Letter Re: Sources for Inexpensive FAL Clone Rifles

Sir,
Do you know a place to get a cheap yet reliable FAL rifle? I am looking for one on a budget preferably under $400 or so. I would greatly appreciate help and i like your blog. Thanks, — Derek

JWR Replies: Unfortunately, because the supply of parts sets has dried up, the price of US Code Section 922(r)-compliant FAL clones is starting to rise. The heyday of FAL clone building was a couple of years ago, when parts sets were cheap and plentiful. The prices then bottomed at about $500. Those days are gone!

Here is some background on pricing: US-made FAL receivers sell for $300 to $450. (That is just for a stripped receiver with sem-auto ejector block.) FAL Parts kits are starting to get scarce (because of the recent Federal ban on parts sets that include barrels), so those kits sell for $220 to $450, depending on maker and condition. (The days of $95 parts kits are long gone.) A set of 922(r) compliance US-made “HTS” (hammer, trigger, and sear) parts is $55. Assembly and headspacing by a gunsmith is $75+. And with refinishing included, assembly is more often $185+. The very lowest price that I have seen FAL clones sell for is about $600 (used, at a gun show), and $800+ is more typical. (Add at least $100 for an “inch pattern” (L1A1) variant.) Some of the nicer DSA-made FAL clones now sell for $2,400. For more details, see the FALFiles.com forums. There, in particular see the Marketplace Forum and their Gunsmithing & Build-It-Yourself Forum. For additional background information, also see my FAQ on FAL and L1A1 rifles.

With the decline of the dollar versus the Euro, I only expect FAL prices to rise. In the upcoming recession, you might stumble into a bargain, as cash-strapped owners sell guns in order to pay their bills. But don’t count on that. Buy a FAL clone soon! I anticipate they will be at least $1,000 within a year.

Two Letters Re: Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation

Mr. Rawles:
I checked the archives as well as your advertisers for the NATO-style metal ratchet clamp style fuel cans that NC Bluedog recommends, no luck. Do you know of any sources for this product. The Scepter brand jerry can that Ready Made Resources sells are great, but owning 20 of those cans becomes cost prohibitive. Keep up the great work. – PN

JWR Replies: Try searching on “German Army Gas Can”, since most of the NATO specification gas cans are German (Bundeswehr) military surplus. OBTW, beware of the French Army surplus cans that use a different type filler neck. The necks for those are scarce!

I anticipate that a larger supply of the new US military fuel can (MFC) design (a.k.a. Scepter) cans will hit the civilian market in the next year or two–either as contract over-runs, or possibly as military surplus. If and when that happens, prices should drop.

For more details on specifications (with photos) see the excellent fuel can article posted at Survival Monkey.

Major Surplus or Cheaper Than Dirt might still have some of the NATO (German) cans in stock.

James,
NC Bluedog just posted about the storage of gasoline. I’ve got a tested method for long term storage of 93 octane gasoline:

I’ve found that BP-Amoco 93 octane (“clear”) with 4 oz Sta-Bil in 5 gallons stores for 8 plus years with no degradation. I’ve opened gas stored since 1998 and it was as clear as new, smelled great. The key is to use NATO type 5 gallon steel Jerry cans with good seals (mine are from Sportsman’s Guide and Cheaper Than Dirt). I’ve also found replacement can seals from Army Surplus Warehouse in Montana.

Never store gasoline for longer than a few months in plastic cans – those cans are oxygen permeable. Even without stabilizer I’ve found the Amoco clear stores much longer than other brands. I’d recommend not storing ethanol blends; here in Pennsylvania, BP-Amoco still does not blend alcohol in their fuels. Fill the cans to the bottom of the filler opening to limit air space. The can sides actually pull in over time as I believe the gas absorbs the oxygen in the remaining air space. This type of gas storage is do-able for homeowners with small outside sheds,–those who cannot reasonably have underground tanks. And a few cans of gas could make all the difference getting to your retreat.

