Letter Re: Apartment Fire Lessons Learned

JWR:
I am sleeping soundly when I hear a car horn then another long horn for a full minute which seems like an eternity at 4 A.M. the apartment behind mine are 70 yards from my back porch. Then I hear a slamming of metal sound and then another like a bat hitting a car. Then I kind of fall back to sleep only to hear police knocking on doors yelling police and it sounds like they are down stairs and then all this knocking. I open my eyes and there is a fireball outside my window and my dog is starting to go nuts.

I look for my flashlight next to my pillow and realize it is in the truck because I took an extra one when I went hunting and forgot to put it back. I put on some clothes and cant find the flashlight in the kitchen. I go outside and the cops are trying to get people out of their apartments that are near this truck that is now a huge bonfire. I get closer and then the fire dept comes and this truck starts to catch another car on fire and the cops are trying to put out a huge blaze with a car fire extinguisher. Now there is smoke everywhere and I go back to my apt cause I can’t breathe.

Lessons Learned:

Don’t remove the flashlight without putting it back. Have one in your vehicle and have a fire extinguisher in your car and in your apt. Have a damn bug out bag. I started one and through hunting and car trips, etc. It got used and appropriated for other things. Seeing the neighbors who’s front door was 10 feet from the parked truck standing out in the cold at 4 A.M. in boxers while being shouted at by cops while you are half awake is disconcerting to say the least. Had I lived closer to that truck that was on fire, it would have been us out there.

So as I am half awake, I am planning on building a BOB for the family and dog and getting fire extinguishers and some gear together and putting it in our vehicles. 

Letter Re: DIY Food Storage Packing

Sir:
I am an avid reader of your blog. This particular article touched a chord and I’d like to suggest one place for a great many staples this person will need to store.

I am a Mormon.  The LDS bishop’s storehouse is available to me – however, this same resource is also available to non-members.  I have regularly taken my close non-Mormon friends to the local storehouse in the Sacramento, California region.  The prices I think are on-par with Sam’s Club and they have things that Sam’s Club simply won’t carry. (Wheat is one of those).  Here is a link to the order form and you can find your local store house location from this same site. 

I found that initially during my preparedness days (2004-to-2007) that it was cheaper to purchase rice at Sam’s, but better to purchase the beans (several varieties) from the store house.  All the items at the storehouse are in the 25 lb. bags. If you want the smaller sizes you will have to buy the 25 lb. bag and break that up into smaller containers.  You can purchase and can food items at most of the store houses.  No one will break up the large bags into #10 cans or Mylar pouches, you should make an appointment ahead of time if you plan to do this.  Also it is helpful to call ahead to make sure they have an item in stock.  If you are planning to purchase an entire year’s worth of supplies up front you must order (and pay) in advance.

There will no one there to convert you or talk to you about the LDS faith.  The goal of the storehouse is to distribute food/supplies to members in need of assistance and help you purchase and store up enough food to feed your family and provide charity to your neighbors. Thanks, – Mike

JWR Replies: It is best to compare prices before buying anywhere. I agree that the Bishop’s Storehouse dry canning plants are a great option. In the Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course I describe in detail how to buy foods in bulk–for example from “Big Box” stores like Costco and Sam’s Club stores, and then re-pack them yourself.

Letter Re: An Adequate Bug Out Vehicle (BOV)

Hello JWR,
I have a comment for the recent article by Ed in Kentucky. He listed several good points that include: debris passage, water passage, off-road ability, range, and tow capacity. I’ve seen some great pictures of School buses, Trash trucks, work vans built up to be livable and what I call “sleeper” vehicles. Imagine an ambulance in the exact same scenario. Instead of using the more common Ford E-150, and then build it up (with shelves, extra fuel tanks, interior stuff, etc.), get an Ambulance and build it down.

Run through Ed’s list again – scroll down now and come back – look at all the “upgrades” you didn’t have to buy.

Here ARE some things you will have to buy: Lights: You can not legally drive our big bad ambulance around town looking like an ambulance. RED and BLUE are always demand Right-of-way for Ambulance, Fire, and Police services. Be very careful of Green and Blue lights for volunteer services as many times green is also considered HAZMAT. So legally, [in most jurisdictions] yellow/amber/orange are “Requesting right-of-way” or danger/ safety lights and are okay along with white lights for any vehicle. I had to replace 14 lights @ 12.50 each. and replace the red spinners to yellow in the light bar. Paint them black, take off the red lenses, whatever.

You have to peel the stickers off: If your vehicle looks like a Ambulance then [in many jurisdictions] you have the legal responsibility to stop and render professional aid when hailed. Example: Let’s say there is a heart attack victim who calls 911, and unbeknown to you, you drive your “ambulance” right by their house and keep right on going. They are trying to flag you down with 911 on their cell running after you. You’re going to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars.

