Letter Re: Save Your Wine-in-a-Box Mylar Inserts

Dear Jim,

For the ‘Survival Minded/Preparedness Bent’ all the things we use daily should be reconsidered for alternative uses. For my part, I drink wine, the good stuff mind you. It comes in a box! Interesting thing about it is that each box that is consumed leaves behind another useful tool for any ‘rainy day’ event.

The bladder in the box that holds the wine is about 15″x15″. It is quite durable and contains a very efficient valve. The valve is self sealing and easily removed from the bladder itself. When the wine is gone, I remove the [box insert mylar] bladder from the box and the valve from the bladder. The bladder and valves are rinsed out with hot water and then an adequate amount of Clorox is poured into the bladder which is then topped off with water and the valve replaced. After an appropriate amount of time has passed, the valve is removed and the bladder rinsed. Ultimately, the bladder is allowed to dry in the sun (it takes a while).

The uses for the bladder are numerous:

1) The dried out bladder will collapse to fist size with the valve attached, i.e. easily transportable in a day pack.

2) The bladder will hold a considerable quantity of liquid that is easily dispensed and stored.

3) The bladder will easily double as a camping pillow.

4) Or as a flotation device to ‘swim’ a heavy pack across a deep stream; or as a flotation bag for person or property.

5) If one thought about it ahead of time, the bladder could be filled with a predetermined amount of Clorox (bleach) and then filled with pond/stream water as needed, allowed to sit, and there you go, potable water.

The gist is this: common household post-consumer waste is or can be a treasure trove if we as individuals ‘think out of the box’ and apply our minds to the potential future needs and uses ahead! – MQB, Somewhere South of Kentucky & North of Alabama

Letter Re: The Jericho Television Series Returns With New Episodes

Dear Jim:
Clearly the CBS TV show Jericho is limited by confines of being an early prime time network show (nothing graphic like on HBO), a for-profit venture (thus requiring advertisers who willing to buy time and be associated with the show), budgetary constraints of a filming a new show, and of course the politically correct pressures of Hollywood. This is very much the antithesis of the 1983 “The Day After” which was conceptualized, financed and produced by ABC, specifically by the Motion Picture Department President http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After who was impressed with the anti-nuclear power movie “The China Syndrome”, and obviously sent out to make this an issue oriented movie (or agenda oriented) without concern as to profit, IMHO. I seem to recall that during the original airing of “The Day After” there were no commercials (I was in high school at the time). It should be noted that “The Day After” did have a profound impact. As for myself, it steeled my resolve to learn more about survivalism (probably the opposite of the intent of the producer). It should be also noted (citing the Wikipedia link above again) that when President Reagan signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the director [of The Day After] got a telegram from the Reagan administration that said, ‘Don’t think your movie didn’t have any part of this, because it did.” That is pretty powerful. Some also refer the movie “Red Dawn” this way, as having had an actual impact on the cold war, by serving to convince Russia that an invasion of the US simply would never hold against resistance (I should note that movie made Mexico an invading enemy of the US, remember?).

Taking into account how a program can create images and impressions, to allies and enemies both, this is the basis of my real issues with Jericho. Although the “mythology” of the plot, as the producers refer to it, is still largely unknown (probably also best laid out in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_tv) it clearly involves a coordinated nuclear strike to about a dozen US cities (the show is deliberately unclear – adding to the sense of drama of Jericho being cut off) which appears to be terrorist in nature, with the inference that in NY people were apprehended in a truck with a bomb before it went off, but this remains uncertain. These strikes are not military, they are at population centers. I therefore note, with the apparent exception of Washington DC, US military bases and installations, as well as non-DC Federal facilities, State, County, and local governments remain intact – just faced with the [power] grid down, transportation down, and fallout problems. I am not saying that isn’t massive, but to some extent, I think some American resilience is not being credited here, especially with the rest of the World apparently intact.