I’ve found that the best way to pour gas from a can into a car fuel tank is to use a narrow 5/8 inch neck (for the unleaded nozzle opening), 17″ long, 5 inch wide mouth funnel. Mine is made by Blitz in black plastic and available from Wal-Mart I have always had leak problems with the clamp-on steel nozzles. It takes a little patience (don’t pour too fast), but you can get the whole can into the tank. The NATO can mouth fits fully into the funnel mouth, so you can tip it way up to get the last of the gas out of the can. The funnel dries quickly, too. – BFE

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reuters reports: Investors see recession, Wall Street depression

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Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer

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Thank to RBS for sending this link: Americans unload prized belongings to make ends meet

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Now the mainstream media is not just reporting on food storage, they’re publishing “how to” tips! See this ABC News piece: Time to Stockpile Food? –A Guide to Preparing for Rising Food Costs or That Next Big Emergency.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 16 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win two valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificates. (Worth up to $4,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 16 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entries. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog

Given that liquid fuel costs are climbing dramatically, and likely to continue rising, I would like to share some of the practices for fuel storage we employ. For our homestead, liquid fuel equates to four items, namely: Propane, diesel fuel, kerosene and last but not least gasoline. For each fuel, there are specific uses, distinct storage requirements and longevity considerations. Let me discuss each in order:

The primary furnace in our house runs on propane. Currently, we use electricity for water heating and cooking. Our annual propane usage is between 500 to 800 gallons per year depending on the weather and how much wood we burn in the small heating stove in the living room. My goal when we bought the house was to have one year of supply, so I had installed two 500 gallon (nominal water capacity) above ground propane tanks (800 gallon capacity at 80% fill). I have the tanks filled during the (typical) summer price drop. Below grade tanks, while preferable for several reasons (ballistic protection etc.), are problematic (i.e. expensive) because of the rocky soil and high water table. Nonetheless, I would like to expand my capacity to two years, and will likely bear the excavation expense and install a 1000 gallon underground tank as well. For the grill and portable propane appliances (stove, lights etc.), we keep a supply of 20 and 40 pound tanks available. Small one pound propane bottles are refilled from these tanks. (Note: US DOT regulations prohibit transporting refilled “disposable” cylinders). Storage life is not of concern with propane, but price and availability are of paramount importance.

Diesel fuel is used on our homestead for the generator when the power fails and for the tractor. My little tractor just sips fuel and only uses about 20 gallons per year (mowing etc.). Our storage capacity consists of a 100 gallon “belly” tank on the generator and a 275 gallon fuel oil tank (i.e. heating oil tank) set up beside the generator shack. This leads to the problem of low use during normal times, where longevity is of concern, and problems with fuel transfer between the tanks. Diesel fuel, being lightly refined, has a relatively long storage life (5-10 years reported) if properly cared for. This includes relatively stable temperature, commercial fuel preservative/algaecide (I prefer Pri-D) and above all else keeping it dry. Again, underground storage would provide the stable temperature, but rocky soil and US EPA regulations have precluded me from doing that. Water is the big problem. Humidity condensing inside the tank collects in the bottom under the diesel fuel (oil-water layer) and provides a nice environment for oil eating micro-organisms. These little bugs make acid (anaerobic metabolism or vinegar fermentation) which will destroy the metal tank and other byproducts which clog filters and injectors. An algaecide limits this but removing the water is even better. To provide for this and allow fuel transfer, I set up a plumber’s nightmare of supply and return lines with valves to a water-separating filter and a fuel-oil circulating pump. The pump is rated at 45 gallons per hour (GPH) and was bought on-line (~$100) and the filter was bought at the local farm supply. The pump runs on 12 VDC and draws only 2 Amps off the generator starting battery. Since this pump only runs part-time, a 1.5 A trickle charger makes up for the difference during down times. Diesel powered boat owners call this “diesel fuel polishing”. My supply lines are set up at the low side of the tank, so water will preferentially be pumped out of the tank. About once a month, I set up a “polishing” operation during the weekend, letting each tank circulate for 24 hours each. Every year I add an appropriate amount of Pri-D to each tank. Fuel transfer at 45 GPH is relatively slow, but it only takes 7 minutes to fill the 5 gallon portable tank for my tractor. Any transfer between tanks needs to be watched closely so you don’t overfill the receiving tank. While the generator will siphon its own fuel while running, by adjusting the valves one can provide a little pressure feed to the injector pump and polish at the same time. I would like to increase our storage capacity of diesel fuel for more reserve generator use, but in the absence of a diesel powered vehicle, our annual consumption would not permit enough rotation to keep the fuel usable.

