Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I do not believe there ever was any life more attractive to a vigorous young fellow than life on a cattle ranch in those days. It was a fine, healthy life, too; it taught a man self-reliance, hardihood, and the value of instant decision…I enjoyed the life to the full." – Theodore Roosevelt

Letter Re: Vulnerability of Fish to Asian Avian Flu?

Regarding the question of fish and infection with H5N1 influenza virus: This is not the first time this question has come across my desk. While it is not wise to say “absolutely never” in biology, I find actual infection of fish with influenza viruses to be extremely unlikely. I’ve never encountered any study to show that fish (or insects, before someone asks) can be infected with or transmit influenza viruses. I am a public health M.D./epidemiologist, not a virologist, so I am prepared to be wrong. But I’d be surprised. The issue is not so much that certain animals are “cold blooded” — although that perhaps plays a role, since viruses have preferred temperatures for carrying out the molecular steps for infection — but rather involves the specific molecular biology of the influenza virus. In particular, there are specific proteins (hemagglutinin or “HA”) on the outside of each virus that determine what sorts of animal cells the virus can attach to and thereby infect. I don’t think any HA molecule subtypes will attach to the cell receptors found in fish or insects. Further, the various other components of the virus are also necessary for an infection cycle to be successful, and these components would probably not be expected to function properly in non-mammal, non-avian cells.
Having said all that, the issue of environmental “contamination” with this virus has indeed been raised with regard to fish farming. Influenza viruses in general are able to remain viable in the environment for extended periods, especially if cold and wet. There have been concerns raised (and refuted, but with little direct evidence one way or another) about chicken manure used as fish food in integrated operations in Asia. The real concern is that transport and spread of untreated manure from infected poultry could contribute to local spread of the virus, not so much that the farmed fish are directly infected. It’s worth reminding everyone that cooking easily kills influenza virus and other pathogens. If preparing raw meats, always practice safe kitchen procedures and avoid cross-contamination of cutting boards etc. Then WASH YOUR HANDS. I eat sushi, for what it’s worth. – A Public Health Physician

Letter Re: One Option for a Vehicular Bug-Out Bag

Jim:

I received the following recommendation from a buddy of mine in Houston:
“I bought one of these bags for the truck. It is well made and works as a “Oh Sh*t” bag. I put a Glock19 with 8 mags, 2 bottled waters, 2 flashlights, spare batteries, a folding knife, two 50 round boxes of spare ammo and still have room for whatever I come up with. It has a shoulder strap and when adjusted properly, hangs well to
the weak-side of body. The pockets are of various sizes and hold well. I take it out of the truck at night and place back [there] in the morning. Highly recommend. Hope that I never need it.” – K.T.

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader S.C. saw the recent item about 20 liter gas cans and mentioned that there is a great price (just $10 each) on military surplus gas cans at SwissArmyVehicles.com. (See their “Surplus” page.) When you consider that the shipping cost to most locations will exceed the cost of the can itself, you can see that they are a very good deal.

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Magma on the Move at Mount St. Helens

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First Silver Exchange Traded Fund Beats Expectations

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Persian Gulf Officials Discuss Nuclear Emergency Plan

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The high bid is currently $110 in the SurvivalBlog Bandwidth Fund benefit Book Auction. Please e-mail your bids before May 30th. Thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this fund raiser!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Our top focus – protecting our Nation – must go beyond homeland preparedness; America will only be secure if we deal with threats before they happen, not just after they happen." – Senator Dr. Bill Frist

Letter Re: Advice of Shotgun Shells and Shot Sizes

Jim,
I’m a strong fan of shotguns. Until recently, I was quite happy with whatever load was around the house stacked in the [shotgun magazine] tube for home defense. However, last year I was referred to The Box of Truth web site.The scary part is the comments on bird shot at the bottom:
“I saw a gunshot victim, about 5′ 10” and 200 lbs, taken to the operating room with a shotgun wound to the chest. He was shot at a range of six feet at a distance of just over the pectoralis muscle. He was sitting on his front porch and walked to the ambulance. We explored the chest after x-rays were taken. The ER doc had said ‘buckshot’ wound, but this was obviously not accurate. It was # 6 [bird] shot. There was a crater in the skin over an inch in diameter. When the shot hit the level of the ribs, it spread out about five inches. There was ONE pellet that had passed between the ribs and entered the pericardium, but not damaged the heart at all…”
There are other comments on the page, and several comparisons of shotguns to other weapons. Quoting an acquaintance of mine, “A 12 gauge pump is basically a Swiss Army Gun.”
I keep both slugs (for the truly appalling ballistic energy–3500 to 5000 foot-pounds) and 00 buck on the gun and in it. The arms locker has #7 and #4 [bird] shot for survival hunting, with additional buckshot. Deer can be more easily taken with a rifle, and if SHTF that’s what I’ll use. – Michael Z. Williamson

