Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. in .308, by Thomas Christianson

I don’t know what your experience of the post-2020 ammo shortage has been. In our area, it seemed to go through a number of stages. In the first stage, the most commonly used calibers like 9mm, 5.56X45mm, and .308 Winchester sold out first. Then the less commonly used calibers gradually sold out in the order of their popularity. Then the most commonly used calibers gradually became available again at greatly inflated prices. Then some of the less commonly used calibers gradually became available again at even more greatly inflated prices. Then, prices gradually began to come down on the more commonly used calibers. Prices came down more slowly on less commonly used calibers, and some of the least commonly used calibers remained almost impossible to get at any price.

This pattern convinced me that I ought to give some attention to firearms chambered in the three most popular calibers. I already had firearms chambered in 9mm and 5.56x45mm, but I did not have anything chambered in .308 Winchester. I touched base with some of my contacts in the firearms industry about borrowing a rifle in .308 for testing and evaluation. I found out that there would be a long wait time due to demand. Their companies were selling rifles just as fast as they could make them, so they did not have any extra units on hand to loan out.Continue reading“Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. in .308, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Avalanche Lily’s Lamb Meatballs

The following recipe is for Avalanche Lily’s Lamb Meatballs.

Ingredients
  • Three pounds of Ground Lamb
  • 1/2 cup freshly-picked Mint leaves, chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup freshly-picked Lemon Mint, chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup freshly-picked Thyme, chopped fine
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin (I haven’t had success in growing Cumin, yet)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh freshly-picked Oregano, chopped fine
  • Juice of two squeezed Lemons
  • 1 medium freshly pulled Onion chopped fine, or substitute onion greens, or chives
  • 1 large Garlic Clove or equivalent volume of Scapes, chopped fine
  • Himalayan Salt or Celtic Sea Salt
Directions
  1. Thaw lamb in large mixing bowl.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 450 F.
  3. Put all ingredients and then mix it with spoon or fork, or with your hands.
  4. Roll the meat mixture into two-inch diameter meat balls with your hands.
  5. Place on a deep-sided cookie sheet or in a pyrex casserole dish.
  6. Cook at 450 F for about 25 minutes.
SERVING

Serve with rice, or baked potato, or on homemade pita or flatbread.  Best served with a green salad.

STORAGE

Can be frozen for future meals.

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Do you have a well-tested 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 recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, some analysis of the recent jump in spot silver. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold/Silver: A new leg higher or a bull trap?

o  o  o

Morris Hubbart, at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Surges & Silver Surges More.

Economy & Finance:

I missed seeing this, when it was posted back in March: Analysis of the President’s FY 2024 Budget.

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Over at Zero Hedge: Endgame: US Federal Debt Interest Payments About To Hit $1 Trillion.

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Alt-Market: Globalists Suggest ‘Finance Shock’ And Climate Controls To Launch Their Great Reset.

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A piece by M.N. Gordon that I found linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Are You Willing to Starve for the Greater Good?

o  o  o

21 minutes, well-spent, to watch this, from Patriot Nurse: Welcome to the Endgame: This is What a Crash Looks Like.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In great empires the people who live in the capitol, and in the provinces remote from the scene of action, feel, many of them scarce any inconveniency from the war; but enjoy, at their ease, the amusement of reading in the newspapers the exploits of their own fleets and armies. To them this amusement compensates the small difference between the taxes which they pay on account of the war, and those which they had been accustomed to pay in time of peace. They are commonly dissatisfied with the return of peace, which puts an end to their amusement, and to a thousand visionary hopes of conquest and national glory, from a longer continuance of the war.” – Adam Smith, from: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Book 5, Chapter 3

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 16, 2023

July 16th is the anniversary of the first successful atomic bomb test in Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1945. This portentous event heralded the advent of the age of nuclear weapons. Plans for the creation of a uranium bomb by the Allies were established as early as 1939. In 1940, the federal government granted a total of $6,000 for research, but in early 1942, with the United States at war, the limits on spending were removed. The total cost was in excess of $2 billion. Germany was also feared to be working on a bomb, as was Japan, though neither of those nations could bring the requisite resources to bear in time before their defeat. With the Alamogordo bomb test, the nuclear age was born.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 107 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. 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. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $825,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 107 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.

Building a Simple Faraday Cage, by OhioGalt

This article describes the effects of EMP and CME and how to build a simple inexpensive Faraday cage.

Most readers of the SurvivalBlog are aware of the potential damage from either a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and the impact on everyday electronics. With an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse is generated at high altitudes from a nuclear explosion damaging sensitive electronics. A CME damages electronics in a similar way with the release of a large solar flare from the sun reaches carrying magnetic fluxes and plasma toward earth. These magnetic fluxes interfere with Earth’s magnetic fields and create current surges in power systems and electronics. As of this writing, there is several C and M class flare activity causing some Amateur Radio blackouts on the lower bands. To follow active solar weather visit Spaceweather.com.Continue reading“Building a Simple Faraday Cage, by OhioGalt”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Since You “Representatives” Now Just Pretend To Spend Our Tax Dollars Wisely

From Now On, We’re Just Going to Pretend To List Our Full Income On Our Tax Returns

Note From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” – Revelation 6 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 15, 2023

On July 15th, 1888, the Bandai Volcano erupted on the Japanese island of Honshu killing hundreds and burying many nearby villages in ash. While Honshu is in an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, this eruption was surprising. The volcano had erupted only four times in the 1,000 years prior and none had been particularly deadly. However, this eruption was different. The rumblings started just after 7 a.m. Within 30 minutes there was an explosion on the north side of the mountain and over the next two hours there were dozens of explosions giving villagers very little time to escape.

