Letter Re: Snap Shooting Skills

Sir;
The recent SurvivalBlog article on snap shooting was great. I think that there is one useful thing to mention and that is how body armor vests (particularly thicker ones with rifle plates) change the way you shoot. The first and most obvious change to the proper way to shoot both rifles and pistols is to always face the target with your body armor! This means facing your chest directly towards the enemy, it really changes the way snap shooting works. Bringing rifles on target while keeping your chest straight toward the target is something that needs to be practiced for awhile. Doing the same with pistols is easier but still must be practiced. When wearing body armor also change the way you shoot from the prone to reflect the protection of the vest. Instead of the traditional strong side knee bent lying mostly on your weak side the way to do it is flat on your chest straight to the target so the vest protects you as much as possible.

The second way that body armor changes the way you shoot is ergonomics. Vests add thickness to all sides of your upper body. If your long gun has a stock that is exactly the right length for you [when wearing street clothes] then it will be roughly two inches too long. This is where M4 or HK91 adjustable stocks are real nice. Web gear is also going to fit smaller. These little things get to be a significant problem after a while. Try to get some hours at the range practicing snap shooting. Practice shooting with your entire kit (weapon, web gear, body armor, [and helmet]) now, so that if you need to change something you can do it before you really need the stuff–[in times when] going online and ordering a larger vest or shorter stock will probably be impossible.

Body armor is a big purchase (about the price of a decent battle rifle especially if you get [SAPI] rifle plates). After stocking a good pantry full of food and a basic firearms battery for each adult (with plenty of ammo and accessories); I can not think of another more useful item to have. – Ryan

JWR Replies: I agree with you wholeheartedly that body armor should be a high priority purchase. It is one that is often overlooked by my consulting clients. As your budget allows, each adult family member at your retreat should buy a Level IIIA concealment vest and a Kevlar helmet. If you have a big budget, then also buy an Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest (or equivalent).

If I had to choose between buying a second gun and buying body armor, I would definitely choose the body armor! Consider it part of your life insurance–the type that insures that you don’t die–as opposed to traditional life insurance that pays after you die. (Well, technically, it would be “assurance”, rather than “insurance”, but you get my point.) Do some comparison shopping, for price, quality, and proper fitting. (The latter is crucial.) One vendor that I recommend offers all three is BulletProofME.com. (I was recommending them long before they ever became a SurvivalBlog advertiser.)



Letter Re: The Value of a Dollar as Currency Unit

Howdy Jim,
Regarding the quotation by Dr. Walter E. Williams wherein he writes about “dollars as being ‘certificates of performance'” it reminds me of discussions years ago of the nature of money. Perhaps it may be condensed down to something such as, “Money is a measure of life energy.”

Whether it is fiat paper currency, or silver or gold coinage currency, or electron-charged cyberspace currency, what it measures and thereby accounts for is life energy. As an example consider the different measures of value we accord to an ounce bar of pure silver and an ounce coin of the the same material. The difference is the amount of life energy involved in making the coin. (“The only people who ‘make money’ are the people who work in a mint. The rest of us have to earn it.” – Earl Nightingale) The life energy expended in turning the silver ore into a pure-silver bar makes the bar more valuable than the ore. The life energy expended in turning the pure-silver bar into a pure-silver coin makes the coin more valuable than the bar. The different values we accord these various forms of this one material are the amount of life energy we humans are willing to invest or exchange in order to posses or control these different forms of this one material. Whatever medium of exchange we use (paper, coin, electron, or other), it serves as a measure of life energy.

