Locksmithing for TEOTWAWKI, by R.M.G.

Let’s take a moment to think about all the things/issues a locksmith might help us with today, that we might be able to prepare ourselves for tomorrow.

We have keys and locks that secure our house, our vehicles, the storage shed/workshop out back, our place of business, our guns, our money/important papers/silver/gold. The list goes on and on, and most of it is stuff we take for granted. Many of us have no idea that there are things that we can do to better secure all or most of the things listed above and most people don’t know that there are things that you can do to reduce the chances of you needing to call a locksmith to help you with a crisis/emergency.

Let’s start with your house. Residential lock hardware is typically not as secure as commercial hardware. This basically means that the materials used are not as stout, not as durable, and the tolerances(how well they are put together) are not as good. Did you know that you can put commercial hardware into most residential doors. Speaking of doors, the quality, the construction of a residential door versus a commercial grade door can be significant, so the doors themselves are something to check into as well.

Let’s talk a little about doors for a moment. If you were to go out to your local home improvement store, you would discover that the measurements on most doors and how they are prepped for door hardware is pretty standard. If the builder of your home installed a special sized door, then you probably won’t find it in your local home improvement store. So, most residential doors are “prepped” for residential hardware and require a 2 3/8” backset for the knob/lever that would be installed. Commercial doors are typically 2 3/4” backset for the knob/lever that would be installed. Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the centerline of the hole in the door where the knob/lever would be installed. The difference between the two backsets listed above is enough to prevent residential hardware from working in the commercial prep and commercial hardware from working in the residential prepped door. Manufacturers of both types of hardware make parts (latches, mainly) that will make the conversion possible, but my intention is to get you interested in the better commercial hardware.Continue reading“Locksmithing for TEOTWAWKI, by R.M.G.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, some links to some travel videos — mostly aerial — filmed throughout the Redoubt region.

Region-Wide

Off the Beaten Path: North Idaho & Eastern Washington BDR Adventure.

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Southeastern Washington and North Idaho:

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Continental Divide Trail – Montana / Idaho

Idaho

Great scenery, via gyroplane: Lake Pend Oreille & Clark Fork Delta.

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Wheat Fields Run in Idaho Sunset.

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Some 2022 adventures from GravityKnightFlying:

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Backcountry flying and camping, July 2022. The hot springs and footbridge shown in the still photos are at Jerry Johnson Hot Springs.

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Lewiston, Idaho drone footage.

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Mackay Bar Airstrip – Main Salmon River, Idaho.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Whenever there is a jackboot stepping on a human face, there will be a well-heeled Western Liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy free health care and 100% literacy.” – John Derbyshire

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 26, 2022

On September 26, 1908 an ad for the Edison Phonograph first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post.

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Today’s feature article was written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

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Some quick updates on my side business: I’ve added a couple of newly-acquired pre-1899 long guns to the inventory at Elk Creek Company: A 7.62mm NATO-converted Ludwig Loewe Chilean Mauser and a scarce Argentine Mauser Cavalry Carbine — also produced by Loewe.  I’ve put all of my remaining inventory of black powder replica guns on sale, until November 9th. And take note that there are now 27 listings of American-made knives and bayonets. So you can get an early start on shopping for Christmas and Hanukkah presents.

CRKT Attaboy, by Pat Cascio

I don’t usually start out an article by reporting on the designer of a knife. However, this time around, I will. This handy-dandy little folder, known as the “Attaboy” from Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) was designed by Flavio Ikoma, who resides in Brazil. I previously reported on one of his other designs that really impressed me, and I heard back from Flavio about my article.

Like many young children, we had dreams of what we were going to do or become when we grew up. I honestly don’t remember much of what I planned to do, other than joining the US Army when I got older. Over time, dreams change — as did my own. However Flavio Ikoma, had a dream of wanting to be a knife maker – you don’t find many kids with a lofty dream like that. When he was younger, he worked on swords of the Japanese type, in his father’s knife-making shop.

