Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. is now at $650. This big auction is for any of you that are gun enthusiasts. It includes 17 items: A four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate, which was kindly donated by Naish Piazza of Front Sight (worth up to $2,000), a $200 gift certificate from Choate Machine and Tool Company (the makers of excellent fiberglass stocks, folding stocks, and shotgun magazine extensions), $450+ worth of full capacity magazines from my personal collection including five scarce original Ruger-made 20 round Mini-14 magazines and five scarce 20 round Beretta M92 magazines, and an autographed copy of the book “Boston’s Gun Bible.” The total value of this 17 item auction lot is $2,700! (See the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction page for details on exactly what is included.) Note: Because this auction includes full capacity magazines, no bids will be accepted from outside of the US or from a resident of any state with magazine restrictions. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. The auction ends on June 15th.

Letter Re: Alaska as a Retreat Locale

Although I think there is a lot of mindless drivel on television, I wouldn’t have know about your blog site if I hadn’t watched [the news story on CNN [that mentioned SurvivalBlog] yesterday. I was on the computer all afternoon yesterday reading information you have posted, as well as visiting the sites of some of your advertisers.

You are right on your opinion of Alaska, [regarding its unsuitability for most people as a retreat locale]. We live in a coastal fishing community (population under 3,000 year round, double that in the summer when the cannery workers & tourists come to town) and are not connected to the road system. Everything comes in by plane or water (barge and ferry). We have one gas station and have heard that gas just went to $5.42 per gallon and diesel is over $6 per gallon.(You know how gas stations have signs out with their prices on them? Not here – they’re the only game in town, so they don’t have to post prices. If you need gas you have to go see them eventually. Bread is $4.99 a loaf, a two pound block of Tillamook cheese is over $16.00 and a 32 oz. jar of Best Foods mayonnaise is $7.65 in one of the stores here. (We have three small grocery stores here, two of which are owned by a local person and the other by a Canadian company). We sometimes have to wait weeks for car parts, etc. to come in and some items are prohibited to ship from the lower 48, like ammo. We have a very short growing season and not much in the way of top soil (lots of muskeg) so raising our own veggies is difficult.On the plus side, we have one freezer full of seafood and another full of moose, as well as some I have canned.

I feel fortunate to have grown up learning from my grandmother who told me stories of raising six kids on a farm with no electricity or running water and what it was like to go through the Depression. (when they cleaned the soot out of kerosene lantern chimneys they’d save it and use it to polish their Sunday shoes). I learned to can from my mom and our family always had a frugal mindset. I worked in a health food store years ago and began to learn about whole grains, etc. as well as wild plants for medicine and food. Five years ago we moved to Alaska and I began to learn more about wilderness survival due to our remote location and travel by bush plane.

In my spare time I taught myself some skills that may come in handy, such as soap making. Skills are learned over a lifetime and it is an ongoing process.Also, there is a wealth of information rolling around in the heads of older people – all you have to do is ask them.

We will be returning to the Outside soon and your advice on locations will hopefully come in handy (we will have to settle in a location according to my husband’s employment).

We have some of the skills we need, have been stocking up for a while, but have a ways to go.

I will be a frequent visitor to your site now that I know it’s there. Thanks for the wealth of information. – Lonnie in Alaska

Letter Re: Consumer Price Hikes for Food Will Continue

James –
I’m a long time reader first time writer. I have been in the food business for 31 years with many companies, over the past 12 months I have had to raise my prices around 27% but my costs have risen 57%. We are afraid to continue passing on the rise because business has already decreased substantially but within the next few months we will be forced to raise our prices another 25% or quit the business. What I am trying to say is that we are at most, only halfway through the food inflation which has already occurred, as to the future it is entirely possible that it could continue unabated. The difference between now and the inflation of the 1980s is demand. In the 1980s we suffered transportation and fuel cost crisis, we are currently have those same issues combined with demand exceeding supply for many items. – JPG

Letter Re: Observations on Real World Pistol Malfunctions and Failures

Mr. Rawles,

Bill from Ohio writes: “Most people buy guns and they never shoot them, in fact, last time I heard a statistic regarding firearms usage in the United States, the national average of rounds fired per gun was seven – and that is over the entire lifetime of the owner!” There are about 250 million firearms in the US and about 10 billion rounds of ammunition sold per year. That’s an average of 40 rounds per gun per year. On average, each US resident fires about 2,400 rounds of ammunition in a 72-year lifetime. Assuming a 40-year lifetime for a gun, that’s roughly 1,600 rounds per firearm.
So “seven” is off by more than two orders of magnitude. It should have been obvious that this figure was seriously unrealistic. – PNG

JWR Replies: You are correct that Bill from Ohio’s figure of an average of seven rounds was erroneously low. However, there are several qualifiers that I would add to your analysis of the 8 to 10 billion small arms cartridges produced in the US each year:

First, there are serious shooters and there are casual shooters. The serious variety (“target shooters”) consume far more ammunition than most others, who fire very few cartridges through their guns.