Kerosene is used in our homestead for the portable kerosene heater, Aladdin lamps (power failures) and in real hard times the Prize stove. Annual use is 10 to 20 gallons per year during normal times. Our storage capacity consists of a 50 gallon drum and ten 5 gallon jugs kept in a dry room in the barn. I prefer the round drum-shaped jugs since they are stackable. Kerosene, like diesel fuel, is lightly refined and has an approximately 5-to-10 year shelf life if stored properly. To keep the fuel rotated, I use a bulb siphon pump attached to a 4 foot piece of copper tubing that I can place in the drum and siphon from the bottom. This permits removal of any moisture collected in the drum. The transferred fuel is drained into a 5 gallon jug for routine use. The height difference from the drum to the jug permits siphon action without hand pumping, so long as the drum is nearly full. New replacement fuel is added to the drum as needed.

Gasoline storage is a real problem. First, it is volatile and very dangerous to handle. Second, it is the one of the most commonly used liquid fuels at our homestead. Third, its storage life is extremely limited. And fourth, it is desirable to have a portable supply in a Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.)scenario. These are competing and contradictory considerations. During normal times, our use is between 7 and 10 gallons per week (350 – 500 gallons per year). For normal use, 6 months would be considered a typical shelf life, but this can be extended for up to a year with a good stabilizer (I prefer Pri-G). Gasoline stored longer may be usable but problematic. Problems include filter and injector/venturi port clogging and loss of volatility (may require starting ether). The most difficult aspect is keeping the fuel rotated, since if you store fuel but continue to fill up your vehicle at the pump, the stored fuel is never rotated. To address this problem, I have a tiered system of storage. Weekly use of gasoline comes from a supply of 5 gallon gas cans (currently 20). I strongly prefer the metal NATO ratchet clamp style. Consumer quality plastic jugs are just far too fragile in my opinion and the newer military specification HDPE jugs too expensive. Don’t waste your money on surplus or old style “Jerry” (Blitz) cans. I have never had one that did not leak while pouring, even brand new ones. The NATO style cans may be stacked and even laid on their sides without leaking. They are tough enough to handle a GOOD situation in the back of a pickup. When emptied, these portable tanks are filled from two 100 gallon “transfer” tanks in a fixed location. Fuel transfer is handled in a similar manner to the diesel fuel setup except that the pump is more expensive since it is rated for gasoline. The fuel is also pumped through a water separating and particulate filter. These tanks are periodically refilled from a transfer tank in the back of the pickup. The routine is as follows: Weekly, I top off all vehicles with portable containers. Since full, the vehicles store more than 100 gallons total. These 5 gallon cans are refilled, to keep an additional 100 gallons in easily portable containers. About once every two months, I fill the transfer tank in the truck with added Pri-G stabilizer and refill the “fixed” transfer tanks in storage. This provides me with 400 gallons of stabilized fuel in constant rotation with my nadir being 320 gallons, when it is time to buy more gasoline. All gasoline is in a well ventilated “shed” and weather/sun protected. There are several nearby fire extinguishers.

