SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic, suggested by reader P.B., shows US Counties by Population Density. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

 

 

 

(Note: The graphic above is click-expandable.)

It is noteworthy that only 1.52% of Americans live in the dark blue shaded areas.

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 14, 2024

July 14 1789: Bastille Day – the French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. It is now celebrated as France’s national day.

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On July 14, 1609, The Darien scheme began with five ships, bearing about 1,200 people, departing Leith for the Isthmus of Panama

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July 14th is the birthday of Colonel Einar A. Malmstrom. He was born in 1907 and died August 21, 1954 near Great Falls, Montana, in the crash of a T-33 jet. He was a decorated Air Force pilot, a Luft Stalag POW survivor, and test pilot. Malmstrom AFB was one of the settings for my novel Founders. (The base was named in his honor.)

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Please pray for the families of those killed and critically injured in the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last night, in Pennsylvania.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Why We Do What We Do, by Hollyberry

Thankfully, we are blessed to live in a country where we still have choices to make that impact our lives. It is our job as Christians and citizens to make good decisions that affect us and others. The window of opportunity to have choices is getting narrower, soon it will be closed. Some folks laugh at homesteaders for doing things the hard way. You won’t be laughing later if something happens and you have to fend for yourself. Wake up people, and learn how to provide for yourself and your family. Make good choices. Learn from elders and experienced people in your community.

Homesteading is hard work but rewarding and some of it is very enjoyable. I love spending time in the garden. Last year I was finally able to focus on flower gardens after years of just growing vegetables. Even my husband commented on how nice they look! I can’t change the world but I can make my little corner of it nice! Cooking and raising animals is hard work but also enjoyable. You feel so good at the end of a productive day and sleep like a baby, except in our home where the dogs hog the bed!Continue reading“Why We Do What We Do, by Hollyberry”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR, based on an idea suggested by SurvivalBlog reader Andre in Belgium:

 

Meme Text:

Joe, Born in 1878

Joe, Born in 1942

They Have More In Common Than Just Their Given Name

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” – 1 Peter 1: 17-25 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 13, 2024

On July 13th,1772 Captain James Cook began his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent)

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On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The Northwest Ordinance established the first organized US territory, set requirements for statehood – guaranteeing equal status with the original 13 states, outlawed slavery in the new lands, and protected civil liberties. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, it had to resolve the states’ competing claims to western territory.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Once the barrel is worn, as a handloader, a new load can be developed to extend the service life by tuning a new load for this worn barrel. Swedish Mauser 6.5×55 barrels for a variety of factors continue to shoot well even with a worn barrel. I have one such example that still shoots minute of angle (MOA) with my handloads even though the throat is well eroded, or “worn out” by most standards. My best Swedish Mauser has a barrel that is almost pristine so it was sent to a professional to get the full and best work done so it can serve as my 1,000-yard rifle if I ever get enough practice in to shoot that range.

Practical “Sniping” Range?

Take note that most shooters will be shooting at no longer than 500 yards, since that is a practical limit for most shooters. I once asked an Army-trained sniper what was the farthest range that he could hit a man-sized target the first time and every time he pulled the trigger. His answer was 500 yards. Hits count, and misses do not. So I will limit my range to where I can hit the first time and every time so that only one shot is necessary. Whether that limit is 300 yards or 500 yards, I will operate within my limitations.Continue reading“Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week was all about hay hauling. In all, we picked up 22 tons of baled grass hay from a neighbor’s field, hauled it home, and stacked it in our barn. That was nearly 600 bales. Thankfully, this year we were able to hire help for about half of the labor for this annual project.  At my age, my back cannot handle that much work in just a week.

I added several new guns to the Elk Creek Company online catalog. I still have a few more without photographs that I hope to add in the next few weeks.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.” – Isaiah 28:16-19 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 12, 2024

On July 12, 1191, during the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (modern-day Akko, Israel) surrendered to English King Richard I the Lionheart and the Crusaders after a siege of nearly two years. Pictured is one of Akko’s “Crusader” tunnels.

