Pat’s Product Review: Ruger Mini-14

I have literally lost count over the years, as to how many Ruger Mini-14s I’ve owned – however, I think it’s safe to say, I’ve probably owned a couple dozen Mini-14s. No, I don’t collect them, but I’ve owned quite a few of ’em since they first came on the scene. At present, ironically, I don’t own a Mini-14. But I do keep notes on how guns shoot when I did own them – it comes with the turf being a gun writer.

One of the gals who regularly reads Survivalblog, e-mailed me a couple weeks ago, and asked me to write about the Ruger Mini-14. I’m happy to give my two-cents worth. And, remember, when it comes to firearms, it’s a pretty subjective thing. I’ve giving you my take on guns, after being a gun owner for more than 40-yrs and a gun writer for close to 20-years. Still, you are getting my opinion and nothing more. I really like the Mini-14, I think they are a fun gun to shoot. They are light-weight, most weighing in around 6.5-lbs to 7-lbs, depending on which model you choose and the density of the stock’s wood. They are also a handy rifle to carry in your pick-up truck, and I’ve seen a lot of farmers and ranchers with Mini-14s in the rifle rack of their trucks. When it comes to shooting varmints, the Mini-14 is a mighty fine gun to have around, to be sure.

There have been quite a few iterations of the Mini-14 over the years, and I’ve lost track of how many different versions have been made. For the purpose of this article, we’ll keep the discussion down to the standard and Ranch rifle versions of the Mini-14, and in .223 Remington/5.56mm calibers. The Mini-14s I’ve owned have either been the standard version or the Ranch Rifle version. The Ranch Rifle comes with rings for mounting a scope, and it has a fold-down rear sight. Therein is one of the problems I’ve had with the Ranch rifles – the rear sights have all been extremely fragile and break – I’ve lost count of the number of rear sights I’ve replaced on the Ranch Rifles I’ve owned over the years.

I prefer the standard version of the Mini-14 over the Ranch Rifle. I don’t mind the “iron” sights in the least – they are quite functional and easy to use. The 18.5″ and 16.5″ factory barrels on the Mini are more than adequate for their intended purpose, too. However, I like to see a heavier barrel and better bedding on the standard versions of the Mini – just because I think they can do better in the accuracy department. Every Mini I’ve owned over the years was 4 MOA, at best. While, this may be good enough for combat at close range, I think Ruger can do better and really close those groups up quite a bit. Because of the accuracy issue, I don’t think the Mini is useful much beyond 200 yards in a combat/survival scenario.

The early Mini-14s had steel butt plates, the newer ones have a plastic butt plate. And, the versions with synthetic stocks have a rubber butt plate, which really hugs the shoulder when you get it up to shoot – I like that. Also, the early Mini-14s had an upper forearm that was made of wood – which would get extremely hot when doing a lot of rapid-fire. The new Minis all have a plastic upper forearms, that allow for rapid cooling during rapid-fire.

I like the M1 Garand-style action on the Ruger Mini-14. It’s a minimally-fouling piston system, that I’ve never seen fail on any Mini. I also like the Garand style safety – inside the trigger guard – where you can push it off safe, and onto fire in a split second. make no mistake, the Mini-14 is a very reliable little shooter. Where I’ve run into problems with the Mini is, when I’ve used cheap, after-market magazines. The Mini-14 comes with a 5 round magazine. This is fine for hunting. But for self-defense and survival purposes, you need either a 20 or preferably a 30 round magazine. Until recently, you simply couldn’t buy Ruger-made 20 or 30 round magazines – they were restricted (by Ruger) to law enforcement sales only. [JWR Adds: Thankfully, that bit of political correctness faded away after Bill Ruger passed away.] The good news is that, Ruger is now selling their 20 and 30 round magazines to the public, and they are outstanding mags, to be sure. The only complaint I have is that they retail for $39.95 for 20 rounders and $49.95 for 30 rounders. That’s spendy, no matter how you look at it.