Although I think this show has been great in waking people up to the new reality that there could very well be a very limited nuclear exchange (such as being terrorist based), I was disappointed and alarmed as to where the show left off most recently “8 weeks” after the bombs went off. I think that many of the accusations about the show painting too rosy a picture are true. Jericho is shown to have at least one water tower, and be a city (has a mayor) of some 5,000 people. It is important to note, that once the power went out, even with rationing, that water tower is probably going to run dry within a week. This leaves serious problems as to water, sanitation, and hygiene for so many people. Would it really take until a Chinese generator was air dropped before they got any sort of power going again? The constraints of time and show only allow little blips of the factual realities, and in between all the interpersonal drama which holds most of the audience I’m sure. Still, the lasting impression is one that a small rural town would be helpless, when in fact, I think, such as place would be the least helpless. The pathetic defensive force that Jericho mustered is a good example of this. I find this to be the product of writers who have never spent any time in a Midwestern rural town, nor hunted, nor ever owned a gun. Having lived in a Wisconsin town of less than 1,500, I can assure you that long before 8 weeks past the bombs, a militia group, run through the volunteer fire dept and Village Hall most likely, would have had the town secured defensively. I can think of a single deer hunting group that was 17 guys, and they were highly organized, with radios for their hunting drives, and would have easily convinced the Ravenwood Group in Jericho that the fight was not worth it. Also, in the pilot episode, we saw a gun store in town. At the beginning of episode 2, people were openly carrying shotguns in front of City Hall. Did the writers get flack about that and back off?

Another issue that remains open is the ICBM launch in the evening which preceded the EMP attack. We don’t know yet who those missiles were targeted against, and I am somewhat worried about where they are going with this. This was a moment of great excitement for me, because I thought it was payback, that this show was going to show that a nuclear attack on the US would have a nuclear response. The post-911 world makes this more difficult, because such an attack may be not officially carried out by a government you can just target in retaliation. It is too early to really comment intelligently on this in the saga, but to be honest it very much worries me. Because the image Hollywood creates does matter, this is dangerous place alternate reality PC logic stuff. Freedom of speech, yeah I know, but you can’t yell “Fire” in a cinema, right? How about CNN covering the riots in LA after the police trials with Rodney King, reporting there were no cops on the scene. How about them showing part of the video over and over, the beating, without framing the context that he was high on drugs and had attacked the police. Is that merely reporting the news, or is that creating news by spin doctoring and fanning the fires, which bring up the issue of intent. That would have made an interesting lawsuit, if someone had the guts to bring it, rights vs. responsibility.

Overall I’m all for Jericho. It is a great show to watch and debate. So much drama between all the characters. Great cast of actors, and also of different age groups. Something for everyone! Tune in if you have not, and give it a chance. The Hawkins character is really cool, the closest thing to being a survivalist, even though he’s some sort of secret government agent or something. My only worry is that this show does more damage than good with some sort of backwards to reality politically correct “mythology”. Let’s face it, there are a limited number of people who can and would nuke US cities and kill innocent civilians as portrayed. I hope the writers/producers are willing to be realistic about that or they may do more harm than good, the good being to encourage people to prepare, the harm being to encourage evil enemies of the US that such damage could be done, and with minimum reprisal. – Rourke (Moderator of the Jericho Discussion Group)

Letter Re: The Salt Lake City Trolley Square Mall Shootings and “Gun Free” Zones

James,
I’m a concealed carry handgun instructor for the state of Kansas. I haven’t come across any articles or news reports that made mention of whether or not the shopping mall had posted “no concealed carry” signs. Have you heard anything? I would like to know as I can use this incident in my classes. – Rick

JWR Replies: According to several published new stories, including this one, there were indeed signs at some of the Trolley Square Mall’s entrances emblazoned, “No Guns.” So we can surmise that ostensibly “gun free zones” such as public schools, public buildings and shopping malls with “No Guns” signs are not safe places for the citizenry. Clearly, mass murderers prefer them, because they assume that they will only face unarmed victims.