I’ve come to recognize that Fire trucks Police cars and Ambulances have certain upgrades that make them reliable in time of need, and after a time, they become very expensive to maintain at par levels. So they sell them at auction houses, what have you, and then buy next years best model. Well all those Ambulances and fire trucks are still Gigantic Tool boxes on wheels.

I have a 1980s vintage Ford Chateau 350 with a Horton box, gasoline 460cc V8 engine, Automatic transmission, Dually rear axle RWD just loaded with tool boxes, lights and sirens.

The problems: The VIN is only 7 digits (instead of the now-standard 13 or more) and “old enough” to make insurance raise an eye brow (clearly I’m not insuring as an ambulance, but just a work van. 2WD – they do make 4WD versions Very thirsty – 8 MPG? but two huge gas tanks to accommodate. Looks like an ambulance and therefore carries legal liability. I was teased by my friends only a few times. Not real easy to “lock” and make secure. They are a lot better than an RV door as far as security, but not really “hardened”. (Maybe look into an older Wells-Fargo armored truck) The light-brown basket-weave interior linoleum is just awfully ugly. It’s easy to just mop anything out however.

The Assets: Horton Ambulance box, mid 1980s vintage Type III Dually wheels, Ford Chateau E-350 parts availability, and partially EMP proof. There is a military designed box that sits on the rear of a Hummer or trailer that acts as an EMP-proof unit designed for electronics and reliable battlefield comms. Well, I think an ambulance with its solid metal skin may just fit the ticket quite nicely. (Yes there is glass in a door every once in a while – sigh.) Lots of white light inside. Lots of white light outside in the form of spot lights. All Halogen even. Lots of heat and air conditioning. (Mine just happens to need R12 coolant, far superior in cooling ability than its noble R134a counterpart, but also quite a bit more expensive, being so rare.)

Very clean wiring and electrical system including a 230 Amp Alternator (as a comparison, many house in the US only have a 200 Amp breaker box for their mains.) You really haven’t seen quality electrical until you’ve seen this wiring. RVs don’t even come close in serviceability and troubleshooting. (I do have barrel connectors all over the place however I’m not really fond of this but…) An Ambulance is on a higher playing field as far as quality and reliability are concerned. Other commercial or consumer grade cars trucks and vans have nothing on an ambulance. AMR, EMR, and other professional Ambulance companies have to pay huge money to buy an Ambulance brand new, get it certified with all the required codes and quality checks, and have to pay to keep it in working condition. Then it is always stored indoors and serviced by professionals perhaps more often than even school buses, tow trucks, police cars, and maybe even fire trucks. Did I mention it already has a 110 VAC using the standard plug? That is awesome. Dual batteries, monster alternator, and a shore line. Lots of clean AC and DC power.

My use for it when I bought it was to make it a mobile computer lab. I am quite versed in fiber channel, iSCSI and networking and after I was laid-off from a major computer firm this past summer 2010; I wanted to go into business for myself fixing business machines – say a remote PC/MAC/UNIX server “ambulance” (and a mobile bill-board for advertising even).

Back to the ambulance: Often there will be a lot of hours on the engine where no mileage was logged, just sitting in a parking lot waiting for a call to come in. So the default Ford cam shaft is fairly relaxed. I knew this going in so we replaced the cam to something “a little more aggressive”. Hint: Have you ever seen an ambulance lift it’s front wheels off the ground from a stop light? It’s a sleeper.

I would like to have either the natural gas version, or the diesel (preferred). But, it’s a work in progress. I have seen some diesel versions that “need engine work” with starting bids listed at $1,000. (New ones are in the $240,000 range) I’m not affiliated, but check out AmbulanceTrader.com.

Disclaimer – I felt I needed to have a disclaimer, but you’re all grown adults and know what you need to do to take care of things. I imagine a working pumper fire-truck next to your property with a large size water tank nearby would make a invaluable addition to your home in the case of a forest fire. I imagine one may be able to put the lights back on after TEOTWAWKI and have some kinds of respect, but maybe it’ll attract marauders to the potential of medicine. Who knows?

They are of course not always on sale, or cheap enough to buy, but when they are, buy ’em! And then try to figure out how to park them in your driveway. 🙂

Letter Re: Limitations of Square Foot Gardening

James;
I like Square Foot Gardening. It’s a great way to get started for newbies, with its recipe approach. I think it’s great for busy individuals.

But it has several severe TEOTWAWKI limitations; the author assumes access to building materials for raised beds, hard-to-find vermiculite and peat moss shipped from thousands of miles away.

I live in a large (one million plus people) city and had to call all over town for vermiculite, and then I had to buy it in small bags. I can’t imagine the difficulties of obtaining this limited material in a grid-down situation.

And forget about getting peat moss once local supplies are exhausted, as the majority is found in Canada.

Square Foot Gardening generally assumes annual plants, which die every year and must be re-planted. Though there’s nothing which prevents low-maintenance perennials (which stay alive for years).