Thank you again for all that you and yours are and do. Regards, – Lex



Feedback on the “Maxed Out” Consumer Credit Documentary

Sir,
Today I went through some of the links on SurvivalBlog that I might have otherwise passed over, for whatever reason. I came across the Google Video link: Maxed Out. Normally I would not have taken the time to watch an hour-and-a-half video on the computer, but I was curious just because you would take the time to post it up on your site. I knew that credit cards would one day become a problem, but even in my wildest dreams I never could have imagined anything even close to what is contained in that video. For those of you who have not seen it, go and do so! Go as soon as you read this, and pass it along to everyone that you know that has a computer. If ever there was any doubt that we were being used and manipulated for evil reasons, by evil people, then this should remove all that doubt.

Years ago I had two department store credit cards that I thought that I would never get paid off, but I [eventually] did. I paid the minimums, just like everyone else. However, I saw “the flaw in the slaw” and used every chance that I could get a bit of extra cash, to help pay it off quicker. As soon as I did, that was it. I had finally had enough. I have never had another [credit card] since. Recently, my auto insurance company, as well as a few others, have sent me notices to the fact, and now I pay a small amount extra on my premiums because I have a lower credit score, because I don’t owe anybody anything other than my regular monthly bills (my house payment is not included, because it is paid for.) At first I was mad beyond belief, that I had to pay more, because I was smarter than the rest of the people who bought into the Credit Card Fairy Tale. (You all know that one, where your life will become sooooo much better! After a few phone calls that went nowhere, I decided that the powers that be, had me by the short hairs. In retrospect, and after seeing this video, I can see that I am getting off cheap. Weighing all the factors, I am still ahead in the long run. So as Mr. Rawles has pointed out in so many other of the daily pages, pay off your debts as quickly as you can. And if you do decide to keep your cards, ask yourself this very important question: are you really happier that you have them? – Dim Tim

JWR: Replies: I do recommend having at least one “no annual fee” major credit card, just to keep on hand for emergencies such as car repairs on cross-country trips. But unless folks have the self-control to never use them, or at least never use them for impulse purchases (so that the balance can be paid in full each month, with no interest charges), then I recommend that they leave their credits card locked up in a home vault, or simply cut them up.



Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader E.L. recommended that we look at some of the YouTube clips of economist Peter Schiff. This Neal Cavuto segment aired back August, 17, 2007, when the Dow had “dipped” 7% below its 14,000 high, silver was around $12.70 per ounce, and the US Dollar Index was around 81. Most of the the pundits were downright bashing on Peter Schiff and calling the subprime crisis “a buying opportunity” for financial stocks. But given recent events–with the Dow now in the 12,700 range, silver around $16 per ounce, and the US Dollar Index down below 76, it seems that it was Schiff who was right.

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I found some interesting economic analysis from Alex Wallenwein posted over at Gold-Eagle: Gold and the Biflationary Depression. Alex may have hit the nail on the head: we may soon see simultaneous currency inflation and asset deflation.

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“The Bricklayer” in Detroit mention this YouTube video showing a low-tech small scale power windmill in Africa.

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Steven found this nearly one-year-old Reuters news story that you might have missed: U.S. companies prepare for bird flu pandemic





Note from JWR:

This is the last day in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The bidding is now at $540. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth at least $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. Be sure to submit your bid by midnight (eastern Time) tonight!



The Countrywide Bailout and the Macroeconomic Picture

As I mentioned a few days ago, Bank of America (BofA) is buying out troubled Countrywide Financial (a home mortgage lender) for more than $4 Billion, and taxpayers are going to help them finance the buyout. This is good news for Countrywide (whose CEO is being given a ludicrous $110 million going away present), but bad news for the economy as a whole, and for taxpayers.

I should mention that it has been rumored that BofA felt obliged to acquire Countrywide, because the two firms had some large derivatives contracts, and if Countrywide had folded, BofA would have to write-off some very large dollar figures–perhaps enough to wipe out BofA. But by buying out Countrywide, BofA now holds both sides of the derivative transaction (they are in effect both party and counter party) so they can just zero out those derivative contracts. I expect that regardless of whether or not they are able to offset their derivatives exposure, buying out Countrywide may still be disastrous for BofA. One of the longest standing legal precepts in mergers and acquisitions is: “When you buy a company, you also buy its liabilities.” The full downside risk at Countrywide is enormous. If the default rate spikes in the nascent recession, Countrywide’s mountain of bad paper could very well take BofA down with it. I think that A.P. Giannini (the founder of the Bank of Italy, which later became the Bank of America), is probably rolling in his grave right now.