Odds ‘n Sods:

S.F. in Hawaii found a web page about a very interesting “castle” monolithic dome home. S.F.’s comments: “Nice view from the roof. And the little holes for a rifle?. Good commanding view and a bulletproof/fireproof concrete home, to boot “

  o o o

Thanks to Ben L. for sending this news story: More from inflation-ravaged Zimbabwe: Mugabe Throws Lavish Birthday Party as Zimbabwe’s Infrastructure Crumbles. My comment: Clearly, times were much better back when the city now dubbed “Gweru” was called “Gwelo.” Remember Rhodesia!

   o o o

Homeland Security analyst Stephen Flynn: U.S. not prepared for the next ‘big one’

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State government with the civil rights, law, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man’s farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body. ” – Thomas Jefferson, Works, 6:543; P.P.N.S., p. 125

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article submitted for Round 9 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. If you want a chance to win the contest, start writing and e-mail us your article. Round 9 will end on March 31st. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Advantages of Owning a Small Sawmill for Homestead and Retreat Building, by Tennessee Hillbilly

There are many ways to be prepared for whatever the future may hold and no feasible way to be prepared for every scenario. While “Beans, Bullets and Band-Aids” should be given the top priority, there are many situations where a small band saw mill fits the bill.
In the current situation, it’s a cheap source of lumber for building projects. On a homestead/retreat there is always a need for lumber. Having selected a remote area for security reasons, by default, places an individual a long way from any supplies, but usually an abundance of trees are available. There have been many times when I needed just a few boards to complete a project. It’s simple to place a log on the mill and saw the boards to the dimension needed. It saves a 40 mile round trip to the lumber yard. It’s free and best of all the tax man hasn’t yet figured a way to tax it! The mills are relatively simple and inexpensive to operate. Even my wife enjoys running the saw. Of course, it becomes my job to load and turn the logs and pull and stack the lumber and slabs when she operates the mill. Once people find out you have a mill, it seems like they all have three or four logs just lying around that they are glad to give you if you will just haul them off. Just keeping my eyes open around these 200 acres provides all the logs I need from diseased or storm damaged trees. These are trees that would otherwise decay in the woods. Everywhere I go, I see trees that need to be salvaged that would make good lumber. One day I will run completely off the road while looking at a load of logs on a passing truck. At our house, this is referred to as “Log Envy”

People will often barter with you to saw their logs. Usually this is in the form of you, the mill owner and operator, taking a portion of the lumber from the logs they bring to you. This amount ranges up to 50 percent. Be sure to report the fair value of this lumber on your income taxes. It seems as though most people appreciate getting anything free and will gladly leave some of the lumber with you in exchange for turning their log, that otherwise would most likely have rotted, into something they can use. In the future this ability to barter could really save the day.

The mill has saved more than enough to pay its own way and continues to be used regularly. The cost delivered, was abut $8,000. I set it up as a stationary mill and built a shed over it. (There is no bought lumber in that shed!) I recently sawed 6,000 board feet of pine on less than 10 gallons of gasoline. Certainly at some time in the future, gasoline could become hard to obtain, but most likely a few gallons would be available, even though the cost may go up significantly. Even if fuel cost $20 a gallon, the fuel cost for an 8 foot 2×4 would only be $0.20. I typically have enough stabilized fuel stored to saw many tens of thousands of board feet of lumber. Logs could be harvested and with a little manpower maneuvered to the mill by hand if it had to be done. A wheeled carriage could be constructed to make this fairly simple. However, a tractor with pallet forks on the front of the loader makes the job much easier and uses a surprisingly small amount of fuel. Certainly a horse or other draft animal would be a worthwhile addition in a fuel shortage. Another advantage now, but especially during a fuel shortage, is the ever abundant supply of slabs that make excellent firewood.

