Understanding Metric and Inch Bore Dimensions

I often have blog readers and consulting clients send me questions about firearms calibers. They are often confused, but this not always their fault. It is a confusing, complex, and often arcane topic. A lot of the facts that you will find are mere trivia, but since safety is an issue–(we mustn’t fire the incorrect ammo in our guns!)–it is important to study.

To begin: Metric caliber designations are usually written with an “x” in the middle to distinguish the bore diameter and case length. For example, the 6.5×55 designation tells us that the cartridge uses a 6.5 mm bullet, and a case that is 55 mm in length.

The following table is partly Creative Commons licensed (courtesy of Wikipedia), with additions by JWR (such as 7.5mm, 7.7mm, .375 H&H, .455 and .577) and minor corrections and comments. Hence, I am retaining my moral rights.

Bore

(Inches)

Metric

Equiv.

Bullet Dia.

(Inches)

 Typical Cartridges JWR’s Comments
.172 4.4mm .172

.17 HMR,
.17 Remington

 Varmint cartridges
.177 4.5mm .177 Pellet, .175 BB Airgun .177 caliber Common “BB Gun” and “Pellet Gun” ammo
.204 5mm .204 .204 Ruger, 5 mm Remington Rimfire Magnum Dubious market longevity, so beware!
.220 5.45mm .220 5.45 x39mm AK-74 series. (.220 Swift is actually a .223)
.22

5.56mm

5.7mm

 .223 .222 Rem., .223 Rem., .220 Swift, FN 5.7×28, .22-250, etc. A bullet diameter of .224 is used with some cartridges
.228 5.8mm .228 .228 Ackley Magnum  
.243 6mm .243 .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington Actually, it is 6.2mm
.25 6.35mm .25 .25 ACP  
.257 6.5mm .257

.256 Win. Magnum, .25-06, .257 Roberts,

  
  6.5mm .264 6.5×55 Swedish Perfect for deer-sized game
.264 6.7mm .264 .264 Win. Magnum  
.270 6.8mm .270 .270 Winchester, .270 Weatherby Mag. Great for antelope
.280 “7mm” .284 .280 Ross, 7×57 Mauser, 7mm Magnum, .280 Remington Actually, it is a 7.2mm bullet, but called 7mm.
  7.5mm .307 7.5×55 Swiss Schmidt-Rubin
.30 US 7.62mm .308 .30-06, .308 Winchester Ubiquitous!
.30 Euro 7.62mm .311 7.62×39, .303 British 7.62×39 is the world’s most common centerfire military cartridge.
.30 Mauser 7.63mm .311 .30 Mauser Broomhandle Mauser.
.32 7.63mm .312 .32 ACP, .32 S&W  
  7.7mm .311 7.7 x58 Jap WWII Arisaka
.323 8mm .323 8×57 Mauser .325 WSM, 8mm Remington Magnum, 98 Mauser, et al.
.338 8.58mm .338 .338 Lapua, .338 Winchester Magnum, .338 Federal Becoming popular for counter-sniper rifles
.348 8.75mm .348 .348 Winchester  
.355 9mm .355 9mm Parabellum, .380 ACP  
.357 (“.38”) 9mm

 

.357 – .359

 .38 S&W, .357 Magnum A “.38 S&W” is NOT 0.38″!
  9.22mm .363 9mm Makarov The Russians just have to be a little different.
.374 9.3mm .374 9.3×62 Mauser, 9.3×72 R  
.375 9.5mm .375 .375 H&H Magnum The world’s most popular dangerous game cartridge
.400 10mm .400 .38-40, .40 S&W, 10 mm Auto A .38-40 is actually a .400
.41 10.25mm .410 .41 Magnum Sadly, fading away
“.405” 10.25mm .411 .405 Winchester Misnamed, but a great cartridge
.408 10.4mm .408 .408 Chey Tac Based on the venerable .505 Gibbs case
.404 10.75mm .423 .404 Jeffery  
.41 Swiss 10.4mm

~.430

+/-

 .41 Swiss / Vetterli The famous Vetterli cartridge
.416 10.6mm .416 .416 Barrett, .416 Rigby  
.43 11mm .430 .43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block
.44 10.8mm