Over the years, there have been a lot of after-market 20 and 30 round magazines for the Mini-14. Sad to say, most were simply junk! And, most of the after-market Mini magazines I’ve run across don’t even have the makers name stamped on them. I surmise they were too ashamed to let people know they were making such cruddy magazines. Some of the worst Mini magazines I’ve run across were either USA brand or Federal Ordnance brand. Steer clear of most aftermarket magazines! And, you can easily spot those magazines – they aren’t well heat-treated, and you can easily bend the feed lips with your fingers – not a good thing. Remember, if you don’t have reliable magazines for any semi-auto firearm, you basically have a hard-to-load single-shot gun – just that simple. [JWR Adds: When buying magazines for any gun that you might someday use for self defense, procure only top quality magazines. Do not put you life at risk by saving few dollars on “bargain” magazines!]

I used to pick up like-new Mini-14s at gun shows for $150 – $250 each. Sad to say, those days are long gone. A used Mini-14 will set you back around $500 – $600 these days, at least here in Oregon. Furthermore, brand-new Mini-14s start around $750 and go up to almost $1,000 today. I have a problem with that – for that kind of money, I can go out and purchase some type of AR-15 style rifle. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the Mini, that can’t be corrected. However, if I were shopping around for a survival rifle, that had to save my bacon, I’d rather go with some type of AR over the Mini-14. [JWR Adds: I concur. Parts availability and an accuracy dictate that!]

Another problem that comes with owning a Mini-14 is spare parts. Have you ever tried to get a simple firing pin from Ruger? Can’t be done, you have to send the rifle in to Ruger and they’ll fit it. I’m not aware of anyone making an after-market firing pin for the Mini. Some parts can be purchased from Ruger, or after-market makers. However, I really like the idea of having a spare firing pin for my semi-auto rifles, and this isn’t a problem with ARs – you can get ’em at any one of a dozen after-market makers or even directly from the factory. Now, with that said, I’ve never had a firing pin break in any Mini-14 I’ve ever owned.

The Ruger Mini-14 is easy to operate, too – just load-up a mag, insert it in the gun and draw back the slide handle and chamber a round. And, if you happen to have some kind of malfunction, it’s easier to clear than one on in an AR. The Mini is also easier to clean than an AR is – and that’s a good thing.

If I were looking to purchase some kind of .223 Rem/5.56mm rifle for the end of the world, survival purposes or “whatever” may come my way, then I’d pick-up an AR of some type over a Mini-14. However, whenever I run across an Mini-14 that is priced “right” I’m a sucker and will snap it up. The Mini-14 is a lot of fun to shoot and they handle nicely, too. Many females prefer the Mini over an AR. I think that black guns intimidate gals for some reason. Maybe it’s the “evil” look of an AR, and maybe it’s because the Mini handles better in the hands of someone who isn’t all that experienced with pistol grip rifles.

Don’t take what I’m saying as a strong criticism of the Ruger Mini-14, as I said, I really like the Mini, and if my local gun shop had one in decent shape, that was priced right, I’d buy it today. I’d also take a Mini-14 over an M1 Carbine any day of the week. While I know there are a lot of military vets who served with the M1 Carbine, it’s just doesn’t have the knock-down power that the .223 Remington/5.56mm round has. The Mini-14 is a lot of fun, when it’s all said and done. And, if you happen to run across a good deal on a Mini-14, pick it up. You can always use it to help supplement your battery. You can give it to someone who isn’t all that familiar with firearms in an end of the world scenario and you don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining how the gun operates – as opposed to an AR-15.

You can do a lot worse than a Mini-14, and if they are to your liking, I have no problem with that. Ruger makes good guns – just that simple. However, I think there is room for improvement on the Mini-14, and the accuracy is one area that I’d like to see some closer attention paid by Ruger. I also think that Ruger could do better on the price of their 20 and 30 round factory Mini-14 magazines.

So, if you have a Mini-14, or are looking to purchase one, then have at it. They are a lot of fun. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Google Earth — The Double-Edged Sword

Mr. Rawles,
Thanks for the extraordinary services you provide and for being so generous with your time.

The subject of this letter has to do with a recent article on survivalblog in which the author explained the benefits of searching for homesteads using free, online resources such as Google Earth.

I recently bought and moved to a rural property. This was the culmination of over two years’ hunting for good homesteads at a fair price. So when I came across this place, I knew it was a bargain.