Three Letters Re: Request for Advice on Backup Power for a Well Pump

Jim,
In regard to the gentlemen asking about his well pump: There is a product called Generlink that is a lot easier to install than a transfer switch. Most well pumps are 220 volt but there are always exceptions. The web site for the item is www.generlink.com and I have heard some electrical coops will install them for free. – Gene in Walla Walla

James:
A single-load transfer switch can be added to the well-pump line. Cost is about $100 from Northern Tools. Depending upon your local regulations, this may require the services of a licensed electrician. And if your well pump is 220 volts, you will need one of the more expensive generators – the small, cheap ones don’t put out
220 volts.
If you’re going to all that expense, it’s probably foolish to limit yourself to powering only the well pump. Might just as well choose a loadside transfer switch ($250 – $500) which will allow you to power the freezer, lights, etc. If you know what you are doing (and local regulations allow) you can install one of these yourself.
If your well is not very deep, you might look into a 12-volt pump with a deep-cycle battery and solar charger.
That’s what I have here – but it only has to lift water about 2 feet. A pump such as the Shurflo used in campers and motor homes would work (< $100) – Irv

 

Hi,
I saw the letter today asking about back-up power for a well pump. I had the very same issue myself. We are the very last house on the power line and thus our power goes out more than most. I did the illegal/dangerous “run things off a generator with a male to male plug” for a while, but could not power my well pump this way as it is 220 Volt. So, realizing that it is dangerous and illegal to continue with my then current methods, I resolved to install a transfer switch. I am no electrical genius but it really wasn’t all that difficult – just time consuming. It all worked out fine and I think (I didn’t really keep track) that I spent something between $500 and $600 on the entire set-up. The transfer switch alone was about $200, the new box another $100, as I recall, so the parts are not cheap. However, if you do this right you are practically set up for a battery back-up or other alternate power source as well.

Before I did anything, I contacted the local code enforcement officer and asked for his advice. He was really quite helpful. I also went to a local electrical supply house – not a big box store – as these guys know a lot more about the codes, requirements, etc than they do at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. In any case, I have attached a photo of my project when it was almost done. As I said, it cost a fair amount of money and took me about a month to do off and on (I do have to work you know!), but it was a LOT less than having someone else do it.

I ran a line to my garage for the generator (must be three wires and a ground for code) and ran that into the transfer switch which I mounted next to my main box. Then I installed another smaller electrical box to the other side of that. I ran 60 amp service from the transfer switch to the new box and wired up as much as I could without disrupting the house circuits. Then all in one Saturday morning I ran the wires from the old box to the new for the circuits I wanted to power from my generator – refrigerator, freezer, well pump, kitchen, office and family room – and installed a 60 amp breaker and wired it all up to code as described by the inspector and the guys at the shop. I had no problem with the inspection because I talked with them FIRST and called and asked questions occasionally when something was unclear. However, now when I run my generator I do not have to worry about frying some lineman or one of my children if they go look at the funny male plug that fell out of the wall . . .

Also, it is easy to tell if your well pump is 110 or 220. Just look in your electrical box. If it runs with a circuit breaker it will be a two-pole switch (the kind with a bar across to throw 2 switches at once), not a single pole like the rest of the stuff in your box. The only other two-pole switches you might have would be for an electric dryer, electric stove, electric heat or other special 220 VAC items.In any case, the box should be labeled. Best Regards, – Tim P.

P.S.: I too have done business with The Pre-1899 Specialist and have received excellent information and a couple of fine rifles as a result.

Letter Re: The First Survivors–Concerning Spiritual Preparedness

Jim:

In previous pieces I have written for SurvivalBlog, I have told of ways to prepare Field Kits, and of Shooting Skills, and other preparedness information. In today’s article I will write a little about spiritual preparedness:

The first acting “survivalist” was probably Noah and his family. (Note: I do not take credit for being the first person to come up with this idea). Under God’s direction he built a “Bug out Vehicle” of sorts (Genesis 6:14-16). God gave them a way of escape, and direction to store the things they would need for the coming threat ahead as well as the future of the earth. They gathered and stored food stuffs, grains, water, tools, and raw materials (Genesis 6:21).

They gathered the various types of animals on the earth at that time, and of the animals God gave man for food – He had them gather seven pairs (male and female) instead of just one pair (Genesis 7:2-3). God was their protector through the devastation of the earth, but they had done their part by preparing what would be needed in their future.