.427-

.430

 .44 Special, .44 Magnum  
.45 11.45mm

.451

.452

 .45 ACP, .45 Colt, etc.  
.454 11.53mm .454 .454 Casull Bear Medicine
.455 11.53mm .454 .455 Eley British revolvers, often reworked to fire .45 ACP.
“.476” 11.53mm .454 .476 Enfield aka “.455/476”. Named for its neck diameter
“.450” 11.6mm .455 .450 Adams Yes, a “.450 Adams” had a bigger bullet than a “.455”
.458 11.6mm .458 .458 Winchester Magnum, .45-70 Big game rifle
.460 11.6mm .458 .460 Weatherby Actually a .458, but called a .460 for marketing
.475 12mm .475 .475 Linebaugh  
.480 12mm .475 .480 Ruger Actually .475″ bore, but .480 sounds better
.500 12.7mm .500 .500 S&W Magnum Polar Bear Medicine
.50 12.7mm .510 .50 AE, .500 S&W, .50 Beowulf, .50 BMG, 12.7 x 108 mm, etc. More correctly, they are .51 caliber.
.505 12.8mm .505 .505 Gibbs African big game rifle
.577 14.5mm .570 .577 Snider British service rifle and carbine
“14.5mm” 14.88mm .586 14.5x114mm (PTRS-41) Light cannon, but there are now “sniper rifles” chambered in 14.5mm
.68 17.27mm

.675-

.695

 Nelspot Paintballs Paintball Markers
  20mm .787 20×102mm, etc. Light cannon
.950 24.13mm .950 .950 JDJ Based on the 20 x 102 mm Vulcan case
  30mm 1.18 30 x 113 mm, etc. Light cannon

As you can see, there are some amazing inconsistencies in cartridge designations. (See, for example, .405 Winchester and .38-40.) As Jim Keenan at the Firing Line Forums aptly put it: “It is usually best to just accept cartridge names; trying to figure out reasons for the names leads to insanity.”)

One regular source of confusion in cartridge naming is whether “bore diameter” refers to the rifling land dimension versus rifling groove dimension. For example, most .303 British rifles have a land-to-land diameter of .303 and a groove-to-groove diameter of .311. So when you handload a “.303” cartridge, you actually use a .311 diameter bullet.

Specifications have also changed for a few types of ammunition. One example is the 8mm Mauser cartridge. Early production 8×57 rifles used 8.08 mm (.318 caliber) bullets, but the later guns used 8.2 mm (.323 caliber) bullets.

Now, on to the realm of shotguns, where life is simpler but there is still some minor confusion.

Common Production Shotgun Bores and Gauges in North America

Designation

Bore
 Diameter, Inches

 Bore
 Diameter, Metric		 Round Balls Per pound JWR’s Comments
.410 .410 10.41mm 67.62 Not truly a “Gauge”. (If it were, it would properly be a “67 Gauge”)
28 Gauge .550 13.97mm 28 Uncommon gauge, loved by some quail and dove hunters
20 Gauge .615 15.63mm 20 Second most common gauge in the U.S. and Canada
16 Gauge .663 16.83mm 16 Fading in popularity
12 Gauge .729 18.53mm 12 The most common gauge in the U.S. and Canada
10 Gauge .775 19.69mm 10 Revived popularity, due to the mandate of lead-free shot for waterfowl hunting in the U.S.

Note that there are presently enormous revolvers being marketed that can fire both .45 Colt cartridges and .410 shotshells. (The Taurus “Judge” series.) I attribute the popularity of these revolvers to: A.) Ignorance of ballistics, and B). The unerring willingness of the American people to spend their money on impractical toys.

Pat’s Product Reviews: Blackhawk Nightedge Knife

As I’ve mentioned numerous times in my knife articles, I like big knives. Big knives can accomplish more tasks than smaller knives can. And, in the case of using a fixed blade knife for survival purposes or military applications, I think bigger knives shine! However, keep in mind that, no single knife can accomplish all the tasks you may need a blade for. That’s why I carry several knives, as well as having fixed blade knives with long blades, as well as shorter blades. There is no “do it all” knife – you need several.

If you are looking at a long-term survival situation, or you’re in the military, and need a fixed blade knife that won’t let you down, then take a close look at the Blackhawk Products, Nightedge. The Nightedge was designed by well-known custom knifemaker Allen Elishewitz, who lives in Texas. I reviewed one of Allen’s custom folders some years back for and article in Knives Illustrated magazine. I was greatly impressed by the attention to detail. I’ve also reviewed some of the CRKT knives that they are producing in collaboration with Elishewitz. Again, all winners.

In my opinion, the Blackhawk Nightedge is one of the best fixed blade knives that Allen Elishewitz has designed. We’re looking at a blade length of 5.9″ – although it looks longer and acts like a longer blade. The late Col. Rex Applegate, whom I worked for, for three years and whom I had the pleasure of calling my friend, taught me a lot about knife and gun fighting. Applegate studied use of the knife during WWII along with William Fairbairn. Applegate and Fairbairn concluded that you needed a blade with a length of 6″ in order to reach the vital organs in an enemy soldier. Well, the Nightedge is almost there with its 5.9″ blade – close enough for government work, as they say.