In my searches, I found other rich sources of information: especially interactive maps provided by county governments, with detailed info on specific properties. Such as the name of the owner(s) of record.

Real estate sites such as Zillow.com provided lots of information about specific properties, especially the locations and photos of homes and lots for sale. In my searches, I viewed many pics of people’s living rooms, bedrooms, rec rooms, offices, bathrooms, driveways, basements, back yards, decks, garages, and so on. Descriptions written by sellers and their agents provided additional info such as “seller is motivated” and “house cannot be seen from the road.”

So I agree with the author that free, online resources are a great resource for us preppers.

But there is a dark side of this technology. The resources I used to find my homestead are available to anyone else, right now. Think about that. I don’t even want to state the implications of that, outright.

How can one “disappear” a property from the ever-growing online database of aerial photos and data? – Dubya in Tennessee

Economics and Investing:

John E. flagged this bit of statist arrogance: US Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner – “Taxes on ‘Small Business’ Must Rise So Government Doesn’t Shrink”

John R. kindly sent us a whole raft of economic news items and some excellent commentary:

Derivatives Cloud the Possible Fallout From a Greek Default

Inevitable Catastrophe: The Fruits of Moral Hazard on a Global Scale  (Charles Hugh Smith)

Chance Didn’t Create the Current Economic Crisis (Bob Chapman)

Bernanke Lies Half Life Reduced To Under One Day As Aflac Scrambling To Shore Up Liquidity On European Exposure

Mike Whitney: QE 3? — The Perils of Inflation Targeting

Feigning Cluelessness, Helicopter Ben Fools No One (Rick Ackerman)  

Items from The Economatrix:

Russia, China Sign Deal to Switch to Trade in Rubles, Yuan

Peter Schiff:  US Set to Default; Silver Headed to $200

Fed Admits US Economy Struggling

Nevermind Greece, Look at Britain’s Deficit

The Latest FDIC Failed Bank List

US Budget Office Warns on Debt Explosion

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader V.T.P. mention a new documentary coming up on the National Geographic cable television channel: Doomsday Preppers. It first airs tonight. (Monday, June 27 at 8 p.m. in the U.S.) Judging from the preview clip, it looks great. I would be very surprised to hear that the folks profiled aren’t SurvivalBlog readers.

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I recently bought a few olive drab MOLLE shotshell pouches from a small mailorder company in Florida called Omega Zombie. I was quite impressed with both the quality of their products and their customer service. And, BTW, I noticed that they also sell their gear on eBay.

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Frequent content contributor Steven M. flagged this: Seven Deadliest Arrow Poisons on Earth

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Just a brief reminder that the deadline for the Ready Made Resources Preparedness Video Contest is July 26th. Instructional (nonfiction) videos on any topic related to family preparedness are sought. The prizes 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 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 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.

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Bob S. spotted this: Doctor as renegade — accepts cash, checks, eggs or pie, not insurance

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It’s a good thing Syria has gun control; otherwise the citizen-slaughtering troops could get hurt.” – From a collection of reader comments to the East Valley Tribune, Arizona. (This quote comes to us courtesy of Alphecca.com)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In order for this economy to become balanced again would require consumer debt to be reduced by $3 to $4 trillion and the savings rate to double from 5% to 10%. This will never happen voluntarily. Americans are still delusional. They are actually increasing their debt as credit card debt sits at $790 billion, student loan debt at $1 trillion, auto loans at $600 billion, and mortgage debt at $13.8 trillion. The debt will not decline until an economic Depression wipes out banks and consumers alike. America will go down with a bang, not a whimper.” – Jim Quinn, writing in The Burning Platform blog

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.

Lessons For a Novice Gardener, by D.M.

I don’t have much money to spend on prepping this year as some poor financial decisions in my past are still haunting me.  However, I did decide that I would put forth as much effort as I could to learning the skills needed to survive the nearing collapse.  I already have a few days of fishing in this year and going with experienced fisherman has taught me a lot.  I have also applied for all licenses that I could in hopes to enhance my already solid skills with hunting, and I have been learning all I can about trapping as that only increases your chances at catching game.  Although most of my goals with improving skills around feeding my family protein won’t happen until September 1st, I have decided to really get serious around learning how to garden. 

