Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 34 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, 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.

How to Winnow, De-Hull, and Clean Your Own Home-Grown Grains, by Notutopia

1

I thought I’d share some of the options available on de-hulling grain, for others, who are embarking on raising their own plot or field of grains and then plan to long term store their harvests. This information is also relevant to processing many varieties of grains, seeds and hulled legumes.

Processing Overview There are several separate steps to the processing of grains to get them ready for storage, if, they are to be utilized for human consumption and not just for replanting as field seed.

These steps include:  Harvesting or cutting the grain stalks, upright stacking the cut stalks and tying them in drying bundles and allowing them to field dry for several weeks, then de-heading the grain from the stalks by threshing, then winnowing the grain from the chaff, de-hulling the grain, and winnowing or cleaning  again to rid away the hulls, and then, storing the grain.

If you wish to read more on growing and harvesting your own grains, I recommend the book Small-Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon. It is a “must have” book for inclusion in your prep library, if you intend to grow your own grains.

Our wheat is now successfully dried and cut from the shaft. So next in the processing, I will be de-hulling and cleaning close to a half ton of wheat for our larder. This will be my prepping project for the next couple of weeks. The final goal will be to have it stored away for long term later use in either, 5 gallon buckets or, 55 gallon barrels with tight fitting gasketed lids. 

Manual Threshing Method

Of course, this is the most simple method, in terms of the least expensive materials required to get the small yield job done. It will require some meticulous arm, shoulder and back muscle repetition exercise however, in order to obtain a clean end product. In using this simple threshing method, you merely require a bat or stick to beat the dried grain heads off the shaft, over a tarp or flat bed sheet. Next you will bucketing the grain spilled onto the tarp, and winnowing it numerous times. This is done by slowly pouring the grain  from one bucket into another below it, from the height of about one foot, while the wind carries off the hull and chaff. If there is no wind, you can use a fan to assist the chaff to fly from the seed. This method is effective, only if you winnow the grain 6 to 10 times to remove the chaff. It is recommended only for processing a very small plot of grown grain, unless you have a lot of assistance from others available.

Other Manual De-hulling Methods: Grain and Rice De-huller Attachment for a manual Corona Mill Corona Grain Mill De-huller Instructions, at the Southern Exposure web site.

The instructions on how to make the de-hulling disc to optionally turn your Corona Manual mill into a de-hulling device are available as a free PDF, courtesy of SavingOurSeeds.org.

Seed Cleaner/Separator Method

Another solution to de-hulling, which is my favorite method, is the use of a seed cleaner/separator. Just some mere sixty years ago, these were found on many farms which produced small to medium fields of peas, oats, wheat, beans, soy, barley, corn, and other grain seeds.  These small farm use cleaners came in many models from many makers, in different sizes and configurations, could be manually operated by man or animal, or electrically motorized, and some could be attached to the farm tractor via the secondary, side PTO with the use of a pulley and leather belt.  Here is a demonstration video of a horse powered treadmill powering the seed separator. They are processing oats.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHstGIgBu7U&feature=related

Several years ago, I searched for many months to find a cleaning fanning mill in pristine condition, with all the variable size accessory screen trays I would need for our small farm crop grain and legume yields. The unit, also called a “fanning mill”,  basically consists of several stacked vibrating trays, starting with the largest mesh screen at the top, to the smallest mesh required for the cleaned grain to shake the finished product down to an eventual “clean” bin. Each screen mesh size allows the seed to fall from one tray down into the next, and each removes any chaff off to the side or back into a “dump” bin. I finally found a 100 year old Clipper, it’s a beauty of a seed cleaner. It was some 400 miles away, offered for sale on an online farm auction. I purchased it online and made that journey to procure it as soon as I could!  It is an absolute joy to use while it is powered with my small diesel tractor! Note: I always wear hearing protection and a light face mask when I’m working with any grain chaff.

Here is one similar to it, in action with an electric motor.     

And, here is another showing a more modern industrialized unit in use for processing tons of grain.

Also, here’s another suggestion for de-hulling Buckwheat:

How to De-hull Buckwheat Using the Country Living Mill  by Tom Kast. [This report on de-hulling buckwheat was prepared by Tom Kast, who was kind enough to share the information and asked to disseminate it for the benefit of others]:

Step 1 – Get round-hole test screens from a seed testing house such as Seedburo.com. The screens are measured in 64ths of an inch. Purchase the 9, 10 and 11 64th’s screens. They are 15″ square perforated pieces of metal. If you pay a bit extra they come with frames, or if you want to save a few dollars you can build the frames yourself.

Step 2 – Size your buckwheat. In my experience most kernels were larger than the largest 11 64th holes, but the value in putting the kernels through this largest screen is that all the tiny kernels fell through and could be discarded (because there were not enough to work with); otherwise, they would mix into the final result and be surprises that are very hard on your teeth.

Step 3 – Take the County Living Grain Mill and set it to a very wide aperture. Take a test handful of the same-sized buckwheat kernels and run them through the mill. Check your results. The results should be (A) All the kernels have been opened or (B) There has been little or no grinding of the black hulls which would result in “hull flour”, (C) – The buckwheat is as large as you would like it (for example, Russian kasha calls for whole, de-hulled kernels where as buckwheat flour can be as fine as you like).

Gradually decrease the aperture of the Country Living Grain Mill until all the kernels have been opened and before the black hulls begin grinding. If the hulls start grinding then widen the aperture a bit. Once you have the result you like, keep the setting on the mil and put all your buckwheat through the mill.

Step 4 – Take the loose hulls and buckwheat and sift them through the medium-sized test screen (10 64th’s). Shake the hulls and buckwheat over a cookie sheet. This will extract 90% of the hulls which you can save to make a Japanese soba pillow. Then take the cookie sheet outside and blow lightly over the pan, shaking it slightly. This will blow off most of the remaining hulls. That’s it, you’re done. Use the buckwheat flour in your favorite recipe.

Storage

Long term grain storage is best accomplished using heavy duty, food grade, drum liner bags, lined inside the containers, with the additional use of any of the following grain stabilizers which all displace oxygen from the storage container: oxygen absorbers, nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas infusion, dry ice. Alternatively we use #10 cans.