Another type of survivor (in a spiritual sense) comes to mind. When Jesus Christ hung on the cross some 2000 years ago, there were two thieves who hung on crosses near Him. One believed that Jesus was the Christ, but the other did not. The one who believed was told by Jesus that “today shalt thou be with me in Paradise” (KJV, Luke 23:40-43). This second thief realized that Jesus was the Son of God. He feared God, and believed that Jesus was His Son. He professed this with his mouth, and being his last day on earth – he repented. Romans 10:9-10 (KJV) reads: “9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The thief had no time left on earth to “earn” his salvation, but the Bible says that if we believe and we repent – we can be saved. Our best “works” are not able to save us! (see Isaiah 64:6). Fortunately, God loved us enough to send His Son Jesus to die for our sins, taking our place on that cross! (John 3:16)

The believing thief was a “spiritual survivor”. The Bible says he will live eternally. You the reader have probably made plans and preparations for surviving the hard times ahead, but will you be an “eternal survivor” as well? – Christian Souljer

Odds ‘n Sods:

The ‘Worst case’ bird flu pandemic may have been underestimated. And it is now known that H5N1 can attack other organs — not just the human respiratory tract.

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Yevgeny Primakov’s view of the Iranian situation.

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SurvivalBlog reader RBS mentioned this article about the prospect of an inflation-proof “forever” postage stamp. If these ever get issued, then I’m stocking up!

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By way of Gold-Eagle, Jason Hommel comments on both the rapid expansion of the silver ETF and the threat of Bolivian silver mine expropriation

Letter Re: Junk Silver Bags–No Need to Inspect and Count 10,000 Silver Dimes

Hello Jim,
I am hoping that you can verify something for me about the [U.S. circulated} 90% silver [coin] bags. I just received my order of a $1,000 face [value] bag from The Tulving Company of California. I believe that I saw their name [mentioned] on SurvivalBlog a number of months ago. They have great customer service and the product came faster than they had promised. What I received from them came shipped in a plastic paint pail and inside was a flour sack, cloth bag, full of dimes and the weight printed on the UPS sticker showed 57 pounds. Sounds good, I think, but the bag inside has no markings and wasn’t sealed or sewn shut. It was just closed with a zip tie plastic fastener. Is this right, or should I be concerned? I am considering purchasing additional bags from them and my wife brought up that maybe I should ask a few questions instead of just accepting this as being appropriate. I really want this to be fine because I don’t want to have to count out all these dimes! Your insight would be greatly appreciated by my family! – S.C. in Washington

JWR Replies: Yes, The Tulving Company has been mentioned several times on SurvivalBlog. Tulving is a reputable dealer, from all reports. Don’t worry that the bag wasn’t sealed. In fact, most $1K bags are NOT sold sealed or sewn. Typically, dealers run any pre-1965 silver coin orders that are large enough to be sold “loose” or bagged (rather than in rolls) through a mechanical coin counter. A quick visual inspection will show you that all of the coins are pre-1965. (Scan for any rims that show a copper streak–which would indicate that any post 1964 clad copper coins got mixed in.) There is certainly no need for you to count 10,000 dimes. As long as the bag weighs at least 52 pounds, then you got your full 715 troy ounces of silver. (BTW, that +/- 715 ounce figure also applies for circulated silver quarters and half dollars. But because of their different specifications, silver dollar $1,000 bags contain around 765 ounces of silver.)

BTW, the quick way to gauge the value of a $1,000 bag versus the spot price of silver on any given day is simply to multiply the spot price by 715. Thus, at yesterday’s spot silver price of $13.85 per ounce, your $1,000 bag of dimes is worth $9,902.75. (Or just think of it as 9.9 times face value.)

Letter Re: Recommendations on Compact .223 Rifles

Jim,

I came across this .223 rifle made by Kel-Tec that folds down to 25″ and would fit into some backpacks. Let me know what you think. – G.C.P.

JWR Replies: The Kel-Tec SU-16s are reportedly fairly reliable and accurate. It is nice that they use standard AR-15/M16 magazines, which have become ubiquitous in the U.S., the Philippines, and several other countries. However, I have heard that SU-16s have three significant detractors, the first two of which concern the stock:

1.) The stock is relatively fragile and hence not suited for vigorous field use. They might suffice for target shooting, but I have my doubts that they would not stand up to the vigors of a worst case survival situation where you might have to repeatedly jump to a prone position or perhaps even use the buttstock as a weapon. (“Buttstroking” an opponent.)

