Odds ‘n Sods:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction (for a fully stocked M-17 Advanced Medical Bag/Rucksack) is already up to $180. Special thanks to the folks at Ready Made Resources, who donated the kit. Please submit your bids via e-mail.

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I heard from SurvivalBlog reader T.C. that he was disappointed by the “beater” Turkish contract Model 1893 Mauser rifle that he recently purchased from Sportsman’s Guide for $299. (He saw it advertised in a shooting magazine with nationwide circulation.) He reported that the rifle he received had less than 10% bluing remaining, a very dark “sewer pipe” bore, and a badly gouged stock. In my reply, I mentioned that The Pre-1899 Specialist (one of our advertisers) currently has a small but very nice hand-picked batch of rifles from the same Oberndorf Mauser Turkish contract. These are selling for just $199 each. Less money for a better grade of rifle. That doesn’t require a lot of deliberation! I suggest that T.C. either return that “beater” for a refund, or set it aside as a source of spare parts. He should buy one or more of the nice hand picked ones from The Pre-1899 Specialist, while they still have some left.

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Cheaper Than Dirt! has decided to cease its Affiliated Sales Program, effective June 9th. If you’ve been dawdling on placing an order, you now have less than a week to get your order in and still have a commission on the sale credited to SurvivalBlog.

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The recent dip in silver to under $12 an ounce makes it a bargain. Buy on these dips. A year from now, today’s price will seem very low.

Note From JWR:

Today, we begin another SurvivalBlog benefit auction. This one is for a fully stocked M-17 Advanced Medical Bag (Backpack), donated by one of our most loyal advertisers, Ready Made Resources. This bag has a $179 retail value. Also included as a bonus is a 5 gram unit of Traumadex instant wound clotter (a $25 value.) Please submit your bids via e-mail. The opening bid is just $30!

Letter Re: Advice on Firearms Caching

Mr. R.:
We started playing around with this eventuality in the 1990s.  A few observations:
We buried old guns and cartridges in 155mm howitzer tubes (M82) in our garden, where they were regularly watered over. End-result ? With dessicant tins inside, they were A-OK after 6 months. Others buried out in the boonies, without regular water-challenge, were A-OK after 12 and 18 months. No rust. Cartridges went bang. Guns functioned flawlessly. We’d prepped them with ProLix, a non-petroleum based cleaner/lube/protectant. ( ProChemCo, ph. 800-248-LUBE ) I’ve tried most products and this is superior. I’ve cleaned scrupulously (can you say “OCD”? ) with others on successive days, waited 24 hours, and pulled more residue with this stuff. Excellent product and a good crew at their new location. I cache weapons in a “ready-to-go” format, with basic ammo load, BoreSnake, a 1-oz Prolix, special parts (as indicated), and a few other goodies in a fanny with the weapon. As example, broken-shell extractors, extra mags or stripper clips, a Fobus [holster], extractors or other parts likely to fail are squirreled away with the gun. A good folder, lighter, compass, and other elective gear are easy to pre-pack.  I’m lazy, and fallible under stress, and try to simplify and streamline the protocol for Grab ‘n Go!,  predicated on prior setup in a safe container or secure locale.
A quick note, the various “burial tubes” should not be emplaced vertically; it’s virtually impossible to remove them quickly if you do so. Pick a spot with nearby metal, or salt the area with scrap rusted metal. In this neighborhood there are utility boxes, poles, and fence lines to shadow any detectors and function as markers for us and others. Lay them in, with a rope affixed to one end, and they pull out readily.  Seeding in more junk metal to an area with doubled radius increases the search area by a factor of 4+. Eventually the job becomes too difficult – in any real sense – for the searchers.
The 155mm tubes were available from an Illinois company (Shotgun News may still have them as a regular advertiser) and they easily function as a full blown survival capsule. The ends have seals, and can be tightened with a 2 x 4 section. Prep the O-ring seal with Nu-Vinyl, and have a small tube of silicon grease sealant , and when needed, they can be readied and dropped in place.
The 25mm cannon shell boxes used to be a real bargain, but their days at $5 are long gone. They are as durable and effective as the tubes, if you are willing to pay the price that they command nowadays. Look around your property and neighborhood, and the best spots will eventually jump-out at you. – MurrDoc