Second, more ammunition is produced each year than is fired. This is purely anecdotal evidence, but I personally know several SurvivalBlog readers that only fire 20 to 50 rounds of centerfire per year and perhaps two or three times as many rimfire cartridges, yet they have 30,000+ rounds (including rimfire ammo) stored in their basements.

Third, not all ammunition is produced for the civilian market. The military Lake City Arsenal, for example, produces nearly 1.5 billion round per year, and only a tiny percentage of that is eventually fired by civilians.

Fourth, not all ammunition is produced for the domestic market. I recently saw a statistic of $3.1 billion worth of ammunition commercially exported by the US in 2005—not counting foreign military sales (FMS) programs. Assuming an average of 28 cents per cartridge, that equates to close to one billion rounds (perhaps 1/8th of US annual production) in exports. Offsetting that of course are ammunition imports, but US exports of ammunition far exceed imports.

Fifth, I believe that the oft-cited estimate of 250 million guns in the US is a low estimate. I think that the actual figure is closer to 400 million.

Together, all of these factors radically push down the number of rounds fired in centerfire guns that are purchased by casual shooters. There are quite a few guns sold that never get fired at all. These are the so-called “desk drawer” guns and “safe queen” guns. It is surprising to see how many guns described as “new in box”, “like new in box”, or “test fired only” that are advertised on the secondary market. (The listings at GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com are indicative.) Granted, there is no logical support for Bill from Ohio’s figure, but I would assert that it was not off by nearly as large a margin as you suggest.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers flagged this: US grain reserves reach the bottom of the barrel. Here is a key quote: “The only thing left in the entire CCC inventory will be 2.7 million bushels of wheat which is about enough wheat to make 1?2 of a loaf of bread for each of the 300 million people in America.” Back in mid-April, I told a New York Sun reporter about the massive outflow of US grain, and mentioned that I was surprised that the Bush Administration has not implemented export controls. With these recent figures, I am even more concerned. I believe in free markets, but I’m a realist. At some point in the near future, the Bush Administration is likely to step in and stop the hemorrhaging wheat from the US. If you haven’t done so already, stock up on hard red winter wheat as soon as possible. By this time next year, wheat prices will likely double again.

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Israeli minister says alternatives to attack on Iran running out. (A hat tip to SJC, for sending that link.) Be ready for the full implications of war with Iran, if and when it comes. We can expect dramatically spiking oil prices (and shortages) and possibly some acts of terrorism by sleeper agents inside our borders. There will also likely be a spike in the price of gold. (Gutsy investors might consider selling a portion of their gold holdings at that time, and then buying back in, on a subsequent dip. As they say on Wall Street: “Buy on the rumor, sell on the news.”) Secondarily, there will likely be diplomatic discord with any countries with extensive economic ties with Iran, such as France.

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This CNN article on survivalism last month continues to gain attention, as it gets picked up by other new outlets: Survivalists get ready for global meltdown

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You might have noticed that last week Standard & Poors belatedly downgraded three of the big brokerage stocks. They now carry ratings that are nearly “junk.” The ostensibly “neutral and unbiased” S&P of course should have done this nearly a year ago, but there has been plenty of collusion going on. In my estimation the entire financial world is still in the early stages of a meltdown, which was precipitated by the credit collapse last summer. It is just happening in slow motion. The bottom is still nowhere in sight. I stand by my predictions, particularly for the hedge funds. In a collapsing credit environment, they are nearly all doomed. With each passing quarter, they may fall like dominoes.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If America forgets where she came from, if the people lose sight of what brought them along, if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will begin the rot and dissolution." – Carl Sandburg, American writer (1878-1967)

Note from JWR:

Here is the link to the video clip of the CNN news story on Peak Oil preparedness that I mentioned last week. So much for “fifteen minutes of fame.” This news story mentioned SurvivalBlog for all of about three seconds. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.

Letter Re: For Want of a Battery

Mr. Rawles:
I was working through my “List of Lists” yesterday, and a thought struck me like a lightning bolt: Without batteries–lots of rechargeable batteries–I’m hosed. There are so many items that I’ll depend on in an emergency that need batteries: My weather radio, Kenwood MURS handhelds (thanks for that suggestion, BTW), starlight scope, and my flashlights. (And thanks also for your suggestion of IR [flashlight] filters). Without [those battery-powered items as] “force multipliers”, I’d be at huge disadvantage to looters, who could be wandering the countryside in droves, if and when it all hits the fan. So, with that realization, I’m investing in a small [photovoltaic] solar panel [for battery charging], and a boatload of NiMH batteries. Do you still recommend All-Battery [as a supplier]? And who sells a small panel–say 5 to 10 watts–that is reliable and weather-tight?