What does the Countrywide experience portend for the larger economy? I believe that the credit collapse will eventually spawn numerous taxpayer-funded bailouts of financial institutions, some of them measuring in the hundreds of billions of dollars. In essence, the credit collapse is just getting started. The bad news that is presently being trumpeted about subprime mortgages, will soon apply to the entire mortgage credit market. There are so many institutions–banks, hedge funds, mutual funds with financial stock holdings, and more–that have direct or indirect subprime exposure, that once the dominos start to tumble there will be many billions if not trillions wiped out. So much debt has been re-packaged in so many different ways that nobody can tell who owns what debts, and exactly what property is backing those debts. (There are now a dizzying array of Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs), Convertible Contingent Debt Securities (CODEs), Enhanced Equity-Linked Debt Securities (ELKs), Mandatorily Exchangeable Debt Securities (MEDs), Stock Return Income Debt Securities (STRIDEs), Structured Investment Vehicle (SIVs), and even “Super SIVs”–SIVs that aggregate other SIVs.)

It is the bankers’ inability to assign risk that inspired the summer of Aught Seven credit collapse. Liquidity has dried up worldwide because bankers are terrified of issuing loans if they cannot evaluate risk. With all of the repackaging within repackaging, it is nigh on impossible to identify risk. The term “marked to market” has become meaningless. With so much debt marked to mystery (my term), we are in uncharted waters. In my estimation, anyone that isn’t apprehensive about the economy is a Pollyanna.

While much of the credit market is going through a meltdown, the credit rating agencies like Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s are of no help because it has now been revealed some of them were in on the sub-prime scam–artificially boosting credit ratings in exchange for bribes. (You can look for this scandal to be one of the biggest financial news stories of 2008, potentially much bigger than the Enron scandal ever was.). Any further turmoil in the financial markets–and I expect that there will be plenty–will surely depress stock prices and the value of the US dollar. The dollar is already in deep, deep Schumer. There is a significant chance of a full scale collapse of the US Dollar in 2008.

Knowing the way that things work in Washington, DC, I conclude that bailing out the bankers will eventually mean both higher marginal tax rates, and a higher capital gains rate. As previously mentioned, this is just one more reason to shelter most of your assets in tangibles. For the most part, tangibles are not taxed until after you sell them and realize a profit. And, as I also recently mentioned, here in the US, land and houses are not taxed by the Federal government(at least not yet.) I don’t expect the mortgage tax deduction to go away anytime soon, but I would not be surprised if once they feel the squeeze, the Federal government ups the size and number of unfunded mandates on cities, counties, and states, forcing them to increase property taxes.



Snap Shooting Skills, By Robert R.

Snap shooting is something I learned a few years ago that can make one well trained, aggressive shooter, able to defeat many lesser-trained opponents. The idea of snap shooting is to present as small a target as possible while quickly peeking out and delivering accurate fire, and then returning to your cover.

In the movies you always see the bad guy will put his back against a corner, using it for cover. He then turns the corner, exposing his entire body, raises his weapon to take aim, and is promptly shot dead by the good guy. Snap shooting aims to correct all the mistakes of this very poor example of how to exchange gunfire with someone who aims to shoot you.

When someone is shooting at you, you obviously want to expose as little of yourself as possible, for as short a duration as possible, to minimize the chance of being hit. At the same time, you have to deliver accurate fire when you do expose yourself to make the risk worth something.