Letter Re: Get Ready While You Can, When You Can

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Arguably, the first commandments of the preparedness movement is to get ready for bad times before they get here. However, it doesn’t have to be TEOTWAWKI for it to be too late, or darn close to it. I offer the following real life example to illustrate the point. I get a lot of sinus headaches, especially this time of year; what I have always relied on to relieve them is Tylenol Sinus formula. Traditionally, the active ingredients have been acetaminophen (for pain) and pseudo-ephedrine (for nasal decongestion). Because scum use the latter ingredient in making crystal meth, the powers-that-be have been making it harder and harder to get; what used to be a category of products one could find right next to aspirin was moved behind the pharmacist’s counter. In response to this, and in order to get them back on the other side of the counter, the drug manufacturers (not just the Tylenol people, but all of them it seems) have been reformulating their offerings, replacing pseudo-ephedrine with phenylephrine. I have tried one of these reformulated products, and what can I say? I would compare products containing phenylephrine to bodily-waste, except that would be an insult to bodily-waste. After all, bodily-waste can serve a useful purpose (returning nutrients to soil, be processed into methane for fuel, etc.); drugs containing phenylephrine serve no useful purpose, including their stated one — relieving sinus pain.With this in mind, I decided to (along with my normal, weekly shopping) go on a little quest: stockpile as much actual sinus relief as I can, while I still can (wasn’t there a “Seinfeld” episode like this, involving Elaine and birth control? But I digress.) So what were my results for the day? Two stores had nothing left, and at three other stores I was able to acquire: 1 box of Tylenol Sinus, 1 box of Advil Sinus and one store-brand box of non-drowsy, nasal decongestant (which doesn’t contain any pain reliever, but I can always take with a couple of Tylenol, Advil or whatever). I would have been willing to buy more at each of these stores, but doing so would have raised eyebrows. I think I may make the rounds again tomorrow, at different stores. I would like to have enough to last me through at least 2007 — possibly 2008 (when most of these items would appear to be past there expiration dates anyway). I don’t know what I will do beyond then. Nasal sprays also seem to work with me, but I really do not like them, and have always saved them as a last resort. Things tend to be a lot more lax on the other side of the border. Theoretically, I could pop down to Tijuana [Mexico] and pick-up a box or two of ‘whatever’,and not have any problems getting that back across the border, but that is an awful lot of work. Hmmm…
Anyway, the point being, I can see any number of circumstances where the things we want and/or need (defensive firearms training, fuel stabilizer, freeze dried food, solar panels — you name it) could become unavailable well before we need them. So, to everyone out there, if you think you’ll need it can afford it: Get it now, get it before it’s too late. Best Wishes, – James

Odds ‘n Sods:

The next U.S. hurricane season: The government says “you’re on your own.”

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Thousands quarantined in Bucharest to stop spread of Asian Avian Flu.

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SurvivalBlog reader J.C.S. alerted us to an auction for 20 factory refurbished Motorola Talkabout T7200 NiMH GMRS 2-Way Radios on eBay for $69 USD each.

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The P-10 self-contained fallout shelter that I mentioned previously is still available on eBay. It appears that somebody with some foresight is going to get an $80,000 shelter for around $27,500.

Note from JWR:

And the winner of Round 4 is… “Northwest Huey”, for his article “Using Rechargeable Batteries”, which was posted to SurvivalBlog on May 30th. He will be mailed a transferable gray Front Sight Four Day Course Certificate. (It can also be used for two people to attend two day courses.) Congratulations! Meanwhile, Round 5 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is already underway.

Further congratulations to David M., the high bidder in the SurvivalBlog fund raiser book auction. Many thanks, sir, for your generous $200 bid. Kudos to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for donating their last copy of “Patriots” for this auction!

And also today, we welcome our latest advertiser, Survival Logistics. They specialize in storm and fallout shelters, safe rooms, shelter ventilation/filtration systems, and storm shelter retrofitting. Be sure to visit their site and check out their full product line.

Letter Re: East Coast WTSHTF: You Can’t Get There From Here

Sir:
In my role as “the good citizen” and amateur radio operator, I have just competed a state sponsored FEMA “Incident Command System” class (IC-700). My worst concerns regarding bugging out from my coastal home in Connecticut were
confirmed at that class. Here in Connecticut we have no mass evacuation routes available or realistic plans in place to deal with a catastrophic scenario resulting in the exiting of the people who live in this area.
You see we already have quite an impressive rush hour traffic pattern which as gotten geometrically worse over the past 30 years. Back in 1976, the morning traffic heading to New York City (NYC) would be backed up starting about a half mile East of the
City of Stamford on I-95 (I-95 runs East-West in CT). Today, we (in CT) see traffic crawling through Bridgeport and stop and go from Westport down to Greenwich. This means that what would normally take 30 minutes to travel 25 miles now takes 90 minutes. And that is on a good day! All it takes is just one tractor-trailer accident to shut the highway down (or cripple it).
Now imagine a SHTF situation causing people fleeing NYC, Metro NYC and Coastal Connecticut…
The gridlock would be spectacular. As they say in the coun

Letter Re: Recommendations on Flashlights and Battery Powered Lamps?