Besides the above “four-horsemen” of liquid fuels, we keep some additional fuels available. There is a supply of liquid paraffin for odorless burning in the oil lamps. Any oil lamp we keep filled with fuel for immediate access has liquid paraffin in it since it doesn’t vaporize and “disappear” leaving wick-killing varnish like kerosene does. There is also some mineral spirits for the Prize stove (mineral spirits was the original fuel for oil lamps and stoves prior to the “invention” of kerosene). Additionally, we keep some naphtha (white gas/Coleman fuel) despite the fact that all of our gas appliances/lanterns are “dual fuel”. I do this because it provides for the best longevity for the “generator tube” in these appliances and may be a good barter item for people using white gas only appliances. These could be considered part of the respective kerosene/gasoline inventory, but I consider them as un-inventoried extras.

Fuel storage is problematic because the fuels mostly needed during TEOTWAWKI, namely diesel fuel (for electricity generation and tractor use) and kerosene (for heating, lighting and cooking) are the most infrequently used during routine times. Our homestead gasoline consumption will likely drop dramatically in bad times. Propane storage is mostly an economic and availability issue since the furnace won’t run without electricity and we can heat (at least part of our house) with wood or kerosene. By limiting he running of the generator, we should have close to a years’ worth of diesel fuel. Aladdin lamps use about a pint of fuel for 8 hours, so 100 gallons of kerosene may keep us with light for up to a year. Gasoline storage should be adequate for up to the useful storage life of the fuel.

I have tried to strike a balance between annual consumption, storage capacity, rotation and shelf life in my planning. Basic information would include baseline consumption data for your homestead, anticipated consumption in bad times and available storage mechanisms or space. Running these calculations for your own situation will be enlightening and encourage you toward further preparation.

Letter Re: Coping with Changes in Diet when Using Storage Foods

If and when you find yourself tapping into your survival food, consider that the change in diet may have some unexpected effects.
As an example, I recently increased my protein intake, then noticed a pain in my foot. I thought at first it was just an injury from training (jumping out of a moving car is a little tricky). Later I realized it might be gout. Four gallons of cherry juice later it’s gone and it set me to thinking, how might my food cache effect me.

I think the main concerns with stored food would be as follows:

Food Allergies. High wheat intake could lead to allergic reactions that could range from mucus to irritability, fatigue and disturbed digestion.

Constipation. All that dehydrated/freeze dried food has a minimum water content.

Aflotoxins. If you have mold growing on your food, this can create allergic and in extreme cases, toxic reactions. Cooking will not get rid of these toxins as they are not alive (infectious) but chemical in nature. You may be able to see them fluoresce with an ultraviolet light (pen type lights are available) but even in a dark room you may not see faint color. There are some ideas on the Internet about washing in various solutions to get rid of the toxins.

Vitamin deficiencies. While minerals will stay in stored food, vitamins and possibly amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) will deteriorate over time.

Here are two sites that discuss some of the symptoms. (There are many others):
Real Time
Holistic.com

How might you increase your vitamin intake after the crash? I already wrote in SurvivalBlog about sprouting grains. Here’s another idea: Fermentation. Consider making yogurt and beer. Both types of fermentation increase vitamin levels, specifically the B vitamins. Beer has the added advantages of being able to lower stress and is a something we can barter with. On the other hand, alcohol lowers vitamin C level. – SF in Hawaii

Letter Re: An Overlooked Aspect of Preparedness–Crutches and Canes

Dear JWR;
A week ago, I did the first big spring mowing with a push mower “for the exercise” (3 acres). The next morning, my knee was swollen, wouldn’t bend, and the pain was breathtaking.
I’m now down to limping around with a cane, and should be fine in a few more days.
I discovered a weakness in my first-aid preparedness the hard way: I had no crutches, canes, or aids to mobility for the injured.

I now own a fine set of crutches, two durable walking canes/livestock sticks, and have a Cold Steel Heavy Duty Sword Cane on the way. I’ll be looking for a folding wheel chair at the spring flea market this month. I discovered that both of pharmacies in my nearest town give away new cane tips to anyone that asks. This may common, but surprised me.