The first thing to know about snap shooting is how to properly use cover. Ideally you will have some decent cover to use (something that can stop incoming rounds and provide concealment) In our movie example, the bad guy puts his back up against the corner and then turns the corner and exposes his entire body to make his shot. In doing this, he has limited his visibility of what is going on, by facing away from the target, and as he presents himself, does so in a way that maximizes the enemy’s likelihood of hitting him. At the same time, because his weapon is not raised, he must expose himself for a longer period of time to aim his weapon and fire.

Stand, or crouch behind your cover, facing towards the enemy. You want to put yourself far enough off your cover so that you can pre-aim your weapon, and also be mobile enough to quickly move to other pieces of cover, or move to flank and continue engaging your target. Raise your weapon and get proper sight alignment towards where you believe your enemy to be. This will save you the time of doing later outside of cover.

Now that you have your weapon raised and ready to fire, quickly peek out with only your barrel and eyes, putting your weight on your right foot (left foot if peeking from the left side of cover) and bending at the torso. Only expose what is absolutely necessary to get an accurate shot off. Fire as many shots as you feel you can safely and accurately, and then return to your previous position behind cover. (This should just mean bending back to cover from the torso.)

In the space of a second you can peek out, exposing only your barrel and eyes, shoot off a couple of well placed shots, and bend back into cover. This technique should be used to fight your way into a position of better cover, more advantageous shooting positions, or for flanking your enemy if working within a team. That is not to say that this is only good for aggressive movement, but is also fantastic for defending a fixed position or close quarter battle. With practice you can become very fast and remain deadly accurate, while only exposing a very small target for your enemy.

Being “backed off” from your cover so that you can peek around also allows you to have greater situational awareness. Greater situation awareness can win the battle, and often does. Also be sure to peek out from different positions so that you do not become predictable. You can peek out standing, crouching, on the left or right side. Just keep things mixed up to throw off your enemy. Here is a good example of some snap shooting being done by a paintball player. [JWR Adds: I consider paintball a useful adjunct to tactical firearms training. Just beware that paintball competitors have a tendency to start subconsciously thinking of concealment as cover (since paint balls have minimal penetration), and they also develop a “60 yard mindset” wherein they feel safe to maneuver if they are more than 60 yards from their opponent(s). Modern centerfire rifles of course have 400+ yard effective range!]

One might say this is something paintballers use and doubt its effectiveness, but its effectiveness in paintball translates into the real world as well. So practice snap shooting the next time you go out to shoot and see just how fast you can engage targets with accurate fire from cover. One very skilled snap shooter can defend very well against many untrained shooters. I spoke with a friend of mine who is an Army Ranger and got through most of Green Beret training before suffering an injury that put him out of training. He never trained in this style of shooting! It is somewhat surprising that something people who play paintball use all the time and is extremely effective is unknown to nearly all combat forces. Make sure you have the edge and train to snap shoot!

I recommend the AR-15 with a 16″ barrel for this, or another short rifle, because the AR-15 rifle is lightweight, light recoiling, and accurate. It lends itself well to snap shooting. The .223 is not and will never be a .308, but will allow you to carry more ammunition for suppressive fire when working in a team of two or more, so you can cover one another and out flank your enemy for killing shots if you cant score them from your current piece of cover. Good luck and train hard.



Letter Re: Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed

Dear Jim,
I want to endorse Flashlight Outlet who has provided great products, prices and customer service. Larry helped me track a missing package I sent to Hawaii, and offered to replace it if it didn’t show up (it did).
My new acquisition is the OLight T20. I wanted something as bright as my Surefire, but to be able to dial it down when I didn’t need quite that much light. The OLight T20 is even brighter than the Surefire [when set] at max, 160 lumens, with four times the battery life with the same C123s (90 minutes vs 20 for the 120 lumen Surefires), 70 hours at 10 lumens, and has a memory function so it recalls the last set brightness.
In addition, it has a strobe function that can make it a devastating defense weapon. I tried it on myself, and the strobing 160 lumens completely disoriented me, even in indoor light, and left me dazzled for about two minutes. It would make a great addition to any hand to hand encounter with a bad guy.
The price is reasonable, and includes a lanyard, holster and spare gaskets. The electronics are a minor concern for potential failure or EMP damage, though I suspect it would default to max brightness. I’ll still be keeping my Surefires as weapon lights and backup, of course.- Michael Z. Williamson