The battery situation reminds me of that old poem: “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost…” Thanks In Advance, – George L.

JWR Replies: Yes, All-Battery.com is an excellent source. If you can afford to, buy a triple or quadruple set for each piece of gear that takes batteries. (Even if you don’t use them all yourself, the extra batteries will be ideal to keep on hand for barter and charity.) You are correct in mentioning the NiMH low self-discharge (LSD) technology (such as the Sanyo Eneloop). It is currently the most reliable rechargeable battery on the market.

As I’ve mentioned in the blog before, if you cannot afford a large battery bank of deep cycle batteries, then at least buy a “jump pack” 12 VDC gel cell unit. These are available with either110 VAC (US/Canada) and 220 VAC (UK) utility power charging cords. You can then plug in a 12VDC “smart” battery charging tray (using a DC power cord with cigarette lighter plug.) That is far more efficient than using an AC inverter and then a DC transformer (like those in most home battery chargers) That way you are just changing one DC voltage to another DC voltage–instead of a DC inverted -to-AC-and-transformed-back-to-DC proposition. (Which is very inefficient.)

To keep your “jump pack” charged, I recommend the small PV panels available from Northern Tool & Equipment–one of our Affiliate Advertisers. Once you are at Northern Tool’s web site, search on Item # 339973.

Two Letters Re: Advice on Backup Power for a Ranch in Western Canada

Hi Jim,
Regarding the Canadian who was wondering about wind power versus diesel. The Windmill is a good idea if he uses an Amateur Radio “Crankover” type tower, better than the crank up towers [usually sold for small] windmills. However, there is a caveat: If [the reader in Canada] goes with wind power, then have a spare. If he can [afford to] put up two windmills, then buy three, when he buys them[, which will provide one as a spare]. Even a bird hit on a reasonably modern power generating windmill will cause mucho damage. Just my humble opinion.

I had L-16 battery problems at the ranch this year for the first time in 10 years. Then I figured out the -60 F temps for nine nights was likely the cause. Oh well, stuff happens, corrective actions are underway. Regards, – The Army Aviator

Dear Jim,
Things have changed a bit [in recent years on wind generator reliability]. Yes, old school turbines with folding vanes are a pain, but there is a wind unit on the market that is darn near bullet-proof (in fact, I came up with a mod for that too.) They have been flown in hurricanes and are being used in Iraq, where high gusts and debilitating dust are the norm, never mind broiling heat. They keep ticking over, no problems and turn out juice in slow to screaming wind. They are the Hornet Series [from Hydrogen Appliances]

Essentially, they took a standard wind genny and beefed it up, almost to Russian-type specs. They just built everything another 20-50% thicker, wider, etc. then they had to. They are little beasts.
For any maintenance issues that might come up (rare) the best bet is to install them on a tip up tower. They can be lowered and raised with a come along or horses or whatever if necessary. Regards, – Mosby

Letter Re: Observations on Real World Pistol Malfunctions and Failures

Dear James,
I’ve mentioned to you before that I’m a affiliate instructor with another major firearms training school. The comments made [by correspondent PPPP] about pistol malfunctions are 100% in line with what we see on our firing lines, as well.

We advise our students to run away screaming from any weapon that has ‘target’, ‘match’, ‘custom’, or ‘accurized’ stamped on the side of them. It was [Mikhail] Kalashnikov [the designer of the incredibly robust AK-47] who pointed out to us all that when you have something with moving parts, the parts need room to move! Most custom shop and high dollar pistols are temperamental beasts that react very poorly to heat and dirt. We see the $1,200+ [Model] 1911 choke and seize up all the time once the guns get hot. Most people buy guns and they never shoot them, in fact, last time I heard a statistic regarding firearms usage in the United States, the national average of rounds fired per gun was seven – and that is over the entire lifetime of the owner! Manufacturers sell guns that they bet will never see hard use, and usually they win that bet. And the tight, ‘accurate’ 1911s lead that pack. This is why it is imperative that every reader of your blog get out to the range and run their guns for real!

Yes, professional schools are expensive and the cost of ammunition is getting ridiculous, but at risk of sounding like a cheap slogan, how much is your life worth? Going out for two or three days of intense training will put your weapons and accessories through the use and abuse you will need to truly decide what works and what needs a second look, as well as teaching you a host of valuable skills.