Let’s face it, if you’ve grown your own, you’ve done a great deal of hard work to get the grain to the storage stage for your long term keeping and use, so don’t take any short cuts on the storage component of the processing.

The de-hulled and cleaned grain must be stored below temps of 75 degree F, in a cool, dry environment, preferably in an enclosed space away from vermin and varmints, up off the ground, off the concrete slab,  and preferably up on pallets. All of this preparation in considering a storage site is crucial to discourage mold forming moisture developing, and to ensure a flow of air circulation to prevent rancidity and slow the degradation process of the grain. If properly stored, wheat will store well for many years.

As a closing reminder, do not forget to purchase a quality, reliable grain mill. Carefully, consider the types of grains and legumes you will grinding and the amounts you will need to grind before you make this important purchase.

For our household’s use, based on feeding 6 to 10 people, three meals a day, which would consist of the need for grinding corn, wheat, oats, rice, beans, and rye, we chose a Country Living Grain Mill with two sets of backup parts for any unexpected or required repairs. For redundancy, we also have and use a C.S. Bell mill grinder for cracking corn and grinding bone meal. For our animal feed, we use a Hammer Mill which chops up all the shafts and stalks to be used for livestock forage feed. 

The Unrealistic Mentality of the Modern Survivalist, by Bryan R.

I am guilty of falling into the “Wolverines!” mindset from time-to-time, that being the image of going toe-to-toe with the insidious foreign invasion force and setting up ambushes to destroy the evil occupiers or perhaps having to confront droves of hostiles, be they urban gang-bangers, local looters, or some other such group of less than savory individuals. The modern survivalist seems to be rather obsessed with the idea of a total collapse of all centralized authority to the point where society is little better than Somalia, although historical precedent doesn’t give much credibility to this theory. The idea of a “total collapse” has been covered to the point of ad nauseam but what of the idea of a “partial” or “limited” collapse? If you have prepared for a total collapse and your entire mindset, mentality, and preparations are focused on that, what if the collapse is less than total? What if instead of a nuclear war there is simply an increase in violent crime by 500 percent or even 1,000 percent due to a serious weakening of government power and authority, short of a total collapse of central authority. Are you prepared to live in an America that is incredibly more dangerous than it presently is but where you don’t have a green-light to don the tactical armor and take out your battle rifle to clean the streets?

There’s an essay, well-known in survivalist circles, titled Thoughts on Urban Survival. It was written by an Argentinean who detailed his experiences during the 1990s situation in Argentina and he makes it clear that there are many other sort of “collapses” that are possible, such as the partial collapse. This Argentinean had to survive in a major urban area with a massively depressed economy, issues of hyper-inflation, etc, in an area prone to danger and violence. He reported that simply avoiding being kidnapped, robbed, mugged, carjacked, or killed, on a daily basis, became something of a chore and was seen as an accomplishment. There were no armed gangs (with machine gun armed “technicals”) cruising around the city openly looting stores and besieging foreign embassies. Instead there was a massive increase in street level crime against ordinary individuals, which much of the crime being perpetrated by seemingly ordinary individuals who had previously held respectable jobs.

He reported that those who were in the city were in a pretty bad way, but almost as worse, if not more so in some ways, were those who were 30-40 miles outside the city in remote/isolated country homes, as organized criminal gangs numbering anywhere from 5-20+ thugs/criminals would drive out of the cities, go into these isolated areas, case the most isolated and inviting target, and then do a nasty/violent home invasion/take-over, that would usually entail torture, rape, and murder. The people were too isolated to receive any help from neighbors, local/regional police/authorities/etc. They were just as doomed as though they were in the cities, only more so in some cases as the criminals operating in the cities seldom were able to spend hours in an apartment, torturing and raping, they would strike quick on the street, grab a purse, steal a car, and then flee, while in the countryside, with no neighbors, no police, nobody else to worry about, they spent hours on the farmsteads, taking their time to steal everything of value, torturing the residents if they felt they were was a hidden safe or that valuables were concealed somewhere, and raping any women they desired to rape.

The Argentine survivor declared that those who managed to avoid the bulk of the trouble due to the collapsed Argentine economy were those who lived in or fairly close to, close-knit small towns where residents looked out for each other and where the locals (be they basic residents or local authorities) knew who belonged in the town and who did not belong in the town. The people who were most vulnerable were the most isolated rural-dwelling individuals, with a close second being the urban dwellers. The typical American survivalist seems to believe that being in the middle of nowhere in Iowa or Kentucky will assure he is reasonably safe when the fact of the matter is that armed and organized gangs in South Africa routinely drive two to three hours from the cities (such as Johannesburg), into the countryside, to launch their farm invasions/attacks. The only true possibility of total isolation in the United States will be found in Alaska, so unless you are in Alaska you might consider that you’re better off with a nearby small town than you are being two hours away from even a small village of a few hundred people. One step you might take in the immediate future is to get to know your neighbors. A lot of survivalists seem to believe that their neighbors will just prey on them and try to take their supplies or leech off of their preparations and that may prove to be the case. However, it is almost guaranteed that if you have no rapport with your neighbors they probably won’t think twice about harming you. If you have a solid friendship built over multiple years you may be able to guide them into beginning their own preparations.

Preparations need to focus on our own immediate surroundings, our own communities, because when the trouble starts we will need our communities. One family alone can be weak, but a community (a collection of families) working together can be stronger than any single segment of the community trying to go it alone. It is very naïve and foolish for American survivalists to think that there will only be problems in the cities, that there will be a total collapse that will allow for open street-warfare, the wearing of tactical body armor, the daily carrying of rifles/shotguns (it may happen, it isn’t a bad thing to have those items), rather than simply a continuation of what we presently have… What we presently have is a move towards a society that is increasingly dangerous, on a daily basis, for the basic individual who going about his daily routine. People should be preparing to survive and avoid becoming a victim in a society that may soon resemble Brazil, South Africa, 1990s Russia, or late 1990s Argentina; that is to say, a society with a corrupt central government, decaying first world infrastructure, massive economic problems, and nightmarish levels of brutal crime against basic citizens/individuals.