Once you graduate from the Square Foot school, check out permaculture. A permaculture garden is self-supporting; you can’t leave a Square Foot Garden for weeks and expect food at the end, but a properly-designed permaculture garden can take care of itself.

The concepts are rich but because of that, they are also very technical. Browsing web sites will leave you confused and frustrated.

The very best resource I’ve found which helps navigate the permaculture world is the book “Gaia’s Garden.” Christians, don’t let the title put you off (I had at first refused to read it for that reason). There are also some YouTube videos which should show you the potential of this method.

So, start with a small Square Foot bed to get your feet wet. Then check out “Gaia’s Garden” from your library. See how much you can grow! – C.D.V.

Letter Re: A Strange Assortment of Weapons in Rio

Dear Editor:
In a 28 November post in Survival Blog, you observed:

“Rio de Janeiro shaken by fresh gang violence. There were 15 deaths in one day. Notice that one of the photographs shows a policeman carrying a scoped FN-FAL. Things must be serious. Please pray for the city’s residents.”

As a journalist I encountered a wide variety of weapons in use by the Rio de Janeiro Policia, including Imbel FALs, Ruger Mini-14s, various M16/M4 family weapons, Kalashnikovs and many examples of handguns. If the equipment–including tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles–tactics and appearance of the policia appears to be that of a military force under fire, that is because they often are.

A few of their weapons are pictured from various sources below. I saved the best three [IMHO] for last:

FALs, from a Xinhua article

FALs and G3, from The Australian newspaper

FALs, M4s and Galil, from Todayszaman.com

Mini-14 and AK variants, from Grind365.com. [JWR’s comment: The guy wielding two handguns must have been playing too many video games.]

And here are the ones of a weapon that was introduced circa 1902 [no, not the M4!] You don’t often see in use any more–except in Rio:

Madsen LMG

Another Madsen

Regards, – George S.

JWR Replies: Thanks for sending your observations and those fascinating photo links. Seeing those old warhorse Madsen light machineguns still in use made me chuckle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see those Madsens updated with Picatinny rails! FWIW, in Nepal, a few police were still toting Martini-Henry rifles up until the early 1980s. (And I must mention that I still have a few quasi-antique gems designed by the genius John Moses Browning in my gun vault, so I mustn’t denigrate the Nepalese. Just because a great design is a hundred years old doesn’t make it ineffective.)

Economics and Investing:

John R. sent this: Currency Crisis! So What Happens if the Dollar and the Euro Both Collapse? [JWR Notes: I predict that both will collapse, but that the Euro will tank first. This will mean a brief upswing in the value of the U.S. Dollar. As I’ve noted before, that brief interim will likely provide a window of opportunity to buy precious metals.]

Number of the Week: 492 Days From Default to Foreclosure. (Thanks to John R. for the the link.)

Another from John R.: Starve the Beast: Just Bull, not Good Economics.

World at a Boil with War and Economic Crisis (An excerpt from Bob Chapman’s weekly International Forecaster.)

Randy F. sent this: The Great Copper Heist.

Items from The Economatrix:

The Stench of Growing Economic Decay Grows Stronger  

Spain Could Be Forced to Seek a Bailout Within Months, Says Barclays  

EU Rescue Costs Start to Threaten Germany Itself  

Spain, Portugal and Belgium to Follow Ireland into the Abyss  

Odds ‘n Sods:

The 25 Most Dangerous Cities In America. Note how population density creates an inverse relationship with my Recommended Retreat Areas. These are the proverbial “Opposite ends of the spectrum.”

   o o o

RFJ mentioned that Murphy’s Laws of TEOTWAWKI from the Survival Cache gear site got re-posted to Lew Rockwell’s site.

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The Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course is only rarely offered at a discounted price. Until Monday December 13th, the publisher is running a special sale. Don’t miss out on the chance to get a copy for yourself, or to give one as a Christmas gift.

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Medusahead: An Inedible Grass Threatens Western Rangeland  

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Brian S. suggested this fascinating YouTube clip: Space Station Crew Uses Ham Radio to Call Earth

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. Of course, this makes me forever ineligible for public office." – H.L. Mencken

Notes from JWR:

Today I’m posting the first column written by my new bride, Avalanche Lily.

—

I’m also presenting the final two entries for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 32 of the contest begins on November 1st, 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 Truth About Your Local Grocery Store, By Jay M.

