Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The notion that you can somehow defeat violence by submitting to it is simply a flight from fact. As I have said, it is only possible to people who have money and guns between themselves and reality." – George Orwell, 1941

Notes from JWR:

I just received another case (10 copies) of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery. This book is a “must” for the bookshelf of every well-prepared family. For any of you that would like to buy several copies for gifts, for the next 10 days I’m offering special discounts on quantity purchases. See my mail order catalog for details.

Today we present another article submitted for Round 9 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This one is from a certified Glock Armorer. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. If you want a chance to win the contest, start writing and e-mail us your article. Round 9 will end on March 31st. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Ensuring Glock Pistol Reliability, by Frank Hawkins

Failure to go “bang” when you need it is a frustrating experience that could produce a sinking feeling in your stomach if the situation is desperate enough. For the Glock pistol, this failure is rare, but it does happen. If you keep your Glock clean, then debris won’t be the problem. With a clean Glock, failure to fire is because of the failure of one (or both) of two different springs: the Trigger Spring or the Firing Pin Spring.
Original Equipment Manufactured (OEM) Glock parts seldom fail. Such failure usually has one of several antecedents: (1) someone has replaced the OEM parts with other parts of lighter “competition” tolerances, or (2) someone has disassembled the Glock and reassembled the OEM parts incorrectly, or (3) someone has reassembled the Glock minus a critical part.
Glock pistols are popular among IDPA and USPSA competitors. Many of them have internally modified their handguns to some extent. Months or years later, if the gun is sold or traded, the modified parts usually stay with it. There are, also, many home “gunsmiths” – and even a few commercial ones – who do work on Glocks. Sometimes, a mistake will be made and failures to fire will happen on down the line.
If you are the original owner of your Glock pistol and have never had it modified for competitive shooting, you probably have little to worry about. But if you are a subsequent owner and are not certain of its history, you may want to change these two springs and assure yourself that they are OEM compliant. By the end of this article, you will be able to change those two springs.
Parts Needed:
1. OEM Firing Pin Spring
2. OEM Trigger Spring
Each of these are currently selling on the Internet for as little as $2.49 each. Both springs fit all Glocks. [JWR Adds: I recommend that all Glock owners buy two or three spares of each, in addition to the generically advised “spare firing pin and extractor.”]
Tools Needed:
1. One 3/32″ pin punch

Necessary Terminology:
The left side of the handgun is the side which in on your left as the weapon’s muzzle points toward the target.
Disassembly (General):
1. Remove the magazine and ensure that the weapon is empty.
2. Following the Owner’s Manual instructions, remove the slide and barrel from the grip/frame.
3. Set the barrel and the recoil spring assembly aside. You won’t be needing to deal with them.
1/4
Replacing the Trigger Spring
Disassembly of the Receiver Group:
Look at the left side of the receiver. Are there two pins above the trigger? Or is there one pin above the trigger? If there are two pins, remove the top pin first (this is the Locking Block Pin), the Locking Block Pin is the first pin out and the first pin in when you reassemble). If there is only one pin above the trigger, skip to step #2.
1. Place the receiver group in it’s right side and, using your 3/32nd pin punch, drift-out the Locking Block Pin from left to right. If your weapon has never been disassembled before, this may take some strong pressure on your part, but do not use a hammer to assist your pin punch. Keep pushing it and it will eventually start to come out. Push it all the way through the right side of the receiver and set the pin aside.
2. Remove the Trigger Pin. Hold the receiver in your left hand with the muscle end toward your body. With your left thumb, jiggle the Slide Stop Lever up, down forward and back while (using the pin punch held in your right hand) you begin pushing the Trigger Pin from left-to-right through the receiver. Do not use a hammer to assist the pin punch.
If the Trigger Pin gets stuck only part of the way out of the right side, Stop! With the pin punch, gently push it back in from the right side of the receiver and begin Step #2 over. Keep doing this over until you learn your Trigger Pin’s “sweet spot”.
When the Trigger Pin has been pushed through, remove it and set it aside.
3. Grasp the Slide Stop Lever with your fingers and lift it out of the receiver. Set it aside.
4. Remove the Locking Block: From the left side of the receiver, place the tip of your pin punch under the rear edge of the Locking Block and rest the shank of your pin punch on the left side of the receiver. Using the receiver as a fulcrum, lift the Locking Block out of the receiver and set it aside.
5. Remove the Trigger Mechanism Housing: Using the pin punch, push the Trigger Mechanism Housing Pin out of the rear part of the grip. Then, place the tip of the pin punch under the Ejector and rest the shank of the pin punch on the left side of the receiver and pry out the Trigger Mechanism Housing
6. Remove the Trigger Spring: Hold the Trigger Assembly with its right side facing you. Pull forward on the Trigger Bar while rotating the Trigger Bar counter-clockwise. Now, pull the Trigger Bar free of its housing. The little spring that connects the Trigger Bar to the Trigger Housing is the Trigger Spring. Remove the Trigger Spring by working the hooked end of the spring out of its hole in the Trigger Bar. Work the Trigger Spring out of the Housing Mechanism by removing the lower spring hook from the hole.

