Three Letters Re: Hiding Things in Plain Sight

Jim,
I have very carefully concealed my gun safe but in order to fool potential crooks, but I also have an old one that is very poorly hidden. It has stickers on it from my favorite firearms manufacturers. Once the [burglars] get it back to their den and peel it open, they will find themselves the proud owners of five large sandbags full of gravel. – Andy B.

 

James,
My wife and I were recently discussing hiding places – what about inside a bucket of paint? Securely wrapping “the valuables” up in appropriate containers (likely several layers of Ziploc sandwich bags) and just dropping it in. If the valuables aren’t heavy enough to sink, a rock or piece of metal should be added to keep them at the bottom. Hey, you could even write “Treasure” on the bucket of paint and people would just think it’s the name of the paint color, but it would help you remember which one has the stash.

 

Jim:
Take a look at Habitat For Humanity’s ReStore directory. ReStore only accepts new paint or stain donations, so you don’t have to worry about buying some toxic brew some schmuck dumped off. I buy from here because the only thing I care about is that it is water based latex paint, and that it is in five gallon buckets. I don’t care about the brand, or color, and it’s inexpensive and the money goes to what I happen to believe is a laudable effort. Never mind Jimmy Carter.

I then go to another hardware store and buy new, metal one gallon paint cans and lids. The ones that have the lids that fit into the center of the can, and have to be hammered down, and then pried up with a screwdriver. The plastic ones don’t work that well, so don’t bother with them.

A suitable amount of paint is removed from the five gallon can.

I place my gold, and silver into the one gallon cans along with a desiccant, hammer the lid on, and then submerge them into the five gallon can. Each five gallon container will hold two one gallon containers without any problem. More than that, they get a little heavy, and the paint doesn’t always conceal what is inside the can if the lid should be opened.

I only use this technique for things I will not need to get at readily. It might be good for long term hiding of small handguns, and ammunition as well.

Your site is a welcome find. Have fun! Sincerely, – JTH

JWR Replies: It is interesting that two readers both mentioned the same idea. Because steel paint cans might rust when submerged in water-based paint, I’d recommend using only plastic containers.

One of my favorite “in plain sight” caches that can be used outdoors is a length of 4″ diameter PVC pipe, with a glued-on cap on one end, and a threaded cap on the other end. The pipe is buried vertically, with the threaded end cap left protruding from the ground, looking just like a typical septic clean-out cap. Unless you hire someone to pump your septic system or to “snake” your drain pipes, it is highly unlikely that anyone would ever disturb one of these caches.

Letter Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop

Sir,
It’s important to maintain a variety of root and grain crops for use as survival crops. Potatoes are easy to grow, easy to store and are nutritious enough to keep you healthy as a sole food (if you eat 2/3 of them raw). It is true potatoes have to be grown every year and that they are vulnerable to soil pathogens, but they can be grown under relatively low light, cool conditions, so why not take a small part of the harvest and raise them in a greenhouse through the winter with supplemental light. A half 55-gal. drum filled with leaves would permit new potatoes to be harvested occasionally without killing the plant. This is a way to always have some actively growing and experiment with low light conditions. If volcanoes start going off we could have several years of deep gloom. Corn and wheat need lots of light, but potatoes need much less. A traditional storage of potatoes is in buckets buried on their sides. This avoids consuming basement space and also comprises a hidden food supply. You can dig up one bucket at a time to bring into the basement.

In any case, we don’t want to trust just one crop. Grains have the advantage of storing longer, especially wheat. Old varieties of corn, wheat, etc. are good, but I worry about GMO contamination. How about some unusual crops: quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, millet, and so forth? Some other root crops: sweet potatoes (see: Sand Hill Preservation Center) and Jerusalem Artichokes (see: Ronninger Potato Farm). Does anyone know of a blog devoted to growing, storing, processing a wide variety of crops from a self-sufficiency standpoint? This can be fun, but there is much to learn. Trading ideas and stock would be helpful. – MSB

JWR Replies: I strongly agree that there is inherent safety in planting a wide variety of crops. In addition to the sources that you mentioned, Seed for Security provides heirloom variety (open pollinated/non-hybrid) gardening seeds for beans, corn, pumpkins, and squash.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies. This is an inevitable result of the liquidity crisis, just as I had warned.

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Attacks in Middle East, Nigeria send oil to record $117.40

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Check out the inventory at CampingSurvival.com: camping gear, first aid supplies, tools, optics, knives, storage food, boots, colloidal silver, NBC protection, you name it. A couple of my favorite items are their emergency dental kit and their magnesium fire starter.