The situation in South Africa proves that to live on a rural farm is not a guarantee of security. Just as in Argentina in the late 1990s, in South Africa the criminal gangs regularly travel 50-100 miles down the highway, get off in a farming/rural district, and attack an isolated farm in the most brutal manner possible. Obviously the Stuff hasn’t Hit The Fan but people are still dying in droves, even though there isn’t open street warfare and they aren’t able to employ all their neat battle rifles. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have those neat battle rifles because they may very well need them for open street fighting and in the meanwhile they are very useful for ranch/farm defense against criminal gangs.

However, it must be noted that in order to be able to openly wear tactical body armor and carry a rifle down the street, society has to pretty much fall to the point where there is no centralized authority and there are no local police, in order words, open warfare and street fighting become the norm. In a 1990s Argentine collapse or a present-day Brazil, unless you are a uniformed police officer, walking down the street in tactical body armor while carrying a rifle will most likely succeed in drawing gunfire from police or other internal security forces. Just because a tornado came through your town or a levee is breaking and flood waters are rising doesn’t mean you get to go to Wal-Mart loaded to bear as though you’re ready to head into Fallujah because all you will succeed in doing is attracting a massive amount of attention and flak from local law enforcement, National Guard, etc. However, there’s nothing to say you can’t wear a concealable vest and carry your pistol or AOW (depending on local/state law) wherever you go, while leaving your tactical vest and battle rifle for use when at home.

American survivalists who are serious about surviving the present situation in the United States, at least surviving until the Yugoslavian style street warfare begins (if it ever does- we should pray it does not) should place an emphasis on concealed carry, concealable body armor, martial arts training, home security systems, reaction drills for home invasions, defensive driving, personal defense in/around a vehicle, and above all, increasing their situational awareness skills. Again, to stress a point that can scarcely be overstated, get to know those who live around you and get on friendly terms with them so they are inclined to warn you if they see somebody following you, casing your property, etc. In South Africa much of the assistance the farmers receive comes from other farmers. When you know you cannot count on the police it helps to know you can count on at least some of your neighbors. Consider that you’re a lot more likely to wind up with American crime levels reaching those of South Africa or Brazil (and your having to live in an area with such crime levels) than you are to wind up in force-on-force battles in the streets of your county seat with gang-bangers from two towns over. Of course the latter is possible, just not particularly probable.

Not to mention, mowing down your neighbors over a can of tuna won’t solve the problems facing our society. Author and Yugoslavian War veteran Thomas Chittum and I have conducted a number of Internet talk radio programs and I stand what he and I discussed, we won’t solve America’s problems by killing our neighbors. It will be a very ugly day indeed when Americans turn on each other and rend the nation apart. The east-coast elites in DC and NYC would love nothing more than for the peasants in the interior of the country to grind themselves down killing each other, while they themselves remain safe on their New England estates or in their Manhattan penthouses, behind armies of hired guns. As the Argentinean survivor explained, in regards to regular commoners, those who made it safely through the 1990s with minimal difficulty, were those in small yet close-knit communities who had the support and trust of their neighbors. That point surfaces yet again, the support and trust of their neighbors. Now is the time to begin getting to know your neighbors and forming friendly ties with them, not the day after the hurricane or the day after the dirty bomb.

All of this talk about what to do when the UN arrives, how to handle the aliens landing, what to do when China invades, what to do when the cities collapse in total anarchy and the blood flows in the streets, it’s nice to think about in terms of, “even if that happens, I’m prepared!” or to chat about as a simple topic of conversation. But in terms of reality, it’s basically all pie in the sky. Most collapses in recent years have been along the lines of what happened in Zimbabwe, South Africa, late 1990s Argentina, mid-1990s Russia, etc. The countries like Yugoslavia and Rwanda have been the exception. Even in Yugoslavia, there wasn’t a total collapse of authority, there was a fragmenting of the nation along ethnic lines with each new territory having its own ethnic authorities and competing ethnic militias. Rwanda wasn’t a collapse of central authority; it was an abrogation of law and order in favor of government sanctioned genocide against one segment of the population.

If the government of the USA decides to pursue an active genocide against a portion of the population, if you’re in that portion of the population, you may be in some danger, it’s that simple. If the US fragments along ethnic/racial lines, you’d better hope the land you’re living on is included in the territory for your people, or you may be in some danger. Those situations are hard to plan for and the particulars of them are hard to anticipate until they begin to unfold. Anybody who wants to learn more about those situations should obtain a copy of Thomas Chittum’s book Civil War 2: The Coming Breakup of America. Hopefully the USA will be spared the sort of racial/ethnic violence that struck Rwanda and Yugoslavia, because it will absolutely gut the nation through and through. That sort of ethnically fueled violence could last for decades and leave the USA in the sort of situation Angola is presently in, a mostly ruined nation that is struggling to emerge from four decades of warfare.

But, even still, if America is going to breakup (it may, it may not, at this rate it possibly will at some point in the next several decades), it does no good to prepare for the breakup if in the meanwhile you become a crime statistic because you were unprepared to defend yourself from violent street crime. As I’ve tried to say, American survivalists should look at how daily life is in South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, etc, and prepare accordingly for safely navigating their daily routine in such conditions, because those conditions are fast taking hold in large and ever increasing regions of this nation, likely as a prelude to dominating the greater part of the country as a whole. Having all of the supplies you can afford crammed in a bunker does nothing for you if you wind up stabbed to death in the parking lot of the office building where you work. Survivalists must extend their survivalist mentality and preparations to their daily lives, training for any situation where they may have to rapidly react to some unexpected danger that suddenly presents itself.

I see a lot of writing about what to do if your nation is invaded, what to do in the event of nuclear warfare… I’m sure Red Dawn makes a better movie than would “A Day in the Life of a Boer Farmer in South Africa” but daily survival as a farmer is more realistic for the survivalist situation. It’s more interesting to read about pie in the sky scenarios such as nuclear warfare, battalion level terrorist attacks against your county seat, etc, but it is much more realistic and practical to ponder on ways to survive, on a daily basis, in an increasingly dangerous America.

