSULATION LAYERS: Adequate insulation and ability to selectively ventilate are by far the most important characteristics of the insulative layers. When protection from wind and moisture is not necessary, an insulation layer may also be the outermost layer. Finding garments that are well designed for selective adjustment can be a challenge. Zippers or Velcro fasteners that vent areas around the trunk (core) are extremely important. Also ability to adjust tightness around waist, sleeves, and collar can augment the bellows action of clothing movement by providing a chimney for air circulation.
  PROTECTIVE LAYER: wind and moisture can be serious challenges to thermoregulation, so protection against the elements and selective ventilation are the most important functions of the outer layer. Tightly knit, tough shells of nylon or webbed layers of nylon polyesters are the most popular materials for this layer. Gore-Tex laminate remains the gold standard for qualities of both water resistance and breathability. In vigorous activity performed in rain or wet snow, however, no garment will satisfy the weather because body heat production overwhelms the breathability of any material. Special finishes can be sprayed or laminated to polyester weave or microfiber garments to be used as outer layers which may be somewhat less expensive and less moisture repellent but the tradeoff would be for more breathability.

The wide variety of gloves made from polyester fleece, synthetic down, and wool, with a nylon outer cover are appropriate. Glove liners should be used when more insulation is needed. As with all cold weather clothing, gloves should not fit so tightly that peripheral blood flow is restricted.

Appropriate footwear remains a problem in cold environments. Boots are vulnerable to moisture and cold wherever they are stitched, although sealing compounds and waterproof tape can help. Instead of trying to keep moisture and cold out of the boot at the expense of sweaty feet, an alternative strategy may be to use breathable and less waterproof boots such as Gore-Tex or comparable sock liners with the intent of keeping the inner sock dry.
All for one and one for all.

Three Letters Re: Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist

JWR:
When I took the Appleseed training program almost everyone there was using either Ruger 10-.22 or Marlin Model 795

Academy Sporting Goods is running a Black Friday special on the Marlin Model 795 this Friday and Saturday only for $89. That is about $40 off the regular price — a great deal for the money. – Bryan E.

 

Good Day, Mister Rawles:
In regards to the letter advocating bird shot rather than buck shot I humbly offer the following. Of all factors that come to play in choosing ammo for your bug-out, my opinion is that the cost of the ammo should rank close to the bottom of said list. Your cheap and plentiful ammo supplies should be at your retreat but no expense should be spared in ensuring you have the best gear to get you there.

Buckshot has a chance of stopping someone on meth. Bird shot? Less so. The archives of many a law enforcement agency will back that statement up. If you’re banking on a head shot with the birdshot shells then best of luck to you.

The compromise is that you carry both but you only chamber the bird shot cartridge as the moment requires, or if you’re paranoid that your avian appetizer will get away while you’re chick-chacking the right ammo into place then keep a round of bird shot in the chamber and the rest of the tube full of something more substantial. Then, if some random crack-head tries his luck you can gather some definitive results in the field for yourself rather than finding out the hard way that you might have been wrong.

Seems prudent to me. Kind regards, as always. – The Apple Islander

 

James Wesley:
After reading many of the articles about buying a gun on a minimum budget I have to agree with everyone who said to buy the Ruger 10/22. It is a very good QUALITY gun. I personally love shooting mine. When at my local gun store and range I had the choice of picking up a very nice Ruger 10/22 with four magazines for $180 or picking up a random off brand .22 for $60.00. I think when it comes to this kind of purchase you really get what you paid for. I personally got a really nice Ruger at a great price and not an off brand piece of junk. The other reason I bought the Ruger was because it is easily customizable, the parts are common, and the ammo is DIRT CHEAP!