The set up I have has the ability to saw logs up to 24 feet in length and a diameter larger than I care to handle. There are considerably more board feet of lumber in a large diameter log, but small logs are much easier and safer to handle. Many types of log scales are available to measure to small end of a log and provide some prediction of the number of board feet of lumber in the log. They typically look like a complicated yard stick, but anyone can learn to use one in a matter of minutes. A board foot is a measure of lumber that contains 144 cubic inches of wood. That would be 12 inches square and one inch thick. A 1 X 4 three feet long would be one board foot. A typical band mill will often saw 50 to 75% more than scale while sawing small logs due to the thin blade as compared to a commercial mill. I have regularly sawn 500 board feet in a day in addition to the regular chores that are required to be done around the farm.

The bands (blades) do become dull and sometimes break. Currently they can be replaced for about $20 or sharpened for about $7. If I’m careful to clean the dirt off the logs and don’t hit an ingrown object (nail, fence staple, etc.), up to a thousand board feet can be sawed with one blade. I typically keep 30 blades on hand. In a push, they could be sharpened by hand, but I have no intention of doing this when I can get it done right for $7. I’m sure that in a crunch I could find several uses for the blades as they are dulled. Although I haven’t tried it, I see no reason why a slow but workably bow saw could not be made from them. It would only cut when being pushed instead of cutting both directions.

Green (freshly sawn) lumber cannot be used in many projects without proper drying, most often in a kiln. The lumber will shrink and cause many problems in furniture and indoor woodwork. There are ways around this for the woodworkers, but that is beyond the scope of this article. However there are many applications where a little shrinkage, warping or bowing doesn’t cause any real problem. Barns, hay sheds, equipment sheds, an outhouse when the water stops magically filling the white porcelain bowl, deer blinds for the present time which can do double duty as listening/observation post when things become less secure, work shops and many other projects. Many houses were built in rural areas years ago with green lumber. They usually are not particularly level or square, but they are still standing and serviceable long after those who built them are gone.

In a situation where the economy has broken down, there are definite advantages. Lumber yards, if they still exist, would have very limited supplies for very exorbitant prices. In any kind of grid failure or fuel and transportation crunch, the big commercial mills would shut down. Some lumber could be scavenged from abandoned houses and buildings. But I doubt people would take kindly to others helping themselves to their structures even if they were not using them. Most modern construction makes use of a considerable amount of paneled products such as sheet rock, oriented strand board and plywood that is very difficult to disassemble and maintain the integrity of the products. Having a few thousand feet of "stickered" lumber in the dry could be like money in your pocket at a very critical time. The investment required to store this lumber is very small. With a few select people joining us at the retreat in a bad situation, we can accommodate them in our house for a time. If the situation drags on for a long period of time, we have the capacity to construct semi-permanent or permanent dwellings at different strategic locations around the farm at very little to no cost.

A sawmill opens many opportunities in an uncertain future. When it’s all said and done, an opportunity is all we can really expect out of life.

Letter Re: Another Use for Diatomaceous Earth: Curing Bowel Infestations

Jim:

Food grade diatomaceous earth (DE)–not the swimming pool grade-will flush your system of parasites. In addition, the scientific literature states DE is shown to remove methyl mercury, virus and more.
I “accidentally” cured myself of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) while using it, just in case I had worms. I had been feeding it to my cattle (works great!) and decided to take some myself. No more IBS?
I am no doctor; however, the first thing I would do for ulcers/IBS/Crohns/divertic ailments, would be to dose myself with DE, as I now suspect that microscopic uglies are involved in all bowel disorders due to my results.
“Dirt” cheap from your farm and ranch store (used for a long time to worm sheep/goats/cattle), or in large bags from Internet vendors. As its name suggests-microscopic diatom fossils cut the worms and
their eggs to shreds, or make eggs unable to attach to walls of intestines (will not hurt earthworms).