I like stainless steel blades, especially in my part of Oregon, where we get a lot of rain. However, I believe carbon steel blades hold an edge longer than stainless blades do, and carbon steel blades are easier to re-sharpen in my humble opinion. The Nightedge has a blade made out of 1085C high-carbon tool steel – good stuff! And, the blade has a black epoxy finish to help protect it from the elements. It’s also a full-tang blade – the thickness of the blade runs all the way through the handle, so it is very strong! Overall length of the knife is 10.9 inches.

The handle scales on the Nightedge are a thermoplastic rubber with textured panels for a sure grip under any conditions – the knife feels good, real good, in the hand. There is a slightly extended tang with a lanyard hole, should you wish to attach a lanyard. The sheath that is provided with the Nightedge is plastic-lined ballistic Nylon that is foliage green. The sheath can also be attached to a belt as well as web gear or MOLLE gear.

When I received my Nightedge, I noted that the blade wasn’t very sharp. This was puzzling, as I’ve tested a number of Blackhawk blades and all came hair-popping sharp out of the box. I thought I would simply touch-up the blade on a pair of ceramic sticks. Nope, didn’t happen. the edge geometry was all wrong on the blade. A quick e-mail to Laura Burgess who handles the PR for Blackhawk and a number of other companies, brought a quick reply. Blackhawk products wanted the sample back so they could examine the problem. Sure enough, for some reason, some of the Nightedge knives slipped through with the wrong edge grind on it. My sample was returned in short order, with the correct edge grind on it – shaving sharp. Blackhawk Products backs-up all their products, and when a mistake was made, they were fast to correct it – and admit it was a mistake on their part. I like that.

The Nightedge has a partially serrate edge towards the back of the blade, near the handle. Serrations can come in handy under any number of circumstances. However, Allen Elishewitz also provided a secondary edge edge on the top of the blade that is fully serrated for heavy draw cuts. Great idea! The unique grind on the blade also produces a reinforced point for extreme tip strength and penetration. There is also a built-in guard on the blade – where the blade joins the handle…it helps protect your hand from sliding onto the blade. the top guard has friction grooves for a secure grip of your thumb when using the fencing grip for knife fighting.

I used my sample knife for all kinds of tasks around my small homestead. I cut a lot of blackberry vines, and those are super-tough. I did some light chopping – even though this knife wasn’t designed for it – it took care of the task just the same. I could easily cut all the poly rope with the serrated edge, too. If you’ve ever tried to cut poly rope or wet rope – you’ll appreciate a knife with serrations.

Overall, the Nightedge is a great fixed blade knife. It’s perfect for combat, as well as survival purposes. Can it handle all the things you’ll through at it? No, of course not, no knife will. That’s why you need several knives for various tasks, as I mentioned at the onset of this article. I would highly recommend the Blackhawk Products Nightedge to Survivalblog readers, and especially to military personnel. This knife has a full retail of $149.99. That is a good deal on a great knife, designed by a world famous knife designer, and produced at a price point that makes it affordable for many of us. If you were to have Allen Elishewitz custom make this knife for you, you’d probably be looking at a price around $1,000 or more.

Again, as I’ve written before, quality never comes cheap, then again, you want the best gear and equipment you can afford when you’re looking at long-term survival. The Blackhawk collaboration with Elishewitz gives the consumer the opportunity to purchase a great design, at an affordable price. For further information, go to www.blackhawk.com for more information on this knife, and all their great products. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Two Letters Re: Keeping Your Communications Private

Sir:
After reading the recent SurvivalBlog article on “Keeping Your Communications Private” I went on eBay to see an endless variety of Flash drives that are very small and very camouflaged as to what they are. My wife and I will be going on a cruise later in the year and one of the cruise line’s suggestion is a flash drive to store copies of important documents.   I already do this for my BOB but I wanted something that we could carry that does not look like a flash drive. There were several options available at varying prices. I settled on purchasing a 2GB storage device that looks like a gift card/credit card and two that look like a leather wristbands. Naturally we will encrypt the information and put what ever programs might be needed to view the files, such as Open Office Portable and some sort of .pdf reader.   I read your post daily and enjoy them very much.   Thanks, – C.C. in East Texas

James,
I am a QuickBooks consultant and bookkeeper. In this capacity,  I frequently need to transport a client’s data files (In addition to my own records). I became concerned about the possibility of identity theft and my own liability. The elements of employee information contained in the typical data file is all the thief requires to create havoc.

For some years I used password protected SanDisk USB flash drives only to discover that the encryption/decryption required the host CPU and was vulnerable to hacking. (Later a team discovered that one didn’t even need to hack the decrypt password but that’s another story).