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RBS flagged this blog piece: Foreclosures now outnumber home sales in California

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $160. This auction is for four items: A FoodSaver GameSaver Turbo Plus heavy duty food vacuum packaging system (a retail value of $297) kindly donated by Ready Made Resources an autographed copy of : “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”, an autographed copy of “SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog.”, and a copy of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living”, by the late Carla Emery. The four items have a combined retail value of around $395. The auction ends on May15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Hiding Things in Plain Sight

Mister Rawles,

Household burglaries are all too common, especially where I live. (In a Cleveland, Ohio suburb. The crooks actually commute out to the suburbs to burglarize!) From news stories, I have observed that : 1.) They aren’t too smart. If they were, they’d have a “real” job!), and 2.) They are usually in a hurry. You’ve mentioned building hidden caches in your blog several times, but have you given any thought to hiding things in plain sight?

For example you could empty out cans of unappealing food items (like dog food, or olives), and using that space for valuables. – Thanks, – Terrence

JWR Replies: Making your own “hide in plain sight” containers is a bit time consuming, but it is a fun exercise for a weekend afternoon. If you carefully remove the label from a steel can, you can saw the can in half. Then empty it out and wash it. After drying it thoroughly, you can stuff it full of valuables and tape it shut. Glue the label back on, and voila! A can that is almost indistinguishable from any others. Some detailed instructions on another method are shown at Instructables.com.

One reputable mail order vendor that sells some very clever mass-produced “diversion” safes is Personal Security Online. Another vendor is PestControls.us. They sell diversion safes that look like books, beer or soda cans, and even rocks. And an even bigger assortment of diversion safe containers is available from eFindOutTheTrurth.com.

Perhaps some readers would care to e-mail me some of their favorite do-it yourself ideas for hiding things in plain sight.

Letter Re: JWR’s Opinion of Kalashnikov (AK) Action Rifles

Jim,
What is your opinion on owning the AK variant rifle as a survival weapon? Though medium powered and limited in range to 300 yards, I feel that the simplicity of this weapon is a big plus (as well as magazine capacity, ammo prices/availability. Thanks, Jason, North Idaho

JWR Replies: I do like the AK action. They are very robust and designed to take a tremendous amount of abuse, as this YouTube video graphically illustrates.) The AKs chambered in the intermediate 7.62×39 cartridge are indeed are far less expensive than a FAL, M1A or HK91. But ballistically, this cartridge is insufficient for shooting beyond about 250 yards.The good news: You can have the best of both worlds by buying a Russian American Armory Saiga .308, for around $450. It has the robust AK action, yet it has the full power of 308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO. Magazines for the Saiga used to be a problem, since the largest that came from the factory were 10 rounds. But good quality 25 round magazines are now available, but at $35 each, still fairly expensive. (With the looming threat of another Federal “high capacity” magazine ban if the Democrats take the White House, you should buy at least 10 spare 25 round Saiga magazines! Folding stocks and many other accessories are also available. Saiga .308s have been on the market long enough that used ones are now available for under $400 each, on the private party market. (Available without a paper trail, if bought at a gun show, in most states.)

In today’s market, I consider the Saiga .308 the best choice of a battle rifle for someone with a moderate budget. Functionally, it is like owning a Valmet .308. (The Cadillac of Kalashnikovs), yet they are available at a “Chevy” price.

To recapitulate and to add a bit to what I’ve written in previous posts…

Here are my recommendations for battle rifle purchasing, depending on your budget:

Tight budget (students, pensioners, etc.): A .303, .or 8mm Mauser military surplus bolt action, such as an Enfield or Mauser M1893/M1898. These can often be found at gun shows, for under $200. BTW, the earlier-production Mausers are also classed as Federally exempt “antiques”, which can be bought across state lines with no FFL paperwork, is a nice plus.

Young wage earners: SKS carbine.

Older wage earners: Saiga .308 rifle.

Higher income, with some accrued savings: HK91 clone such as the Vector V-51 or JLD PTR-91.

Salaried professionals: L1A1/ FN-FAL clone, M1A, or a HK91 (factory original)

Top tax bracket professionals: Factory original pre-ban (Belgian) FN-FAL, Lithgow L1A1, Valmet M76 .308, Galil .308, a match grade M1A, or a HK91. If you can afford to, get the best optics available, including Trijicon ACOG scopes, and/or Gen. 3 Starlight scopes.

Regardless of your rifle choice, be sure to get the best training that you can afford! If someone is a newbie with just $1,000, I would recommend spending $500 on a rifle, and $500 on training–rather than buying a $1,000 rifle. For those readers on a budget, take advantage of the low cost Appleseed and WRSA training events. If you have more money, then go to one of the best schools such as Front Sight, Gunsite, or Thunder Ranch.

