Letter Re: Link to Western US Climate Summaries

Western U.S. Climate Historical Summaries is another great link for those researching retreat locations in the western states. Includes 30 years’ averages for monthly max/min temperatures, precipitation and snowfall for a stunning number of locations (258 in Oregon alone). Great data on frost-free growing days. Also shows record temps, snow and rainfall — you see how the locals got those weather stories. Take care, LM.

Letter Re: Communications for Disasters–Are Scanners Useful?

Hi Jim.
I concur with your answer to the post regarding communications and scanner monitoring for disasters. I chose to and recommend implementing both multi-mode and redundant communications. Being that it may be virtually impossible to replace never mind repair most receivers and transceivers it is imperative to have at least two multi-band radios. Some good general coverage models that are still available are the venerable Radio Shack DX 300, DX 302 the DX 400 and the DX 440. The DX 400 and DX 440 are Sangean-made [chassis] in Radio Shack cases. All three radios are quite sensitive, wide band (the 302 tunes from .001 to 30 mhz and the 400/440s tune 150 KHz to 29.999 MHz), have AM–USB–LSB modes and the 400/440 has FM. There is a long list of Avanti, Kenwood, Yaesu, Drake, Icom and other manufacturers but the Radio Shack, Bearcat, Uniden and assorted host of off brands made by Uniden and Bearcat
are lower cost and easily found in pawn shops, big indoor flea markets and at yard sales. Ham radio fests will yield many receive only radios and in the big name offerings but they are quite pricey. There is one caveat though. The Sangean radios have a very sensitive field effect transistor (FET) connected to the external antenna circuit. A brisk static discharge could conceivably damage the FET. This is true to other models although varied across the manufacture spectrum. During built in antenna operation grounding out ones body is important. For fixed radio installations a grounded antenna switch, lightning discharge device (Blizt Bug) and disconnecting the antenna altogether are recommended.
For security work it is wise to have not only redundant transceivers and the associated accessories but, if ones budget makes it possible, multi band radios as well. For the sake of COMSEC, having a wide band of frequencies to select from decreases the odds of eavesdropping on the vital communications between the LP/OP(s) and the CQ desk. Dual band hand held transceivers such as the Yaesu FT50, and FT727A, are not only dual band (144-148, 440-450) radios but are highly programmable, and can have the frequencies “opened up” and have hi/low power outputs. The FT50 is small, both are rugged and have lots of accessories. Quite a few ham radio operator select models such as the Kenwood 221 and 231 2 Meter mobile that can have the band opened. Off band [transmission] has it’s advantages especially at low power so there is a lesson here. Most 2 Meter mobiles have up to 50 watts of output power so they can transmit a good distance, if COMSEC is not an issue. [This is quite effective when this available power is] combined with a with the proper beam [directional] antenna.
The aforementioned radios are to name a few. There are many models and makes to chose from. The newer versions are expensive and not as available at reasonable prices as their older counterparts. For those who can, touring pawn shops can result in some lucrative finds although pairs of like radios are the best choice.
As a note Rob at MURS Radios has been the model of helpfulness. He has answered all my e-mail queries regarding his radio offerings and will get my business. He even has the software available that will allow the operator to reprogram the radios at will which is important for comm security. – Joe from Tennessee

JWR Replies: I agree that it is wise to purchase redundant commo gear. There is a certain logic on buying three, four or even five older, used Radio Shack receivers for around $900 rather than the same amount on purchasing just one shiny new Drake R8B. OBTW, be sure to keep those spares in ammo cans, just in case of EMP.

By coincidence, my first general coverage receiver was a Radio Shack DX-302. It was a sturdy, very reliable receiver and it had the advantage of a 12 volt DC power input jack in the back. In retrospect, I should have never sold it.

Regarding “off band” (or out of band” or “freeband”) transmission: Such transmissions are not legal in the United States except under emergency conditions. Do the requisite research before considering “keying up” out of band!