I’ve been reading your Blog for a little over a year now and find it very interesting.  Not long ago there was an entry about trying to convince your family about the need to get prepared.  I to have the same issue when trying to get others on board.  They always seem to give me the “RCA dog look” — like I’ve lost my mind.
However, I do have the advantage of some work experience that helps.  I’ve worked for a major grocer / big box retailer for the last 25 years.   In that time things have changed an unbelievable amount.  Twenty or even ten years ago we stored tons of merchandise in the back room and restocked throughout the day.  Now due to the wishes of Wall Street all retailers are required to very closely monitor their inventory levels.  If you want your share price to go up then you had to greatly reduce the amount of inventory you kept in the stores.  This resulted in the Just in Time (JIT) inventory craze.  Basically this means that instead of a store employee knowing what sold when and ordering each day/week to keep the store stocked with what was selling or what they knew would sell based on their experience it is now done by computers.  Now this “computer” knows how long it takes to get each item from the vendor to the store.  Then it takes information from the registers each day based on how much of an item is sold and/or sales trends and orders just enough as not to run out.  The goal is that as a customer is buying the last item off the shelf that a stocker is coming down the aisle with a new case to restock. 

Of course any of you who do any shopping understand this is not a perfect science.  As people go shopping now they take for granted that what they want will be on the shelf.  Most of the time this process does work as planned.  When you consider that most stores carry 70,000 plus items there is a very small percent that are actually out each day. 

The problem occurs when some outside factors come into play.  This can be as little as the weather man predicting a snow or ice store.  If that happens people go nuts buying everything they can get their hands on.  The system is not set up for this.  If the situation only affects a few locations then they can get back in stock within 2-3 days on most of the basic supplies.  However if it affects a large region such as half a state then the warehouses run out fast also.  They are on the JIT program as well and aren’t stocked in a way to restock 100 stores all at once.    Many areas of the country are primed to be affected by an earthquake.  If that were to happen the shelves would be cleaned out within hours and wouldn’t be restocked for who knows how long.  Even if the stores local area wasn’t affected, most likely the roads between the store and the warehouses would have bridges that if not destroyed would certainly be shut down for a time in order for inspectors to clear them as safe before trucks were allowed to cross.

The other factor I explain to folks is that when they shop day in and day out it looks like a ton of merchandise on the shelf.  For example a store may stock 60 propane bottles for camp stoves on a regular basis.  But in an emergency situation whether it has happened or only predicted the customers who get there first to buy some don’t just buy one or two.  They will buy at least 10 so then only the first six customers get any.    Many of the big box and grocery stores you shop in every day average between 3,000 and 6,000 customers a day.  Do the math.

As far as food most stores get 2-to-5 trucks a day of some type of food.   Thus the store you shop at each day/week really only has about 1-½ to 2 days worth of food on the shelf any given day during normal conditions.  If an emergency happens they will be cleaned out in a matter of hours.  Then the question becomes how they will restock.  Remember roads may be closed.  The warehouse workers who normally load the trucks may have situations where they don’t show up to work due to taking care of their own family.  The same would be true with the truck drivers who would bring it to the stores and the folks who stock and run the local store as well.

What I try to make people understand it that they need to have a stock of what they need at their own house or somewhere.  That they can’t just assume the local store will have what they want.  A lot of discussion goes on about food but you can’t just think about food.  Of course that is important for sure but also think about other things you would want.  Such items might be batteries, candles, matches, charcoal, lighter fluid, Coleman fuel, propane, lamp oil, water carriers, and toilet paper (very important), etc.  I also try to keep at least an extra 6-to-8  of such items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, paper plates, paper towels, medicine, etc.  Think of things that you use every day but won’t be able to drive to the store and pick up if TSHTF .  

Assuming that you could buy gas or kerosene how many cans to you have to transport it in?  A couple of years ago there was a major ice storm where I live.  The stores were closed for 2-3 days in most cases.  When they did open you couldn’t find a gas can for days.  Due to the storm everyone needed to run chain saws to clear roads, yards, or trees off their house.  However like I said earlier the stores only replenish to rate of sale.  Since a store doesn’t normally sell 100 gas cans a day they don’t keep that many in stock.  Some items that became major needs but were not available that no one ever thinks about were two cycle oil and bar and chain oil for the chain saws, extra chains, files for sharpening, etc.

Another thing to consider is how you will pay of things if you can actually find them.  Many times I’ve seen where some construction company digging a trench 100 miles away cut a fiber optic line and totally shut down all credit / debit card transactions and many check purchases.  How much cash do you have on hand to buy things in an emergency?  Be sure you don’t keep $100 bills.  Keep small bills and maybe some quarters.  Even if the stores are able to stay open or reopen after a few days chances are they won’t be able to get their change orders from the bank as they normally do 5-6 days a week.  Thus if you walk in there with big bills they may not be able to make change.

The next time you go shopping take time to look around and think about what you would do if when you walked in the shelves were empty.  What would you feed your family when you got home if you couldn’t buy what you came to get.  Go home and look at your cabinets.  How long could you feed your family if you couldn’t get to the store?