Personally when thinking about a hand gun for a minimal budget; I think you really have to reverse engineer the question. I think you have to think about ammo first. The ammo is a residual charge compared to a gun which you only purchase once. Personally you want to buy something in a common cheap round. The reason why I say this is because shot placement is the most important, and to get better at shot placement you have to practice. When you practice you send lead down range and when you are dealing with expensive rounds it empties your pockets very fast. I personally like my .40 S&W it has some stopping power and when bought in bulk it is pretty cost affective round. When talking about a very cost affective round I would consider the 9mm or the .38. They are both very common and cost affective. WTSHTF they will be the easiest to find because of how common they are. I know neither of these rounds have as much stopping power as others but once again I think the most important thing when shooting is shot placement.

Personally I am thinking about investing in a .357 because it has such a wide range of ammo it can shoot at different power levels.

Also check out TargetSportsUSA.com Great deals on ammo when bought in 1,000 round boxes and they do free shipping when purchasing in 1,000 round quantities.

Best Regards, AZAM in Pennsylvania

Economics and Investing:

Nouriel Roubini: Government Gridlock ‘Ensures’ 2012 Recession. (Thanks to M.E.W. fro the link.)

Silver Price Forecast: Why Silver For A Monetary Collapse? Part 1

German Auction ‘Disaster’ Stirs Crisis Concern

Items from The Economatrix:

China Media Says US Sitting on Debt “Time Bomb”

Economy Would Suffer If Tax Cut, Jobless Aid End

Economy Means Scaled-back Thanksgiving For Many

Oil Price Up On Mideast Strife, Europe Debt Plan

Odds ‘n Sods:

Doubling Up Gets Popular: Tight budgets boost house-sharing. (Thanks to John in Ohio for the link.)

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JRH Enterprises is running their annual “Black Friday” sale going on now that includes genuine AN/PVS-14 night vision monoculars for $2,695 and Thermal imaging units that take “AA” batteries available as low as $2,775. They are also offering deep discounts on water filters, medical kits and other preparedness products.”

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F.G. mentioned some wasteful, hoplophobic stupidity in Cleveland.

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G.G. was the first of several readers to send this: Survival Shop Reports Jump In Sales To People Preparing For “Possible Collapse”

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Ay, ay, ay: Gerber Apocalypse Survival Kit. (Thanks to F.J. for the link.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Rawhide and Brain Tanning, by J.M.

In today’s world, you might wonder why working rawhide and brain tanning buckskin skill would be a benefit to anybody, when you can run to the hardware store and buy an unlimited supply of plastic, nylon, fiberglass, and what not to do your jobs. And why would anybody in their right mind want to wear anything made out of buckskin? When you have designer jeans, and all kinds of clothing to buy, in most stores like Wal-mart, K-mart, or even the used clothing stores? One question you might ask is how much of these things will be available when the fiat dollar bites the dust, or if a number of natural disasters happen? And what about a total SHTF situation, where there are no open stores selling anything? Might be worth consideration?
 
Working rawhide will give you a good substitute in most cases for a lot of plastics, and if you learn to brain tan buckskin, you can make clothing as soft and comfortable as velvet, but let me tell you, it isn’t easy work! And right off, I’d hate to arm wrestle an Indian squaw from the 1800’s that did hide scraping on a daily basis, those had to be very strong women!   And let me tell you, after scraping both sides of a bull hide, you realize that your arms aren’t nearly as strong as you thought they were. Lets start with buckskin first.
 
The tools you’ll need is a very sharp knife, a scraper, (I’ll get into that a little down the line) a 2×4 stud hide rack, which is made up of  4- stud 8′ long nailed or bolted into a square, bolting is better with holes so you can adjust the size of the rack to fit the hide your working on,  and it’s best to mount the hide as high as possible on the rack, to save your back. 4- 25′ lengths of heavy cordage, bailing twine, or parachute chord, which I find works the best, to lace the hide on the rack. a 1/8″ to 1/4″ leather punch, or a knife will work in a pinch to poke holes about 2″ apart around the edge of the hide, A large needle made from a coat hanger, to feed the cordage through the holes, and lace on the rack.
 