Standing in a booth at the local indoor range, picking your gun up off of a table, and firing when you choose to at a static piece of paper, is at best an exercise in marksmanship. You haven’t been training for real until things start breaking. We announce at the beginning of every class, that it is our sincerest hope, that everything our students brought with them – every gun, every holster, every magazine – breaks! If it sucks, we want to find that out now, not when innocent life is on the line. We run the gear and the students hard because that is the only way to truly test things, and it’s the best way to build the confidence of the operator. [JWR Adds: And it is in grungy conditions that’s the best place to learn to do stoppage clearance drills. If you can clear a Type 2 stoppage when your gun is filthy, when your arms are tired, and when you are under stress, then odds are that you can later do the same in combat. Fine motor skills are sharply degraded when you are under stress. Train like you will fight, repetitively!]

Things that I would add to the list of bad ideas:

1.) 8-round magazines for the 1911. I’ve seen few that finish two days of training without blowing apart. Usually the floor plate dislodges from the base of the magazine, leaving the student standing there with a pistol gummed up with loose rounds, a follower and a spring clogging the ejection port, and a magazine body that they can’t get out of the well. [JWR Adds: The only brands of 8-round M1911 magazine that I have fond that good strength and longevity are original Colt brand, and MetalForm brand. And coincidentally, Colt now buys all of their .45 ACP M1911 magazines from MetalForm, under contract. (These are manufactured for Colt by MetalForm, using Colt “rampant stallion” stamped floorplates, and sold in Colt packages.)

2.) Recoil buffers – get these out of your life! Get them out of your pistols and get them out of your rifles! They never fail to disintegrate under heavy use, rendering the weapon useless until disassembled and cleaned out.

3.) Extended this, and enlarged that. Don’t modify guns with oversized slide stops or extended mag release buttons, mercury guide rods or rubber grip sleeves, etc… There’s one bit of wisdom that I learned the hard way years ago: There is nothing you can buy, bolt, glue or screw to a gun that will align your sights and press your trigger for you. You cannot spend money on things to make you shoot better, regardless of what our modern American mindset tells us. Marksmanship comes from proper technique and proper practice, and good old fashioned work. Obviously there are some issues like sharp edges and [S&W] J-frame [size] grips that are too small for a shooter’s hands, but serious equipment issues are hardly what the majority of add-ons sold in the Brownell’s catalog are aimed at. Save your money and spend it on training!

Lastly, I agree with every recommendation the writer mentioned. ‘De-horning’, or removing the sharpe edges off of carry guns, is highly recommended and something I have done to all of my concealment guns! And de-cocking the SIG [pistol]s before re-holster is mandatory on our range – as a matter of fact, we teach that the pistol be de-cocked every time the trigger finger breaks contact with the trigger and returns to register. This way, the trigger is reset to the position that the trigger finger is used to finding it every time it enters the trigger guard. That applies to all of the de-cocker equipped pistols – [such as] H&K USPs, Beretta 92s, Walther PPKs, et cetera.

The instructor who wrote the letter that you posted is obviously one of the good ones, and anyone within range of him would be well served by attending his course! – Bill from Ohio

Odds ‘n Sods:

Another bit of agreement on one of my predictions: Surging inflation will stoke riots and conflict between nations, says report

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Kory found us this: Antibacterial wipes can spread superbugs: study

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Shale sent us this AP news article: DOJ sues Honeywell over faulty bulletproof vests. Zylon is again the culprit. We’ve been warning SurvivalBlog readers for nearly three years to avoid Zylon vests.

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The Reuters London bureau reports a common theme on both sides of the Atlantic: Home-grown vegetables grow in popularity. The article begins: Almost 70 years after Britons were urged to Dig For Victory to produce hearty home-grown food to help the war effort, domestic horticulture is coming back.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail." – Benjamin Franklin

Note from JWR:

Do you have a favorite attributed quote that relates to preparedness, survival, strategy, tactics, self-sufficiency, liberty, faith, resourcefulness, charity, or other topics of interest to SurvivalBlog readers?? Please e-mail them to us, and as space permits, we will likely post them as Quotes of the Day. Thanks!

Letter Re: The Wal-Mart Discount Prescription Promotion

Jim,
I’m a Family Doctor in rural Michigan, and a Major in the Army Reserve Medical Corps, who enjoys your blog every day. A pharmacist friend, who works at WalMart just gave me their new list of $4 drugs for 30 days and $10 drugs for 90 days [sales promotion]. What a bonanza! If your friendly local doctor will do it, he can prescribe for you, drugs such as Cipro 500 MG (a great broad-spectrum antibiotic), # 90 count for $10. Or Ibuprofen 800 MG #90 count for $10, or a very wide selection of medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal conditions and other maladies, all for $10 for three months. For $100 you could have a well-stocked pharmacy of your own for tough times. I could easily treat 99% of conditions I see every day from this long list of medications. Continue the march and keep ‘yer powder dry. – FLS, D.O.