After more searching I found the Ironkey Personal. The entire device is encased in epoxy inside a sturdy metal shell. This makes it Mil Spec + waterproof and tamper proof as well as (if capped and not plugged into a port) EMP resistant. Encryption is achieved via an onboard chip which will self destruct (Mr. Phelps) after 10 unsuccessful password entries. This leaves the contents forever scrambled beyond any reasonable recovery. Many other features. I store  QuickBooks and Quicken data files on the device and run the applications on a machine addressing the files directly on the IronKey. As a result when I log off and detach the device the current files are securely stored on the IronKey with no trace on the client machine.

Check it out. It is seriously secure. – W.D.

Economics and Investing:

You may recall Buckeye, Arizona, as the home of a couple of the fictional characters in my novel “Patriots“. (They are also featured in the sequel, “Survivors”, that will be released in October.) Here is a video that shows a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house built in 2006 currently on the market in Buckeye. Its price has dropped from $184,900 to just $39,900. Yikes!

Prepare for More Money Printing: Analyst

Reader G.P. suggested this from The Telegraph: The Bank of England’s astonishing escape from the financial crisis.

SurvivalBlog’s G.G. sent this: Time To Celebrate The Recovery: Food Stamp Usage Hits Fresh Record

Items from The Economatrix:

Fears Of Economic Slowdown Hammer Stocks

Signs Point to an Economy Growing More Slowly

Treasury Yields Reach 2011 Lows on Hiring Drop

Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers in Western Montana, northern Idaho and southern Alberta will find this of interest: There is a Flathead Preparedness Expo scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2011, in Kalispell, Montana. Guest speakers will include Pastor Chuck Baldwin, Sheriff Richard Mack, and Stewart Rhodes.

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A reminder that your original preparedness articles and videos (including all that you send to SurvivalBlog for posting) are eligible for Safecastle’s “Freedom Awards” contest, with $12,000 worth of prizes. SurvivalBlog’s editors are pleased to participate in the judging in this contest.

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Apparently this bad guy missed seeing the movie “The Untouchables“… : Colorado Springs robber armed with knife foiled by handgun. (“Never bring a knife to gun fight.”)

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D.S. flagged this: Protective Intelligence Lessons from an Ambush in Mexico

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From Steve M.: Innovative Hangar Home conceals garage mahal

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 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 35 ends on July 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.

Keeping Your Communications Private, by F.J.B.

In this age of continuing disregard for an individual’s privacy, it can be difficult to keep your communications private. Warrant-less phone taps, postal service mail tracking, RF scanners,  and random roadside searches will appear fairly tame once the strip-searches start at the mall. Of course, this is their goal but even non-government snoopers are out there scanning your ID, listening to your phone calls, and trying to hack into your email. Going somewhere? Who knows your schedule? Did someone overhear your plans? How can you know?

What has happened to our right to privacy? Many people today are so beaten by the system that they have clearly given up. I have heard some people comment that they have “nothing to hide”, and sometimes even welcome a search to prove it. They “don’t mind” giving up their rights. “Go ahead and listen to my phone calls. I have nothing to hide.” They sometimes question why you wouldn’t be willing to give up your rights. They will also most likely be the first ones in line for the free government shower program, too.

News, current events, family issues, reports of local happenings, detailed instructions, requests for aid; all these things and more may one day be kept from being reported by main stream methods.  Getting a message through several hands and ultimately delivered to your intended recipient will require trust and perhaps some old school methods. Some of these methods are discussed here, but I welcome comments and any ideas others may have.

Thumb Drives

On the high-tech side (from a low-tech guy) of privacy I have seen several products I think offer a higher level of security. Ironkey makes a flash memory “thumb” drive that near self destructs when someone other than intended tries to gain access to the info it holds. “The encryption chip self-destructs if an invasive attack is detected”.  Super Talent makes a flash drive dubbed the “Pico” that is so small it could be hidden almost anywhere on most anything.  The smallest flash drive could be hidden on a person or in a coat or even be delivered by homing pigeon. I have also seen a working, cigarette lighter/thumb drive that conjures up images of  trench coat-wearing strangers meeting at a train station in eastern Europe.  