Turn back the clock and as a child I was raised with a garden in the family growing up in Massachusetts.   It was about a quarter acre and it provided us with most of our vegetables for the year.  Last year, I dabbled with the garden, growing a few tomato plants, herbs, chilies, and broccoli.  This year, I ripped out the large flower garden from the previous owner and am going full force.  I used a Sonnylight indoor grow light to get my seeds started while it was still snowing out.  Started Cantaloupe, Zucchini, broccoli, chilies, basil, cilantro, and butternut squash inside where the temperatures are warm.  Just about every pod that I planted had a sprout.
 
Next thing I did was prepare the soil. The flowers were thick and it was hard work getting them, the grass and all of the unneeded wood chips out.  My friend raises alpacas and their dung is great for fertilizer.  I got a load from her and dug it into the garden.  Finally, I noticed that I had an ant hill about 3 feet across in the middle of where I wanted my chilies to go.  It took a few tries but I eventually got rid of them.  I tried a dry product that you just sprinkle on the ant hill and that failed, next I tried two different sprays.  The first one was contained in its own spray bottle that failed.  The second one hooked up to the hose and provided a spray/water mix and that finally did it. 

I spent two weekends clearing out the garden, removing everything that wasn’t food and preparing the soil.  I also spent some time making some adjustments to my sprinkler system so I could water effectively.   At this point, I was feeling great, all of my indoor plants were thriving and my garden was solid with good soil and plenty of water.  This is where the easy part stops. The next few weeks would be many lessons learned. 

Lesson 1:  Read the seeds – Workable ground does not mean after last freeze and I could have had most of what I planted in the ground a month earlier than I did.  Not a hard lesson but nonetheless a good lesson.  With the short growing season in Colorado, it will mean the difference of not having a 2nd or 3rd harvest this year.

Lesson 2:  Look before you dig.  While planting my seed, I used a sharp metal rod to poke the soil to get a seed in the ground.  Well, one bad strike and the next thing I know, I am digging up the pipe to my sprinkler system as there is was a nice hole.  In the end, now I know how to repair a sprinkler system but a headache that I did not need.  Look before you dig.

Lesson 3:  Hardening my plants.  Start slow with hardening your indoor plants.  I had a great first two days with full sun and my plants getting the exposure they needed only to get a little irrigation on the third day.  Went out fishing with the kids, and then stopped at a friend’s for dinner only to come home to dried out crispy plants.  My chilies were okay as they are use to drier conditions but everything else suffered losses.  I got water on the plants immediately and about 50% came back to life however, I lost 8 weeks’ worth of work on the plants that didn’t make it.
 
Lesson 4: Consider your water source.  My sprinkler system is fed from my local reservoir and is not treated with chemicals however, my inside water for drinking is treated.  Plants do not grow as well with town water as they do with rain or a natural water source.  I am doing a test now just to see how much of a difference and I tell you, with only a few weeks in, the plants watered with the water from my sprinkler system are much greener than the other. 

Lesson 5: TBD – Last year I bought a few books with a gift certificate I had on the topic of gardening. I thought by reading through them and having them as a reference that I would have success with my garden but that is not the case.  I am still only a few weeks into the growing season and already I have had so much pain.  I can only imagine what I will learn in the future.  I plan on still trying to get two harvests out of a few types of plants this year and I plan on canning and preserving my harvest.  I plan on root cellaring and practicing seed saving.  I can only imagine what mistakes I will make there as it will be my first time will all of that as well.

I know I have much to learn and have some dependencies that make it obvious that I am not self sufficient.  The water source for my property comes from a reservoir that is more than 15 miles away.  It gets to my house through a series of ditches and pipe systems.  It crosses roads and could easily be sabotaged to where I have no water.  It hasn’t rained here in more than two weeks now and that would effectively kill anything I have going.  Some 55 gallon drums and a way to catch water from my roof would be my first option in saving water.  Buying the drums is on my list and I hope to have them soon but I would not install it until I needed too. 

