Note from JWR:

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Letter Re: Practical Information on EMP Protection for Home Electronics

Sir:
Thank you for your hard work. I am not sure if this was covered here before and, in the case it has not, I wanted to supply the following information to help suppress fear regarding electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and specifically, its effects on communications equipment. I am tired of reading “seal the radio in a metal ammo can, place the ammo can in an old microwave and place the old microwave in an old refrigerator, which is then buried under 8 feet of earth,” et cetera.

Here is the reference for a four-part article in Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Magazine, QST, 1986.

“Electromagnetic Pulse and the Radio Amateur”
Part 1: Aug. 1986 pp.15-20, 36
Part 2: Sep. 1986 pp. 22-26
Part 3: Oct. 1986 pp. 38-41
Part 4: Nov. 1986 pp. 30-34

The study is more than 20 years old and radio/computer gear has changed significantly, but the fundamentals have not changed. The end of Part 4 describes the simple steps that should be taken for EMP protection and they do not involve wrapping the radio with aluminum foil or burying it. Thank you for a great site! I hope that this is helpful. – The DFer

JWR Adds: The DFer is correct when he states: “…radio/computer gear has changed significantly” in the past 20 years. Microcircuits are far more complex and vulnerable. In 1986, typical integrated circuits (“chips”) had 3 to 5 micron gate dimensions. Nowadays, they are typically “sub-micron” (smaller than a micron.) The smaller the gates, the greater the risk of EMP.

SHTF Shopping, by SF in Hawaii

There are two types of survivalist [“Schumer Hits the Fan”] (SHTF) shopping. Pre-SHTF, and Imminent-SHTF. Let’s look at both of them .

Pre-SHTF
These are things you buy now while there is no immediate threat and no mobs of desperate people trying to get the same thing. People who know you think you are eccentric but mostly harmless. The readers of this site already know what kinds of items to store in advance (food, guns, ammunition, etc.) and so it will not be repeated here. Conceptually, these items should have long term storability, and in terms of food be used in a rotating manner so that they are used before they reach the end of their shelf lives. IMHO, a good way to get a resistant female significant other to get on board is to tell her to pick out a case of her favorite chocolate bars and tampons/pads for your pre-SHTF stash.

Imminent SHTF
If you haven’t done your Pre-SHTF shopping, shame on you. The best you can hope for is to get there first. Put on a rucksack and while everyone else is in shock, you call your group/wife/friends and get to the COSTCO or wherever. You will be competing with others for items.
If you have already done your Pre-SHTF shopping, then items that you by during an imminent SHTF could include:

1- More of what you already have
2- Items that you don’t store in large amounts because they have shorter expiration dates such as fats, oils, meats, batteries and fuel. [JWR Adds: Don’t forget chemical light sticks.]
3- Items that you haven’t already bought because they are expensive and need the money more than the item during normal times (i.e. more/better guns)
4- Items that you haven’t bought already because in addition to their price and expiration dates, you cannot use them under normal circumstances, such as antibiotics.
5- Items that require maintenance that you don’t want to deal with pre-SHTF (i.e. guard dog, male and female rabbits and chicks (for raising meat) and the food and housing that they will require.

Here is where your preparation pays off. You zig while everyone else zags. You don’t want to be in a throng of hungry and frightened people scrabbling for what’s left on the [supermarket] shelves. Since you already have done your Pre-SHTF shopping, you are in no immediate need of anything. Instead, think of what else you might want to get and buy it while others are ransacking the shelves of the local grocery store for canned tuna, rice, bottled water and D-cell batteries. You’ve got your shopping list and you call your team and assign items to purchase.

Consider the nature of the SHTF. Stay away from the crowds. If a violent riot is a mile away, don’t go to the gun store to get another shotgun. Everyone else is going there. You already have your guns and ammo right? Go to the hardware store and get razor wire (or barbed wire), 2×4’s, nails, fire extinguishers and smoke inhalation masks/hoods. If the banks are shutting down, don’t go and wait on line there. Instead, go to the ATMs and local check cashing place. Think out of the box or get buried in one.