2.) It is difficult to get a consistent “cheek weld” on the stock to allow accurate shooting.

3.) As currently shipped from the factory, SU-16s do not come with a flash hider. Yes, they can be retrofitted, but that is a +/- $100 gunsmithing job.

If you want a compact .223, I would instead recommend a Rock River (or similar) M4 carbine clone with a 16″ barrel. (Commonly called an “M4gery.”) They are very compact when broken down into upper and lower halves for backpack carry. Re-assembly and loading takes less than 15 seconds. They are also relatively compact once assembled–that is if the stock is in the collapsed position.

If absolute compactness is a must (such as for vehicular defense), and you only expect short range shooting, then you might opt for an Olympic Arms AR-type pistol. (Note: for these pistols to be legal in the U.S., they must be assembled on a special “Pistol” designated AR-15 lower receiver. If you want both a short barrel and a buttstock, then in the U.S. such a gun must be federally registered as a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR). For example, you could register an M4 receiver as an SBR and then re-assemble it with a 11.5 inch barreled upper receiver group. One captivating alternative for those of you that prefer HK designs, is getting one of the new semi-auto Vector V53.223 (HK-53) SBR clones with a collapsing stock. Sadly, these too must be registered as SBRs in the U.S.

Two Letters Re: Folding Fighting/Utility Knife Recommendations?

Mr. R.:
I read SurvivalBlog regularly – great site – and have been a contributor. It’s worth every penny. I would strongly encourage folks to check out Smokey Mountain Knife Works. I’ve gotten both CRKT and Cold Steel items there at very deep discounts. They’ve had both Kasper and Steve Ryan folders and fixed blades on sale at less than half their sale pricing elsewhere, both CRKT produced versions of those gentlemens’ customs. The Ryan Plan B fixed and the Model 7 folders are knives to have. They’ve had both full-size and compact Pendleton Hunters from Cold-Steel – not just a great knife but they come with adjustable Concealex sheaths, and once again, at prices almost too good.
Browse at Knives Plus for their Blade Clearinghouse. Spyderco has a new line of outsourced knives – the Byrd Line – and their Raven and Crows are the real deal; all metal folders that are very well-made, tight, and sharp. The Raven and Crow are less than $20, for what is essentially a $40 to $50 knife.
I’ve been “prepping” since ’97, filling in the edges as I go, and for “tools” these two sites are way ahead of the pack in choice and performance for price. Trust me – I’m a doctor, and there are no better prices to be found. – MurrDoc from NM

 

Dear Jim:
I carried a folder for years, but after taking a partial-contact knife class (with dull training blades) I am convinced that a fixed blade is much preferable Bottom line – have you ever tried to open a folder while being tackled or hit? Having done some well-padded half-contact sparring, I can testify how hard it is to pull off fine motor movements with an adrenaline dump, and under attack.

In a dynamic assault you just pull a fixed blade and go, not, “pull it, lever the folding blade open, and then make darn sure it’s locked before fighting, so you don’t cut your own fingers off!”

Just like gun fighting, to get a good idea of what really works you must do a realistic combat simulation – Gabe Suarez has some of the best insights here:
http://www.suarezinternational.com/igfdebriefing.html

It might even be legal in some of the semi-free states to carry a fixed blade!
http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm

Granted, a fixed blade is tougher to carry – but there are options. I like inside the waistband, appendix carry, clipped to the top of the pants, behind the belt.

Knife fighting is scary business! The more I learn about Close Quarter Combat, and how the bad guy who initiates has the advantage, the more I want to be well armed and trained. – OSOM – (Out of Sight, Out of Mind)

JWR Replies: I agree that fixed blade knives are definitely superior for self defense. The problem is that most people don’t have the discipline to carry a sheath knife daily. It is quick and easy to put a clip-back folding knife you trouser pocket every morning. I do just that, every day. (Except of course when I take a commercial airline flight.) But it takes far greater discipline to transfer a sheath knife every time your trousers go in the laundry, or every time that you switch from work jeans to “church” pants. There is the added complicating factor of societal acceptance. A clip-back folding knife elicits hardly more than a second glance–at least outside of big eastern cities. But a sheath knife is a whole ‘nother matter in many social situations. They are also banned from carry in many U.S. cities and counties. IMHO, the practical compromise between the two approaches is to carry a fairly large folder with a very positive automatic lock. (Such as found on most “liner” locks.)

BTW, training is crucial. Close quarter training is available from Front Sight and several other qualified training organizations.With the right training, drawing and opening a folder becomes a fluid, almost automatic reflex. Perfect practice makes perfect.