Another dependency is soil and keeping my soil full of nutrients that keep my garden ideal for growing.  I need to pick out an area in my yard suitable for a compost pile.  Just today I found an article about 99 things that you can compost. I had no idea all the things that can be used to keep my garden soil healthy each year.  Items like paper, pencil shavings, chewing gum and even toe nail clippings can be used according to that article.  We had a compost pile growing up and it consisted of four fence posts with chicken wire wrapped on the outside to hold everything in.  The one thing that I remember most was digging into it in the winter and feeling how hot it was inside.  Nature at work.

The last thing that I would like to add to my house is a greenhouse.  With that addition, I could extend my growing season over a month on each end of the season.  That is one thing about Colorado that is so unpredictable is the weather.  We have been here for over 10 years and each one has been different.  We have had Thanksgivings with 65 degree temperatures and snow in June; you just can’t depend on what is going to happen.   I would want my greenhouse to have a good drip system and some type of fan system for regulating the temperature.   I feel that with these few things, it will be very effective. 

Overall, you can have all the knowledge you want on your bookshelf and you can plan for how you will feed your family in the looming collapse. You can have all the survival seeds you can store, soil test kits, and fertilizer as well.  The truth is, as many others on this site have stated, experience is king and without it, it could mean the difference of living or dying.  I am very fortunate to live in the area that I do more than 180 miles from the nearest city.  I am very comfortable outdoors, am in decent shape, and have many friends that share my same values.  I still have much to learn.  I have two small children and they will be dependent on me for survival.  My hunting and gathering can improve, my retreat could use some improvements, and I could really use a few more years to learn to garden effectively.   The good news in all of this is that the grocery store down the street is still open and has a wonderful produce section and the farmers markets are in full swing.  As much as I want to rely on my garden, my backup plan is still there.  I can only imagine how much these mistakes would be amplified if it no longer existed.

Thank you Mr. Rawles from the bottom of my heart for a great blog site and for your passion to helping the many of us that are willing to learn.  Please keep up the outstanding work and God Bless. 

Letter Re: Military Surplus Generators and Concertina Wire

Jim:
I have found some good advice in SurvivalBlog over the years.  For example your referenced GovLiquidation.com site some years back.  Fort Polk, Louisiana is a two hour drive from my retreat.  I bought a $10,000 MEP-002A 5 KW diesel generator with only three hours clocked on it at auction for $1,500. I was somewhat concerned that it might not work or have problems with it but I decided to chance it.    

Picked it up, brought it home, hooked up two batteries and it cranked right up.  Runs like a top.  Amazing that the government is selling  stuff for what it sells it for but it does. I have had it for nine months and run it every two weeks and have not had any problems with it.     

About every six months they have a batch of about 20 or so generators up for auction.  I will probably buy another.  Can’t beat the price and the generators are built like a tank.   

I also got a batch of  70 rolls of concertina wire for $400. They were in very good shape.   These are the long rolls that sell for about $75 to $100 a piece, new.  I stored them in the very back field at my “farm”. – Carl D.

Three Letters Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

JWR:
I just read Blue Sun’s comments and feel I too must comment.

I believe that he has the beginnings of what I envision as a End of the World scenario, inasmuch as the ‘friend’ from yesterday is the enemy of today.

But we part company when he is suggesting that deep woods is the location for survival.

I see no room for the weak or infirm nor women and children.

I see only a Jeremiah Johnson-style survival thing for a lone male that is young and in good health and very good shape.

How long one expects to be in that shape is directly connected to ones age and present shape.

And if you actually believe you can doctor and dentist yourself at all time, then please show me that person as I have not met Superman yet.

I see all the problems of trying to hunker down and survive, But that is preferable to being on the run and trying to live “of the land” as that is not healthy .Either in a physical or mental way.

The “lone survivor” is a romantic thought and we [ most real men ] that saw Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson for the most part thought I thought that was so cool.

As I saw that over 30 years ago, I did grow and get older and matured. Enough to see that lifestyle, if possible then not preferable for so many reasons.

We are a society of sociable people, meaning most normal people want interaction and a friendly face and voice to know.

I imagine it might be possible to survive under ‘the Lone Ranger’ woods walker existence. But after a few years of cold and hunger,the “survivor” might find themselves looking for a few books to read and a friendly voice to hear. Or might think of eating his gun barrel .