Many of you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving for the challenge of getting what you want to give for Christmas presents.  Many of you won’t go anywhere near a store that day because of the chaos.  However, think about if you had to fight crowds like that who were fighting for food to feed their kids vs. just presents.  If you had a proper store of supplies that you needed already you would certainly rest better knowing you didn’t have to go and ‘fight’ in this dangerous environment.
I’ve said all this to simply say don’t take for granted that what you run to the store for will always be there in a crisis.  Make plans now and stock up on the basis as you see fit for your family.  Remember to watch the sale ads and take advantage when stores run the items you use on sale.  Also this holiday season is a great time to stock up on basic grocery items.  Many stores have marked down items to attract customers for their holiday cooking needs.  For example many stores have basic cans goods (beans, corn, etc) for 30-50% off their regular prices.

There are tons of list out there of what you need to have.  Be sure to think about what you already use all the time and stock up on that as well.  Life will be much more pleasant if live changes due to a major SHTF situation or even a temporary situation such as an earthquake if you don’t have to drastically modify your life.  Simple things like having your regular shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc will be appreciated.

The .357 Magnum: An All-Around Survival Cartridge

As an avid reader of SurvivalBlog I know that most preppers like the .45 ACP round as their standard. That’s a great choice and an excellent round. It has a long and solid history as a combat round. It falls short in the arena of woods carry and most don’t consider it a hunting round. This report is not to compare the .45 to the .357 Magnum as it is an overdone conversation. Instead, I would like to outline the facts about the .357 Magnum and discuss some of the misconceptions as well as the viability of this classic as an all around survival round for everything from personal protection to hunting and woods defense. This round is very sensitive to barrel length and has many bullet options. I would like to show how using a longer barrel maximizes the round and makes it very devastating. I would also like to give a little pick-me-up to the old wheel gun guys like me who only see in cylinders.

Incapacitating power is where many discussions on the .357 go bad early. The power of the .357 is grossly misunderstood and misrepresented. The .357 is commonly over- and under-reported on power. There are a few factors that have to be considered when discussing power, they are: Bullet weight, Velocity, and Bullet diameter. One of my favorite tools to use when studying this subject is the Energy, Momentum, and Taylor KO (TKO) Calculator. This is a very cool tool to have bookmarked on your computer. Another tool that is very good is the charts made by four gentlemen who sat down with a couple of chronographs, 8,500 rounds of ammo, some Thompson Center single shot pistols. They began shooting, recording and progressively shortening their barrels by an inch at a time, and then compiling the data. Their data can be found at the Ballistics By The Inch web page. The power of the .357 is greatly affected by barrel length. The .357 seems to hit its prime at 6”. Any shorter and a lot of power is lost any longer and you are toting a gun unnecessarily to big. If you look at the charts made by the gentlemen at Ballistics by the Inch you will see that the difference between a 2” barrel and a 6” barrel is upward of 700 ft/sec of velocity. If you use this info and plug it into the calculator you will see that your values skyrocket as the barrel length increases. Using the data on a Corbon 125 grain JHP a 2” barrel yields an energy of 226 ft/lbs, momentum of 16, and a TKO of 5. Now you plug in the data from the same round out of a 6” barrel and you get an energy of 816 ft/lbs, momentum of 30, and a TKO of 10. This is huge in comparison. I have plugged in several of my favorite .357 woods carry loads and have gotten similar results each time.

To give a rough comparison most 240 grain .44 Magnum factory loads have an energy of approx. 800 ft/lbs. Now I am not comparing the two rounds in total, I am just saying that the energy reaches .44 magnum ranges when a 6” barrel is used. Now most guys who pack a .357 for woods carry opt for a 4” gun and most say “Ah, there isn’t much difference between a 4” and 6” gun”, but I say nay. Using the same info here is the 4” plugged in to the calculator. Energy 621 ft/lbs, momentum is 26, and TKO is a 9. Now many say this isn’t much but it really is. Another rough comparison would be like saying a full power 10mm isn’t much different than a 40 S&W. Tell that to a car door with a bad guy on the other side. When developing a round most ammo manufacturers use a 6″-to-8” barrel to do their ballistics testing. There is a reason for this and it becomes very apparent in the numbers.

The .357 Magnum carries the honor of being #1 with one shot stops of two-legged threats. The bullet in this statistic is the 125 grain hollowpoint. That is a great choice for two-leggers but for those that live in areas dominated by four-legged threats a bigger bullet is better. In this example I am going to use the Double Tap 200 grain WFNGC load. Out of a 6” gun the load moves at 1,305 ft/sec. When plugged in to the calculator we get energy of 756 ft/lbs, momentum of 37, and a TKO of 13. This makes the .357 a good choice for hunting and woods carry in the lower 48 and some would argue Alaska as well but we wont have that argument here. Caliber arguments are long and never really get far, but, if you look at the data certain things fly off the page. The .357 shines in the data when you have a heavier bullet and a longer barrel. Other calibers do better when the barrel length is shorter, but for a one gun option, the .357 has great potential. As a good example the 10mm and .357 are compared quite often, when the bullet weight is 200 grain (for instance) and a standard Glock 20 is compared to a 6” .357 the .357 most often wins the numbers game hands down. As the .357 barrel length is shortened, the 10mm starts to shine. A 6” .357 blows the .45 ACP out of the water (using a M1911 with a 5″ barrel), and quickly starts heading toward .44 Magnum numbers. (But it does not, however, get there).