Along a similar theme, that being realistic and daily life preparations, I’ve noticed that a great deal of American survivalists seem to miss the mark in regards to physical fitness. In my own personal experience I have seen numerous instances of grossly obese people claiming to be survivalists or militia members. I am not talking about passing encounters but rather people I knew for several years. At no time during the several years that I knew them did I see them making any serious attempt to bring their weight down into a range proportionate with their height or at least something healthier than what it was. If somebody thinks stocking up on guns and food in anticipation of black helicopters arriving makes them a survivalist they will realize they are sorely mistaken. The importance of physical fitness cannot be overstated. If you cannot move and fight you will be combat ineffective and unable to defend yourself or your fellow team members. Now is the time to get any physical fitness issues squared away. Don’t anticipate losing weight only after the fast food joint has been taken out in a Chinese air raid and food in general has become increasingly scarce. Now is the time to make your body an asset rather than a liability. If you want to kill two birds with one stone then you should begin training some combat art such as boxing, wrestling, submission grappling, and actively sparring, you will see a rapid loss of any extra pounds in addition to a massive improvement in you overall physical condition, not to mention you will have useful skills that might just prevent you from being a crime statistic.

Speaking from personal experience of having trained several martial arts (each for multiple years), submission grappling, particularly Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most realistic systems of self-defense and it is immediately street applicable and it may very well save your life if you find yourself in a situation where you need to immediately defend yourself. Carrying a pistol is great, adn I recommend everybody carry who can legally do so. But note that criminals seldom wave pirate flags and announce their attacks from 200 yards away, thugs usually unleash their attack from a few yards away as they spring into action with little or no warning, necessitating some sort of grappling/wrestling skill to either deal with the situation by hand or create space/distance/time to draw and employ your weapon. Many police who are shot are shot with their own weapon, something that basic grappling/ground-fighting skills would likely have prevented from happening. As I’ve said, it doesn’t pay to have a bunker full of goodies and the best guns in the world if you get stabbed to death on the street two years before the bombs start falling.

If you have a fallout shelter, a BOB, a BOV, a retreat location, but you don’t carry concealed on a daily basis and you have zero knowledge of martial arts, then you’re missing the mark. If you’re prepared for a nuclear war or the fallout resulting from such a war, but you’re not prepared to deal with the knife-armed maniac at the corner store, or the two thugs who try to jump you at the ATM, or the gang member who tries to car-jack you at the red-light, you need to shift some of your energy/resources away from the pie in the sky Red Dawn stuff, to something more realistic and applicable on a daily basis… You need to focus on staying safe in an increasingly dangerous America. If you’re ready for a total collapse you need to make sure you are ready for the possibility of a partial collapse or some variation of a partial collapse. You might not be in a situation where you need to get out of Dodge and you may not be able to ride into dodge with your rifle and clean up the town, you may find yourself somewhere in-between. Make sure you remain focused on the possibility of the partial collapse. Be prepared to have to take increasing measures to stay safe in an increasingly dangerous nation.

Economics and Investing:

Here it comes, just as I predicted: Silver Investors Dump Futures as Comex Boosts Speculator Trading Costs 84%. But even if the COMEX governors kill the futures market, they won’t be able to destroy the physical silver market. The demand for physical silver is just too great. Expect lots of volatility with some huge price swings, in coming months. But in the long run, as the Western economies go into stagflation, physical silver will rightly be seen as a safe haven, gaining against the rapidly-inflating fiat currencies. (Or rather, I should say the currencies will be losing value, whilst silver holds its value.)

Kory recommended this: Silver Versus the Dow May 2011

John R. suggested some commentary from John Butler: It’s the End of the Dollar (As We Know It)

Also from John: Fiscal Spending – The Steroids of GDP

Michael M. sent this: More than 1 Billion People are Hungry in the World. Can revolutions and regional wars be far off? Here in America, we should beware: Displaced people from Central and conceivably even South America could walk here.

Hussman: This Market Is Setting Up Just Like Some Of The Worst Markets Of All Time. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Adjusted for Inflation, Dollar Hits Fiat-era Low

Brace for a Bout of Stagflation

Gas Spending and Prices By State

Oil Futures Close Near $114 a Barrel

Silver Has Biggest 3-Day Drop

Currency Crash Occurring In US

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Kevin B. sent this: Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster. It also serves as another bit of confirmation for the American Redoubt plan.

   o o o

The Oathkeepers movement addresses individual and family preparedness: Operation Sleeping Giant. (A hat tip to DDM for the link.)

   o o o

Anxiety rises along the flood-swollen Mississippi

   o o o

Reader B.B. sent this from a Montana newspaper: Tester says U.S. agriculture policy, genetically modified crops hurt family farms

   o o o

J.L. suggested this: Blown away. The righteous volunteer spirit comes, in time of calamity.

Pat’s Product Reviews: Okuden Knives – Ammo Daddy, Alpha Pattern

I’ve been writing about knives for more than 18 years. However, I’ve only been to one knife show in all those years. I attended the Blade Show-West, at the invitation of a large knife company here in Oregon. I’ve been to a lot of gun shows, where there were custom knife makers displaying their wares, but I never attended an actual knife show, until about a year and a half ago.   To be honest, I was a little disappointed in the knife show – there were less than 100 tables there, and my oldest daughter and myself, were done looking at knives in short order. However, there was one custom knife maker who’s wares caught my attention. I like fancy, artsy-type knives, just like many folks do. However, when it comes down to it, I’m more of a meat and potatoes type of guy – I like working knives!   Brian Wagner, hails from Puyallup, Washington, and operates under the banner of Okuden Knives. Brian is a one man operation – he does it all himself, including making his own Kydex sheaths, with a quick detachable belt clip, that will fit on military belts or MOLLE gear. How many times I wished I had some kind of quick on/off sheath for my knife – I’ve lost count!   Wagner’s table caught my attention for the simple fact, that the knives he was displaying, were working knives – nothing fancy at all. If you’re in the military or into survival, then you want a no nonsense knife strapped on your side. I spoke to Brian for a while, along with his lovely wife, and told Brian who I was – at the time – the West Coast Field Editor for Knives Illustrated magazine, and that I’d like a couple samples of his knives for test and evaluation and a possible article.