Now for the scraper, I took a large file, heated it up on the forge, pounded out one end, and ground it out like a chisel edge, put a 90 degree bend back about 3″ from the edge, when you get it done, it should look like an old well used hoe with rounded edges, no sharp edges like a new hoe would have, as this will damage your hide when scraping. When you get that done, re-temper it. This can be done by heating it up to an orange heat, then quench it in a bucket of salt water. The harder you can get the edge, the less you have to sharpen it. Now mount this in a 2′ handle, an old shovel handle, or any smooth round piece of wood. You can use pine pitch to mount it in a cut out and wrap it with rawhide. Or if you have a welder, it can be welded on a piece of 1-1/2″ black iron pipe, are you starting to get the picture?
 
Now getting back to the hide, a fresh hide is best to work with while it’s still wet, and the cleaner you can skin, leaving all meat and fat on the animal, the less work you have later. Now don’t get the idea that deer hide are the only thing that make good buckskin, Elk, young beef calves, dogs, coyotes, wolves, antelope, sheep, goats, most any medium sized animal hides can make good buckskin. I use to have a local dairyman save me the calves that died, and instead of taking them to the local dump, they would dump them in my front yard, and I’d skin them out, then I’d haul the calf to the dump minus the hide and brain, and sinews, leg bones and hoofs. (good knife handles and making glue)
 
Most of the books I’ve read on tanning suggest salting down the hides, but I have found it’s a lot stronger buckskin if you work with a fresh hide unsalted, salted hides I’ve found tear easy and don’t have the strength you need in long term buckskin clothing. I’ve got a pair of pants I made about 40 years ago that are still as good and strong as the day they were made. but I also don’t wear them daily like jeans.
 
Okay, you now have your hide laced to the rack and ready to start scraping. Start on the flesh side (the other side from the hair) and scrape in down strokes, it’s just like shaving, you slip side ways and you get cut, same with a hide. And you’ll find the more careful you can skin, with no knife strokes on the hide the easier it will scrape. you have to remove all fat and membrane from the skin, get as close as possible to your lacing without cutting them. And by now you will have pains in the back of your arms. A little side note here, when you get into rawhide and Buckskinning, you take great care to get a head or neck shot on the animal your hunting, I’ve found that a shot right behind the ear is an instant kill with most rifles, including a .22 Long Rifle.
 
 Once you get that side as clean as possible, turn the rack over and start on the hair. You’ll find if you can mount your rack against a tree or against anything to work in an upright position, it works better than flat on the ground. You’ll notice that the hair comes off with a layer of skin (the scarf skin) under the hair, this has to be removed, to get the brain penetration. And if you let the hide dry out for an hour after you do the flesh side, your scraper will make a tearing sound as you scrape. There again scrape as close as possible to your cordage and holes, without cutting them! I suggest working in a shaded area if possible, so the hide doesn’t dry out before you get it scraped.
 
When all hair and scarf skin is removed, cut the hide out of the rack with a knife about an inch out from the holes and lacing, take the skin and wash it in a clean bucket of water, then let it soak. Meanwhile take the brains and boil them in a kettle of water, then mash them into the water, to where it looks like a white liquid, some people take a piece of cotton cloth and put in the pan of boiling water, then put the brains in the water over the cloth, and as it cools, mash the brains by pulling the cloth up and squeezing it with your hands and keep dipping it in the kettle until all the brain is mashed into a liquid, I never tried this, as I mash them pretty good with a potatoes masher. Then take the liquid brain and water mixture, pore it into a half full, (2 to 2 1/2 gallons) 5 gallon bucket of cool water, dip the hide in the bucket, and squeeze it until it’s saturated with the brain water.
 