So, here are my thoughts and advise for those who would like to make the .357 their primary gun. One of the most popular guns to purchase for self defense these days is a J-Frame .357 mag. The common barrel length is 1.87-2”, as seen with our calculator, this is a very short barrel for the .357 and a great deal of powder is burned after it leaves the barrel resulting in a large flash. When looking for a concealable carry gun a 3” barrel is much better. When the same Corbon load is used and calculated the difference in 1” amounts to a gain of 353 ft/sec. This is very significant when it comes to a self defense situation. S&W now makes several new 3” J-Frame guns and Rugers 3” SP101 has a great following.

There are many auto guys who go on and on about magazine capacity and firepower. The most common gun survivalists talk about is the M1911 .45. Without making the gun look silly, 8 rounds is the maximum capacity 9 if you keep one in the chamber. S&W makes a large frame wheel that has an 8 round capacity and even more medium frame options with 7rds. That is a fair capacity by any standard. The other gripe people have with a revolver is that reloads are slower. There are great custom shop options for moon clips and with a little practice (no more than training with autos) one can be very efficient if not lightning fast on reloads. There are several custom shops that do this machine work, one is TK Customs, he can be found online. What’s great about a rimmed cartridge and moon clips is that if you don’t have moon clips you don’t have to use them you can just drop the cartridges in as usual and they work just fine. Another great thing about the .357 is you can shoot .38 Specials which gives you more options in a pinch as well as a cheaper training load.

Another great wheel gun characteristic is, if you run into bad ammo the next round is only a trigger pull away. Over the years I have seen very few failures with revolvers but with a little training one can learn to do repairs on their own. The wheel gun is far from washed up, it is a viable combat option that has many good survival characteristics. My personal favorites are the S&W R8 by the Performance Center guys, it holds 8 rounds, uses moon clips, has a light rail, and lightweight frame, the drawback to this option is it only has a 5” barrel (and you loose significant power in 1”) others include the 686+ in 6” or the new S&W 386 XL Hunter (only 30 ounces, 7rds, 6” barrel, & fiber optic sight) this is the one I currently own and carry. If you are a 6 shot guy and don’t mind some extra bulk, the Ruger GP100 is a much less expensive and a very “bomb proof” gun. These guns maximize the capacity and power of the very relevant .357 Magnum they give you an added accuracy with the longer barrel and are very intimidating when you are on the wrong end of one.

Learning to understand the numbers is important for any survivalist. Play with the numbers yourself. Its fun and informative. This is a healthy practice when considering what works and what is hype. When considering buying any caliber or when picking a standard gun and stocking up on ammo it is worthwhile to run the numbers to see how it really stacks up.

Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

This new column is where I will list–and sometimes include short reviews–the books, periodicals, web pages, and catalogs that I’m currently reading. There will also be occasional mentions of DVDs that we’ve watched. We don’t own (or desire) a television, but we do have a Netflix subscription. (We watch DVDs on our laptops.) Our evenings here at the Rawles Ranch are very quiet, especially in the winter months. We’re all voracious readers.

Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile:

  • Or Perish in the Attempt: The Hardship and Medicine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Dr. David Peck analyzes the medical details gleaned from the journals of the Lewis and Clark’s little 7,700 mile, 2-1/2 year journey. I’ve just started this, but it looks fascinating.
  • I recently finished Glenn Beck’ s novel “The Overton Window“. It was an interesting read, a plausible scenario for the future, but the ending left me hanging. I’m a bit miffed about that. 🙁 Hey Glenn, if you’re reading this: Are your going to write a sequel so we can know what happens to Noah and Molly?
  • The Timberdoodle catalog. One of my favorite homeschooling supply catalogs. We use a lot of their history (Story of the World series, both adult and elementary sets), science (Christian Kids Explore…..) and language: Latin and Greek (Song School…) items.
  • Jim and I recently watched the classic 1943 Jack Warner movie Watch on the Rhine on DVD. This one was a “pre-view”, before letting the kids watch it. We found that it is not suitable for children under age 13, for a couple of reasons: One, it is an adaptation of a Lillian Hellman a stage play, so there is a lot of dialogue to follow, and two, there is a killing (off camera), but a gun shot from a Luger P.08 is heard. This was not your typical Bette Davis film. (Her role wasn’t a venue for her usual dramatics.) Paul Lukas is definitely the show-stealer in this film. The movie is about a family that flees Germany just before World War II. I’d say this movie is a good primer to give teenagers an appreciation for the genuine liberty that we still (mostly) enjoy in the US.
  • We are currently working our way through the short-lived Firefly series. This is my first time watching it, and Jim’s third time. It is kind of a cool Libertarian Space-Western show. But I could definitely do without the “The Companion” Inara’s conversations with other folks in the show about her occupation. (Gag!!!)