You want to be ahead of the learning curve of the masses. You can be by virtue of three things.

1 – You’ve already taken care of the necessities so you can avoid the crowds.
2 – You aren’t going into shock since you already saw this coming.
3 – You don’t have to think about what you’re going to need. You’ve already thought about it, made your list, and know exactly where to get it.

Special note: Depending on the nature of the SHTF, you may need to pay with cash. If the grid is going to go down, don’t expect stores to take your word for it that your checks and credit cards are good, and it’s too early to pay with gold or silver unless the shop owner is present and it’s a mom and pop store. As such, if you don’t have a chunk of cash buried in the yard, the very first thing you (or a member of your team/family) may need to do is to go to the bank and ATMs and get some cash out while you can.

FWIW, here’s my current personal Imminent SHTF Shopping List.
Rent a 20′ moving truck
I want more than I can carry in my car.
Financial
Withdraw cash at banks and ATMs and empty the safe deposit box of any valuables before the banks close down.
Transport
Gas cans
Gasoline
Mountain bikes
Dirt bike/Motorcycle

Food and Water
Fats and Oils
Meats and proteins

Medicine
Antibiotics -prescription*
Painkillers -prescription*

*You should carry prescriptions for any drugs you may want to get in your wallet at all times. Do you want to have to go home and look through your files when the balloon goes up and time is of the essence?
Defense
More ammunition – can you ever have enough?
Rifles and shotguns – see above.
Camping gear
Extra shoes
Water filters
Batteries

Livestock-Pet store
Baby chicks and baby rabbits, both sexes.
Their food, water and housing needs

Conclusion:
Have this thought out ahead of time. Have copies or your list, delegate tasks to those in your circle and move fast while everyone else is glued to the television set waiting for the government to tell them what to do. – SF in Hawaii

JWR Adds: Deciding whether or not to venture away from your home or retreat when disruption looks imminent should not be a taken lightly. Risks will likely outweigh the benefits if it means “fighting the crowds” at the stores. (Literally.) Nor do you want riffraff seeing your vehicle heaped with new purchases and then following you home. Ditto for nosey neighbors.

In my writings, I have always stressed that we should “Be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.” I consider that the litmus test for determining the right course of action in any disaster. By logical extension, that mindset pushes us in the direction of dispensing charity and assisting civil authorities in restoring law and order. By stocking up well in advance you will be one less person that rushes to the supermarket just after the SHTF.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I was doing some web wandering on the topic of night vision gear, and I came across this video tutorial on How to Transform Your Webcam Into An Infrared Cam, (This has possibilities for retreat security.) Because the price of infrared LEDs has plummeted, it is now affordable to use arrays of IR LEDs as the light source. Think of the possibilities. And for those of you are aren’t electronics do-it-yourselfers, battery-powered IR motion detector camera systems are available from Ready Made Resources

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A reader mentioned that because of a scheduling conflict, he had to cancel his Thunder Ranch Urban Rifle course reservation for next month, and forfeit his deposit. Perhaps another SurvivalBlog reader would be interested in filling his slot, since they are booked solid for the rest of this year. The course dates are April 25-27. Anyone interested they should call: (541) 947-4104.

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The National Association of Realtors reported that the inventory of unsold homes rose to 3.75 million units, up by 5.9 percent from the January level, but there was an odd jump in sales last month, attributed to unusually warm weather.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first." – Ronald Wilson Reagan

Note from JWR:

I’m in need of a few more Quotes of the Day. If any of you have a favorite, please send it in. OBTW, special thanks to reader “Redmist” who sent dozens of quotes, many of which I’ve posted in past three months. Thanks!