Thumb drives can be used to relay private messages in several ways. The info can be encoded and transferred from laptop to laptop to its end user, or  the drive can be encrypted and delivered to the end user. They can be used as a “cyber dead-drop” by hiding and fixing them in relatively public places for multiple users to upload/download info to or from. A thumb drive set in mortar into a brick wall where someone with a laptop could conceivably plug-in, download the info, and continue on their way would be one such “cyber dead drop“.  All the time the thumb drive remains fixed in the wall. The internet has several very creative examples of thumb drive dead drops posted on Youtube. The greatest concern with using a thumb drive for private communications at dead drops would be infections from the “unknown” user.
The giveaway and ultimate end to all dead drops is “noticed activity” by an outsider. This would give the outsider the opportunity to download a virus to the thumb drive dead drop, effectively damaging everyone else

Hard Wired Field Phones

Anyone who has ever seen a surplus catalog knows what a military field telephone is. They are still available from many sources at reasonable prices. These phones were designed for military field operations and used between fixed or encamped bases. They were considered to be more secure than a regular phone system since the hard wire was point-to-point rather than through a switchboard where “others” might listen in. This is still the case. Your phone conversations, whether cellular or land-line-wired (or digital fiber optic), are readily listened to and easily monitored without your knowledge. Radio transmissions can be monitored as well. Having a secure phone from point-to-point is an excellent means to keep your communications private.

These field phones run off a dynamo and a battery and are also compatible with the old style Stromberg Carlson phones you find in antique shops. They will also work with fencing as the transmission wire! Few would suspect you had a private line to your neighbor or friends house if you used the existing fence wire or even just ran the phone wire in the fence. City dwellers have been know to run the direct phone wire through the sewer pipes as well. Some of these phones work with up to two miles of wire. We have several phones placed around the property at cabin locations to call guests to dinner or help take out the trash.

Dead Drops

Through the years, dead drops have been used with mixed results. The ultimate end to a specific dead drop comes when locals notice activity. With this in mind, a more remote dead drop might last longer.

Usually a sign is left for another to notice and know that there is something of interest at the dead drop. The sign could be a chalk mark on a post, an Irish flag flying in a garden, a potted plant moved to the other side of a porch or any number of unremarkable things commonly unnoticed.  The dead drop itself could be a hole in a tree, a hollowed out slat in a park bench, a cavity behind a loose brick in a warehouse or any other uncommonly known hiding place. It could also be a remote drop location such as a shallow hole dug 10 steps off a highway mile marker post. Some have used a 5 gallon pail with a screw top Gamma Seal Lid as a buried dead drop. Some are hidden in plain view in the middle of town and others are out on lonely roads.

Dead drops can be used for delivering messages or objects. They can also be used as a collective cache location for supplies. An excellent book that demonstrated the use of dead drops in difficult times is Treblinka by Chil Rajchman. In the book, several like-minded people knew of the dead drop’s location and borrowed items, as needed, from the dead drop, returning them clean, immediately after the use. In this way, a large group of people can gain the use of a very limited amount of tools, supplies or resources.

A series of dead drops can also be used to deliver messages and items great distances.

Coded Messages

Many books can be written about codes, ciphers and secret messages. Today, even with modern technology and a Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring some codes will never be broken. A relatively safe code system for private messages is one that uses a common book or books as a “key”. Make a list of five of your favorite books and then go out and buy two of each of them. Be sure the two-of-each are the same printing and edition. Double check them by randomly opening pages and seeing that the second book matches the first exactly. Number the books 1 to 5 on the inside of the back cover and give your friend one of the sets.  Boxed sets of books work well, too.

Hopefully all the words you expect to use in your message are contained within the 5 books you picked. Some of you may have to pick more technical books to get all the words you want included.

The message you send will look like a series of numbers that relate to the number of the book (1 through 5), the page the word is on, and the number of the word on that page.

Example: I find the word “safe” in book 2, page 37, and then I count the words on that page and find that “safe” is the 17th word on that page. The code would read: 2,37,17 for the word “safe”.  

This type of code system makes for short and to the point messages but certainly private communication between only those who have the key books.
The great thing about this code system is that everyone has books and you can use books by anyone you choose; Steven King, Tom Clancy or even James Wesley, Rawles.

[JWR Adds: To minimize the chance of having a book code broken, it is best to buy two copies of some obscure “remainder” novel from the bargain table at Barnes & Noble–not a best-selling book, or any book that is associate with an”cause”!]

Coded messages like this can also be sent by any method you choose including radio and phone after the SHTF.

This type of code system can also be employed by Mutual Assistance Groups (MAGs) when communication privacy is of utmost importance.

Keeping your communications private will prove to be more and more difficult as bureaucrats look for new ways to use the new and intrusive technology that continues to develop. Older, low-tech methods of communication may have to be used when privacy is your biggest concern.

A secure communications network is impossible without trustworthy and like-minded people. The greatest tool in private communication is a network of trustworthy people. Finding and developing such a network is not an easy task and will become much more difficult to do after an economic, political, or societal collapse. Whom do you trust?