Would you, or any of the Medicos in the forum have any recommendations on knee/elbow/shoulder braces, stretchers, gurneys, etc? My search of the archives did not generate specific brands or preferred features to shop for. Thanks in advance! – Mike on the Reservation

JWR Replies: I have found that Craig’s List, garage sales, and estate sales are the best sources of inexpensive (or even free) used “hard ” medical items. (Garage sales in retirement communities are wonderful.) If you have the storage space available, buy plenty, since they are often available for pennies on the dollars. Don’t overlook items like walkers, wheelchairs, toilet seat extensions, bed pans, “potty” chairs, bed linens, and hospital beds. (For the latter, look for the old-fashioned hand-crank variety.). You never know when someone at your retreat or a neighbor will become, sick, injured, or wounded, and require lengthy rehabilitation or even long term (chronic) care.

Letter Re: Spare Parts Now Available for XD-45 Pistols

James,
Count me as another check mark to add to the “switch to XD” category.

I know several shooters who’ve made the switch from [Model] 1911 [pistols] to the [Springfield Armory] XD with almost no issues. Most of them shoot equally well or better with the XD.

In my experience, Model 1911s are just too prone to fail. We see too many here at the Un-named Shooting School take a dive. Virtually no Glocks or XDs have mechanical failures, though.

Good Providence! – The Pioche Professional Polymer Pistolero (PPPP).

JWR Adds: PPPP is the pseudonym for a SurvivalBlog correspondent that is an instructor at a well-known firearms training academy. I trust PPPP’s accumulated wisdom and experience. He has worked with many hundreds of pistol shooting students, and has seen all manner of weaponry with and without all of the popular modifications. He knows from experience what works, and what doesn’t. He has seen what breaks, and what is “bomb proof.”

There are M1911 aficionados, and there are Glock aficionados. For many years I was a dyed-in-the wool M1911 kinda guy. But I could see the wisdom of the Glock revolution. Their reliability is astounding, and their magazine capacity is superior to a M1911. (Well, aside from the ParaOrdnance double stack M1911s.) My only complaints about Glocks were A.) their lack of an external safety, and B.) their uncomfortable grips. The latter can be altered by a gunsmith. (The grips can be re-countoured (“reduced”) by machining to be slimmer, and the grip angle can be improved a bit.) But recently, the Springfield “Extreme Duty” (XD) pistols hit the market, and in my estimation they are “the best of both worlds.” It combines the advantages of a polymer frame and the high capacity of the Glock with the same grip angle as a M1911, (which provides natural pointing for most shooters), and the .45 ACP Service Model variant has an external safety! Bonus points to the designers! (Call me a dinosaur, but I like external safeties.) If you are already a trained Glockophile, you can either get can XD without the thumb safety lever, or simply get in the habit of not touching it–since you can rely on just the “in-the-trigger” safety–the .45 ACP Service Model XD has both safeties.

I recommend that if you are interested in getting an XD pistol, you should take advantage of Front Sight’s very generous “Get a Gun” training and gear package offer. It is available only for a limited time, so don’t hesitate. And again, if you are a Rawlesian, you should specify the XD-45 model.

Odds ‘n Sods:

From Reader CSG: Energy crunch forces Juneau to conserve

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Jesse sent this: “Doomsday Clock” Moves Two Minutes Closer To Midnight

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Mark in Michigan flagged this article about Nanny State meddling: Canada’s C-51 Law May Outlaw 60% of Natural Health Products

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A couple of articles that I found linked at Drudge: Worst UK house price slide since 1996 raises negative equity fears. And meanwhile in the US: Disappearing now: $6 trillion in housing wealth