Letter Re: A Veteran Policeman’s Observations on The Golden Horde

2

James,  
A lot has been written warning us of what will happen when the City Dwellers find their homes are untenable and vacate [en masse as The Golden Horde] for “the country”, but I haven’t seen anything on what the make-up of these hordes will be. The generic term “city dwellers” encompasses a lot of territory. Who will they be,what kind of shape will they be in, how will they be armed…all of these need to be examined.

One category needs to be examined, I feel, more closely than others. Since I have seen posts on your site lately dealing with the nitty-gritty, unpleasant aspects of prepping, I think this is a needed look into what’s out there. I’ve been a cop over 20 years, my last uniform assignment before moving to Investigator being a two year stretch of Anti-Crime patrols in the Section 8 Housing projects of my city. This put me into contact with some of the “Worst of the Worst” that will be fleeing the cities in time of trouble. Gang-bangers, common street thugs, dope dealers and users, all have a place in the hierarchy of the streets. And they will certainly be part of what preppers will be facing in times of troubles. Here’s some of what I have learned:

The bottom rung is occupied by the drug addicts and users. They exist, not live as we understand the word. They have no assets, no goals, no drive. But they do have an almost animal instinct to continue living. They will be armed with anything they can steal or lay hands on. Most will have a knife of razor box cutter, and some sort of cheap pistol, or they will not live to get out of the city. Since they have no resources or assets, they will be on the edge of starvation and desperation almost within a day of an event. With no fixed residence or place to defend, they will be hitting the road and coming towards us. They will become violent without any provocation and there will be no negotiating or bargaining with them. They don’t want to hear your story or excuses. All they want is what you have. And have no doubts: They will do anything to get what they want. And this does include catering to their most base instincts of rape, murder and mutilation. Letting someone like this even close to you and what you have is flirting with death.  

The next and most numerous will be the drones who make up the majority of the project dwellers. They live on Government Entitlement checks, have no assets and, on any given day will have no more than 3 or 4 days supply of food in their apartments,most of this being refrigerated. There will be a high percentage of females without male companions,will have a large number of children and will be absolutely vicious and violently inclined. Their day to day existence within the defined society they live in demands they be aggressive and violent.They fight more, and are arrested more,than the males they live around. The males will have more serious charges, but the females will have more of them. They too cannot be trusted. If they are drug users, they will, and have, traded their children for drugs, and, based on this proven behavior, will most certainly abandon them or trade them if the situation calls for it. Seeing that you are supplied, they will leave their children in your yard and walk away, counting on your liberal Good Samaritan instinct that has always bailed them out in the past to care for their offspring and justify that to themselves as “doing what they have to do”. Knowing that they will do something as low as this,be assured they will do much worse. They habitually carry razor knives and small pistols such as .25 ACPs and .380 ACPs. They are very dangerous and unstable folks to be around. These females may or may not be accompanied by men. The males may be linked biologically to one or more of the children but will abandon them as easily as the females. These males come from the lower order of males (see next classification) and will be armed as described next.  

The next order of classification will be unattached or drone males. These males tend to be convicted of felonies before they are 21 and who hang around the other, more productive males who deal drugs and have money. They will also be the so-called “foot soldiers” of the drug and street gangs. They exhibit sociopathic behavior and have no allegiance to anyone except maybe a family member, usually referred to as a “cousin” or a gang. They live off the female drones by paying cash rent, gained by low level drug dealing and petty crimes, to a female who has Section 8 housing, for a room that they sleep in and usually have no other attachment such as taking meals there.They live off fast food,carry guns of dubious origin and consume massive amounts of drugs and alcohol, mostly beer and cheap brandy and marijuana. They will not have any assets to defend, may accompany the female who rents them a room and will hang around the cities and projects only as long as their cohorts do. They will leave in junky vehicles,steal what they need along the way and kill,rob,rape and pillage their way across the countryside. Their weapons tend to be of the pistol variety although they may have access to shortened, easily concealable shotguns or rifles. Their lifestyle doesn’t give them a secure place to hide or keep long guns,but they will steal and use them if given a chance. They will also have some type of blade weapon and be proficient with the use of them. They are very dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with them. The last and highest order will be the moneyed drug dealer.He will have a flashy vehicle such as an Escalade or Lexus variety. He will have quality firearms, preferring Glock handguns and SKS or AK type rifles and will have ammunition for them in quanity.He will be arrogant and a definite killer. He will have assets to defend and may not leave his comfort zone until forced by authorities or circumstances. He will have “foot soldiers” and a woman traveling with him, but probably not children. He will travel well and be charming when trying to gain confidence or talk himself out of a jam. He will also be vicious and hateful, full of spite at those he sees as having taken away his lifestyle and means of making a living. He most probably will not have a lot in the way of supplies such as food and medical equipment, tending to live in the moment and not for the future. He will be one of the opportunistic “I’ll just take what I need” types. He will be very cunning, having risen to the top of the street hierarchy,and all the more dangerous because of this.  