Letter Re: A Source for Pre-1965 U.S. Silver Coinage

Jim,
I love your blog, it’s the only one I read, really. I’m writing to recommend APMEX.com as a source of precious metals, and pre-1965 [U.S.] silver coinage. I took your advice, and the advice of others, and decided to begin a precious metals investing program, starting with pre-’65 coins, and a few 1 oz American Silver Eagles. I searched all over the net looking for a place that would take a small order from a beginner, and found few, They sold large amounts, and there was always a call from a sales rep involved to complete the order process. Enter APMEX.com. Their prices certainly seem competitive to me, I bought Silver Eagles (their choice of years, since it’s cheaper, and I’m only in it for the silver content) and got them for $14.43 each, They also sell pre-’65 coins in lots as small as $1, although it is more expensive that way, but I found a deal for $10 face value for under $98, and ordered $20 face. The order process was completely online. The price “locks in” for 10 minutes when you click the submit button, and you can pay by credit card, which seems to be rare. They do charge a 3% fee for using the credit card, and in the future, I’ll be sending checks or money orders, but WOW! I received my order within a week, and I’m very pleased. I hope this helps your other readers, who may be waiting and saving because they cannot buy a whole bag of coin, or work nights like me, and aren’t awake for a sales rep call. OBTW, I received my signed copy of “Patriots”, and read it that same day. Excellent! I learned a lot, and enjoyed it. Thanks for writing it!
God Bless, – R.D.

Two Letters Re: Lee Handloading Tools and Surplus Ammo Quality

Jim,
I took note in Jason’s recent message regarding Lee reloading tools, and I must say I agree wholeheartedly. I have a Lee challenger press, and strongly recommend it.
In fact, I recommend the Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit with “Modern Reloading” Manual (available from MidwayUSA: for $89.99 plus shipping). It comes with everything except dies, primers, powder, brass, and bullets. Oh, a set of calipers is a handy thing to have too.
The case is the most expensive part of the cartridge to make, requiring multiple steps in shaping the brass into the final cartridge case. Reloading can significantly cut costs for the casual shooter, as well as allowing the more advanced shooter to develop and refine more accurate loads.
There is, however, one point that Jason made that I disagree with: that military surplus ammo is unreliable junk. Not so! The Swiss GP11 is fantastic (great if you have a K31 rifle), Polish 7.62x54r Light Ball is excellent fodder for the Mosin-Nagant (it is corrosive, but the Mosin is a cinch to clean), South Africa made some great .308, and Greece makes excellent .30-06 M2 Ball ammo (available from the CMP). Milsurp ammo has been stored in unknown conditions for unknown lengths of time, but with few exceptions, it’s perfectly suitable for a fun afternoon out at the range.
That, and there’s a fair amount of boxer-primed, reloadable military surplus ammunition — I myself have nearly two thousand pieces of .30-06 brass that I got from Korean-made military surplus (KA and PS head stamps, the former being corrosively primed, the latter being non-corrosive). Buying the ammo in the first place was cheap, and now I have a goodly supply of brass. For those concerned with the safety of military surplus ammo, a kinetic bullet puller is inexpensive, and one can remove the bullets, dump out the old powder (makes good fertilizer for plants), remove the primer if desired (be extremely careful when de-priming live primers — it might make more sense to chamber the primer-only cartridge in a gun, then fire it [while being careful of lead emissions, of course], and then de-prime the spent primer). All one needs to do then is re-prime the cases, charge the case with a suitable amount of powder, and re-seat the bullet. No need to buy more brass and bullets. I’ve done this with some of the unreliable and occasionally unsafe Indian .308, and rendered it quite consistent and accurate. Cheers! – Pete

JWR Replies: I agree that the quality of military surplus ammo varies widely. There have been some with erratic pressure. There is also a lot of corrosively primed ammo still on the market, most notably WWII vintage .303 British and a considerable amount imported from the former Soviet Bloc in various calibers. But some, such as the Swiss GP11 that you mentioned is outstanding. And I wish that I had bought several hundred thousand rounds of West German .308 ball when it was on the market back in the early 1908s. That stuff very accurate.