DE is also great around house for bugs and will kill fire ants-just scoop out and mix it in the ant mound. Expect to pay about a dollar a pound for a ten pound bag.

Mix in water as spray for fruit trees-avoid breathing dust and eye contact.
Use on pets for lice/fleas/mites-put in pet food-1 tablespoon for seven days for dogs under 35 pounds-2 for dogs over to kill internal parasites. An Internet search will show all about it.

Humans: Mix 1 heaping tablespoon per day in water or juice-can take more and more often depending upon ailment.

I think everyone should be on this as an assist during viral outbreaks, [since it is] harmless to humans and animals. Thanks, – Martin P.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jason in North Idaho pointed out this article: Mogadishu’s fathers turn to the gun — again. Jason’s comment: “It looks as if the Africans know that the only way to guarantee one’s safety is to take the responsibility into their own hands–and I notice that the elitists want to change that.”

  o o o

We could see this one coming from the now Democrat-controlled congress: H.R. 1022: To reauthorize the assault weapons ban. Note that unlike its predecessor, this law would include a total import ban on 11+ round magazines, regardless of year of manufacture. If this legislation troubles you, then please contact your congresscritters, early and often.

   o o o

S.H.. recommended this site with a round-up of European bird flu news stories.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is certain that free societies will have no easy time of it in a future dark age. The rapid return of universal penury will be accompanied by violence and cruelties of a kind now forgotten. The force of law will be scant or nil, either because of collapse of machinery of state, or because of difficulties in communication and transport. It will be possible only to delegate authority to local powers who will maintain it by force alone. – Roberto Vacca, The Coming Dark Age

Note from JWR:

Based on a query from blog reader Mike F., I’m starting a new SurvivalBlog reader poll: What are the best businesses for individuals that will have utility both before and after any major disaster or other disruption of society? Home-based, self-employment businesses are preferred, but perhaps there are other categories that I haven’t considered. Please make your recommendations via e-mail and I will post them later this week. Thanks!

Letter Re: One Common Caliber for Retreat Rifles and Handguns?

Jim,
In trying to standardize equipment for a retreat, what do you think of .40 S&W in handguns (already own) and the various [semi-auto] carbines that can be purchased that shoot that [same] round .(Like Ruger [Kel-Tec, and Marlin.] )? I know they (.40 S&W) are slower than the .223 or .308, but still effective. I know the smaller magazine capacities (like 10 rounds) might be an issue.
The major “plus” would be a complete compatibility of ammunition for all the guns so that you only have to worry about stocking and carrying one type (except for the .22 [rimfire]s which don’t count for [self defense] planning purposes.) Is this a good idea or bad one? (Assume that we also get one larger caliber gun (.30-30 / .308 / .30-06) for hunting deer, etc., in a bolt or lever action.)
I haven’t seen this [concept mentioned] in your web site, so please forgive me if it is posted somewhere. Thanks, – Mike in “Seattle”

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning this idea, because I often hear it suggested by my consulting clients. The only problem is that “one common caliber” sounds like a great idea, but it just doesn’t work in today’s world–at least not for primary defensive firearms. Let me explain my reasoning, starting with a little historical background:

Much of the recurring “cartridge commonality” thinking stems from America’s pioneer Old West experience. In the late 1800s it was popular to carry a Winchester lever action .44-40 rifle or carbine, and a Colt or S&W revolver chambered in the same cartridge. This is just what my great grandfather Robert Henry Rawles did. He came out west by covered wagon in 1857, at age 12. From the late 1870s until his death in 1911, he habitually carried a Colt Single Action Army (SAA), and when on horseback or while hunting he supplemented the revolver with a Winchester Model 1873 rifle. Both guns were chambered in .44-40. (Which at the time was often called “.44 Winchester Center Fire”, or more commonly just “Winchester .44”) One of his cousins did essentially the same thing, but instead carried a Smith & Wesson .44-40 Top Break revolver and a fairly uncommon but highly sought-after Colt pump action .44-40 rifle. Doing so indeed had a big advantage in cartridge commonality. But that was back in the days of blackpowder cartridges, that all had high-arcing trajectories. Today, if you were carrying a carbine chambered in a pistol caliber, and your opponents had a detachable magazine 7.62×39 or .308 battle rifle–with high velocity and flat trajectory–then you’d be badly outmatched.