Letter Re: Recent “Debtors Prison” Articles

Jim,  
The Economatrix recently posted this article link: Welcome to Debtor’s Prison, 2011 Edition. I’ve read others like it and I feel compelled to comment.  In most states in the union someone cannot be sentenced to jail merely for owing money to someone else.  But in some states, you can, when it comes to child support and alimony. In these cases, a judgment creditor (spouse) can almost literally take the shirt off your back (even in my pro-debtor Texas) and send you to jail, sometimes facing felony charges.

If you read the article carefully, you will see that despite the use of terms like “debt related warrants” and “exploiting the court system”, what these people have been jailed for is contempt of court for ignoring court orders to appear.  

When someone wins a judgment against someone else, the plaintiff has a number of collection tools available to him.  As an example, Interrogatories in Aid of Judgment consist of a lengthy series of written questions that must be answered by the defendant – questions about his assets, savings, etc.  These and other documents can be served on the defendant and he must answer them.  If he does not, the judgment plaintiff can file a motion with the court to hold the defendant in contempt.  At that point the court will order the defendant to appear at a contempt hearing and if that order is ignored, the judge will issue a warrant.  And why not?  The defendant has essentially thumbed his nose at the court!  

About one of the jailed defendants the story said, “Mr. Stearns said he never got the summons or two orders to show up before a judge that a deputy sheriff said in court filings were delivered to him.”  

Are we really to believe that a sheriff’s deputy has lied on three different occasions about successfully serving the same person?  I’m not buying it.  There is absolutely no advantage to the deputy in lying about such a thing.  I think this guy was served and simply thought he could ignore it.  Once jailed he made the only claim he could that wouldn’t involve admitting guilt:  he said he was never served.  

One could debate this subject all day long but folks who win in court deserve to get paid – or at least deserve to be able to determine to their satisfaction that the defendant simply can’t pay – and inability to pay isn’t a crime.  Remember that it’s not just evil credit card companies and predatory lenders seeking to be paid:  It could be any one of us who was wronged by a rip-off mechanic or contractor (I’ve had to sue someone before).  

The bottom line for your readers (and these days it might affect more than a few of them):  Don’t ignore anything from a court!  You will not go to jail for an inability to pay a debt no matter what the amount or who it is owed to.  You will go to jail for contempt if you ignore an order to provide information or to obey a summons!  – Matt R.

Economics and Investing:

Reader John T. sent a link to some ominous commentary by Bob Moriarty about derivatives: The Ticking Time Bomb

Horror for US Economy as Data Falls off Cliff

G.P. suggested this by Bob Chapman: The Euro-Debt Crisis: Greece, Portugal, Spain. The Debts are Unpayable. Once the Lending Stops the Bottom Falls Out.

Casey in Arizona mentioned a recent piece by Michael Panzner, over at his excellent Financial Armageddon blog: Easy Way Out.

Mac Slavo: “America Will Be Dismembered By Its Creditors”

77,000 federal workers paid more than governors. (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.)

G.G. sent this by Puru Saxena: Endless Quantitative Easing

Odds ‘n Sods:

I often have consulting clients and SurvivalBlog readers ask me for recommendations on architects and design engineers that specialize in designing retreats. I strongly recommend Andrew L. Skousen. (In case you are wondering, yes, he’s related to Joel Skousen.) Feel free to mention my name when you contact Andrew. BTW, Joel Skousen and Andrew Skousen co-authored the recently-updated 3rd Edition of the book Strategic Relocation–North American Guide to Safe Places. This book is a modern-day classic in the preparedness world. It is chock full of maps and useful data for anyone considering buying a retreat property. I highly recommend it. You can look for a full review of this book in SurvivalBlog sometime in the next couple of weeks.

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The folks from The Survival Bunker in Kalama Washington (near Portland, Oregon) contacted me, to let me know that they are transforming into an online only (eBay) retailer and we will be shutting down their brick and mortar store in Kalama on June 18th, 2011. They wrote: “We are having an inventory reduction sale, 10% off everything in the store, except silver items. Come in and stock up on some great gear! If you are local and you purchase from me on Ebay, select the ‘Local Pickup’ option to save on the shipping charges.” The store is located at 447 N. First Street, Kalama, Washington. 

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Deadly virus hits horse circuit–Competitions canceled, millions at stake as herpes variant spreads in West

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Anyone interested in cane or stick fighting self-defense should check out Cane Masters. They sell both custom canes and instructional DVDs.

