Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 23, 2022

On June 23, 1868, American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for a typewriter. Sholes invented the QWERTY keyboard. Along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden, and John Pratt, Sholes has been contended as one of the inventors of the first typewriter in the United States.

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Today’s feature article is not an entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. It was written by a SurvivalBlog advertiser, and hence it is ineligible for the writing contest judging.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Mass Body Disposal, Post-Collapse, by Don Shift

This article discusses disposal of dead bad guys or large numbers of dead strangers, not disposal of “your” dead. You will obviously treat your loved ones and friends differently. The health protocols and technical aspects will also apply to the burial of loved ones.

In my discussions of less-lethal force and crowd control, I advise against “just shoot everybody” as a tactic in all but the direst of circumstances because lots of dead bodies have to be disposed of. In Iraq, oftentimes the wives and mothers of dead insurgents would come out to claim and remove their loved one’s body with help from family if Coalition forces didn’t take custody of the dead for intelligence purposes.

In a grid-down SHTF situation, no one is coming to clean up the bodies after a battle. It will be up to you. The main issues with disposing of decayed bodies are the odor, the fluids, and the ease with which bodies can be dismembered with movement.

Body disposal will be necessary because of the stink, the carnage, and the potential of disease. Another factor is psychological; its not healthy for your defenders or your uninvolved neighbors to be looking at bodies all the time. You will be motivated for comfort and health reasons to move the bodies out of the area.

Innocent people

History has shown us that in any domestic conflict, innocent people—civilians, women, children, the elderly—are often killed. Defenders may be faced with the unpleasant task of having to dispose of large numbers of bodies of those who were not their enemies.

  • Photograph the area of any atrocities including injuries to bodies, any graffiti, evidence, etc. Attempt to identify the bodies by name, when possible. If unable to positively identify, note general physical characteristics, any marks, scars, or tattoos, describe the clothing they were wearing or any personal effects they may have had. Photographs of the face or any identifying features should be taken.
  • Individual body records should include the above identifying information, cause of death, and the location of burial.
  • Allow any surviving friends or relatives to participate and mourn insofar as possible.
  • A ceremony of some sort may ease everyone’s emotional trauma and allow some closure. Note that enemies may exploit a funeral service for further attacks.
  • Bury the bodies whenever possible out of respect for the survivors and to make later recovery post-crisis or for forensic purposes easier.
  • Record and mark (when possible) the place the persons are buried. Picking a space that can be considered sacred ground may ease survivors’ psychological burdens.

Continue reading“Mass Body Disposal, Post-Collapse, by Don Shift”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at various viral threats on the horizon.

The Emerging Viruses of the 21st Century

First up, over at Medical Express: The emerging viruses of the 21st century.  (Thanks to reader C.B. for the  link.) This article begins:

“The recent explosion of monkeypox cases in countries where the infection had not previously spread, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, has underscored the rising threat of emerging viruses in the 21st century.

An infectious disease is described as emerging when it is new on the global scene, when its infection agent has changed to become more transmissible or more dangerous or when it is rapidly spreading through new regions.”

Can SARS-CoV-2 Genes Integrate with Human DNA?

At Science.org: Further evidence supports controversial claim that SARS-CoV-2 genes can integrate with human DNA.

Draft Senate Gun Bill Package Would Create Millions of Felons

It has been reported that the “Compromise” gun legislation package in the Senate  (the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” ) now has 14 RINOs on board:

  • Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
  • Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
  • Sen. Shelley Capito (R-WV)
  • Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
  • Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
  • Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
  • Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
  • Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
  • Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)
  • Sen. Mitt. Romney (R-UT)
  • Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
  • Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)

Here is a link to the bill text.