—

Just two weeks left to get in your entries for Round 107 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $825,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 107 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.

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Today’s feature article is by JWR.

Some Elements of American Redoubt Culture

It has been said that most regions of the United States have distinct norms and cultures. Though we lack a distinctive accent, Redoubters definitely have our own culture.

To sum it up in one sentence, I’d say the culture is marked by: fierce independence and conservatism, but with a kindly streak.  I’ll try to articulate that more fully, in the rest of this essay.Continue reading“Some Elements of American Redoubt Culture”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I finished unloading and stacking the last of the hay that we hauled to the ranch last week. That was only about 50 bales. No sweat. (Actually, just a brief sweat. Good exercise!)  So I can soon temporarily get back to my firewood project. But first…

We had some trouble with a few of our cattle escaping a pasture along a shallow stretch of The Unnamed River (TUR).  This has also happened in a few previous summers, when the river water level dropped. So I built a new 300-foot-long fence, with an arch gate. That should keep the cattle where they are supposed to be. But only time will tell…

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” – Psalm 43 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 14, 2023

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on June 14th, 1777, stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag– a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 107 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. 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. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $825,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 107 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.

Could You Live Off Your Land, Right Now?, by SaraSue

As world events, both nationally and internationally, explode in violence, deep debt, instability, and uncertainty, I ask myself have I done enough?  Am I far enough away from the violence?  Do I have systems in place that will hold me and my family in good stead for years to come?  It’s complicated, and a heavy burden, to detach from the culture, from the world systems, and to create a self-sufficient lifestyle.  It is also freeing.  There’s so much detail to each aspect that it’s no wonder people throw up their hands and say it’s impossible.  I think it’s possible to a large degree, and I accept the things that still connect me to the “System”.  Until… I find a way to sever those things, or I am forced to, whichever comes first.

Examples of things that still connect me are: banking, taxes, insurance, electricity, products I cannot make myself, and Internet access.  Those are not small things, but they are the things that remain until I am able to detach from those things too.  I have done a good job of avoiding excessive taxation, but I can’t go without banking or insurance.  I could live without the products I cannot make, raise, or grow, certainly.  And I would be happy if the entire Internet crashed and burned – really.  I fully expect bank closures on the order of weeks, not days, so keeping the gas tank full, the home well stocked, and having some cash on hand, as well as barter items, makes sense.  Affording alternative energy has been a problem for me with so many other demands.  If the grid goes down for a very long time, I don’t think being able to purchase enough gas for the vehicle and generator is a long-term solution.  Maybe if the cost of solar wasn’t so outrageous, I could at least keep the basics running.  In the North, the worst problem is keeping warm, so a wood-burning stove is critical.  But, in the South, the worst problem is keeping cool enough to function.  The “Himidity” (heat and humidity) is suffocating.Continue reading“Could You Live Off Your Land, Right Now?, by SaraSue”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we cover the announcement of a planned new BRICS Gold-Backed Currency. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Spot silver jumped nearly 4.5% in one day on Wednesday, to $24.39 per Troy ounce. Meanwhile gold was up 1.33% to $1,971 per Troy ounce.  I hope that my readers have been paying attention to the markets and have been buying on the dips.

o  o  o

‘The Most Insane Thing Ever’ – Man Finds Huge Hoard Of Civil War Gold On Kentucky Farm.

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Kelsey Williams: The Federal Reserve and $10,000 Gold.

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India restricts import of plain gold jewelry.

Economy & Finance:

At Investopedia: Recession vs. Slowdown: Economic Forecasts Cloudy for the Rest of 2023.

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Bloomberg: Economists Cut China GDP Forecasts After Disappointing Data.

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Posted by the Conference Board, in mid-June: Global Forecast Update.  Here is an excerpt:

“The outlook for other emerging economies is mixed. Other developing Asian economies (e.g., India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines) continue to post relatively strong growth, driven among other things by rebounding domestic activity and tourism. The slowdown that we see elsewhere is also not visible in sub-Saharan African economies, with the exception of South Africa. Asian and sub-Saharan African economies are therefore positive outliers in the context of global growth forecasted at a relatively subdued 2.6 percent. The outlook for Latin American economies is more subdued, particularly Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Colombia. The weaker outlook is associated external factors such as slowing global demand and lower commodity prices, as well as internal factors such as very tight monetary policy leading to elevated interest rates, troubling public finances and political instability.”

o  o  o

A Breitbart article that I found linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Kerry: Fiduciary Responsibility of Money Managers ‘Not to Lose’ Money Is Hurting Climate Transition Investment.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”