Odds ‘n Sods:

Novovirus reaches epidemic levels in England. I strongly recommend that SurvivalBlog readers prepare themselves for when this virus flares up in the US and Canada, especially if you have any infant, elderly, or otherwise “at risk” folks living under your roof. Stock up, be ready to self-quarantine, and if you must go out to work and to shop, then be prepared to decontaminate yourself.each time that you re-enter your home. If nothing else, practicing with these measures will leave you well-prepared for any eventual influenza pandemic that is spread by casual contact.

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I noticed that yesterday spot gold in London got briefly over $912 USD per ounce before closing in New York around $902. A lot of the speculators are saying that $1,000 gold is not far away. If you can’t afford to invest in gold, then silver is “The working man’s gold.” And if you can’t afford to invest in silver, I posit that US nickels (five cent pieces) will be “the poor man’s silver.” They are presently available for face value, but their nickel and silver content are already worth 6.22 cents each. Someday you can regale your grandchildren with stories about how you bought roll after roll of nickels at banks and casinos while the rest of our citizenry was somnambulant.

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The Nanny State run amok: California wants to control home thermostats. The only way that I’m ever moving back to California is in a pine box, bound for the family plot in Boonville.

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Thanks to Paul D. for this Science News story link about Ug99 Wheat Rust: Wheat Warning—New Rust Could Spread Like Wildfire. And speaking of wheat: Soaring Grain Prices Prompt Wheat Thefts



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by precedent, by implication, by erosion, by default, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other – until the day when they are suddenly declared to be the country’s official ideology.” – Ayn Rand



Note from JWR:

There are just two days left in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The bidding is now at $390. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth approximately $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. This auction ends on January 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.



Book Review: Michael Z. Williamson’s “Better to Beg Forgiveness”

I just finished reading my review copy of Michael Z. Williamson’s latest science fiction novel “Better to Beg Forgiveness“. This fast-paced novel is set a couple of centuries in the future and follows the adventures of a band of mercenaries sent to guard a national president on a war-torn backwater colony planet. The story has some obvious analogies to the current use of “contractors” in Iraq. And it is obvious that in creating the fictional “Ripple Creek” off-world mercenary company, Williamson drew heavily on the real-life experiences of a few Blackwater types in researching this story. This adds an unmistakable air of realism to a fictional tale, making it quite fun to read.

I must admit that my reading of the book was sporadic–not because of any fault of the novel but rather because of the interruptions of elk and deer hunting season, and then holiday travel. But the recent heavy snowfall here at the ranch curtailed most of my outdoor chores and got me into into one of those cozy-by-the-woodstove book reading moods, so I was finally able to finish it.

Better to Beg Forgiveness” is a well-told tale. It has plenty of the elements that Williamson fans love: action, great technical detail, believable characters, accurate tactics, vivid imagery of distant worlds, and some compellingly deep drama. Mike Williamson is prior military service, and his experience definitely shows. Unlike most of the schlock military science fiction genre novels that crowd the market, Mike’s books are technically and tactically correct. That is a real rarity!

Without spoiling the plot, I can safely say that the story has plenty of interesting turns. Williamson is well-versed at weaving technical details into a story without bogging it down. (As a fellow novelist, I can assure you this is very difficult.) He is also a master at blending, action, drama, and character conflicts. In this particular story, he describes inter-agency, and inter-governmental conflicts exceptionally well, without making the story drag. Again, this adds texture and realism to the tale. In all, I thought that the storyline was plausible, the characters were believable, and the action was compelling. This is a book that is well worth reading. Just one proviso: because of some adult situations and copious battlefield violence this book is definitely not for children!