The planned redefinition of “engaged the business” would create millions of unwitting felons, if a private party intrastate gun sale turns a profit. Instead of more logically defining “engaged the business” as selling X number of guns per year, or making X Dollars of gross sales, or X Dollars of profit per year, this legislation trades one vague definition for another one that would ensnare many casual sellers.  Here is the key passage:

SEC. 12002. DEFINING ‘‘ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS’’
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (21)(C), by striking ‘‘with the principal objective of livelihood and profit’’ and inserting ‘‘to predominantly earn a profit’’…

This is horrible legislation that will ruin gun shows as we now know them, in 32 States. It will have any private party seller living in fear of a felony conviction if they make a profit selling even just a few guns!

At present, the wording implies that a FFL is only required if selling guns was a major contributor to your “livelihood.” The Democrat schemers couldn’t get their “Universal Background Checks” (a ban on private party sales), so they’ve instead put in these more loose weasel words to make most gun sales have to go through FFL dealers. The net effect will be nearly the same as a ban on private party sales!

Please contact your state’s two U.S. Senators and insist that they vote down this entire legislation package.   If they can’t do that, then ask them to fillibuster the package, or to add “killer amendments.”  Here are two suggested killer amendments:  1.) A 180-day NFA machinegun registry amnesty period. There hasn’t been an Federal amnesty since 1968.  And, 2.) Removing short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns from the NFA. Those should both make the Democrats squirm!

Pentagon Plans for Next Pandemic

This was published back in April: With COVID Mission Over, Pentagon Plans for Next Pandemic.  Here is an excerpt:

“VanHerck said the pandemic also underscored the need to review the nation’s supply chain to ensure that the right equipment and medications were being stockpiled, or to see if they were coming from foreign distributors.

“If we’re relying on getting those from a foreign manufacturer and supplier, then that may be something that is a national security vulnerability that we have to address,” he said.

VanHerck said the U.S. is also working to better analyze trends in order to predict the needs for personnel, equipment and protective gear. Military and other government experts watched the progress of COVID-19 infections moving across the country and used that data to predict where the next outbreak might be so that staff could be prepared to go there.”

Bird Flu Arrives in Southwest

Another from C.B.: Bird flu arrives in Southwest after millions of birds die.

WHO is Investigating Monkeypox DNA in Semen

Alex D. sent this: WHO says it’s investigating monkeypox DNA in semen. JWR’s Comment:  The fact that this disease outbreak is mainly being transmitted by homosexual men is being downplayed by the Mainstream Media They wouldn’t want to tarnish their Pride [of all unspeakable perversions] Month.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 22, 2022

On June 22, 1633, Galileo Galilei was coerced by Pope Gregory XV to recant his belief in heliocentrism–that the Earth orbits the Sun. The Vatican did not concede that it was wrong until October 31, 1992.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Dehydration, a Killer, by K.B., M.D.

About a century ago, the top five causes of death in the United States were the following:

1. Pneumonia
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. and 5. Heart attack and stroke.

Diarrhea (dysentery) has always been a problem in the military with 995 out of 1,000 soldiers in the Civil War being affected by it. Diarrhea alone accounted for two-thirds of all deaths on both sides during that war. A reader, B.K., recently expressed interest in learning more about rehydration after reading my medical cabinet article. This article is for her and for anyone else interested in this topic.

I would also like to ask anyone with experience in effective old-time remedies to please write in and share. My mother mentioned long ago that women used to give blackberry juice to babies with diarrhea (an old-time Ozark remedy), and I have since read that blackberry root can be employed as treatment for diarrhea. Has anyone had success with this? It will be important to have alternatives to modern medications due to limited shelf-life and possible limited future availability of loperimide, ondansetron, intervenous (I.v.) fluids, and other currently used treatments. Below, the prevention and treatment of dehydration will be covered including recent personal experience by yours truly who ended up in the emergency department!

Disclaimer: I am neither prescribing nor diagnosing, and recommend that you always consult with your own medical provider when making decisions about past, current, or future care. Whatever you do is at your own risk. Also please know that I do not receive any kickbacks for the mention of any products or websites.

Prevention

In hard times, we will be more at risk. All of us are well acquainted with the drill of using safe water, washing hands frequently, keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold…. Everything will be more difficult if/when Schumer hits the fan. Learn now to avoid pain later.