When dealing with all of the above types, caution is the word. Never let them get even a glimpse of what you have. Never let them get past your outer barrier, be that a fence, abatis or boundary line. Its best to keep verbal contact to the barest minimum. A terse: “We have nothing, go away or we will shoot” is a good example. I have seen them be charming and seemingly harmless while edging into a fence gate or otherwise getting closer until they are in range to strike. You must always remember the 20 foot rule (Never let anyone get closer than 20 feet from you at any time). It is important to remember also that the longer they have been roaming and stealing,the better armed they may be, having stolen others firearms and equipment. Seeing an obvious street thug carrying an expensive scoped rifle or an engraved shotgun should be a tip off as to what they are. These type people would never spend money on a gun that may be taken by the law at anytime in their day to day existence. They do worship Glocks and the glamour they see in them. A dealer told me once, when confessing to an assault “I just outs with my Glock .40 and let it holla” as if he had done something great.  

I know that most people who read your blogs are aware enough to keep strangers away from their refuge.But if someone has never lived around these types of people,they may not be aware of just how dangerous they really are. As I mentioned,they can be charming,cunning and decietful.They have lived their entire lives off the goodwill of others and The Government and are past masters at pretending to be needy,harmless and “safe”. Guile is engrained in them.   I leave you with one short story. In the days after Hurricane Katrina, we were reinforced with officers from other agencies, many states away, who had volunteered to help. (I was not in New Orleans, but on the edge of the hurricane strike) I was partnered with a state SWAT officer from up North. This man was experienced and a “steady hand”. As we walked through some of the power blacked-out , sweltering-in-the-heat projects, he turned to me and said: “This is worse than Mogadishu”. He was scared and had good reason to be. And this was after only three days of no electricity and relief was just starting to arrive. Think about those same areas after a real failure of services and food deliveries.   Good Luck. Beware the Stobor. – Ed S.

Letter Re: Relative Costs of Food Storage Approaches

Hi James,  
First and foremost thank you for all of your efforts and wonderful guidance in the art of survival.  I am currently about 70 pages into your novel Patriots and I love it!   I have a quick question that I can not seem to get great advice on with regards to food storage.  Is it better (cost effective, overall nutrition, and space saving) to purchase pre-packaged “kits” like eFoodsDirect’s one-year or six-month supply of dehydrated foods, or build your own storage?  I know that most may say get all you can or do both…but if you had to do one or the other, what would you prefer?   Thank you in advance for your time.   Kind Regards, – M.S.

JWR Replies: In terms of Dollar per Pound of storage food, it is almost always best to pack it yourself. The nutritive value and the space required is comparable. The shelf life is slightly longer for CO2-packed steel cans, but the cost per serving is significantly higher.

All in all, best to pack it yourself, in 5 or 6 gallon HDPE plastic buckets, using mylar liners, and either O2 absorbing packets or the old standby dry ice sublimation method. There is just one exception to this rule: If you make more than $25 per hour, then your time might be better bringing in extra income, rather than in personally filling 6 gallon super pails. But if you are like me and have a modest income, then it makes sense to pack nearly everything yourself. In the Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course I describe where to buy bulk foods, and how to pack then so that they will be safe from insects. The course also has some detailed tables that list the shelf lives for various foods.

OBTW, the one item that I recommend leaving up to “trained professionals” is powdered milk. In my experience, trying to re-pack that at home can be a huge mess. And since the shelf life of powdered milk is critical, the delay created by buying it in bags at a store (where it might have spent weeks or months on in transit or on the shelf before you buy it) could contribute to early rancidity. It is best to buy nonfat dry milk that commercially CO2-packed in #10 cans. Those are available from a number of SurvivalBlog advertisers like Safecastle, Emergency Essentials, and Ready Made Resources. These cans are typically packed six cans to a case.

Two Letters Re: Tactical Movement in a Post-TEOTWAWKI World

Sir:

The author mentioned odor control: Do not use deodorant or “foo foo” water. Use rubbing alcohol to deal with odor-causing bacteria. it evaporates leaving no scent. It can be used as an antiseptic and as a fire starter. My family carries a quart of isopropyl alcohol in each of our “git kits” Keep the Faith. – Bill in North Alabama

James:
The writer has some great tips but I have to disagree with one thing he says. As for sleeping in old tractor trailers and old railroad cars, I say nay. These may be dry enclosed places, but they are just that, enclosed. You have no retreat options if discovered nor do you have a defendable position. Anyone with a rifle can walk alongside these and shoot them (and you) to pieces. A campsite must have the ability to be defended and at least one covered retreat route out of it.If someone is approaching, you need to be able to slip away before contact. Trailers and rail cars just don’t offer this option.   – Ed S.