I got my review copy early, but I’ve noticed that “Better to Beg Forgiveness” is now available from Amazon.com.



Two Letters Re: Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed

Mr. Rawles:
In regards to the Home Defense Tactics for the Disabled and the Infirmed post.
This is a YouTube video that plays a 911 recording of a lady [in Indiana] who was at home alone when a guy whom she had dated a couple of times and then after she broke up from him, he started stalking her. He came to her house one night and she called 911.

Fortunately she had a weapon and was willing to use it.

Near the end after he broke into her bedroom he tried choking her, she shot him three times, one of the shots is muffled because she had the pistol pressed against him.
This needs to be shared with every woman you know. This proves the old adage that police investigate crimes and are unable to stop most of them. They would not been able to protect her. Yes she had court orders in place to “protect” her, they didn’t do any good either. When seconds count, 911 is [still] minutes away. – Eric B. in Southern Idaho

 

Jim,
Like you, I am also not a fan of red dot sights for “at night” use. Some time ago I investigated the different available night time systems available. Below is what I discovered:
1. Red dot sight– okay during the day but at night– not good! Because of the brightness it causes pupil constriction, and due to the “consensual eye reflex” (CER) the other pupil constricts as well it was dark before, now it’s really dark, i.e. it blinds you ! (until the rodopsin recovers).
In trying to turn the red dot site down to a level that doesn’t cause this, it makes it very difficult to reliably see the red dot!

2. Night vision mounted as a scope on a rifle– same as above– better have a buddy with you to watch your back who has natural night vision unimpaired while yours recovers.
A headset is better but you’re kinda stuck in tunnel vision as you don’t have peripheral vision with these. (See note above about having a buddy.) Better to keep them on until in an area of safety.

3. OEG (occluded eye gun site) works off tritium (and fiber optic during the day). Oddly this seems to adjust to the needed level automatically without stimulating pupil constriction. I am not sure why, maybe it’s a different wavelength of red that doesn’t stimulate CER. The problem with this site is that it does take some training to use though as you don’t look into it as your do past it. I think the best thing is the Trijicon ACOG as it works in a very similar way.
With this site you can actually look into it, it offers magnification, and again adjusts to ambient light levels to prevent CER. The drawback is of course price.

4. The plain, good ol’ tritiums sights, as you recommended, are the low buck choice. These as well do not seem to stimulate CER as they are usually far out enough from the eye (arms length) to not be too bright. I prefer the ones from TruGlo for pistols that are fiber optic as well and XS Systems for rifles and shotguns. Well, I hope you find this helpful. Yours in Freedom, – DH



Letter Re: Switchgrass for Ethanol Production

Dear Jim,
I just discovered SurvivalBlog.com in November 2007. I have bought two of your books so far. We are working on our lists, in the meantime I am building FIFO shelving for the canned part of our provisions. We thank God for you, your great work, and The Memsahib’s support of this.

I’m not so sure this article will be a fit, but it is good news nevertheless. From Scientific American: Grass Makes Better Ethanol than Corn Does. The USDA and farmers took part in a five-year study of switchgrass, native to North America. They found that switchgrass ethanol can deliver around 540 percent of the energy used to produce it, as opposed to corn ethanol which can only yield around 124 percent. – BCW

JWR Replies: Switchgrass does seem more viable for ethanol production than corn, because of it his high EROEI ratio. I am hopeful that an ethanol production and distribution infrastructure will be assembled in the US in the next three or four years. OBTW, I highly recommend that every SurvivalBlog reader own at least one “Flex Fuel” vehicle that is E85 ethanol compatible. Make that a high priority the next time you buy a new car or truck. Even if there is not yet E85 available in your area, plan ahead for when it will be. Someday, you may be glad that you did.