Typical pistol chamberings (such as 9mm Parabellum and .40 S&W) are not sure and quick man stoppers at two to seven yards (typical combat pistol shooting distance), and they are absolutely pitiful stoppers at 200 or 300 yards. They just don’t have the requisite “oomph” at long range to penetrate and put Mr. Badguy out of the fight. Furthermore, at long range they have a “rainbow” trajectory, which is difficult to compensate for under the stress of combat. For your primary defensive rifle, you are much better off with a flat-shooting high velocity cartridge like .308 Winchester. There is some utility in owning a pistol caliber carbine, but in my opinion that is limited to small game hunting, pest shooting, and training youngsters. But do not make the mistake of thinking that they are fully adequate for self-defense.

The only two possible “one cartridge for carbine and pistol” compromises that I can envision might be either:

1.) Selecting a quite powerful handgun cartridge cartridge like .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, or perhaps a .45 Winchester Magnum. As political pundit (and gun enthusiast) Kim du Toit so aptly put it: “To put it in perspective, a 250 gr. bullet in .44 Remington Magnum arrives with 775 ft.- lbs. of energy; [but] the 260 gr. bullet in .45 Win Mag arrives with 1,300 ft.- lbs. Ouch.” In my opinion, both of these cartridges are slightly over-powered for a combat handgun, but still underpowered and not flat shooting enough for use in a carbine or long range self defense. Because .44 Magnum is a traditional rimmed cartridge, nearly all of the carbines that are available (such as those from Marlin, Puma, Winchester, ) are lever actions with tubular magazines. Ruger does make a semi-auto .44 Magnum carbine ( a complete re-design of their .44 carbine from the 1960s) and a lever action (the Model 96/.44), but unfortunately both use a fairly fragile four round rotary magazine. (Hardly suitable for self defense.) For handguns there are a lot of great .44 Magnum revolvers made (including the S&W Model 629) , and of course the .44 Desert Eagle pistol. But given its clunky ergonomics, I consider the Desert Eagle strictly a choice for advanced shooters. (It would take a lot of training to learn how to shoot fast and accurately.)

The .45 Winchester Magnum is a rimless cartridge, which makes it compatible with a wider range of magazine designs. Three years ago, I read that Collectors Firearms, was doing .45 Winchester Magnum conversions for M1 Carbines. But unfortunately their web site no longer mentions those, so I suspect that they are out of production. (Perhaps they still have a few pieces of old inventory.) But I’m sure that some enterprising individual will soon come up with one on an AR-15 platform. Nor would I be surprised if either Ruger and Marlin expand their semi-auto carbine offerings to do likewise.(Carbines in .45 Winchester Magnum would be a good market niche.) Pistol options for .45 Winchester Magnum include the Wildey and the LAR Grizzly, but given the heavy recoil of the cartridge, I presume that even more training would be required than for mastering the Desert Eagle.

As for .45 Colt, I don’t consider it a serious self defense cartridge for two reasons: First, nearly all of the factory loads are extra mild, for liability reasons–since ammo makers fear that they might be loaded in an early iron-framed Colt SAA. Second, the exposed rim width of. .45 Colt is considerably smaller than the .44 Magnum. In my experience it is not unusual for a fired piece of brass to slip past the revolver’s extractor “star” on the ejection stroke and get jammed underneath. This would be a Very Bad Thing(tm) to have happen in the middle of a gunfight.