I heard from Rob at MURS Radios that he temporarily ran out of stock but that he just restocked and is ready to ship. He usually get orders out within one to two business days but please order early if you want your radios in time for Christmas.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Writing in yesterday’s Daily Reckoning, editor Bill Bonner observed: “People who lend in dollars get repaid in dollars. An obvious consequence of a falling dollar is that lenders have to expect to get less back than they originally invested. In the last few weeks, the dollar has lost about 5% against the euro. Yet, the 91-day T-bill lending rate is only about 4.90%. Go figure. Lenders expected only 4.9% on their money – for a full year. And in a few weeks, they’ve lost more than that, in international terms. What’s more, they still have to pay taxes on the nominal gains…and still have to suffer the effects of domestic dollar inflation.”

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In an e-mail, Ron mentioned that Time magazine reported the Marines in Iraq are using silly string to detect trip wires on IEDs.

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The previously mentioned special promotion at Northern Tool & Equipment (one of our affiliate advertisers) has been extended to December 11th. Northern is offering sitewide Free Gift Cards with purchases over $100. You will need to enter keycode 94660 in order to receive their free gift card.

Note From JWR:

We had elk and tomato sauce with our spaghetti dinner last night. Yum! We all love the taste of “elkison” here at the Rawles Ranch. There is no shortage of elk in this region. Speaking of which, the elk have recently come down out of The Unnamed Range of Mountains (TUROM) to winter in our valley. In hard winters–as it appears this one will be–we dispense a bit of charity in the form of salt blocks, C-O-B sweet feed mix, and hay to the local deer and elk. We also sometimes see wild turkeys, bear, and moose here at the ranch. Even more rarely we see bighorn sheep and mountain goats on the cliffs that loom up on the other side of The Unnamed River (TUR), at the back end of our property. Between the fishing and the wild game, we will certainly never starve here.

Letter Re: Safe to Shoot 7.62mm NATO Ball in a .308 Winchester Civilian Sporting Rifle?

Hey Jim,
My father recently gave me a Winchester Model 88 [civilian lever action sporting rifle] chambered in .308 [Winchester]. I’ve acquired a few rounds of 7.62×51 ball from a separate source. Can I use that ammo in the rifle? I’ve Googled to no avail. Can you help? Thanks, – d’Heat

JWR Replies: The short answer to your question is: Yes. From a precise technical standpoint, they are not identical cartridges. Military 7.62mm NATO is almost dimensionally identical, but actually a hair longer than the SAAMI dimensional specs for .308 Winchester. Military 150 grain full metal jacket (“ball”) loads have lower chamber pressure than commercial 150 grain .308 Winchester hunting loads, and military brass is thicker than civilian brass. So what you mentioned doing is certainly safe.

All US military ball and nearly all of the European 7.62 NATO is non-corrosively primed, but keep in mind that tracer and incendiary loads leave a corrosive residue. (Clean your bore, chamber and bolt face three days in a row after firing anything suspected of being corrosive.)

You may be wondering: “What about the other way around”? I generally do not recommend shooting .308 Winchester commercial hunting loads through a military 7.62mm NATO rifle–especially a semi-auto. The specification for military rifle chamber length is 1.645 inches, versus 1.632 inches for civilian .308 Winchester chambers. The 0.013 inch difference may not sound like much, but the stress on commercial brass–which again is thinner than military brass–could conceivably cause head separations if fired in a military or paramilitary rifle such as an M1A, FAL, L1A1, or AR-10. This is especially true for handloaders that use brass over and over. For this reason, I exclusively use once-fired U.S. military match grade brass for all of my .308 handloads. That way we can use the same ammo in any of our L1A1s, in the Memsahib’s .308 Valmet, and in our various .308 bolt action rifles.