When budgeting for a firearm, remember that you are buying a long term bullet launching capability–not just the bullet launcher itself. That means buying: the rifle, plus magazines, plus ammunition, plus web gear, plus cleaning equipment, plus training, plus a few spare parts, plus perhaps some optics. Hence, a bargain-priced $800 used M1A .308 that you find at a gun show might eventually cost you $3,000 or more, once it is fully outfitted. If you can’t afford to buy the whole package, then be rational and buy a less expensive rifle!

Letter Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop

Mr. Rawles:
The problem with potatoes as a survival crop, is that they are susceptible to soil-borne diseases. Before toxic sprays, seed potatoes were grown at elevations above 800 feet, which does help. They also require a very good root cellar, in order to keep all the way through the winter, until the next planting season. Seed potatoes cannot be stored for years like grains. One [year of] crop failure, and you are done. It helps to swap all your potatoes saved for seed with another gardener, some distance from you. Look for someone with a different type of soil, and you may be able to get by for a number of years. Relying on potatoes as a long term survival crop is risky. Just look at Irish history. – FARMERIK

Odds ‘n Sods:

The mainstream media is finally catching on to the surging interest in the Survivalist movement. See, for example, a recent CNN Europe article, in which I’m dubbed ” unofficial spokesman” for the survivalist movement: Survivalists get ready for meltdown. OBTW, I was also quoted (albeit indirectly) in a breezy Fortune magazine article: The appeal of gold–Survivalists and speculators see it as the ultimate safe haven, but buying too much can also be a trap

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The folks at HAZARiD (one of our advertisers) recently revamped their web site and put up a video clip. Their fogging applicator can quickly apply the special HAZARiD disinfectant to virtually any surface. Unlike chlorine solutions, the HazardID solution is not corrosive.

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This is probably old news to most SurvivalBlog readers, but in case you missed it: Nalgene to phase out hard-plastic bottles–Containers made with bisphenol A chemical linked to health risks

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Rate of home foreclosures expected to get worse

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications, and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent, if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks on the contrary to keep them in perpetual childhood : it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of float happiness: it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances – what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living? Thus it every day renders the exercise of the free agency of man less useful and less frequent; it circumscribes the will within a narrower range, and gradually robs a man of all the uses of himself. The principle of equality has prepared men for these things: it has predisposed men to endure them, and oftentimes to look on them as benefits. After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp, and fashioned them at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided: men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting : such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till [this] nation is reduced to be nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd." – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Notes from JWR:

We are happy to welcome our newest advertiser, Seed for Security. They provide heirloom variety (open pollinated/non-hybrid) gardening seeds.

I am amazed at how political Wikipedia has become. I heard from a reader that the recent attempted deletion of the James Wesley Rawles article at Wikipedia was stopped, by consensus. But now, the neutrality of the article has been called into question. If you are an experienced Wikipedia editor, then please post your opinion about the article’s neutrality, one way or the other. Thanks!

Letter Re: Advice on Emergency Dentistry

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I have read and been positively influenced by your novel [“Patriots”]. I am now making provisions for difficult times. Can you recommend any links towards obtaining dentistry kit and basic dental instruction? Mainly interested in being able to perform extraction safely. With Thanks and Sincerity, – Dan-O

JWR Replies: This topic has been covered briefly in the blog, but is important enough that it deserves additional discussion. The most important resource is the book “Where There is No Dentist“, available for free download from the Hesperian Foundation (But I recommend getting a bound hardcopy. Ditto for their book “Where There is No Doctor“. Used copies can often be found on Amazon.com for little more than the cost of postage.) Back in July of 2007, I posted letters from Tip in Las Vegas and from “J” the Dentist, that describe low cost sources for dental instruments. It would also be wise to stock up on other dentistry supplies such as gauze, oil of cloves, and so forth. Unless you are stranded in the back country, I do not recommend that you put in temporary fillings under present day circumstances. If a filling leaks, it could cause an infection. However, in a genuine TEOTWAWKI situation, temporary fillings may be your only alternative to suffice for weeks or even months until you can get to a qualified dentist. For this reason, you should stock up on temporary filling material such as Cimpat, Tempanol, or Cavit. There are also temporary filling materials packaged for the consumer market that contain very small quantities (under brand names such as Dentek and Temparin), but the per-unit cost is relatively high. With those, you are mostly paying for the packaging. Nor do I recommend “do it yourself” extraction, except again in extremis. Without the support of a crown or bridge, the gap left by an extraction can cause a chain reaction, as other teeth shift, to compensate. This can lead to a series of complications.