In short order, several knives arrived at my home, and the one I really fell in love with was the Okuden Knives “Ammo Daddy,” Alpha Pattern. This is a fixed blade combat knife, make no mistake about it. Of course, it could also be used as a field knife for a hunter, however, I believe the main purpose of the Ammo Daddy is as a fighting knife.   We have a 5-3/4″ blade made out of A-2 tool steel – super tough stuff, and it holds an edge a good long time, and it’s actually easy to re-sharpen. Only thing is, tool steel rusts easily – and living on the wet side of Oregon – we have a lot of rain, and things rust – even when you take care of ’em – guns and knives included. Brian puts a heavy coat of Kal-Guard on his blades, if you want it. The sample I received has an OD green colored blade, full-tang. We’re talking a super, super strong rust-resistant finish.. The overall length of the knife is about 11″- and there is plenty of handle to hold onto – something I demand in a knife like this. Some custom knife makers short-change people with handles that I don’t think are long enough.  

The blade itself is a bit of a drop point in design, but realistically, it has it’s own design. I like the upswept portion on the top rear of the blade, for a good thumb placement in the fencing position, and there are friction grooves on the upswept portion of the top of the blade. Check out the Okuden Knives web site for photos, so you’ll know what I’m talking about. The handle material is called “Tero Tough” and is made in Oregon. It looks a lot like G-10 material and it’s just as strong if you ask me. There is a pattern in the Tero Tough handle scales, which allows the meat of your hand to sink in – for a secure grip under all sorts of weather conditions.   The handle scales are secured by three Torx head screws – a lot of knife makers would only use two screws – and that’s a mistake on a large fixed blade knife. The handle design itself has finger grooves, which I normally don’t like – I want to place my fingers – well, where I want to place ’em. However, on the “Ammo Daddy” the finger grooves are just placed perfectly. There is also an extended pommel that has a lanyard hole, for attaching a 550 paracord lanyard. Lastly, my sample “Ammo Daddy” was heat-treated by the legendary Paul Bos – who knew what he was doing. The heat-treatment process is still carried on – but Paul has now retired. I’m not sure who’s doing it for Okuden at this point, but rest assured, the heat treatment is being done “right.”  

I knew from the onset that this sample wouldn’t be going back to Brian Wagner. It sits on my desk as I’m writing this review – and it stays in one of the cubby holes on my desk, should I need it in a hurry. If you’re in the market for a custom made fighting knife, then take a look at the Okuden Knives “Ammo Daddy” or one of the other knives Wagner produces. Full retail price for the “Ammo Daddy” is $350 and that includes first-class shipping and insurance. That’s a good deal for a custom fighting knife of this quality.  

Two Letter Re: The SKS for Tight Budget Shooters

Mr. Rawles,  
Once again thank you for your work on SurvivalBlog, may God richly bless you. I read Pat’s review of the AK-47 and at the end the SKS was mentioned. I thought I would just add my 2 cents worth on the SKS.  I have had several people come to me who are on a very tight budget and cannot afford an AR, FN SCAR, or any of the other pricey weapons available.  If you are on a tight budget, I highly recommend the SKS.   I have several SKSes and AK-47s, along with the FN-FAL, CETME, and a couple of Colt AR-1s5.  I had talked with several guys about the SKS and decided it was worth a look, so I bought one.  I bought my first Yugoslavian-made SKS back in the 1990s. The total price was just under $200.  I bought 1,000 rounds and headed to the range.  I was presently surprised.  The gun is heavier than the AK-47 which eliminates almost all the recoil.  My son and I burned through all that ammo and we were more tired from holding the gun then from recoil fatigue. The next day I went back and bought another SKS, and so did my son.  

Next we changed to the Tapco SKS T6 Collapsible Stock and bought the Tapco 30 round magazines.  This is a nice piece of furniture for this weapon.  As you know, putting a lot of rounds threw this gun really heats up the forearm, the synthetic stock does an excellent job of protecting your hand from the heat.  And it helped lighten the gun several ounces.  We have tried several other brands of magazines, none have worked as well as the Tapco I highly recommend them.  The stock can be had for about $70 to $80 and the magazines run from $16 to $20 apiece.  All of our SKSes have been converted to magazines. but don’t expect to change these magazines as rapidly as an AK or AR.  The protruding “nose” on the magazine slows this down.  I don’t recommend the adapted metal magazines because you have to pull the release to get the magazines in.  The Tapco’s come with a tapered catch on the magazine so you can pop it in with one hand.  

My son, wife, and I have done a lot of shooting with our SKSes.  All three of us can consistently keep all of our rounds in a 6″ to 8″ circle, standing at a hundred yards controlled rapid fire.  Prone in a resting position we can tighten that circle to 4″ easily, taking time we can tighten to a pretty consistent 3″ (1 our of 5 inside 3″).  We have a little better success with the Wolf black box ammo verses a host of others we have tried.  But I don’t turn my nose up at any of it as long as it is non-corrosive.  When I first bought these I was getting ammo at about $125 per thousand rounds shipped and at the gun shows for under a $100 per thousand rounds.  A couple of years ago the price moved above $300 but is now back down to about $200.  I don’t know how long this will last though with inflation.   Compared to the AK-47 WASR the SKS is, in my experience, a little more accurate at longer range.  It has less felt recoil, but that is because it is heavier, and with the Tapco stock it is longer than an AK, as well.  We seldom have a malfunction and that is usually because we have put 600 or more rounds [of noncorrosive ammo] through them without cleaning them.  

Compared to the AR-15, it is certainly less accurate.  I think the AR is more comfortable to shoot because it is lighter and .223s have very little recoil. And AR-15s are very accurate at longer ranges.  My wife would rather shoot the AR and would rather carry it.  When you put six loaded 30 round magazines of .223 in her web gear versus the same in 7.62×39 and she wants the AR back, now.  My son and I are large guys, we do feel the weight difference but it is not that bad.  