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The [crude oil] prices are high due to the recession in the United States and the economic crisis, which has touched several countries, a situation that has an effect on the value of the dollar. Each time the dollar falls one percent, the price of the barrel rises by $4 and of course vice versa.” – OPEC President Chakib Khelil (April, 2008)

Note from JWR:

I was recently interviewed by Sarah Hodd of ABC (the American one, this time), as background for a piece that “Nightline” plans to soon produce about survivalism. She asked me to post the following:

Do you store large quantities of of food or gas? Do you have a safe room or NBC shelter in your dwelling? Have you taken steps to prepare against a long term power outage, or an oil shortage? Do you live off grid? ABC News is looking for current members of the Survivalist movement to discuss the dropping value of the dollar, rising food shortages, and Peak Oil theories. Participants must be willing to go on camera to discuss their participation in the modern Survivalist movement. If you are interested, please send an e-mail with a brief description of your survivalist preparations to: Sarah.J.Hodd@abc.com.

Letter Re: Retreat Locales in the Eastern United States

Mr. Rawles:

I see that [in your Recommended Retreat Areas page] you only list information for retreat selection in 19 western states. Do you not think other states are worthy of retreat locations?

We live on 300 acres in southwestern Missouri (Polks County). Not totally ideal I am sure, but it is home, children and grandchildren are here and more over we feel placed here by our Lord over 35 years ago.

I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts pro/con on the state of Missouri so that we might be better prepared. — Paulette

JWR Replies: I consider Missouri marginal as a retreat locale, primarily because of it population density. The state of Missouri is on the safer (lower population density) side of the Mississippi River but it is still far from ideal, since the state is bisected by the Missouri River and the dramatic drop in US population density is west of the Missouri. (As I will discuss later in this reply.)

My choice of reviewing retreat locales in just 19 western states has been discussed a few times before in SurvivalBlog, but for the benefit of the many newcomers, I will reiterate:

After much consideration, all of the eastern states were intentionally excluded for my recommendations because they are all either downwind of nuclear targets and/or are in areas with excessive population density. This wasn’t just the result of subjective bias. I try to use the dispassionate mindset of an actuarial accountant.

Take a look at The Lights of the U.S. photo maps. These montages of satellite photos make it clear that most of America’s population is east of the Missouri River and is highly urbanized.The population density of the U.S. is dramatically lower in the west. In troubled times fewer people means fewer problems. In the event of a social upheaval, being west of the Missouri River will mean a statistically much lower chance of coming face to face with lawless rioters or looters When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF).

The other startling thing you will notice when looking at the Lights photo montage is that even in the western states, Americans live in a highly urbanized society. Roughly 90% of the population is crammed into 5% of the land area, mostly within 50 miles of the coast. But there are large patches of the west where there are virtually no lights at all–particularly in the Great Basin region that extends from the back side of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Utah and Eastern Oregon. The average population density in this region is less than two people per square mile.

As an example of the low population density in the west, I often like to cite Idaho County, Idaho: This one county measures 8,485 square miles–bigger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. But it has a population of just 15,400. And of those residents, roughly 3,300 people live in Grangeville, the county seat. Who lives in the rest of the County? Nary a soul. There are far more deer and elk than there are people. The population density of the county is 1.8 people per square mile. The county has more than three million acres of U.S. Forest Service land, BLM land, and designated Federal wilderness areas. Now that is elbow room!

The northeastern states depend on nuclear power plants for 47% of their electricity. South Carolina is similarly dependent. This is an unacceptable level of high technology systems dependence, particularly in light of the emerging terrorist threat. You must also consider that virtually all of the eastern states are downwind of major nuclear targets. In a full scale exchange, the eastern US would be a bad place to be. See the target lists, fallout projections, and other data at Richard Fleetwood’s excellent SurvivalRing web site. Not only are there lots of nuclear targets in the east, but easterners will also get considerable additional fallout carried on the winds from strikes farther west–including SAC bomber bases, the strategic missile fields (in Montana, the Dakotas, and northern Colorado), Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado), Offutt AFB (Nebraska), and others. The majority of the military targets are expected to be hit with ground bursts, which are the type that produce fallout. Because of the Coriolis Effect, the prevailing winds in most of the United States are from west to east, so the farther east you live, the greater the accumulated fallout that you are likely to receive. Sorry!