Two Letters Re: Potatoes as a Survival Garden Crop

Morning, Jim!
Just a quick addition for your readers to your recent note about potatoes gaining in popularity: most of their useful nutritional value is in their skin and outermost fractions of inches. I believe this is true of most root vegetables. Peeling these vegetables just renders them as a wad of starch or carbohydrate – much less useful for your body than the good Lord intended them to be. All they really need (especially if grown in a home garden where you know what went into the soil) is a quick rinse and a light scrub.

Ideally your order of produce procurement would be as follows:
– home garden or friends’ gardens
– public market/farmer market
– grocery store (produce sits for days before it gets displayed!)
– big box store with produce department (yuck)
So, no, peeled, frozen, fried and salted french fries do not really count as your healthy serving of “vegetable.” And if you really have some ingrained loathing of potato skins and must peel them, at least put the peels in a compost bin! – Carl H.

 

JWR
I enjoyed your novel [“Patriots”] immensely. The tenets of your philosophy of survivalism are well thought out and codified.

I believe we are missing the boat when we don’t consider the better alternative of planting and/or storing potatoes as a survival basic food source, rather than wheat, or other grains. Potatoes grow easily virtually anywhere, produce abundantly, the plants are unobtrusive, and are not foraged by deer, among other things. After TEOTWAWKI, it would be a lot easier to plant and subsist on them rather than large gardens.- Jim F. in Oregon

Letter Re: The Potential Combat Effectiveness of Shotguns

Jim,
There is a fairly heated discussion going on at the FALFiles Forums about how useful a shotgun is in a Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) situation. I was curious, what exactly is your take on the issue?

Personally, I do not feel a shotgun can effectively replace a rifle, however, it still proves an effective tool when the extreme-close situation arises.
I suppose one can distill this argument down to only “defensive purpose” shotguns such as those built for tactical situations (3″ chambers and open/cylinder choke), those you aptly refer to as “riotguns”. While the effectiveness of a shotgun for hunting small game is readily apparent, where exactly would a defensive shotgun come into play using either various types of buckshot or slugs?
In what circumstances would a shotgun be a superior choice to a battle or assault rifle? Examples?

I, as well as many, value your opinion on the matter. Best Regards, — Kyrottimus

JWR Replies: While semi-auto battle rifles are more practical for most defensive shooting (most notably because of their capability at both short and long range), riot shotguns can definitely be effective at short range. In the dense North Woods, there is seldom any shooting beyond 50 yards, so they are adequate there. (Riotguns can be effective to 40 yards with buckshot and 90+ yards with slugs.) I also generally recommend riotguns for urbanites that live in cities or states with harsh restrictions on semi-auto rifles. In a city (again, range limited, by terrain) a repeating riotgun is generally more useful than a bolt action rifle, so if those are your only options, then go for a shotgun. But with all that said, assuming that you don’t live in a liberal fantasyland like New Jersey, if you only have the money to buy one rifle (and the requisite training)., or one shotgun (and the requisite training), then buy a semi-auto battle rifle!

With the addition of a spare “bird” barrel, shotguns can also be useful for foraging, since they are the only effective means of wingshooting. (And the only legal method, in many countries.)

Also, police have found that shotguns firing slugs can be more effective and safer than a rifle, in the specialized task of removing a door from its hinges. Speaking of which, building “entry” is incredibly dangerous, and frankly I can’t foresee the need of the average prepper to ever do so. But you never know. There was that one chapter of “Patriots“…

A couple of provisos:

Despite popular misconceptions popularized by Hollywood, shotguns must be aimed, much like a rifle. The bead sights that are installed on most shotgun barrels are insufficient. I recommend either buying a replacement barrel with rifle sights, or having these sights retrofitted.

Be sure to do some pattern tests at various distances with your shotgun, using full-power buckshot loads. (I generally prefer #4 buckshot–not to be confused with the much smaller and and much more common #4 birdshot, which is a standard load for duck hunting.) Even if you have a shotgun with a wide open “Cylinder bore” (no choke), you may be surprised how tightly it shoots, especially inside of 10 yards. Again, you can’t just vaguely point, you have to aim. If you plan to shoot slugs, again do some tests and zero your gun’s iron sights.

OBTW, I highly recommend the Four Day Tactical Shotgun course taught by Front Sight. This course builds skills, builds confidence, and dispels a lot of myths.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Lehman’s just announced that they are having a special “Lost and Found” warehouse clearance sale, with prices reduced as much as 60% on a few items. Please click on the banner link for Lehman’s at the top of our Affiliates Page, so that SurvivalBlog will get our little piece of the action. Thanks!

https://survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=2#

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From reader RBS: Expensive metals draw criminals to exhaust systems

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Some commentary from Adrian Ash: 40 Years Of Inflation, 80 Years Of Dow/Gold

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From The Daily Mail (by way of The Mental Militia Forums): The real Good Life: An entire village turns against supermarkets and grows its own food