Letter Re: Tool Chest Needs of the Survivalist

As a survivalist, you need a complete set of tools to keep your stuff running. As this could include cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, ATVs, bicycles, snowmobiles, little red wagons, etc. You
might think that is already a fair number of different types of tools required. But what about other things you might need tools for? Some examples:
Weapons – tools used by a gunsmith or armorer are rather specialized.
General – Hammers are a common, but what about sledge hammers? What about post-hole diggers? Axes? Hatchets? Roofing hammers? Crow-bars? Saws?
Levels? Mattocks? etc., etc., etc.
Plumbing – Requires some specialized tools, pipe wrenches, pipe cutters, and maybe a [propane] torch if working with copper.
Electronics – From soldering to testing, voltage meter, lots of specialized tools required.
Electrical – AC/DC, some similarities and some differences to electronic tools.
Blacksmithing – Very specialized set of tools here, especially if one includes [farrier] equipment to shoe horses.
Butchering – Not only the knives and saws but also grinders and sausage makers.
Also consider how many of each tool that you should plan for.As an example, imagine your group has two shovels and one axe. So if you send one group out to chop down a tree, another to pull a stump, and another to work on fighting positions, which ones will get the tools they need to get their job done? Or will each have to cool their heels until the tools become available for them?
Each group would have need of each of the two tool types mentioned. So you can see where you might run into issues. Especially if all three jobs were important to the same end result. Say you need the tree chopped down to provide overheard cover for the fighting position. And the stump that needs to be removed was from a tree that was cut down to provide wood used to strengthen the parapet of the fighting position, but it is now blocking some of the field of fire for that fighting position. And of course the fighting position is needed to defend the retreat. Should one try to prioritize such work, or is it better to have enough of tools to equip everyone? – R.C. (Submitted with permission of the author–a moderator on the Yahoo Group “Survival Retreat”)

Silver–I Really, Really Told You So!

I noticed that the spot market price of silver closed at over $14 per ounce yesterday. Back when silver was around $7 an ounce I told you that silver was likely to double, and now, just 17 months later, it has indeed. I also predicted that silver would out-perform gold. I was right about that, too. As I’ve stated before, I think that we are in the opening phase of a multi-year bull market for precious metals, and a bear market for the dollar. I hope that you folks took my advice and bought some silver. Back on August 6, of 2005, when I first started SurvivalBlog, I wrote this, citing my earlier track record on the metals market:

“I posted the following to the misc.survivalism Usenet newsgroup on February 8, 2001, under the title: Rawles Calls Major Bottom in Silver Price: [Begin quote] “I have come to the conclusion that the long term bear trend in the price of silver has finally come to an end. Silver touched $4.55 earlier today. (Feb. 8, 2001.) If it closes in N.Y. at over $4.75 anytime in the next few weeks, that would be a strong bullish indicator. Look at the six month and ten year silver charts at www.kitco.com for the “big picture.” Once there is a strong bullish indication, don’t hesitate to buy a good chunk of silver, pronto. FWIW, I just made another silver purchase to take advantage of the recent dip. (I’d rather buy early than late.) For those of you living in the United States, I recommend buying silver in the form of pre-1965 mint date circulated U.S. silver coinage (dimes, quarters, and half dollars.) That is the best for barter purposes, and unlike bullion rounds/bars is less likely to be subject to government confiscation. See the free FAQs at my web site for details: www.rawles.to. For the market fundamentals on silver, see: http://www.silver-investor.com (Some interesting observations on the lack of silver to meet demand.) And for general information and analysis on precious metals, see: http://www.gold-eagle.com/ (Note: I am not affiliated in any way with either of these sites.)

[Some commentary on interest rates snipped, for brevity]

I may not have called the bottom perfectly, (silver may sag down to $4.25 before it rallies), but beyond that, in my opinion the downside risk is minimal. And what about gold, you may ask? In my opinion, silver is much more likely to double than gold. This is much like buying penny stocks. (Which is more likely double–XYZ Corp. at 58 cents a share, or IBM at $108.00 a share?)” [End quote]

For the record (as of August 4, 2005): IBM now sells at $83.12 a share. (A 24% loss, after more than four years. Charming.) And I wasn’t far from the mark when I cited $4.25 as the potential bottom. Silver actually bottomed just a few months later, at $4.19 per ounce. (I was off by less than 2% of calling the absolute bottom in a 10+ year bear market.) Silver has risen in fits and starts ever since. I am still convinced that silver is in the early stages of a multi-decade bull market and is headed to $60 per ounce (and possibly higher.) Spot silver was at $7.21 an ounce at yesterday’s close, according to the folks at Kitco–a 58.1% gain, after four+ years.) But IMHO silver is still a bargain. In the long run the dollar is doomed. Are you worried that investing in silver won’t earn interest or dividends? Silver isn’t that sort of investment. Rather, think of it as fire insurance–for the dollar. Oh, and what about the fact that silver dropped from $7.21 to $7.11 on Friday (5 August)? The silver market is volatile. You should look beyond the daily fluctuations and instead concentrate on the long term trend. Gold is and silver are both in long term secular bull markets.”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader H.V. suggested this article: Zimbabwe Finance Minister promises to slash inflation by two-thirds. What a vast improvement! If he manages to accomplish this, then the inflation rate would only be around 400%, annually. Please pray that Comrade Mugabe and his henchmen leave Zimbabwe soon and that they are replaced with a legitimate, competent government.