I certainly applaud Flavio for his precocious goals. Later in life, Flavio studied under the great Ken Onion, probably one of the most well-known custom knifemakers in the world. Another thing I sincerely like about Ikoma is that he likes simplicity. I’ve found over the years, that there is less chance of something going wrong if the design is simple. I can’t drill this into my wife’s head no matter how hard I try. She could never write for Reader’s Digest – she has to make most things more complicated than they need to be. Needless to say, but I’ll say it just the same, Flavio designed the “Deadbolt” locking system that is now being used on many CRKT folding knives. He also was the originator of the IKBS ball bearing system. Along with Rick Lata, Flavio Ikoma’s design work brings a whole new meaning to how smooth and fast you can open a folding knife, with very little effort.

This latest design by Flavio is called the Attaboy. It is a small folder, with a D2 blade steel that is only 2.73-inches long. Yes, it is small. And, many long-time readers will know that I don’t really “like” small folders. I believe I can do more chores with a longer blade. However, over the years, I’ve started to soften on this stance. There are just a lot of shorter blade folders that can do many jobs better than a longer blade can. The blade on the Attaboy is plain – no serrations, and the finish is stonewashed – giving it a bit of a subdued look. When closed the Attaboy is only 3.80-inches long and therefore quite easy to carry all day long.Continue reading“CRKT Attaboy, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Pat’s New England Dutch Oven Pot Roast

The following recipe for New England Dutch Oven Pot Roastis from SurvivalBlog reader “Pat Pending.”

In this recipe, beef is browned in bacon fat! and then baked for several hours at low heat. Typically, chuck roast is used, but any beef roast will suffice. Other vegetable can be substituted for the listed vegetables, depending on what you have available.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound of thick-sliced bacon, chopped into coarse chunks
  • 1 4-to-5 pound beef chuck roast
  • Salt, to taste
  • Ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 minced yellow onion
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary or thyme
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 cups of beef broth
  • 1 pound of small potatoes, halved, or larger potatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 pound of carrots peeled and chopped to 1.5-inch long pieces
  • 4 celery stalks chopped to 1.5-inch long pieces
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, fry the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate or tray covered with paper towels to drain. Set that aside.
  3. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and place your beef in a dutch oven or a roasting pan. (Either must have a fairly tight-fitting lid.)
  4. Increase heat to high and cook, turning with tongs, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.
  5. Transfer beef to a plate.
  6. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot.
  7. Reduce heat to medium and add the minced yellow onion
  8. Season the minced yellow onion with salt and pepper.
  9. Cook the onion — stirring occasionally — until onion is lightly browned — about 5 minutes.
  10. Add wine to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine has been reduced by one-half.
  11. Add the beef broth.
  12. Season with rosemary, thyme, or a combination of both.
  13. Return beef to pot along with any juices and bring it up to a simmer over higher heat.
  14. Cover it and transfer to oven, and cook it at 325 F until beef is nearly tender, about 3 hours.
  15. Remove pot from oven and place potatoes, carrots, celery, and the reserved bacon around the roast.
  16. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for one additional hour, until vegetables and beef are all tender.
SERVING

Remove the beef from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then carve it against the grain, to the desired serving thickness. Place those pieces on a large serving platter with vegetables and drizzle it with the braising liquid. Note that if the liquid is too greasy to suit your taste, then you can put it into a fat separator before pouring it over the meat. Garnish with parsley and coarse salt if desired.

STORAGE

Can be cooked a day in advance and re-heated, and it will taste just as good, if not better!

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at collapsing stock share prices. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Why selloff in gold is not over: $1,600 danger zone for gold price.

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Even a Weaponized Dollar Won’t Stop Gold’s Historical Turning Point.

Economy & Finance:

CNBC: Dow drops nearly 500 points to close at new low for 2022 on rising recession fears.

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FEE: How the Government is Causing a Credit Card Debt Crisis.