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File Under ‘D.C. Beltway Logic Vacuum’: DNC Chair: Republicans Believe Illegal Immigration ‘Should be a Crime’. (God forbid a crime should be called a crime…)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“What we’ve got right now is almost near panic going on with money managers and people who are responsible for money. They can not find a yield and you just don’t want to be putting your money into commodities or things that are punts that might work out or they might not depending on what happens with the economy… …We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it. We have many, many homeowners that are totally underwater here and cannot get out from under…” – Peter Yastrow, market strategist for Yastrow Origer, June 1, 2011

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest – Round 34 Winners Selected







SurvivalBlog Writing Contest – Round 34 Winners Selected

First Prize goes to J.B. in Montana for Preparing Kids for Disasters, posted on May 28th. He will receive: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate is 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 goes to Bryan R. for A Guide to Chemical Warfare Preparation, posted on May 24th. He will receive: 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: goes to “Notutopia” for How to Winnow, De-Hull, and Clean Your Own Home-Grown Grains, posted on May 6th. She will receive: 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.

Honorable Mention Awards: The writers of the 14 following articles will each receive a $30 Amazo.comn gift certificate, via e-mail:

Note to the prize winners: Please let me know your e-mail addresses for the Amazon.com gift certificates. (Those will be sent via e-mail.) I’ll also need both the USPS and UPS addresses for the top three prize winners.

Today we also present the first entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will be identical to those in Round 34.

Round 35 ends on July 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.

Tips on Buying Physical Silver Locally, by Frank B.

Twenty years ago a friend of mine came to me and said I should be buying silver. He took the time to show me what he’d bought with a small inheritance he’d received that year: 900 troy ounces of silver rounds. He packed them up in a couple of .50 cal. ammo cans and  spent the next 20 years moving them around [buried caches in] his back yards. Back then he paid something under $4 per ounce for an investment total of under $3,600. Twenty some years ago I had at least a hundred other things I could have done with $3,600, let alone buy silver. Twenty some years later I find that I wish I had taken his advice earlier.

It took some time, but I finally got around to buying silver. I was at a truck stop in the mid-west and saw a case with one-troy-ounce silver medallions for sale (we always speak in terms of troy ounces when talking silver or gold). They were priced at $19 each and I went ahead and purchased ten of them without any real consideration. I had heard a few news stories about silver going up in price and thought it was convenient to get them.

After buying the silver rounds I went online to learn silver was trading at $14.58/oz (spot price). This didn’t make me feel real good at the time; thinking that I paid too much. After doing some research I learned that I could buy online from silver brokers and get silver for just 50 cents over spot price if I purchased 50 ounces or more at a time. So I went ahead and set up a trading account, locked in my price, sent my check overnight, and bought some silver through the broker. This was an interesting experience for me.  I have spent a lot of money through online sales before but not like this. The silver I bought must not have even been mined yet. It took 10 weeks before it was delivered to me. That was a long ten weeks. It wasn’t that I was not told about the 8-10 week shipping time up front; I was told. It was more that I was out a chuck of money with nothing but a big promise that the silver would be delivered to me.

The way this works is that, with the extra time involved, I was also given an opportunity to sell the silver back to the broker at a higher price (if silver had gone up in value). As it happened, silver did go up in value but I wanted the silver in my hands for a long term investment.

This is only one of the ways you can buy physical silver. I say physical silver in that I have the actual silver in my hands. It is not just a piece of paper that says I own silver that is in a vault somewhere else for safe keeping. I have it with me at home and I like it that way. After trying the broker method of buying silver I decided to look for silver locally.

Reputable silver dealers will price their silver based on what is called the “spot” price. Commonly they will then add a “premium” to the spot price which represents their profit on the trade. The “spot” price can be found in many places online and can change minute by minute depending on what the demand for silver is worldwide. Premiums can change as well, depending on how much the dealer actually paid for the silver he is selling you. If the price of silver went down several dollars an ounce after he bought silver, he would likely raise his premium to cover the loss. If silver went up just after his purchase, he might keep his premium low. Dealers also can give lower premiums to higher volume buyers.

As I’m writing this, the silver spot price is $37.99. This is a good deal more than the $4/oz my friend wanted me to buy in at. His $3,600 investment is now at about $34,000! Not a bad backyard investment.

When buying physical silver or gold let you “fingers do the walking” and do an online search for coin dealers in your area. I have found that coin dealers and jewelers are good places to find silver bullion. If you were to do a web search “silver bullion”, or “coin dealers“  in your area (largest city near you) you’d find several places to call.

When making a phone call to the coin shop it would be best to know what the current “spot” price was before you call. Look it up online first. Call the dealer and ask him if he has any silver bullion on hand. He might ask you how much you were looking for since he bases his premium on volume as well as spot price. Know how much you want to buy before you call. He may have 1, 5, 10, or even 100 ounce rounds/bars for sale. Know what you want before you call.  Ask him flat out what his premium is for 20 ounces (or what ever you are ready to buy). He’ll tell you per ounce what he charges as a premium. Ask him if he charges sales tax on the exchange. Know that you can buy 1 or any number of ounces of silver at a time. Don’t fret over not being a “big” customer. These dealers are happy to have new customers no matter what size they are. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how he prices his silver but try to ask them all over the phone rather than at his shop.