 

JWR,
I think I’ve written you about this before, but when it comes to Lee, I feel the need to caution others often. I have been a reloader for almost 20 years (limited only by how old I am), and I started using lee reloading equipment. When I was a teenager, the price point was great. However, as I’ve gotten older and been able to afford equipment from other manufacturers, I rarely use anything made by lee.
Lee does make some good products, their bullet molds, (the ones that use “tumble lube”) and their lube sizing dies (that go with the molds) are versatile and low cost. The other product I highly recommend is the Lee factory crimp die. As for the rest of their products, I’ve found them to be strangely engineered (they dump the primers into the bottom of the press) and I’ve also found them to be of poor quality. If you are interested in reloading ammunition for yourself, I highly recommend buying tools from another manufacturer (RCBS is my favorite) as your funds allow. Having equipment is better than not, but having good equipment makes reloading much easier, safer, and produces higher quality reloads. – AVL

Letter Re: Results of the MURS Radio Barter Experiment

Hi Jim,
Regarding the MURS Radio Barter Experiment, I had a very good response from your readers. This experiment was thought up after reading many barter articles on your blog. While this experiment might not be typical of a face-to-face bartering experience, the results were interesting nonetheless. A few offers were under valued, the majority were close enough in value to be considered, and a few were “very well valued”. Here is a sampling of what I was offered:
90% silver coins – all ranges of values were offered including “junk” coins and Silver Dollars
Printing material – business cards, letterhead, etc.
Woodworking services (not local to me though)
Poker chip set with aluminum case
Portable water filters and cartridges
Front Sight 2 day course certificate
Several types of ammo magazines and various firearm parts
Books by Jim Rawles: Patriots, Rawles on Retreats and Relocation, and Rawles Gets You Ready Course (multiple copies of each)
High end LED flashlights
Frontline Plus flea/tick control for pets
Ammo reloading equipment
Swiss Army watch and champion knife
Camouflage clothing
Home schooling math course
Body armor
Packages of MREs

What surprised me the most was the wide range of items offered. I chose a couple of items not based on need but because I could easily barter them to someone else. I chose the camo clothing, water filters, LED flashlights, some silver coins, and the stack of Jim Rawles’ books. The clothing, books, and coins stay with me. The flashlights and water filters were successfully re-bartered locally.
Since I obtained multiple copies of the Rawles books, I shared a set between family and close friends in the hopes they would “see the light” in getting themselves prepared. (Unsolicited comment: If you
don’t have these books, then I highly suggest them. They are very informative.)

I wish to thank you and your readers for your participation in this experiment. Overall it was successful and fun! I still have some $49 MURS Radios for sale for outdoor spring and summer time activities. Thank you very much! – Rob

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “6xddx6” e-mailed us to say that he created a simple solar charging system for his Kenwood TK2100 MURS radios that he got from $49 MURS Radios (one of our advertisers.) For this project, he used an inexpensive photovoltaic (PV) panel from Northern Tool & Equipment. (One of our Affiliate Advertisers.) At Northern Tool’s web site, search on Item # 339973.

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Chester M. sent this news story: New Orleans Residents Arming Themselves Chester’s comment: “Better late than never, I guess.”

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Any SurvivalBlog readers that homeschool their kids–or that plan too–should visit the web site for our newest advertiser: Alpha Omega Homeschooling. You can save 11% on all products with Coupon Code TQ9E11

Note from JWR:

I was up on the roof yesterday, doing the semi-annual de-gunking of the wood stove chimney spark arrestor, and the annual cleaning of the chimney itself. A messy job, but one that is crucial for fire safety. (Creosote-fueled chimney fires are commonplace, and are almost always the result of lax chimney-cleaning discipline.) Every survival retreat owner should have a set of chimney-cleaning rods and brushes, and the discipline to use them regularly!