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Today is the last day!!!  Because of a change in direction at Trident Media Group (my partner publisher) my novel Land Of Promise is going out of print in trade paperback. The last day of the sale (and of Amazon Print on Demand ordering capability) will be today, Friday, July 12, 2024. Thereafter, it may only be available as an e-book. I will try to get it back in print within a few months, but I can’t make any promises.  So order your copy (or copies) soon!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I am not writing much for SurvivalBlog these days, since I am busy preparing for the worst. This is fortunately my lifestyle, and I am constantly prepping. Currently, I’ve been working squaring away three old Mauser rifles for long-range work. They all need scopes and I had to wait until I could afford to get that done. I am an aging man with many physical limitations. My income is less than $5,000 per year. I receive no regular check from any source and so I am forced to operate under austere conditions and a super tight budget. If I cannot buy stuff, and learn or do stuff that cost “nearly nothing” to get done, then I don’t make much progress. My situation has inspired plenty of improvisation.

I speak to those who are in a similar situation as many fellow senior citizens these days, or those who will be in the future. But I can report that we can still get it done if we are smart about it. I found problems with my rifles that needed to be fixed. These are three old Mauser bolt action rifles with good to excellent bores. All three will be glass bedded and Picatinny scope rails will be installed. One will be done by a professional, and the others I’ll do myself.

It is a good idea to go through our equipment now while we have access to a gunsmith if needed. I can do much of that work now and in a pinch later, but a good gunsmith is necessary at times when my tools and experience will not produce the best results. I could weld up a cracked bolt handle, but the result could be ugly. Some rifles deserve the best, and some of the rifles will have to tolerate my best efforts. Some of the defects that I found only after close inspection during deep cleanings of these rifles. Only because of my very careful method of inspection, I found a crack in a custom bolt handle, an inoperative safety, and a stripped-out scope mount hole. These are examples of the kinds of defects that one might find in older sporterized rifles.

The reason that I have so many rifles is that they are spares for my primary, alternate, and contingency plans. All stuff breaks, even sturdy Mausers. So I have spare parts and it happens many of the rifles have interchangeable parts. It is good that I have standardized on Mausers. As old as they are, they will never be truly obsolete. No one will complain that some of them are legally classified as  “antique” rifles.

Continue reading“Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, another examination of silver pricing. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

You may have noticed that after a recent excursion into the $29.50 per Troy ounce range, the price of spot silver has bounced back.  Early this week, it was very close to $31 per Troy ounce. And on Thursday morning (July 10, 2024) it hit $31.88 per Troy ounce. It settled to $31.52 in the late afternoon.  I’m still holding to my assertion that $30.50 is now the floor for spot silver. Whenever the Forever Shorts in London and Chicago knock down the price of silver, it bounces back quickly, in Asian trading — just like clockwork.

Meanwhile, spot gold touched $2,429.10 per Troy ounce on Thursday. That is nearing the $2,450.05 all-time record high, that was set on May 20, 2024.

o  o  o

Hub Moolman: Silver and Gold: Insurance Against US Monetary Collapse.

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Even Nigeria Plans To Bring Gold Reserves Home To Minimize Risk.

Economy & Finance:

A video clip over at X: Jiangxi Bank of China went bankrupt.

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Some important news:  Goldman Sachs Fails Fed Stress Test.  JWR’s Comment:  Nothing to see here, move along…  Seriously, folks: It is high time to diversify your deposits among several institutions. If and when we see bank runs, there could be substantial delays before your FDIC/FSLIC-insured deposits are reimbursed.

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Oklahoma, Alabama Now Have AI-Powered Vending Machines That Sell Bullets. JWR’s Comment:  The writer of course meant “Cartridges” rather than “Bullets” for the headline, but what can you expect from a Gen-X urbanite?<

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NBC News: Fed Chair Powell says holding rates high for too long could jeopardize economic growth.

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From reader C.B.: JPMorgan warns 86 million customers they might have to start paying for their bank accounts.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 11, 2024

On July 11, 1804, Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel.

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July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams.

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Just one more day!!!  Because of a change in direction at Trident Media Group (my partner publisher) my novel Land Of Promise will go out of print in trade paperback by Amazon.com. It is still priced at just $11.99 per copy. The last day of the sale (and of Amazon Print on Demand ordering capability) will be tomorrow, Friday, July 12, 2024. Thereafter, it may only be available as an e-book. I will try to get it back in print within a few months, but I can’t make any promises.  So order your copy (or copies) soon!

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Today’s feature article is a guest piece authored by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.us that was selected by JWR.  It is reposted with permission.

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We need a few more entries for Round 113 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 113 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.