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At Wolf Street: The Bear-Market Rally in Stocks, Bonds, Mortgages Wiped Out: Why This Nails the Parallel to the Dotcom Bust. Here is a pericope:

“The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Friday closed about 300 points below its June 16 low, thereby having more than wiped out the bear-market rally gains. For the Dow, the bear-market rally started on June 17 and ended on August 16. During the two-month rally, the Dow had jumped 14%. By Friday at the close, it was again down 20% from its all-time high.

The S&P 500 Index, on Friday intraday, fell through its closing low of June 16 – the infamous 3,666 – and then bounced a little to close 27 points above the June 16 low, at 3,693. During the two-month bear-market rally through August 16, the index had surged 17%. By Friday, the index was down 23% from its all-time high.

The Nasdaq closed about 2% above its June low. During the two-month rally, it had soared by 23%. Many of my Imploded Stocks that are now trading for a few bucks, had shot up by 50% or more, and a bunch of them doubled, before re-imploding after mid-August.”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that ‘violence begets violence.’ I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.” – Col. Jeff Cooper

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 25, 2022

On September 25, 1066, Tostig, earl of Northumbria, and Harald III, king of Norway, were killed in an attempt to depose Tostig’s brother, King Harold II of England. Harold Godwinson (King Harold II) was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Above, he is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 $2000.
  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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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. 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)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

Front Yard Pharmacy: Your Herb Garden, by B.W.

Introductory Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Use medicinal herbs under direction from your own doctor and with your own discretion. Always do your research before taking any medication, herbal or otherwise.

Does the world as it sits right now have you feeling overwhelmed and more than a little nervous about the future? Maybe you’re prepping like crazy, putting back food and water. Maybe you’re rearranging your investments and starting some of the projects you’ve been wanting to do for years.

In all of your preparation, have you made considerations for what you will do if modern medicine takes a nosedive? If cold and flu season ends up being much more problematic than it has ever been? What if you can’t find painkillers or cold medicine at the stores anymore? What if the pharmacy doesn’t exist in a future world?

Enter the medicinal herb garden. Often talked about as an alternative to modern prescription drugs, this is not a new topic to today’s prepper. Maybe when you think about medicinal herbs you conjure whimsical images of cottage gardens with neatly labeled herbs, shrubs, and trees. Or do you picture a romp through the woods gathering the herbs you need for your newest brew?Continue reading“Front Yard Pharmacy: Your Herb Garden, by B.W.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

To share this, you can find it here:

Meme Text:

The 1969 British Television Series U.F.O. Predicted Purple Hair In The 21st Century

But They Missed Predicting Woke Politics And That The Women Going Purple Wouldn’t Be Nearly So Attractive.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” – Ephesians 5:1-16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 24, 2022

In 1493, Columbus set sail with 17 ships on his 2nd voyage to the Americas.

Also on this date in 1775, Ethan Allen was captured by the British.

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Today we are posting a guest article, with permission.

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We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends in just six days,  on September 30th, 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.

Masters of Deceit: The Government’s Propaganda of Fear, by John & Nisha Whitehead

“It is the function of mass agitation to exploit all the grievances, hopes, aspirations, prejudices, fears, and ideals of all the special groups that make up our society, social, religious, economic, racial, political. Stir them up. Set one against the other. Divide and conquer. That’s the way to soften up a democracy. –  J. Edgar Hoover, Masters of Deceit

The U.S. government has become a master of deceit.

It’s all documented, too.

This is a government that lies, cheats, steals, spies, kills, maims, enslaves, breaks the laws, overreaches its authority, and abuses its power at almost every turn; treats its citizens like faceless statistics and economic units to be bought, sold, bartered, traded, and tracked; and wages wars for profit, jails its own people for profit, and has no qualms about spreading its reign of terror abroad.