Letter Re: Measuring Volume for Silica Gel Desiccant in Food Storage Buckets

Hello Mr. Rawles,
I have a question concerning silica gel desiccant measurements. I have found that buying the desiccant in bulk from flower shops more economical for me, but need assistance with putting together an accurate measurement for 5 or 6 gallon food buckets. On the Alan T. Hagan [Food Storage FAQ] site, he say’s to use coffee filters to make the packets which is a good source and on other vendor sites it say’s that 1500 to 2000 cc’s is to be used for the 5 or 6 gallon bucket’s, my problem is how to measure those amount’s and the others for that matter (300, 500, 750, 1000 cc’s seem to be the usual amounts). I have a kitchen measuring cup and some conversion tables off the net but the amount that is poured seem’s over measured (measured in ml BTW, ml=cc) because it seems quite large (the homemade packets). Any clarification/ help is greatly appreciated. – Derrick

JWR Replies: You are correct that a cubic centimeter is the same volume as a milliliter (mL or ml). 1 cup volume is about 240 to 250 mls. So the 1,500 to 2,000 cc figure does seem very high. At first glance, I think that they might have been off by a factor of 10 when they made their calculations. Typically, what is used for a sealed 5 or 6 gallon bucket of storage rice or wheat is a two ounce (56 gram) packet of silica gel, or perhaps two packets if you live in a damp climate. But let me provide a thoroughly defined answer, since a gram is a unit of weight and a milliliter is a unit of volume. Dry silica gel weighs 680 grams per liter. When it is saturated, it weighs considerably more. But as the basis for our calculations, you can assume that the weight of dry silica gel is .68 of the weight of an equivalent volume of water. Hence:, for Water: 1 cc = 1 ml = 1 gram. (Well, to be absolutely scientifically precise, 1 milliliter equals 1.000028 cc and 1 cc equals 0.999972 ml., but we aren’t splitting atoms here), and for Silica gel: 1 cc = 1 ml = .68 gram. So, 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of dry silica gel would occupy a volume of 68 mls, or just over 1/4 of a cup, and 400 grams of dry silica gel would measure just over one cup.

You should always dry your silica gel before using it. This can be accomplished by placing the packets in a home dehydrator (such as the Excalibur brand–highly recommended) for 10 hours, or on a cookie sheet in a kitchen oven set to 150 to 180 degrees for 12 hours. (Make sure that the paper is not close to the heating element.) When dry, (down to around 2% moisture) 1000 grams of silica gel will occupy a volume of about 680 mls or 2-1/4 cups. So the 1,500cc (ml) figure that they mentioned would equate to more than five cups of silica gel! Whoa! We had better move that decimal place over a notch! A half cup (120 ml) of dry silica gel is plenty for a five or 6 gallon bucket.

OBTW, I don’t recommend adding any desiccant to buckets of dried beans. (Although you should add an 02 absorbing packet.) If beans get too dry, it actually shortens their useful shelf life. If they get too dry, then soaking them–even for many days–will not plump them up properly, and they will not be palatable. If you are faced with the “hard bean” problem, you can resort to either using a pressure cooker, or grinding the beans, to salvage them.

The bottom line to all this number crunching is the good news: With the aforementioned exception of beans, there is no such thing as “too much” silica gel in a dried food storage bucket. If you inadvertently use two or three times too much, there is no harm done. But it would be a needless expense unless you can get it in bulk at very low cost or find someone giving it away. As you mentioned, florist shops are a good source. Another source is piano shops. Most of the pianos that are imported from Japan come with a large bag of silica gel. (Usually 600 to 800 grams.) One of those bags is the perfect size to protect the contents of a typical home gun vault.(Be sure to re-dry it once a year, or once per quarter if you live in a damp climate.) If you make some phone calls, these big bags are often available free for the asking–or next to it–if you pick them up at your local piano store.