Insects have always been one of the biggest vectors of disease. With no air conditioning, more flies will be indoors. I remember my mother telling me about setting the table with the silverware underneath each plate which was flipped upside down to prevent contamination by flies. Outhouses + barnyards + flies= contamination in the kitchen. Keep foods sealed, and practice kitchen cleanliness to avoid pests like roaches.
Stock up on pest control supplies. Make sure to have a good supply of fly swatters available, lids and clean towels to cover food, and intact screens on windows and doors. You may also consider getting a supply of cheap, hangable fly strips to catch the ones that won’t sit still to be swatted. They last forever, and at the time of this writing a 10-pack (good enough for the season) costs less than a couple of rolls of paper towels. Roach baits and other similar items are still commonly available without shortage. Buy cheap, and stack deep.Continue reading“Dehydration, a Killer, by K.B., M.D.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Tracy M. sent us the link to this fascinating study: Mapping a Magnetic Superstorm: March 1989 Geoelectric Hazards and Impacts on United States Power Systems. Here is a brief excerpt:

“Electric fields induced in the Earth during magnetic storms can drive uncontrolled currents in electric-power systems, interfering with their operation. Geomagnetically induced currents realized during the magnetic storm of March 1989 caused a blackout in Québec, Canada, and, in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States, they caused operational interference for electric-power companies and damaged a high-voltage transformer. In support of projects for estimating geoelectric hazards and improving power-system resilience, maps are made of March 1989 magnetic-storm geoelectric hazards and corresponding impacts on United States power systems. Results are based on modeling geomagnetic monitoring data, geoelectromagnetic survey data, and a compilation of published reports of power-system interference. During the storm, electric-power system interference was concentrated where the lithosphere is relatively electrically resistive, and when and where the geoelectric field was of high amplitude.”

JWR’s Comment: This adds credence to my assertion that the safest places to live have low population density, and are in electric power exporting regions.

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From D.S.V.: Gun stores report record sales as Washington state prepares to enact new firearm law.  JWR  Adds: Stock up on magazines before June 30th, if you live in Washington!

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Those sneaky RINO sell-out Senators are at it again! Their “compromise” draft legislation package — 80 pages in all — has been released. It includes enhanced long gun purchase background checks for adults aged 18 to 20, Federal funding of state red flag laws, a bunch of mental health funding, and a redefinition of “engaged in the business” that would require more private party gun sellers to get an FFL for intrastate sales. Please contact both of your state’s U.S. Senators and tell them to vote NO on this unconstitutional legislation, and fillibuster it — or add “killer” amendments to it — if need be. The back door approach of the Federales funding states to enact unconstitutional red flag/ERPO laws is wicked!

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Reader L.E. sent this:

“Regarding the article on intense drought in Texas, do we know if the Texas power companies have in fact upped their game regarding potential power outages. My hypothetical scenario would be if the government actually demands that these power companies continue to provide electricity to customers regardless of whether they can make a profit or not (known as “the Biden way”), and some line in the sand gets crossed to where the CEO of the power company simply fires everyone, turns off the power, and leaves, taking one or two vitally important irreplaceable components with him as he heads to his private jet for an extended “vacation” outside the US. Let the government come in and run the show and see how well that works…”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 21, 2022

June 21st is the birthday of Rex Applegate (June 21, 1914 – July 14, 1998), author of Kill or Be Killed. He was the friend and mentor of SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