I am of the opinion that I will survive, and if I must then it could be alone. But to prefer that and to try for that is beyond this old timers ken! – Regards, – Lobo

 

JWR,
I’ve often wondered as well, as to just how bad things could get in TEOTWAWKI situation.  Reading Blue Sun’s post encouraging hiking out and taking on the hunter-gatherer lifestyle I had a few thoughts.

First, I don’t know how many of your readers have read Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower.  It’s a TEOTWAWKI story written from the perspective of a teenage girl living in California several years after Peak Oil has crumbled our economy.  TEOTWAWKI happens over several years in the book, unlike the nuclear/EMP disaster of “One Second After“, but many of the same themes and ideas are there.  For instance, the problem of the newly homeless and looters.  After a few years of dwindling resources and a crumbling/no longer existent government, many will be leaving their homes, likely on foot, to scavenge to food and resources.  Some will eventually band together, many will follow the major streams of human traffic, from one town to the next (they will likely follow major routes first since those are the paths of least resistance and then move to smaller roads and towns), scrounging for resources and likely causing fires along the way (think Los Angeles riots).  With limited or non existent services such as police and fire departments, fires are likely to get way out of hand fast.  At first, this is likely to only effect the towns being looted, but eventually, these fires are likely to find their way into the forests, unchecked.  So how do the retreaters and the backpackers deal with this threat and how likely are they to survive it?

With a retreat, one can always remove brush and trees from the immediate area around their retreat, though this makes the retreat more noticeable, it reduces the chance of fire getting close to home.  Large cisterns can be used to store water which can help put out fires, though that also reduces your available drinking water (a problem if the fires hit during a dry season or drought).  Buildings can be built of less flammable materials such as cob, rammed earth, metal, stone or concrete, but there’s still the problem of air quality when a fire gets too close.  Gardens could easily be destroyed (but are replaceable), and orchards would be in danger if the trees were still young.  Livestock are likely to bolt, or worse, suffer and die from smoke inhalation.  A BOB would allow the retreater a quick exit if the worst happened and they were unable to keep the flames under control and away from their retreat.  Though the retreater would potentially take significant losses in a wild fire, those prepared would likely survive.

Backpackers would likely have a more difficult time dealing with forest fires.  For one, they’re in the mild of the fuel, which leaves them strongly at the mercy of the wind currents and how quickly and to which direction they push the flames.  Secondly, they are very restricted on just what they can carry and how quickly they can pack up camp.  If a fire came up on them in the night, they may not have a lot of time to get moving to safety.  Since they have so few resources, the lose of any resources could make life much more difficult, whether it be a sleeping bag, fire arm, knife, etc.  Smoke inhalation would be a much more significant danger.  Being in the forest would make determining the source(s) of the fire more difficult than being in a clearing near the forest. 

Now, all that being said, I can definitely understand and promote the need to be prepared to rough it and backpack in the wild as suggested in the post.  For one, we can never assume that we are completely safe in our retreat.  Much as the characters in Parable of the Sower discover, eventually the walls fall, or you get the negative attention of the wrong people… and when that happens you either stay and face whatever that may entail (death, rape, slavery, etc?) or you bug out for safety again. 

Personally, I hope to have a retreat setup for my family as backpacking with small children long term is likely an even harder task, but I will continue to keep my BOB ready and waiting, caches available with resources, just in case, long after TEOTWAWKI has happened.  And hopefully, my retreat will remain safe, at least until my daughter is old enough to walk and understand the need to remain quiet. – D. Momma

 

James:
Given some modern medicine you can drastically reduce the infant mortality rate. So hunter-gatherers don’t necessarily have a short life span. Most people intending to hunter-gatherers after TEOTWAWKI have already reached maturity and are bringing modern amenities. If you’re referring to looters and criminals shortening their lifespan – then I also beg to differ. Statistically speaking any parcel of land you buy can be usurped by a far more remote parcel of land that can’t be bought, that is reachable only by hiking or far more difficult [terrain or water] obstacles.

JWR Replies: As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, the greatest drawback to any mobile retreating scheme is that it doesn’t provide a stored supply of food to fall back upon. Whether you gather fish, game and plants or if raise your own, you cannot be sure of a bountiful harvest each and every year. Without a stored reserve, too much is left up to chance. A deep larder is your best insurance policy.