or,

2.) Buying both a pistol and a registered (“Class 3”) submachinegun chambered for the same cartridge, preferably .45 ACP. By substituting a submachinegun (SMG) for the carbine, three shot burst capability and 30 round magazine capacity could make up for a pistol cartridge’s lack of power at moderate ranges. (Although the practical accuracy of a three shot burst from a SMG at more than 100 yards is dubious.) And of course you would have to weigh the risk/reward ratio of making yourself “high profile” by getting a registered Class 3 SMG. (Fingerprinting, $200 Federal transfer tax, background check, and the consent of your local sheriff or chief of police.) Other possibilities with the same magazine capacity (but a lower social profile) might be semi-auto SMG clones. These include the HK USC semi-auto carbine in .45 ACP (the semi-auto variant of HK’s UMP SMG), the Rock River Arms or Olympic Arms AR-15s chambered in .45 ACP, or the semi-auto versions of the venerable Thompson SMG. But with any of these guns, you are still limited to the relatively low power and rainbow long range trajectory of .45 ACP.

The two preceding approaches might work if you live in a heavily wooded eastern state (or perhaps a western rainforest such as Washington’s Olympic Peninsula), and all of your anticipated combat shooting will be at less than 120 yards. But I don’t think that if I were in that circumstance that I would be willing to put my life on the line, all for the sake of being able to say that I had achieved absolute one cartridge commonality nirvana. And as for anyone living in open country–like in the Plains states and most of the western states–limiting oneself to only a pistol cartridge–even the whomping .454 Casull–would be absurd.

One other consideration is that even if you were to get a pistol and a semi-auto carbine chambered in the same cartridge, odds are that their magazines would not be interchangeable. Hence, if you needed to “Rob Peter to pay Paul”, then you would have to unload one type of magazine and reload it into another magazine. This doesn’t sound like much fun to do in a hurry, when the air is thick with lead.

All of the preceding discussion of “maybe this” and “maybe that” marginal one-cartridge solutions bring us to the bottom line: In my estimation, the best that you can hope for in terms of maximizing cartridge commonality yet still be able to “reach out and touch someone” is to have all of your handguns chambered in one cartridge, and all of your rifles chambered in another. For example, here at the Rawles Ranch, nearly all of our handguns are.45 ACPs, and nearly all of our rifles–both bolt bolt actions and semi-autos–are .308s. (We do have a couple of .30-06 rifles, but only because we are in elk and moose country.)

Letter Re: Resource Scarcity in the Near Future

Jim,
Here is an excerpt from an article I read in “Fast Company” that provides some insight to the “Coming Collapse” The full version can be found here http://www.fastcompany.com/subscr/113/open_fast50-essay.html: “Water provides a typical example: By 2030, more than one in three human beings will not have enough to drink, or will run the risk of dying by drinking what they’ve got. Today, the prospect of such scarcity is causing countries to mine so-called fossil water from deep aquifers that were formed millions of years ago. Parts of India are pumping water at twice the recharge rate, causing water tables to fall between one and three meters per year. However, there is not much of an alternative: If India gave up groundwater mining, its grain production would likely fall by 25%, leaving it incapable of feeding itself. Nobody knows precisely how long this can continue, but the answer will be measured in decades, not centuries. Its little wonder that the World Bank says freshwater scarcity may well become one of the major factors limiting development in the years ahead.
Resource scarcity is going to be a front-page business issue as well, affecting industries from transportation to electronics. According to estimates by the International Institute for Environment and Development, at today’s levels of production, there may be only another 28 years’ worth of copper in the ground, another 21 years’ worth of lead, a 17-year supply of silver, and 37 years’ worth of tin. We will certainly get better at extracting, recycling, efficiently using, and finding replacements for these materials, but it is likely that basic industrial inputs will come under increasing pressure in the decades to come. A shortage of industrial-grade silicon, for instance, has recently spooked both the solar-cell industry and Silicon Valley. Moore’s Law never assumed we would run out of sand.
Worse, the most worrisome trends are interrelated and self-compounding. Consider population growth and energy use: Over the past half-century, the consumption of energy worldwide has grown more than 400%, far outstripping overall population growth. The reason is simple: As people move up the economic ladder, they use more “discretionary energy” on everything from heated floors to trips to Vegas. Improving energy efficiency does not begin to address this gap–lighting your home with compact fluorescent bulbs will not make much of a difference if you (or your neighbors) move into a higher-wattage McMansion every year.
Apply this insight at a global scale, and things quickly become alarming. As enormous, rapidly growing and developing countries such as China and India seek to swell their middle classes in the coming decades, their energy demands will increase geometrically, not linearly. China intends to add at least 250 million citizens to its middle class, and create a well-to-do society by 2020, with a per capita income for the whole country that is five times the present one. In the meantime, China continues to burn almost one-third of all the coal mined from planet Earth to meet its annual needs, making Chinese cities among the most polluted and China the world’s second-largest source of CO2 emissions. And that’s today: What happens when all those new Chinese middle-class consumers decide to drive to work? Are they any less entitled to the lifestyle model we’ve exported around the globe?”