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Fred The Valmet-meister mentioned that he was experimenting with his Civil Defense surplus Geiger counter and was shocked at the high readings from his lantern mantles. “With Coleman [mantles], I got 800 – 1000 millirad. I also have a set of Primus mantles, and with those I got 1500 millirad!” .Then he started doing so web research and he found this web site. It has some interesting lists of the household items that are radioactive.

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Reader R.C. mentioned that he saw a notice that the SurplusRifle.com web site will be taken down in March of 2007. They are suggesting that people buy their two CD collections of all site material for $5 each.

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“Papiere, bitte.” U.S. Driver’s Licenses are becoming a de facto National Identity Card.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In the questions of power, then, let no more be heard of the confidence in man, but bind him down by the chains of the Constitution." – Thomas Jefferson

Note From JWR:

The high bid is at $245 in the latest SurvivalBlog benefit auction, This one is for a big batch of 16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine folks at Ready Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers. Be sure to visit their site and give them some business. BTW, they have additional copies of each of the titles listed below, as well as more than a hundred other titles.)

Please submit your bid via e-mail. The auction ends on January 15th. The books in the auction lot include:

1. From Seed to Bloom- How to Grow Over 500 Annuals, Perennials & Herbs by Eileen Powell
2. Keeping the Harvest- Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioffi & Gretchen Mead
3. How to Build Your Own Log Home For Less Than $15,000 by Robert L. Williams
4. Camouflage by Desert Publications
5. Natural Pest Control- Alternatives to Chemicals for the Home and Garden by Andrew Lopez The Invisible Gardener
6. The AR-15/M16- A Practical Guide by Duncan Long
7. Apocalypse Tomorrow by Duncan Long
8. Guide To Emergency Survival Communications- How to Build and Power Your System by Dave Ingram
9. Raising Rabbits The Modern Way by Bob Bennett
10. Mountainman Crafts and Skills- An Illustrated Guide to Clothing, Shelter, Equipment and Wilderness Living by David Montgomery.
11. A Guide to Raising Pigs- Care, Facilities, Management, Breed Selection by Kelly Klober
12. Survival, Evasion and Escape by Desert Publications
13. Raising Your Own Turkeys by Leonard S. Mercia

and, three more books that I’m adding, just to “sweeten the pot”:

14. “Patriots: Surviving The Coming Collapse” (the scarce out of print Huntington House edition)
15. The Encyclopedia of Country Living by the late Carla Emery
16. One more surprise book title!

Together, these books have a retail value well in excess of $250. Get your bid in soon!

Letter Re: Signs of Potential Currency Hyperinflation, by Lee Rogers

Jim,
The article on currency hyperinflation [by Lee Roger, posted on November 30th] was interesting. However, trying to keep the puny penny alive to prevent hyperinflation is like trying to prevent floods by banning depth gauges.

Someone will need to explain to me why we need any coinage with a denomination less than the value of a minute of a minimum wage worker’s time. For decades in earlier times, our smallest coin was worth about as much as out current dime.

How many billions in wasted time would be saved if we had a simple coinage system that reflected real current prices, instead of living in denial about past and current inflation?

I propose that we could optimally operate with fewer coins: dimes, halves, and dollars, plus $5 coins. All transactions transacted in tenth dollars (drop the whole darn penny digit) Four useful coins for daily transactions, instead of the current six. Drop the wallet-bursting $1 bill, and the silly $2 bill, and keep the $5 as the lowest [denomination] bill. Add a $500 bill to allow more portable wealth, and the system makes as much sense as it used to.

Anyone who worries that this will cause more inflation is well-advised to buy precious metals. And of course, it would be better if the coinage and currency reflected real value. But that is no reason to live in denial about the reality of inflation. A pocket full of worthless change will not change economic reality.