Economics and Investing:

D.S. spotted this: Greeks Turn Savings to Gold and Perth Mint Silver Coin Sales Surge to Record on Haven Demand

Cody J. sent us this: Default America: Influence & Impasse

Flat line: Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged, Offers Dim View of Economy (Thanks to Steven M. for the link.)

Also from Steven M.: Moody’s: Commercial Real Estate Prices declined 3.7% in April, Prices at new Post-Bubble Low. (Thanks to Steven M. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

The Bitter Medicine for the United States

Jim Rogers:  Obama Should Resign Before Inflation Sparks Unrest

Gerald Celente:  Everything is Not All Right, and Things are Going to Get Worse

How An Economy Collapses

US Warned Again That it is About to Lose Top Credit Rating

Large US Hedge Funds Fear Worse is Yet to Come

New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Benefits Rollback for Workforce

Odds ‘n Sods:

New Study: Fluoride Can Damage the Brain – Avoid Use in Children. (Thank to K.E.R. for the link.)

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Monumental ignorance of history and logical inversion: “Chicago’s new top cop says the accessibility to firearms in America is an extension ‘of government-sponsored racism’ that goes back to the days of slavery and Jim Crow.” If this idiot knew anything about history, then he would know that gun restrictions were used by southern legislatures during Reconstruction to repress the voting rights of recently-freed slaves. He has his history absolutely inverted!

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Alan W. flagged this: Power grid change may disrupt clocks.

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Don in Oregon sent this item: Swiss Renew Push for Bomb Shelters. Don notes: “I didn’t know that the Swiss have 300,000 nuclear shelters with capacity for 8.6 million people (more than their population), and the government stockpiles 4.5 months’ of fuel and food for the entire country.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” – Acts 3:18-21 (KJV)

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.

The Case For Silver Spoons, by F.J.B.

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Most folks today would agree that we live in troubled times. At any moment, a single event could change the balance of our society for the worse, taking us back to what some might call the dark ages. Predicted solar flares, EMPs, earthquakes, or  even terrorist activity today could lead to a complete infrastructure failure that would affect every aspect of our future. During such a grim event, our personal health would be a great concern. Without refrigeration, many medicines would spoil. Without power, pharmaceutical plants shut down. The few hospitals that have back-up power will soon run out and close if they are not overrun by the masses first. Most modern medical practices would become useless. What is common surgery today, will become a thing of the past. Without the power grid, virtually all that goes into modern medical practices for the common man simply goes away.

Everyday tasks that we would have engaged in without concern before such an event could now pose a health risk that leads to infections or sickness and could even lead to death. Running a barbed wire fence, turning a wrench on your truck, or cutting fire wood will require extra care so as to not get hurt or injured. In fact, just sitting down to a meal could lead to your demise. Aside from the main course, what are you ingesting from the plates and utensils themselves? Like it or not, without automatic dishwashers, we will all be taking a greater interest in washing the dishes and being certain that they are clean, which is why we all should now be looking at silver spoons.

Silver spoons may be the very reason some family lines have continued through the ages while others have been completely lost. Perhaps this, too, is why the general population holds a negative bias towards those who were “born with a silver spoon“.  While the lower class ate their meals with dirty hands and wooden spoons, the elite would eat with dirty hands and silver spoons.   

At this time, I feel compelled to make full disclosure in that I was, indeed, silver-spoon-fed Gerber baby food by my mom who always tried to keep my hands clean.  While on her honeymoon in the Appalachians, Mom bought a souvenir silver (baby) spoon that would be a hand-me-down silver spoon from my older sister to me. It was soon lost by me to my younger sibling who in turn lost it to our still youngest sibling who saw the silver spoon retired. The silver spoon came out of retirement some twenty-five years later to assist my wife in feeding our son. At that time I marveled that I hadn’t starved to death as a child for the tiny size of the silver spoon.

Further, while growing up at home with my family, we were sometimes allowed to dine with Mom’s silverware on extra special occasions such as every third Christmas dinner or every seventh Easter Sunday meal.

So you see, while I am no stranger to silver spoons, I am clearly not an elitist that would have had his own silver baby spoon and dined daily with the family silverware. And Mom was no elitist either! She was just a young and sentimental nurse who knew of silver’s benefits and wanted to protect her children.