Compared to the FAL and CETME, well there is a difference in accuracy especially when you get beyond a 100 yards.  There is very little weight difference and lengths are about the same.  However when you strap on ten 30 round magazines of 7.62×51 (.308) verses 7.62×39 there is a difference in weight which really surprised me.  But the SKS magazines have one big disadvantage, if you are loading up a combat vest and that is the nose on the SKS magazines.  My son and I took an old vest and adapted it for the nose on the magazine which makes it workable.  However with all those noses sticking out and crawling on your belly they have a tendency to get caught on everything.  Plus they pick up dirt which you then shove into the gun.   If you are on a budget the SKS is simply hard to beat.  If I were dropped into a TEOTWAWKI situation with only my SKS I would have confidence in the weapon to get the job done.  The price is going up on them but I still find good used SKSes for under $300.  The ammo is still less expensive than .223 or .308 and if you are buying mil spec, the ammo has a very long shelf life.  I would recommend converting it to magazines and only buying magazines with the tapered catch.  The Tapco stock is a very nice addition but is not required to make this a battle worthy carbine. – CDP

 

Sir,
I believe the single greatest improvement to either an AK or an SKS is a quality rear sight.  There are several replacement peep sights that replace the standard rear sight for both rifles, but the best solution I’ve found is the M16 style rear aperture mounted at the back of the receiver, which nearly doubles the sight radius.  Tech-Sights are the perfect solution at a reasonable price.  They are an instant accuracy improver.  I’m an Appleseed instructor, and I’ve shot Rifleman scores at Appleseed shoots with  Tech-Sight equipped SKS and AK rifles, something I’ve yet to see anyone do with standard sight equipped rifles.  Standard disclaimer:  I have no pecuniary interest in Tech-Sights. – MSgt R.

Letter Re: Better Performance for 7.62x39mm Ammunition

James Wesley:
After personal experience testing and reviewing the tests results as reported by many parties, both layman and professionals that included photos of terminal performance on game animals and ballistic gelatin, if one uses the 8M3 bullet as found on the original 7.62×39 Sapsan, now offered on the Wolf Military Classic HP, one would have ammunition that reliably fragments after 3 inches in gelatin and penetrates 18″ much like soft point ammunition with in 100 yards, and becomes more like soft point ammunition and mushrooms after 100 yards.  The Sapsan and 8M3 bullet is discussed and recommended by an issue of Guns and Ammo dedicated the AK-47 in a comparison using Lapua and Winchester SP ammunition.  I personally have all the Sapsan I need, but if I were to purchase the Wolf Military Classic HP with the intent of using the 8M3 bullet, one can confirm that the ammunition will perform as expected by shooting at three 1 gallon milk jugs and collecting the fragments and remaining slug.  This ammunition will easily penetrate a modern vehicle and provide the 5-6″ group typical of the AK-47. I would much rather be hit with either 7.62 x 39 or 5.56 FMJ ammunition than the 8M3 bullet discussed. Photos of 200 to 250 pound game animals shot with the 8M3 are gruesome.  

Another little known 7.62 x 39 ball and FMJ ammunition that has good terminal ballistics is the Yugo M67 ammunition.  It is has the hollow tip and is the famed ‘poison’ bullet.  This comes in an annealed brass case and produces 1/2 to 1″ tighter groups at 100 yards than most AK ammo, and is what I would consider real AK-47 ammo, and all for only 17 cents per round. However, it is corrosively primed. Thankfully the AK-47 is made to handle such ammunition and is easily cleaned.  [Repeated cleaning for two or three days after shooting corrosive ammo is a must.] An acquaintance used this ammunition during deer season and was understandably unhappy when a Yugo M67 bullet destroyed the meat of both shoulders of a deer. – Eric, Somewhere in Montana  

JWR Adds: Readers should beware that some of the ammunition that comes out of the former Soviet Bloc is corrosively primed. Unlike U.S. military small arms ammunition, which was transitioned to noncorrosive priming in the 1950s, corrosive primers are still made and used in Eastern Europe. Even some very recent production ammo–including some 5.45x39mm–in commercial packaging has corrosive primers! Do your due diligence before you buy!

Letter Re: Preventing Raised Garden Beds from Drying Out

Mr. Rawles:
The biggest drawback of raised planting beds is their greater need for water.  Water leaks out and evaporates from the sides of the planting beds, as well as normal bottom drainage.  If water is scarce, or you have to supply it manually, this drawback can become serious.

Simple solution:  when constructing the raised planting bed, place a plastic liner along the inner walls all around, sealing it with sturdy plastic tape.  Do not put the plastic on the bottom of the raised bed, or you will have a mud bathtub with no drainage at all.  This will keep all the moisture inside the bed, preventing leakage and evaporation from the side walls.

If you want the plastic to last forever, you can buy polycarbonate plastic, which can take hundreds of pounds of pressure.  GrowersSupply.com carries it.

Also, a suggestion for an easy way to make permanent raised beds that don’t rot, and don’t suffer from frost heave problems.  Make them out of those decorative concrete “rocks” that are carried by most garden supply places.  These are normally used on slopes for terracing, and along patios for flower beds.  They can be made to any height, and all you have to do is lay them on top of each other.  The inside of the walls can then be lined with plastic.

The walls are meant to look a little rough and irregular.  There is no mortar, so there is no cracking from frost or settling.  They come in a variety of colors and styles, and can easily be formed into any shape you want, unlike wood, which is mostly limited to squares and rectangles.  If you want to change the shape or size, just move the blocks.  No carpentry, no concrete mixing.

If you want extra free water, set the blocks so that they tilt slightly inward, toward the bed.  Rain falling on the top blocks will flow into the bed, adding extra moisture.

This can be important for OPSEC, as it is easy to arrange the beds in typical landscaping style curves, scatter in some flowers, and make you veggies disappear.  Well, maybe not the tomatoes. – Mary M.