I have found that a 6′ rope tied loose around a tree on both ends, works good to work the hide, put the bucket under the rope, take the hide and work it back and forth over the rope to where the water drains back into the bucket. When the hide is wrung out good dip it back in the bucket, and soak it up again. by dipping and wringing it out you are forcing the solution through the hide, and removing the hide glue between the fibers, keep this process up for about a half an hour then the last wringing out and working of the hide, let it hang over the rope for a couple hours, but just before it’s dried, still damp, work it over the rope stretching it from one direction then the other, until it’s completely dry. Now you should have a soft stark white buckskin hide. But this isn’t really tanned like chrome tanning, if you get the hide wet in this state, it will get hard when it dries out again.
 
To prevent this from happening, it has to be smoked. By doing this you saturate the hide fibers with wood smoke pitch. I dig a hole about 30″ deep 12″ diameter, and take the coals from a fire drop into the hole, and drop in damp chainsaw sawdust in over the coals, then make a small teepee framework and clamp the hide with clothes pins or clamps, but make sure there is only smoke coming up out of the hole and not much heat! Keep turning the hide so all parts on both sides are exposed to the smoke coming up out of the hole. I like the hide to come out about the color of a buckskin horse, but the longer you smoke it the darker it gets and more water resistant. Just roll it up and store in a cool dry place until you have enough hides to make something out of them!
 
It takes me five hides to make a shirt, with fringe, four hides to make pants, and I did make my pants out of two large elk hides. Now getting back to the circle of hide you left on the rack, unlace it, so you have a big circle of hide, and now you can cut several feet of lacing from the left over piece. Good for lacing, or buckstitching your clothes, and dozens of uses for this lacing.
 
Now for the rawhide-
Use the basic same process as you did for buckskin, but after both sides are scraped clean, cut it out of the rack then and not go through the braining process. Some of the old timers use to not use a rack and just stretch the hide out and put ashes on the hair side, and keeping the hide damp for several days and changing the ashes, the hair will brush off with little effort leaving the scarfskin on the hide for more strength. But really has to be rinsed good before using! Using lime does the same thing and works faster than the ashes. Depending on what you have available.
 
My wife’s grandmother had some chairs made back about 1900 by a Navajo carpenter made with 1″ and 2″ willow saplings, the bark was cleaned off the wood, and his joints were made with slots cut through the wood and laces into place with rawhide, and the seat was made with woven rawhide, and the chair was just as solid as the day it was made. So much for screws, glue, and nails in the white man’s furniture!

I’ve also seen some adobe homes built by the Spanish back in the early 1700s in southern California, where log rafters were laced into place with rawhide, then willow saplings laced on to the log rafters, and I’m not sure what was over the willow saplings, this couldn’t be seen from inside the house, but it supported the half round clay tile for hundreds of years.
 
One trick I learned using rawhide was making foot forms. Take a 2×8 about 18 inches long, draw around your foot on two of these, left and right, then drill a hole on the line, cut around the foot pattern, take a rasp and widen the cut so the foot form drops back into the form with about 1/4″ clearance around the form, shave the foot form to where its rounded. Take the rawhide from around the neck of the animal, where it’s the thickest, cut two pieces out about 2″ wider than your foot. soak the rawhide for a day, then put it over the hole in the form, and using a mallet, tap the foot form into the hole, over the rawhide to where it’s level with the form, then trim the excess sticking up out of the form  with a knife, let it set in the form for a day or two until it dried out good, then tap it out of the form, and you should have a rawhide soul that your foot fits into. I took an old warn out pair of boots, cut around the soul, threw away the old warn out soul, punched holes about a half inch apart around the boot and the rawhide soul and sewed them together with wet rawhide lacing. The lacing when it dried swells and seals off the punched holes, and made a good pair of moccasin boots. and in the winter if you spread out a fresh rabbit or cat hide inside the boot, it’s nice and warm.
 