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A Special Request from JWR:  I’m in the process of re-organizing my workshop, so I’m looking to buy several sets of used, reasonably-priced heavy-duty storage shelves with metal frames, from here in the American Redoubt. I’m willing to travel as far away as Spokane, Washington, Kalispell, Montana, Lewiston, Idaho, or Colfax, Washington, to pick them up. They can be up to 12 feet tall, but must be at least 6 feet tall. They need to be a minimum of 28 inches deep, but can be up to 48 inches deep. Long term, I will need several shelving units with a total of 160 lineal feet of width. But for now, I’m willing to travel to pick up just a few shelf units that are just 8 feet wide. Any well-made sturdy, shelf or rack design will do: RiveTier, round-post wire racks, Gorilla, Whalen, Muscle, Whirlpool-Gladiator, Xtreme Garage, Husky, or Edsal-style racks. These may be well-used, as long as they are still structurally sound and they will hold substantial weight. They don’t need to match — my workshop is not a beauty contest. Please e-mail me and let me know if you have any for sale, or know of someone who has some to sell. Thanks! – JWR

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Preparedness Planning: The Business Trip, By Mr. Zipph

From time to time, my job requires that I travel for meetings with vendors or clients and to attend conferences. Some of these trips require air travel, which brings unique challenges over automobile travel. You can’t carry many common prepping items on an airplane. Also, legal restrictions and lack of reciprocity create challenges when it comes to firearms. For a decade or so, I have carried various prepping items with me on trips, but have not spent a great deal of time planning what that kit should look like. During my most recent trip, I decided to plan better and make this trip a sort of planning dry run for a scenario in which everything went sideways.

My scenario is a three-night trip to a conference in the downtown area of a major city. I have a bias against checking baggage, so I limited myself to a wheel aboard suitcase and a briefcase, considering TSA restrictions. You can view the carry on restrictions on the TSA website. Historically, the TSA gate screeners have been sporadic in enforcing various restrictions and sometimes make up their own rules. At one point, I had been carrying a tactical pen with me on a routine basis. At the time it was not specifically listed on the prohibited list and many times it made it through the checkpoint, however after having a couple of them taken from me, I gave up on that. I now see that tactical pens are specifically listed as a prohibited item.

I took a ride share from the airport rather than renting a car because my travel was limited to the hotel and convention center which are very close to each other. The daily car rental and the hotel parking fee would have been unnecessary expenses which my employer would not appreciate.

In addition to accumulating prepping stuff and learning how to use it, I believe that it is extremely important to hone your resourcefulness skills to learn how to think quickly and clearly to develop strategies for situations and events for which you haven’t previously considered.

When all the Covid stuff started to happen, I was in an airport and overheard a couple of bankers from different institutions say that their companies were implementing a travel ban for their employees. This was before the shutdowns and other draconian measures that the local, state and federal governments would later implement. I knew something very weird was about to happen. I was traveling to California the following week, so I started to make alternative return travel plans, in case I couldn’t get home by air. I determined it would be a long trip, but I could travel home by rental car or train if needed. Luckily, those alternative plans were not needed.Continue reading“Preparedness Planning: The Business Trip, By Mr. Zipph”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a special look at the proliferation of data centers and bitcoin mining operations that have set up shop in the American Redoubt, to take advantage of inexpensive hydropower.

Idaho

Latest Trends of Bitcoin Mining in Idaho.

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Gov. Little signs disaster declaration for two counties due to spring flooding

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I recently made a repeat visit to Redoubt Surplus & Tactical at their new location, just north of Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho. I stopped there to pick up some more ammo cans and other assorted surplus items from among their big selection of gear. While I was there, I learned that they recently acquired more than a dozen used Polish army surplus commo wire spool deployment backpacks, complete with 1/4-mile-long spools of green heavy-duty two-conductor insulated field telephone wire. These, of course, pay out the wire behind you, as you walk. Due to their weight, Redoubt Surplus & Tactical is selling these only in their store — not by mail order. They are offering used packs, each with one full spool of continuity-checked wire, priced at less than $120!

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The boots of a missing young man have been found and his mother is speaking about his disappearance.

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Idaho National Guardsman among those arrested for Conspiracy to Riot in CDA.  JWR’s Comments: Not mentioned in the news story is that 29 of the other 30 individuals had no connection to Idaho. One is a former Idahoan, now living in Texas. This incident appears to have been the work of an out-of-state agitprop Rent-A-Mob!  Such racists should be shunned.