Jim,
You recently endorsed reader recommendations for kerosene lamps.  What about flashlights and battery powered lamps?  Do you have any recommendations there?
 
I realize battery powered devices may have limited value in a long-term, grid-down scenario.  But what about short-term scenarios like a power outage associated with a hurricane–a few days or weeks? Best Regards, – d’Heat

JWR Replies: The advent of white light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the 1990s revolutionized flashlight technology. Up until a couple of years ago, I would not have recommended buying an electric camping lantern, since they were such battery hogs. But now, a new generation of white LED lanterns remarkably little current, allowing batteries last surprisingly long time. For example a Tuff Brite rechargeable LED lantern can operate for up to 70 hours on one charge. These are available from Northern Tool & Equipment and several other Internet vendors. (Search on: Tuff Brite Model # VEC144.)

Letter Re: The Mainland Chinese Threat

Jim:
While we pour blood and treasure onto the shifting Iraqi sands and frighten ourselves silly with the scarecrow of terrorism… Red China forges ahead with one of the greatest military buildups in history.
 
Jed Babbin and Ed Timberlake have put together a compelling case as to why we need to refocus our attention on the red giant.
 
Of particular interest is a 228 page document titled “Unrestricted Warfare“, written by Colonels Qaio Liang and Wang Xiangsui of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
 
I fear we are living in the declining years of the American Republic. – Dutch in Wyoming

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"When evil wins in the world, it is only by the default of the good. That is why one man of reason and moral stature is more important actually and potentially, than a million fools." – Ayn Rand

David in Israel Re: Buckshot’s Survival Attitude Versus the “Commando” Survival Attitude

James:
Just a quick response as I expect such responses after the pro .30-30 posts.
1- Outfit with a basic defensive firearm .30-30, SKS, 12 gauge, etc.
2- Take care of other more important survival purchases
3- When your budget allows upgrade to better defensive weapons
4- Don’t let ownership of exotic/military utility weapons make you believe you are a SEAL (the point of the .30-30 post)

Unless defense is the most pressing danger, then don’t sink your whole survival budget into guns if you can already accomplish that mission with existing arms. Most of us enjoy firearms and we are always tempted to justify a new firearm upgrade instead of the boring grain mill and basic shelter type stuff. – David

Letter From Buckshot Re: Housing Bubble Schizophrenia

Hi Jim,
I was over on Realtor.com and checking on housing prices for the bubble. On the right hand side was books advertisements. The first one listed was Cash in on the Coming Real Estate Crash, the second book was Learn How to Profit from Foreclosures Without Risking Your Savings! the books are from Wiley real estate.
 
Talk about Wiley Coyote stepping off the cliff on part of the page they are trying to sell houses and the other part they are saying Real Estate is going to crash. Only in America. Here’s the link to Wiley

Letter Re: Firearms Training and Subsequent Practice

Jim:
Reading the letter from the gentleman who mentioned on all the western states instruction opportunities compared to the eastern ones, I noticed my all-time favorite instructor was not mentioned: Pat Goodale, of Practical Firearms Training. His primary range is located in West Virginia, and I wholeheartedly recommend his courses.
Last year I decided I was slacking off with my practice and signed up for a full summer of his courses (he also owns a company in Montana, so there are courses offered here as well). I took Defensive Handgun I, II, and III, Precision Rifle, Tactical Rifle, and will be taking Defensive Shotgun this year. His courses run about $150 per day, are limited in class size, and are an incredible value. I’ve been to Front Sight, and while it was good training, I think it was nowhere near as fantastic as what I’ve
learned from Pat. In the handgun courses we expended 500 rounds per day – same for tactical rifle. It’s fast-paced training, and well worth anyone’s time to take the trip to Alderson, WV or Billings, MT for the course. If you can get 8-10 of your friends to pitch in, Pat will even come to your location and customize courses for you.
I have sent half a dozen students to Pat; some driving all the way from Florida and Ohio. Everyone says the same thing – take advantage of this top-notch instruction while you can. I can certainly assure you it’s the best training I’ve received to date. You (or your readers) can check out my class reviews here:

Defensive Handgun I & II.

Defensive Handgun III.

Tactical Rifle I.

Precision Rifle:

Enjoy. 🙂 And if any of your readers go, tell Pat that Kit sent you. – Kit