Big industry has learned what smart moms, and elitists all over the world, knew all along. Silver fights germs because silver is poison to germs!

A Swiss botanist from the 1880s is credited with coining  the phrase oligodynamic effect which, simply put, means that silver is toxic to bacteria, viruses, molds, fungi, spores and other unpopular micro-organisms! In other words, a spoon made of silver would naturally fight bacteria, viruses, and other micro bad things that might want to hang-out or live on your spoon. Some test results suggest that in as little as 6 minutes a silver spoon will have killed all the bad stuff on it.

A silver spoon self-sanitizes as it sits in your drawer waiting to be used.  This property is shared by other heavy metals as well, but silver is the most affordable, and safest, heavy metal that won’t cause other adverse effects on us (such as lead does). Scientists, doctors, and nurses have been aware of this for years, but modern medicine went in another direction. Only today are we hearing about the wonders of silver in medicine and industry.

Today, fabric manufacturers are adding silver particles to socks and other clothing to control odors caused by bacteria. Silver-coated polyester fabric is used in heart valve replacement surgery. Silver is used in mattresses and bedding for both its antimicrobial effect and its heat dissipation qualities. Silver is used in fabrics that in turn are used in RF Shielding and protecting electronics from EMPs. Silver is used in the fabric mesh of radiation protective suits. Silver is now being used in bandages and first-aid materials. Kitchen sponges are available with the benefits of silver. Colloidal silver (a liquid suspension of silver) is being used almost anywhere you can think of that germs are growing. It is being sprayed into HVAC vents to kill germs and bacteria. It is used as an antibacterial burn treatment. It has been shown that colloidal silver, taken internally, is effective against E. Coli  and over 650 disease-causing organisms. The use of silver in industry continues to grow and we may never see an end to its possibilities.  It is also of note that American pioneers would drop a silver dollar into a jug of milk to keep it fresh from spoilage. What else did they know that has been forgotten by modern man?

Knowing what silver can do, and owning pure silver (.999 fine), you can actually make colloidal silver at home for dipping your socks into or even treating cancer. There are many internet posts on how to make colloidal silver at home and the uses of colloidal silver. It is fairly easy to make and can be done with a few 9-volt batteries, silver wire or two silver bullion coins (.999), a quart canning jar, two alligator clips and some distilled water.

The process involves creating an electrical current that runs through the two clips suspending the silver in the distilled water. As the electricity flows through the silver and into/through the water, silver ionized particles are left behind suspended in the water. Once made, it should be stored covered and away from sunlight. Use it as a topical antibacterial for cuts, scrapes  and burns. After a societal-changing event where there is no doctor or hospital, you can take sterile bandages and dip them into the colloidal silver solution for use as an antibacterial bandage.

It is not recommended that you use a sterling silver spoon to make colloidal silver.  Sterling silver is .925 pure, having some copper in it. We do not want to ingest the copper so it is recommended that you use .999 pure silver as is found in silver bullion.  It is also of note that early silver spoons were nearly pure silver. It was later that they were alloyed to make the spoon stronger and harder to keep it from bending. Today, “Sterling silver” is .925 pure silver.

Another age-old benefit of silver spoons dates to the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) China.  Silver chop sticks would turn black or tarnish quickly when the silver reacted with popular poisons of the era. A silver spoon (or chop stick) will tarnish on contact with sulfur, and therefore any arsenic sulfides, making it a handy arsenic-poisoning detector and a lot easier to keep around than a chef or a peasant for random taste tests.

All said, everyone should have a silver spoon in their kit. It should be widely used by all in family survival kitchens, BOBs, and even carried by each individual to be used when eating out (you’ll always know whose mouth it last touched).  It will also be in the ready should you need to barter or buy something while on the road. After all, it is silver and just like cash. Maybe you should have several with you.

I would support a universal distribution of silver spoons to every man, woman, and child in these United States as an alternative health care plan.   In essence, the silver spoon is a pocket health care plan!

Remember what Mom always said: Wash your hands, eat well, be healthy, use your silver spoon and stay away from hard ice cream to prevent bent spoons.

Buy some silver spoons and you just might be continuing your family line.