For those not inclined toward scrounging, commercially-made silica gel packets are available from a variety of Internet vendors such as Ready Made Resources and Nitro-Pak. Both of those vendors also sell oxygen absorbing packets, which are crucial to ensure that insect larvae won’t survive in your food storage buckets.

Two Letters Re: .223 For Long Range Sniping?

James,
Again you are “on target” with your assessment of the Blackwater / Najaf / 800 Meter video. Nice informative letter too from Griff, we appreciate that detail and background! More than just sound bites and snapshots, SurvivalBlog is about quality information.
I think what Griff stated is very informative as to the actual mission. In my mind the Blackwater guys were laying down high quality suppressive fire, but when this becomes “sniping” might largely be a matter of semantics. I guess it would be in the rate of quality hits, something we’ll never know. I am sure they were very effective in their mission, but they may have been even more effective with an M1A with a [muzzle] brake on it. To me they demonstrated the value of the AR platform as a spotter weapon to a true sniping rifle. When employed by well trained people the [.223] AR type can do a lot, but you are very correct to point out that there is a reason the militaries of the world don’t use 5.56 for sniping – it’s not very good for that purpose. The 7.62 x 51 NATO is a far more effective round and the trend is decidedly for even more powerful rounds, namely the 338 Lapua and 50 BMG. Regards, – A. Friendly

Dear Jim,
One other point to consider with military calibers is the ammunition.
Critical wounds and kills are caused by:
1.) Hitting a major organ or central nervous system (brain, brainstem, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys). In this case, any caliber is effective, but it requires precision.
2.) Trauma. for this, the more energy transferred to the target, the better. The key word being “transferred.”
3.) Loss of blood. This means penetration.
In 7.62mm NATO, US loadings are very tough ball [full metal jacket] ammo that simply drills holes. This makes it “cleaner” per the Hague conventions. At close range it punches through and much of the energy isn’t transferred to the target. However, once you back out past 100 meters or so, you have a large, trauma-causing bullet that retains energy well.
In 5.56mm, military ball is designed to shatter at the cannelure. At close range, the wounds are devastating, and can be more severe than 7.62mm. Of course, that comes at the cost of retained energy at range, meaning less energy for trauma. As I’ve noted before, the advantage of 5.56 for military purposes is the ability to carry a lot of ammo and inflict “stopping” wounds. However, in a survival situation, one should try to avoid extended firefights for many obvious reasons. Also, 5.56mm isn’t great for large game, and overkill for small game where a .22 rimfire will work.
German and Swedish 7.62mm through the 1980s, if one can find it surplus, has a similar construction to 5.56mm, but in a more powerful round. This can be devastating.

Soft or hollow point 5.56mm isn’t as good at penetrating as ball, but it does cause much more effective wounding for a longer range. The obvious corollary is, so does .308 or 7.62mm soft or hollow point. Once we cross from ballistic wounding to bullet wounding, the heavier bullet causes more damage. End of story.
For myself, I certainly intend to keep AR-15 platforms on hand for several reasons, along with a good supply of ammo. Depending on the scenario, I might consider taking it as a primary rifle, but I hold military trophies for my marksmanship, practice with it regularly and have a
But for conservation of ammo, space and weight, all around utility and reliability, the first gun to have on hand is a bolt action 7.62mm [NATO], 8mm or 7.62x54R with a cheap case of milsurp and some commercial hunting ammo. Alternately, one can file or cut the points of military ammo to the core to gain a softer bullet (only an emergency measure for people who are experienced handling ammo, because of the potential danger).
After that would be a semi-auto 7.62mm which offers some additional flexibility and capacity. The AR-10 is excellent, shares common features with the AR-15 for familiarity, and is pricey. Both the HK91 and the FAL are available in the US for moderate prices as new weapons or kits. In all cases, I recommend military calibers because of the price and availability. – Michael Z. Williamson