I know the animal lovers will be appalled by suggesting using dog and cat hides, but just keep in mind that WTSHTF, there is going to be a big problem with feral dogs and cats, as people not having the heart to kill them when they can no longer feed them, will just turn them loose to forage for themselves, causing problems for other people trying to survive in a changed world.
 
A trick about rawhide lacing, when you use it, soak it, and when it’s wet and flexible, run it through a rag with tallow in it, but without stretching it as you pull it through, this gives it a protective coating, and makes it water resistant. Oh yeah, the tallow is the fat you saved from the animal you skinned and rendered it out in a frying pan, and pored it into a can for later use! About every five years or so, I wipe down my buckskin pants and shirt with tallow, and let it hang in the sun for a couple hours until the tallow souls into the skins, then smoke them again, this preserves the buckskin for a very long time. I’ve read that some of the old Mountain men wore the same buckskins for several years in the mountains hunting and trapping. The re-smoking reduces smells, and if you hunt in buckskins, wrap them up at night with pine needles, or cedar bark, to give you that sent the next day.
 
Once you get into rawhiding, you’ll find hundreds of used for this long forgotten material! Many of the big ranches in the west during the 1800’s had a hired Mexican or Indian rawhider, that worked full time on rawhide, ropes, bridles, reigns, chaps, and saddle repairs. This might be something worthwhile to learn for an uncertain future, especially if it can make you life more comfortable in the hard times ahead.

Letter Re: Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist

James,
The response letter to Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist by S.M.O. caught my attention.  While S.M.O. makes some valid points, I would like to expound on some of his points and offer some other observations. 

I agree that the Ruger Model 10-22 semi-auto .22 Long Rifle carbine is a fine tool for the survivalist.  In fact, I believe that this rifle is such an asset that it should be the first gun that everyone buys.  It has been around for years and has proven itself to be dependable, accurate and reliable.  It is arguably the best quality for the money of all the comparable semi-auto .22s on the market.  In addition, due to it’s popularity, it has a wide array of accessories (both Ruger and aftermarket) to allow the owner to customize it to his/her own tastes.  It’s even produced in a compact version for women, youth or any body who just wants a more compact rifle.  Ruger has recently begun producing a 25 round magazine for the 10-22 which is based on the design of the original 10 round magazine.  As opposed to some of the aftermarket magazines, the Ruger BX-25 works.  It typically gets five star reviews on all of web sites that sell it.  I recently purchased one to see for myself.  It functioned perfectly in my rifle as well as in my brother’s 10-22.

Although S.M.O. did not say as much, I have heard others imply that the .22 Long Rifle cartridge as inadequate for personal defense.  While I would not recommend the cartridge as a one-and-only defensive weapon, I certainly believe that it can play a role in defense.  During my 28 years as a detective I have seen several people killed with a .22 Long Rifle.  The cartridge is certainly capable and, as is the case with most bullets, bullet placement is critical.  Since the rifle has negligible recoil and is capable of utilizing a large capacity magazine, it is possible to watch where the rounds are going and to observe the effect of each round on the target.  

In a Get-Home situation, this rifle with the factory 10 round magazine and one 25 round magazine and 200-300 rounds of ammunition would provide for both food acquisition and a level of security with a minimum of weight and bulk.  The weight and bulk of the average AR or AK would probably be more than the 10-22 and 300 rounds of ammo combined.  And the weight and bulk of each additional 30 round magazine would be more than the 300 rounds of .22 ammo.  

The objective in a Get-Home scenario is to get to your destination as quickly as possible with as little trouble as possible. That means minimal contact with other people who might want to rob you and/or to kill you.  One of the attributes of the .22 is that it is relatively quiet.  A single round fired to take a bird or squirrel for food would not be as likely to be heard by a potential enemy as would a center fire round.  Also, shooting a quail with a .223 will provide you with a hand full of bloody feathers for supper.