Along with many other sources this confirms why ammunition has increased 10% across the board this year, and why silver is slowly, yet steadily rising. Here in Southern California there are increasing incidents of copper piping stolen from the rooftops of businesses. With fewer resources, available crime and desperation will increase. It is just a matter a time before our economy along with the rest of the world collapses in on it’s self.

I have to mention as well that I received your book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”. I have read it several times and have found it to be a great resource. I plan to sell my house here in Southern California and set up shop in one of your recommended retreat states. I have a brother who is a crew chief for the A-10 Warthog and a dynamite car mechanic. He plans to live near us when we find our retreat. I am seeking to “exit” my government job and start my own business. I have lost my faith in my Government backing up LEOs, such as the case with Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Copean. – Mike F.

Letter Re: U.S. Civil War Era Hardtack Recipes From North and South

Sir,
These recipes are in addition to the letters on hard tack that you posted on your site:
Union Army Hardtack Recipe
2 cups of flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of Crisco or vegetable fat
6 pinches of salt

Mix the ingredients together into a stiff batter, knead several times, and spread the dough out flat to a thickness of 1/2 inch on a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake for one- half an hour at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes, four holes per row into the dough. Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another one- half hour. Turn oven off and leave the door closed. Leave the hardtack in the oven until cool. Remove and enjoy!

Confederate Johnnie Cake Recipe
two cups of cornmeal
2/3 cup of milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Mix ingredients into a stiff batter and form eight biscuit-sized "dodgers". Bake on a lightly greased sheet at 350 degrees for twenty to twenty five minutes or until brown. Or spoon the batter into hot cooking oil in a frying pan over a low flame. Remove the corn dodgers and let cool on a paper towel, spread with a little butter or molasses, and you have a real southern treat! Two main staples of that cataclysm–and maybe the next as well. Regards, – J.K.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike the Blacksmith flagged this piece: Study sees harmful hunt for extra oil

   o o o

Keith mentioned: A draft UN treaty to tackle any future giant asteroids heading for Earth is to be drawn up this year. Keith’s comment: “An interesting story, may be more likely to happen than Peak Oil or Sudden Climate Change, at least this is not as complex.” Meanwhile, NASA’s JPL dropped the impact risk of CA 19 (a one kilometer diameter asteroid due to approach Earth in 2012) from Torino Scale 1 to Torino scale 0.

  o o o

Rob at $49 MURS Radios is trying a novel barter “bidding” experiment: He writes: “I have been reading all the references to bartering on your blog and would like to try an experiment. I’m going to put a couple of pairs of the $49 MURS Radios aside and offer them up to the bartering process. Readers can make an offer to trade something they have in exchange for something I have. Offers will be accepted on the basis of value and desirability. At the end, I will report back on how well it worked out. I set up a special we page with more details. Thanks! – Rob”