Also, note that www.coinflation.com is an interesting source to determine the theoretical “value” of coins based on their metal content. But be cautioned that no one is paying these prices. They reflect the value if the metals were separated and pure. The cost of the mint to buy the metal to produce a coin does not mean that it has that value to any buyer. Sure, you can “double your money” by picking out pre-1982 copper pennies. But if it takes you only 6 seconds to find each one, you are earning only minimum wage. Never mind that the cost to transport it to copper buyers would eat much of your profits.- Mr. Bravo

Letter Re: Muzzleloaders for Long Term TEOTWAWKI

Dear Mr Rawles,
It is possible that I am simply not an attentive reader of the Survival Blog, so I may have missed this.
However, it seems to me that rather than getting into technically very difficult and potentially very dangerous pursuits involving home-made brass & home-made primers, why not become proficient with a flintlock rifle?
Flintlocks never went completely out of style, and there are many, many excellent makers today.
In the hands of a practiced marksman, a flintlock is certainly the equal of any modern rifle out to 100 or 200 yards, and at the Battle of New Orleans, Kentucky riflemen brought down redcoats at 400 yards or more.
Firing a flintlock requires no fancy chemical primers: just black powder. Black powder is dangerous to make yourself, but it is chemically simpler than percussion primer powder. Round balls are convenient to cast from lead. And flints can be hand-knapped. A good rifle will be nearly 100% in ignition. The only drawback it seems to me is that it is a single shot per barrel per load, but two barrel rifles are not unknown.
All the very best, – Dr. W.A.

JWR Replies: We have covered blackpowder (BP) muzzleloaders on SurvivalBlog, but not nearly to the extent that the subject deserves. Back in February of Aught Six, I posted the following in reply to another letter on blackpowder arms: “I agree that BP guns do have a place in survival planning. However, if someone’s main goal is getting guns that are outside of Federal jurisdiction (with no purchase paperwork required in most locales), from a practical standpoint they are better off buying pre-1899 cartridge guns from the 1890s, such as
the Mausers and the S&W top break revolvers that are sold by dealers such as The Pre-1899 Specialist. If, in contrast, the intent is to have guns that will remain useful in the event of a multi-generational societal collapse, them BP guns make a lot of sense. Lead for bullet/ball casting can be stored in quantity, and even salvaged wheel weights or battery plate lead could be
substituted.
Black powder and percussion caps could conceivably be “home brewed”–although there are some serious safety considerations.

BP arms have lower velocity and hence less stopping power than modern smokeless powder cartridge guns. However, they can still be fairly reliable stoppers. I would NOT want to be a burglar confronted by a homeowner that is holding a pair of Ruger Old Army .44 percussion cap revolvers! OBTW, since black powder leaves a hygroscopic residue that is inherently corrosive, I recommend buying stainless steel guns whenever possible. So make that a pair of stainless steel Ruger Old Army .44 percussion cap revolvers. If you ever envision BP guns being pressed into service for self-defense, then get models that optimize fast follow-up shots and fast reloading.
For example, consider the the Kodiak double rifle. (Up to .72 caliber rifles,. plus 12 and 10 gauge shotgun variants.) Some brands of BP revolvers have cylinders that are relatively quick to change. For those, it makes sense to buy two or three spare cylinders for each gun that can be kept loaded. Of course be sure to have each gun tested with all of the cylinders to make sure that they all function and “register” correctly.

Letter Re: A Further Slide For The US Dollar?

Jim,
I wonder how many other folks have read this: ” …Ritholtz told WorldNetDaily that yesterday’s downward move “was a major market correction that points to the risk of subsequent downside to the dollar,” and “… but the recent fall suggests “the probabilities have increased of a major dollar correction, or even of a collapse.” ” The whole story can be found at the WorldNetDaily web site. – Joe from Tennessee

Odds ‘n Sods:

 Reader S.P. mentioned this interesting new photovoltaic power technology. Could a price breakthrough on solar panels be coming soon?

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In a recent phone conversation, The Chartist Gnome told me that there are now rumors of a U.S. Dollar collapse circulating on Wall Street. Echoing this sentiment came this article:
about the dollar’s slide. The Dollar lost 1.7% against the Euro jut last week. (Thanks to Mike the Blacksmith for that article link.) My advice: Be like the Boy Scout. If you haven’t already, diversify out of dollars and into tangibles.

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Ben. L. recommended an interesting retrospective about the Swine Flu scare of ’74/’75, comparing the world today, and the relatively greater threat posed by Asian Avian Flu.