My general advice for easterners: If for one reason or another you are stuck in the northeast, then consider New Hampshire or Vermont. They are both gun friendly and have more self-sufficient lifestyle. But unless you have some compelling reason to stay in the East, I most strongly encourage you to Go West!

With all that said, there are some areas in the eastern US that will be safer than others (like parts of Tennessee and Maine), and there are ways to mitigate the risks that I mentioned.:

Risk Mitigation

The risk posed by the higher population density of the eastern states can be mitigated by both carefully choosing your retreat property (look for bypassed areas that are far from “channelized areas” and lines of drift“) and by having heavily-manned 24/7/360 armed and vigilant security at your retreat. (See my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” for a detailed description of what might be needed to mount such a guard.) This will of course mean extra mouths to feed–which in turn dictates the expense of extra storage food, extra gardening space, extra housing, and extra stored fuel. But this could be viable, especially if you are wealthy.

The other obvious risk mitigation is to construct a blast/fallout shelter with a forced-air HEPA filter. If your house already has a basement, and you are willing to do some of the work yourself, a retrofit can be done for under $5,000. Constructing a new, dedicated shelter can be a $15,000 to $70,000 proposition, depending how large and elaborate you want to make it. The folks at Safecastle have extensive experience in building such shelters, tailored for all budgets. They specialize in combination storm/nuke/gun vault shelters. I highly recommend them.

Letter Re: Do It Yourself Coffee Roasting

After reading some information in SurvivalBlog about roasting green coffee beans I thought I could offer some useful info on the subject, since I’ve been a coffee supplier and roaster for about 10 years.

Let’s assume the grid is down—how does one roast coffee? You can do it over an open flame such as a propane burner, or campfire. In the days of cattle drives the cook would roast in a cast iron pot just stirring the beans constantly. If you do that then a peaberry type coffee bean works best because they are more round, and my research tells me that that’s what many of the old cooks packed. Regular beans have a flat side and have a tendency to burn some of the beans on that side regardless of how much you stir.

But here is the method I’ve tried and it worked reasonably well. Use a good heavy duty wok pan. (Avoid a Teflon-coated wok pan at all costs). Place 6-to-8 ounces of green beans in it, and over the hot fire flick it forward like a chef does, doing so constantly. In a few minutes the beans heat up and you can hear the first crack of the beans, it’s not very loud so listen carefully. Keep flicking —chaff comes off, and when the first crack has stopped you can stop the roast. For future roast adjust from the stop of first crack—you can go on into a less audible second crack in a minute or so for darker roast. Going to the end of second crack will give you a French roast that some like. Understand that this will give you a decent roast, not perfect as some beans will roast up unevenly, but you will definitely like it better than canned coffee, I guarantee it, because it’s fresh roasted.

Now here’s a vital point to your roasting: when you have it just where you want it—end of first crack, or into second crack, whatever, the beans have to be cooled as quickly as possible. The most practical way I found was dumping them back and forth in two colanders, 3 or 4 minutes at least. If possible, allow the beans to degas for at least a day, but don’t roast up more than you’ll need for a few days. Store in Ziploc type bags in a dark place, but leave a small opening in the zipper to release the built up CO2 or the bag could burst. After that keep it sealed between uses. Have a hand grinder, or as the cowboy cook did, mash between two hard objects. If you’re just throwing your grounds into hot water use a course grind, and don’t boil the coffee, let it steep for about four minutes.

I am not trying to present myself as an expert coffee survivalist, but with some practice you can make excellent coffee truly from scratch. But why wait til for a collapse? Practice doing it now. Charlie at Cme Brew Coffee.