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Global Warming File: June snow falls on Schweitzer Mountain.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 20, 2022

June 20th is the birthday of Audie L. Murphy, America’s most-decorated veteran. He was born in 1925. He died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971.

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The Last Day! We are ending our summer sale, at Elk Creek Company at midnight, Pacific Time, tonight. We’ve reduced the prices on all of our percussion replica guns, and nearly all of our pre-1899 cartridge guns. With the recent dip in the spot price of silver, this is a great time to buy. Note that we have our prices listed in both pre-1965 silver coinage  and in current rapidly-inflating Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs.) Order soon!

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Today we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

CRKT Assisted Opening M16 Folders, by Pat Cascio

I have followed CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) since they first came on the cutlery scene many years ago. CRKT was actually formed by a couple of former executives from another knife company. It is now solely owned by Rod Bremer. We’ve been great friends ever since I first met him. Rod is now mostly retired. However he has an outstanding management team who runs CRKT and I’ve met most of them – all great folks to work with. As a disclaimer of sorts, CRKT produced my OC-3 double edge fixed blade fighting knife that I did as a collaboration with custom knife maker Brian Wagner. The OC3 was discontinued a few years ago. But folks still contact me, wanting to purchase one. The best that I can do is direct them to the Internet, to see if they can find one for sale.

Origin of The M16 Folders

The late Kit Carson was a custom knife designer/maker in his own right. He passed away in 2014. However, he left CRKT with a good number of knife designs, and his best work was his M16 lineup. Those have been in production for as long as I can remember. A really good knife design, usually lasts about 2-3 years on the market, and then it is discontinued. The M16 line is still going strong, with different versions and designs – a credit to the creative mind of Kit Carson – he knew what he was doing when he designed these knives.

I sure won’t take credit for anything Carson did with the M16 design. However, during one of my visits to CRKT, I was shown some of Carson’s designs, long before they came out. I immediately saw a few changes that could easily be done by CRKT. I thought they could produce these folders with different colored handles, to wit: Olive Drab green for military destined folders, orange for rescue personnel, and blue for law enforcement. It took CRKT a year or two, but they started producing some of the M16 line in those colors.

On to the current M16 lineup: These are, in my opinion the best they have produced. Oh, to be sure, these are still the famous and most sought-after designs. However, they all have a couple things in common. They are assisted opening, and one of the best assisted opening folders that I’ve seen. This assisted opening was designed by world-famous knife maker/designer Ken Onion, in Hawaii. Then, we have the Dead Bolt locking design, and this came from Flavio Ikoma – also of Hawaii and then throw in the IKBS pivoting ball bearing – also from Ikoma, and we have some of the slickest opening folders ever, That Dead Bolt locking system – just might be the strongest lock on a folder ever! And, I’ve tried my best to defeat this lock – couldn’t do it. You can destroy the knife, before the Dead Bolt lock will give way.Continue reading“CRKT Assisted Opening M16 Folders, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Pot Roast of Veal or Pork

The following Dutch Oven or Stock Pot recipe is adapted from The Scout’s Cookbook, published in England in 1959. In England, a Stock Pot is commonly called a “Billycan” or “Billy”.

This roast recipe can be cooked on a stovetop, or over an open fire, if you are careful.  A large Dutch Oven or Stock Pot with a lid is required.

You’ll need about 2½ lb. of loin of veal or pork (or if you’re partial to beef about 3 lb. of topside which you must ask the butcher to roll for you).

1. Put a knob of fat into your big billy and melt it.
2. Put the meat in this for a few minutes to brown it and then pour the fat away and take out the meat.
3. Put in your desired chopped vegetables – such as potatoes, carrots, and parsnips and half cover them with water.
4. Now add the meat which will “sit” on the vegetables and cook slowly, covered with a lid, for about 2 hours. The meat should then be fully cooked.
5. Have a hot dish or plates on which to put the meat and vegetables before serving, and while you make the gravy by adding a little Bovril or Marmite to the liquid in the billy.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!