Economics and Investing:

[UPDATED] Silver investors: Here is one of those dips that I mentioned! Silver at under $35 per ounce is a definite buying opportunity. $35 per ounce equates to around 25 times face value (wholesale), for pre-1965 “junk” silver coins. They were a whopping 37 times face just six days ago. Buy now!

C.D.V. send this: Underwater Mortgages a Threat to Recovery; Expect No More Than 3% Growth Until Housing Recovers

Portugal becomes third euro country to get bailout. (Thanks to G.P. for the link.)

Also from G.P.: About 1 in 7 in U.S. Receive Food Stamps

Former Comptroller David Walker: Restoring Fiscal Sanity in the United States: A Way Forward

Items from The Economatrix

Why People Are Buying Silver Now

Manufacturing Index Rises, Construction Spending Rebounds Breathe in deeply and smell the landluft— the barnyard scent of hundreds of billions of magically-created stimulus dollars.

Gas Prices And Debt To Dominate Congress In May

China To Purchase $1 Trillion In Gold; Price May Reach $2,000/oz This Year

Businesses Ordered More Factory Goods In March

The Slowing Global Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

Beneath the Thin Veneer: Four looting suspects arrested in Pleasant Grove posing as relief workers. (Thanks to Wade C. for sending the link.)

   o o o

Selena S. recommended: How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden. (For preppers, this is most suitable for an herb garden.)

   o o o

Chris over at the ZeroGov Forums recommended this 10 minute YouTube video on the historical foundation of taxation: I’m Allowed to Rob You!

   o o o

My wife Avalanche Lily spotted this: On Small Farms, Hoof Power Returns

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Be not intimidated… nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice." – John Adams

Note from JWR:

I’m pleased to report that SurvivalBlog is rapidly approaching the 30 Million Unique Visits milestone. We now have more than one million unique visitors per month. It is gratifying to see to SurvivalBlog readers in so many countries.

Please keep spreading the word about SurvivalBlog, to family, friends, co-workers, and a fellow church congregants. Adding a link to SurvivalBlog in your mail footer “.sig” or on your web page just takes a minute. Thanks!

Pat’s Product Reviews: AK-47 vs. AK-47 vs. AK-47

I’ve received quite a few e-mails from SurvivalBlog readers, asking me to write an article on AK-47s. Well, here’s my take on the AK line-up. First of all, I only write about guns I actually own or have personally tested. I don’t take a press release and write an article based on that, like some writers (that I’ve heard have done.) There are so many different variations of “AK-47s” out there these days, it would cost me a fortune and a lot of time, to obtain samples of ’em all to test and evaluation.

The question always arises, which is better, the AK-47 or the AR-15? Well, as I’ve mentioned before, there is no “better” when it comes to guns and knives, it’s all in the perspective and intended uses of these tools. So, if you’re looking for a debate as to which gun is better, this isn’t the article. I will say, that without a doubt, under extremely adverse conditions, where regular maintenance is far and few between, the AK-47 is more reliable than the AR-15. However, I’ve yet to see an AK-47 that can hold a candle to an AR-15 when it comes to accuracy.

For this article, I tested the NoDak Spud, two Century Arms and the new ATI AKs. The Century Arms line of AK-47s have really gotten a bad reputation, and most of it, I honestly believe, is undeserved. I don’t know anyone at Century Arms, and my samples of their products were purchased out-of-pocket, so I don’t have a dog in this fight. I will say though, that for a short time, those workers at Century Arms who were assembling and modifying imported AK-47s, weren’t paying close attention to some of the details, And to be honest, the AK-47 is really hard to screw-up when you are putting ’em together or modifying ’em.  I’ve owned more than my share of Century Arms AK-47s over the years, and I’ve only had an issue with one of ’em – the gas piston was ever so slightly bent, causing it to bind inside the gas tube, which didn’t allow for 100% reliability. It took only a few minutes to correct the problem.

My local gun shop sells a lot of AK-47s, and there’s a good reason for it – they are affordable and reliable. Most of the AKs they sell are from Century Arms, in one of the many configurations that Century produces. One of the problems they have observed over the years is that the front sight is canted and not in-line with the rear sight. There is no reason for this, other than a failure of quality control on the part of Century Arms. The problem is usually easily corrected if you have a bench vise and a little bit of knowledge. Still, there is no excuse for this sort of sloppiness, if you ask me. Another common complaint about Century AKs is that, the forearms and stocks are usually sanded (to take the dings out – these are military surplus stocks) – and Century doesn’t take a few extra minutes to spray on a coat of lacquer on the wooden stock or forearm. Again, this can be easily corrected by the purchaser at home.  

One must keep in mind, that the Century Arms line-up of AKs, are very affordable for the most part – they have a few that are a bit more spendy than the others, but most of the Century AKs are made from Romanian parts. Some gun snobs will turn their noses up at a Century AK that has the “Made In Romania” stamp on the receiver. Truth be told, these are parts guns, assembled and fitted here by Century, using the correct number of US-made parts, to make them legal. I’m not going to get into the 922(r) compliance thing, you can look it up on the ATF web site if you want – the law is stupid, plain and simple!

I tested two Century AKs, one was the WASR-10 with a full wooden stock, and the other was the WASR -10 with the under-fold stock. Both guns were great shooters, simple as that. I did have two failures to feed on the first magazine through the under-fold stock, and I expected that – there were some burrs on the bolt or receiver rails. After the first two failures to fully feed, the under-fold version just plugged along without any problems. The full wooden stock WASR-10, it never missed a beat from beginning to end. Accuracy with both of these Century AKs was running around 4″ at 100-yards – that’s about as good as I can get with most AKs. There’s a trade-off when you want more reliability – you lose some accuracy potential. I understand that the AKs that are coming off the Century Arms assembly line these days have USA-made barrels, and I would expect slightly better accuracy with these new barrels. Again, this is another stupid ruling from the folks at the BATF: AK parts sets can no longer be imported with the barrels. So they’ve resorted to using US-made barrels on the guns. On both of the Century samples I tested, and on many other Century AKs, I’ve found really great trigger pulls – most around 3-1/2 pounds. I believe this is due to the Tapco trigger and sear that Century uses. Again, certain parts on imported AKs have to contain a certain number of US-made parts – like a Romanian trigger and sear somehow makes an AK a “bad” gun, and a US-made trigger and sear make it a “good” gun.