Letter Re: Ammunition Reloading for Survival

Jim,
I saw the article that mentioned Reloading for autoloading rifles, and some comments that seemed to not completely answer questions people may have.

It is important to note that reloading any caliber is a delicate undertaking for any gun you are about to trust your life with. The use of case gauges is an important one, but for the part-time reloader they are an expensive investment (~$30-50 each!). A much easier method is to test the cartridge in the firearm, to accomplish this, if you are working on either a progressive or single stage press, reload a few rounds as dummies. This means no powder, no primer, just case and bullet, and test them in the gun for fit and feed. Do not test fit live ammunition unless you are in a place where a discharge is allowed. (For most of us [that live inside city limits] this means a firing range). Numerous negligent discharges have resulted from people not following proper safety precautions, and even if you do this is never a guarantee that a mechanical problem won’t develop causing an accidental discharge.

If you have issues with reloading bottle-neck rifle cartridges, a likely fix is to use small base dies, these will size the brass down to a smaller size, and will size more of the case than a standard full-length sizer. However, the added working of the brass will result in earlier failure of the brass.

When it comes to [reloading] dies, I recommend against buying those made by Lee Precision, I have had far too many cases that were mangled, scratched, or had other defects resulting from the poor quality of Lee [brand] dies. One thing to be especially careful of when using Lee dies is the decapping pin will sometimes stick in the flash-hole, if you are working on automated loading equipment this will likely detonate the [fresh] primer when you go to seat it. (Most other manufacturers have switched to a headed [de-capping] pin, making this an extremely rare problem.). RCBS, Redding, and Lyman all make very good and sturdy dies from hardened tool steel, Dillon offers tungsten-carbide sizing dies for bottle neck rifle cartridges, if you have money to spend, the Dillon dies
will likely outlast your grandchildren, provided they have an adequate supply of decapping pins (RCBS, Lyman, and a few others offer free replacement parts, Dillon believes these to be a consumable item, and charges for them).

Regarding the differences between Military and Commercial cartridge specifications

You are absolutely correct, 5.56 and .223 have the same external case dimensions, but for the most part the similarities stop there. 5.56 has a SAAMI maximum working-pressure of 55,000 PSI, where as the .223 [Remington] maxes out at 50,000. If a 5.56 round is fired in a .223 firearm, then pressures are likely to be extreme, another key difference is the 5.56 chamber and throat dimensions are different, the engraving force will be reduced, and there is the potential for some gas leakage to the rear, a cumulative effect of this will be lower over-all pressures.

However, with .308 [Winchester] and 7.62mm NATO [the specification difference] is slightly the other way, but for different reasons. The .308 and 7.62mm NATO rounds are functionally identical, while there was some disagreement about the chamber pressures generated by some commercial ammo (SAAMI maximum some say is 62,000 PSI) and some military ammo (maximum pressure at 50,000), there seems to be a larger issue with the military chamber being longer, and thus being harder on the brass. If you are reloading, you can account for these differences with your selection of load and powder. That is one of the true advantages of reloading your own ammunition.

In all likelihood, anyone using a good quality military semi-auto in 7.62mm NATO isn’t going to notice any difficulty using commercial .308 ammo. But keep it in mind if you ever do encounter problems.

I hope all is well Jim, glad to see you are getting some more public exposure. It seems that the population at large is waking up, I had a co-worker hand me your book “Patriots” the other day. I giggled a bit to myself and told him I already had the book. Even my mom started asking me questions about the SurvivalBlog site, after hearing about it on the news. Lets hope all the people who are waking up to the unpleasantness we are all facing are able to head it off and clean up this mess before a lot of people have to get hurt. Sincerely, – Drew

JWR Adds: Part of the problem in discussions regarding commercial versus military cartridge specifications is that some of the specs are written in terms of pounds per square inch (PSI), while others are written using Copper Units of Pressure (C.U.P.) They are not the same scales!