I also take issue with the notion that 12 gauge bird shot is inadequate for defense.  Bird shot is designed to kill ducks, pheasant, rabbits and other comparable size game at ranges out to about 30 yards.  I am confident that it would be effective on a person out to about the same range.  I also believe that it would be very effective on a person out to about 20 yards.  Whether the shot penetrates to vital organs is not the ultimate determinate of effectiveness.  If an assailant received a load of bird shot in the face, assuming that he was not immobilized, I doubt that he would still be focused on continuing the attack.  I suspect that he would now be focused on determining if he could still see, determining the extent of his wounds and determining how quickly he can get out of the field of fire before he received another load of shot.

12 ga. buck shot costs about $1. per round.  Thirty dollars will buy you about 30 rounds of buck shot.  Thirty dollars will also buy you about 100 rounds of bird shot.
I like having some buck shot on hand, but I would probably feel better armed by having 300 rounds of bird shot than just 90 rounds of buck shot.  The best option would probably be 200/30.  Also, don’t forget that you might want to shoot a bird once in a while.

I get the impression from various sources that there are a number of people who keep all of their high capacity magazines loaded just in case TSHTF.  That practice is largely unnecessary and it could cause magazine springs to weaken over time causing failure to feed malfunctions.  Until The Schumer actually does Hit The Fan, it makes more sense to only keep one or two magazines loaded at any given time and to rotate magazines every two or three weeks.  When TSHTF, then it would be wise to load all magazines.  The percentage of magazines loaded at any given time should be proportionate to the level of threat.  The last thing you want to be doing during a fight is to be loading magazines.  Loading magazines requires fine motor skills.  Fine motor skills are the first to go in a stressful situation.

Which brings us to S.M.O.’s statements on rifles other than semi autos for defense.  While I don’t discount the effectiveness of actions other than automatic, the type and capacity of the magazines is the reason that these are not the best choice for combat.  That and the fact that they are not designed for sustained fire as the military clone rifles are.  All of these other than semi-auto action rifles have magazines far smaller than the average military clone rifle.  Unless you are talking about a bolt action rifle that can be loaded with a stripper clip, you are faced with extracting cartridges one at a time from a box or a belt or a pocket, orienting the cartridge and inserting it into the magazine.  This is much slower to begin with than removing a box magazine and inserting another box magazine.  And when you inject stress into the mix, the process becomes almost impossible.  And that makes the stress even worse which translates directly to your accuracy when you are able to shoot.  Add darkness to the mix and you can see how difficult it would be to try to use anything other than a semi auto with a box magazine or at least stripper clips in a combat situation.  – G.R.

JWR Replies: In recent years, a general consensus has developed that “magazine springs taking a set” is more or less a myth IF a magazine are properly constructed. There is no need to rotate them to let springs “rest.”

Economics and Investing:

AmEx (American Expat) sent this: Risks of global recession mount.
 
G.G. sent this: China vice premier sees chronic global recession.

And speaking of China, consider this from Chris Martenson: The reasons for China’s imminent bust.

Panel Set to Fail to Cut Deficit $1.2 Trillion.

K.A.F. sent this: Airline Passengers Asked to Pay Extra $31,000 in Cash for Fuel

Items from The Economatrix:

Rapid Inflation To Become The Next Financial Crisis For America

Prospect Of On-Line Sales Tax Grows

Rising Age Gap In Economic Well-Being

The Run On Europe Begins As Global Investors Head For The Hills

Anger Mounts as MF Global Clients See $3 Billion Still Stuck

Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at Mish Shedlock’s blog: EU Bans Claim “Drinking Water Can Prevent Dehydration”; Expect More Such Stupidity if European Nanny-Zone Fiscal Union Forms

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K.A.F. sent this: Police Departments Look to Tune Out Scanner Hobbyists

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The Survival Mom asks: Could you survive TEOTWAWKI in your state? Here are the Best 5 States and the Worst 5 States for Survival

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Ham Radio Purchases on the Rise. The disaster preparedness factor is no doubt a strong contributing factor.