Worse, this is a government that has become almost indistinguishable from the evil it claims to be fighting, whether that evil takes the form of terrorism, torture, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, murder, violence, theft, pornography, scientific experimentations or some other diabolical means of inflicting pain, suffering and servitude on humanity.

With every passing day, it becomes painfully clear that this is not a government that can be trusted with your life, your loved ones, your livelihood or your freedoms.Continue reading“Masters of Deceit: The Government’s Propaganda of Fear, by John & Nisha Whitehead”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

With sunny but slightly cooler weather, and much less smoke from wildfires, I made a lot of progress on projects around the Rawles Ranch. At the top of my list were some fence and gate repairs.  Our cattle — and in particular our bull “S.” — have been hard on our fences this past summer. Most of these repairs were simple fence wire fixes, but I also had to replace a wooden 17-foot-long corral rail. And our bull also nearly destroyed a 12-foot long portion of the wall to our milking parlor that adjoins one end of our main corral. It is amazing how much force a bull can put into butting his head into things when he is bored. His repeated head butts had dislodged more than a half dozen large nails holding a siding panel in place. Mr. Bull had then kept pushing, and rotated the wall panel almost 90 degrees out of position!  Thankfully, the wall panel — constructed of 2×6 fir lumber faced with roofing steel — was still standing, but not attached by very much, and part of the fiberglass wall insulation lay in festoons on the ground. The wall repair took less than an hour, but it was a bit of an engineering feat, since I was working by myself. I ended up having to use our electric ATV to “butt” the panel back into place the last few inches, and to pin it there, while I re-attached it with seven large power screws.

I cleaned out the sheep shed.

Yesterday, I took a trip to a gun show, and came home with just a couple of pre-1899 antique cartridge guns for my Elk Creek Company inventory. With the combined effect of strong collector demand and general price inflation, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find affordably-priced antique guns. The bottom line is that they are going up in price faster than the inflation rate.

We also had to make a trip to see a veterinarian, as Lily will explain…

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,

We had very nice fall weather for most of the week with twenty-four hours of much-needed rain showers.

I didn’t do too much prepping or heavy gardening work this past week, since I am still recovering from a “really good” summer cold (Day 20, today, residual cough). I mostly accomplished the basic chores and greenhouse watering and some house organizing, deep cleaning of our bedroom and bathroom, and a bit of manure clean up in the cows and horses loafing area.

We had to take our little ewe lamb to the vet.  She had become very lethargic over a two-day period.  She was given antibiotics, selenium, and Vitamin B injections.  As of writing this, she is still really weak but will drink Pedialyte with molasses and is nibbling on her hay and lamb grower grain.  So here is to hoping that she survives and gets well from whatever is ailing her. We don’t quite know what it is…

Update:  Sadly, she passed away, Friday evening.

I harvested and dehydrated more broccoli.

We received our monthly order of food: a case each of green and red cabbages, a case of russet potatoes, three cases of raw apple cider vinegar, a five-gallon container of cold pressed organic olive oil. We hadn’t bought olive oil in about four years, and between us and the beasties, we go through quite a lot of apple cider vinegar in a year. I ordered more vegetable seeds and five pounds of organic garlic.  Some of the garlic I am giving away to a friend so they can plant it this fall, some of it I will plant additionally with my own homegrown garlic that I put aside to plant this fall, and some I will eat.

I did get out with Miss Eloise, this time, for another attempt at snagging Kokanee, but this year’s runs have been disappointing, thusfar.  We didn’t catch anything.  But it sure was beautiful standing by the river and trying to catch the few small schools of about three to eight Kokanee fish at a time that we were seeing.  We tried quite hard and diligently, but it wasn’t for us to get any… Eh, we’re far from starving at this time, anyway. There were a few other folks around us with big families that were having some success.  I was happy for them because they probably needed the fish more than us, at this time.  We let them have them. I did watch their snagging technique and tried it.  It was good practice. Miss Eloise and I, also had a much-needed wonderful time talking together during the ride to the river.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

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As always, please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week.  We want to hear from you.