I also picked-up a well-used AK-47 that had “NoDak Spud” marked on the receiver. Near as I can tell, NoDak Spud only makes the receivers and other folks assemble them into AKs of some type. Whoever did the work on this gun – didn’t know quite what they were doing, in my humble opinion. First of all, the attempt to parkerize the gun wasn’t successful – the gun easily picked-up rust in our damp climate of Western Oregon – even though I had sprayed Birchwood Casey Barricade on the entire gun. The NoDak Spud sample was very rough, to say the least. Whoever assembled it, also forgot the retaining spring, that is used to keep the trigger pin in place, and the pin would work itself out, binding the action up, until I could break it down, and get the pin back in place. I corrected the problem with an e-clip and the pin never worked itself loose again. (A 7 cent fix!)   The wood on the forearm and the stock were rough, and I cleaned ’em up with some sandpaper and steel wool. I then prepped the wood with some primer and spray painted the stock and forearm in a flat back – the gun was looking better at this point. Aside from the aforementioned trigger pin working loose, there were no malfunctions of any type during my testing. Accuracy was what you’d expect – in the 4″ range at 100-yards, if I did my part. I used a variety of Wolf and Brown Bear Russian-made noncorrosive ammo in my testing. It is inexpensive and it always goes “bang.”

The last AK I tested is from ATI, and it is quite a step up from the Century Arms AK. Only slightly more in cost, too. The ATI version of the AK has a milled receiver, the NoDak Spud and Century Arms versions have stamped receivers. The obvious quality in workmanship is there on the ATI AK, you can see it and feel it. The ATI weighs in at about 3/4 of a pound more than the stamped receiver AKs. The ATI also comes in a nice hard plastic carrying case with two magazines, instruction, cleaning equipment, etc.   The ATI AK was nicely blued, and there were no sharp machining marks on the gun – and it’s marked “Made In The USA” too – that means a lot to some folks – me included. The ATI was a much tighter gun than any of the other AKs I’ve owned over the years, and I expected some malfunction because of this. I tested the gun dry – no lube – and it never missed a beat. Then again, it’s an AK – they can take all kinds of use and abuse, and keep on going. The forearm and stock are made of wood, and it appears that the forearm is from Russia – both the forearm and stock were nicely finished and covered in a clean lacquer for weather-proofing the wood – nice!   I expected the ATI to shoot better than the Century Arms and the NoDak Spud – well, it did, but only by a little bit. If I did my part, I could get groups at 3 1/2 inches at 100-yards, but not all the time. Still, the quality is there in this ATI version of the AK…my local gun shop has another ATI AK sitting there, and I’m thinking real hard about getting it, too – just takes money.

One thing that I have found common in most AKs is that, the magazine usually have to be fitted slightly. Keep in mind, AK magazines are made in a lot of different countries, by different tooling, and some makers don’t take the care we take in the USA to make sure things are nice and tight. The two mags that came with the ATI would lock in the mag well, but it took two men and a small boy to get the mags out. A couple minutes with a file took a small amount of material off the mag stud (lower portion) to make the mags fit properly. The same was done with the NoDak Spud and Century Arms AKs. I like my mags to snap in and out without a lot of effort, and once the mags were fitted, I sanded down the lower portion on each mag stud so it was nice and smooth. The mags – all that I have – and it’s a lot – will lock-up and come out of all my AKs without any problems.

There’s a lot to be said for the 7.62×39 round. It can reach out there and touch someone a little harder than the .223/5.56mm rounds can. However, the .223/5.56mm rounds do more damage – at least when used within the limitations of the distance involved. The .223/5.56mm rounds do more tissue and organ damage than the 7.62×39 rounds, when up and close and personal distances are involved. So, we have longer range possibilities with an AK because of the round – it’s heavier and a bigger caliber and had greater retained energy, at range. However, with the AR, and the 5.56mm round, does more damage and the ARs are more accurate. You can also carry more 5.56 ammo than you can 7.62×39 ammo – if that’s a concern. [JWR Adds: The AK-74 is chambered in 5.45×39, which has similar weight and size characteristics to 5.56mm NATO.] AK magazines are also more rugged than the standard alloy AR magazines.

Honestly, you can’t lose if you pick an AK-47 of just about any type for your survival purposes. If looking into a Century Arms AK, I’d take a close look at the front sight, and make sure it’s not canted from dead center. And, work the action – make sure it doesn’t bind before you buy the gun. I know, Century Arms backs-up their guns, but it’s a pain-in-the-butt to have to send back a brand-new gun for repairs.

The Century Arms AKs I tested, run in the $500 price range. The NoDak Spud – about the same. The ATI I purchased was $569 and it honestly was worth the little bit of extra over the Century Arms version, in my opinion. The quality and workmanship were “there” with the ATI version. Some of you asked me to review the Arsenal line of AKs – I’ve only handled them, and couldn’t bring myself to pay the extra money over a lesser AK version. If I’m gonna be spending $800 – $1,000, you’d better believe I’m gonna be looking at an AR of some type.

So, don’t believe all the horror stories you’ve read on the ‘net about Century Arms AKs – for the most part, they are putting out some really good AKs, for a good price. However, if your budget will allow it, take a look at the ATI AK – I think it’s worth the extra money. In any case, it’s hard to beat an AK-47, no matter who makes it, it’ll save your bacon, when the chips are down.  – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

JWR Adds: Let’s face it: Most folks do not have the cash for a “Cadillac” solution like a Valmet M62 or one of the new SIG 556R rifles. (The latter outwardly looks like a SIG 556 but it is chambered in 7.62 x39 and uses standard AK magazines.) Rather, I recommend a “Chevy” solution, like the Bulgarian AK or the Russian Saiga AK. They are relatively inexpensive, but very reliable. The “Chinese Bicycle” solution is to find a used SKS carbine. These use a 10-round fixed magazine, but these can legally be replaced with a 30 round “semi-detachable” magazine in most jurisdictions.