Call several dealers and ask the same questions. Soon you’ll know which one has the best deal for you. Don’t waste time. Tell him when you’ll be in and ask him to hold the silver for you. Don’t miss this appointment! Get in there with cash money and do the deal.

It is important to note that some areas charge sales tax on silver sales. When you meet with the dealer, he will be able to tell you the local rules/laws. I have found that in some areas of the country, if you buy over $1,000 of silver or gold bullion there is no tax. Some dealers also understand that our Constitution allows for silver and gold bullion as currency and when I go into a shop, I state that I want to do a currency exchange: i.e.; $400 Federal Reserve Notes in exchange for 10 ounces of silver. This is in effect the same as walking into the gas station and asking for change for a newspaper machine. These dealers (those who understand our Constitution) do not charge a tax on the exchange. Note that a “sale” might require a tax but a “currency exchange” may not. [JWR Adds: Many states exempt bullion sales from sales taxes. Be sure to research your state’s laws.]

Also, it is worth noting that while these dealers want new customers, they are not looking for new distractions in their shops. The first thing you will notice when you arrive is that there are bars on the doors and windows. Some of the shops I have been to require the shopkeeper to “buzz” me in through his security door. Controlled access is a must for this type of business. His attention must be on the transaction to prevent mistakes or theft. The busier the shop, the less time he will have to chit-chat. These are not a real chatty businesses.

If you follow these simple rules you’ll be his best new customer.

Know the “spot” price as of that day.
Know what you want ahead of time.
Have an alternative in mind in case he doesn’t have what you want.
Bring cash money. No credit cards. No ATM cards. No checks.
Call ahead and tell him what you want and when you’ll be there.
Keep your appointment.
Ask to do a currency “exchange”. (Results will vary)
Go in, complete the deal, and leave.

He will remember you as a no-nonsense customer and it will show on follow up visits.

I have been buying silver and gold now for about 18 months. I started with 1 oz rounds and have since moved into 10 oz bars. It is all personal preference.
There is only one rule: Buy it and take it home. [JWR Adds: Don’t trust promises of bonded vault storage. Nothing beats taking delivery and well hidden at-home storage.] Sometimes I buy just a few ounces and other times I have bought 10, 20, or even 100 ounces at a time. Sometimes the dealer doesn’t have what I want and I buy gold instead. I have some US Silver Eagles and some generic rounds from various private mints. As for gold, I do have the opinion that 1/10th oz US Gold Eagles are the only way to go.

If silver and gold bullion go to where even some mainstream economists are stating, I am not sure what I’d be purchasing with a $10,000 gold coin but I can see using a $1,000 gold coin. For this reason I am only buying 1/10th oz gold coins.

If silver goes as high as some of the top predictions I have seen, a 400 oz stash could pay off a $300,000 mortgage (taxes not factored).

All said, the U.S. Dollar looks like it is losing its buying power at the same rate silver and gold appear to be going up in value. Putting my extra cash into silver and gold bullion just makes sense to me and even at $38/oz I still see it as a bargain. How much further will the dollar drop?

After a collapse I can see a return to gold and silver as currency. Yes, ammo and chickens will be traded too but once you have acquired all the ammo and chickens you can use, you’ll still need to accept an exchange currency if you plan to continue selling your goods or services. Our world has an historical and Biblical precedent set with gold and silver which we will ultimately return too. I also believe that it would be easier to bug-out carrying your wealth in gold rather than in chickens

Announcing the Ready Made Resources Preparedness Video Contest

For the next two months, Ready Made Resources (a SurvivalBlog advertiser from the beginning) is seeking entries for their Preparedness Video Contest. Instructional (nonfiction) videos on any topic related to family preparedness are sought. The prizes for the award winner are a brand new Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) complete Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight with a combined retail value of more than $1,400. Please keep your privacy in mind when you create your videos. (Don’t mention any surnames or towns). You may post up to three videos to YouTube for consideration in the judging. Videos up to 10 minute long that are your original work that are already posted to YouTube are also eligible for the judging. To enter, e-mail the URL for your video(s) to: grisrob@gmail.com. Do not send the videos themselves or links to videos stored at other web sites. Only nonfiction videos that you post to YouTube are eligible. The creator of the best original video will win a brand new a brand new complete Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight. The deadline or posting videos is July 26th. The video judged best will be announced on Monday August 1st, 2011.