Replacing the Trigger Spring:
Place the Housing Mechanism so that you are looking at its right side. Position your new Trigger Spring in your hand so that its two hooks form an “S” as you look at it. Hook the lower end of the “S” into the hole in the Housing Mechanism. Hook the upper end of the
“ S” into the hole in the Trigger Bar.
Reassembly of the Receiver Group:
This is accomplished in reverse order of disassembly
If you have a Locking Block Pin, remember that if it was the first pin that comes out, then it’s the first pin you put back in.
When you get to the re-installation of the Slide Stop Lever, remember the wiggling and jiggling you did to get it out. As you are inserting the Trigger Pin, move the Slide Stop Lever forward and backward while giving pressure to the Trigger Pin. The Trigger Pin should be inserted from right to left.
Replacing the Firing Pin Spring
Removing the Firing Pin and Firing Pin Spring:
Place the Slide, muzzle end down, of a flat surface with the Slide’s underside facing you. You will see a silver protrusion toward the back end of the Slide on the side that’s facing you; this is the tang of the Firing Pin. The Spacer Sleeve is just under that tang.
1. Grip the Slide in your left hand. Hold the pin punch in your right hand. With the tip of the pin punch, press downward on the Spacer Sleeve. At the same time, use your left thumb to slide the Slide Cover Plate off of the Slide. (Note: If your weapon has never been disassembled before, you may need a thin-bladed screwdriver to get the Slide Cover Plate started) As the Slide Cover Plate slides off, keep your left thumb over the vacant area … or else springs will go flying.
2. Remove the Firing Pin by grasping the Spacer Sleeve and pulling it out of the Slide. Clean off any lubrication that someone may have squirted in there.
3. Take the Spacer Sleeve off of the Firing Pin (but, before you do, look at how one fits into the other for purposes of reassembly). Place the Firing Pin in reverse position in its hole in the Slide to that its tang is resting either to the right or left of the Firing Pin hole.
4. Pull down on the Firing Pin Spring and remove the Spring Cups. Set the Spring Cups aside.
5. Remove the Firing Pin Spring and replace it with your new one.
Note #1: there is a black plastic part inside the Firing Pin channel called the Channel Liner. If this falls out during your work, simply put it back in.
Note #2: When reassembling the Firing Pin and Firing Pin Spring, be very careful with the Spring Cups, if you make a mistake, they can go flying. You may want to do the Spring Cup reassembly part inside of a 1 gallon plastic bag. Also, be certain that the small end of the Spring Cups are inside the Firing Pin Spring.
Reassembly of the Slide Group: This is done in reverse order.

Letter Re: Stocking Up on Augmentin–the Antibiotic of Choice

Jim:
I’m somewhat reluctant to offer blanket medical advice to non-patients, but after reading SF in Hawaii’s comments about Augmentin (Amoxicillin-clavulanate) bears comment.
There is no ‘one best antibiotic’ for all purposes. Antibiotics have to be administered based on the specific type of bacteria causing an infection. Administering the wrong antibiotic doesn’t just not work, it causes bacteria that are not killed outright to become resistant to it – which can cause problems down the road. People have pathogenic bacteria in and on them all the time, when something causes them to go out of balance and cause disease. At the very basic level, antibiotics are based on the cell wall of the bacteria (which determines if it will stain pink or blue with the Gram microscopic stain process). Once that determination is made, certain bacteria are sensitive to certain drugs.
If I were to recommend a basic armamentarium of oral antibiotics, I’d have to pick at least 5 different ones. I actually carry these, plus another drug, gatifloxacin that is no longer available in the US, plus 4 or 5 intravenous/intramuscular (IV/IM) [injectable] drugs, and pick the best drug for the problem at hand:
1. Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) 500mg twice a day for infectious (bacterial) diarrhea (5 days max), anthrax prophylaxis (x60 days), uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) (7 days max), gonorrhea (1-2 tabs, once)
Given the incidence of certain bacteria that are resistant to ciprofloxacin, it is also wise now to also carry azithromycin
2. Azithromycin 250mg Comes in packs of 6 for 5 days dosage, take 2 the first day, then 1 a day until gone, for bronchitis, pneumonia, or serious throat infection.
3. Ampicillin 500 mg 4 times a day for , or amoxicillin-clavulanate 875 mg twice a day (Augmentin, very expensive) for sinus infection, skin infection, or ear infection, gastro-intestinal (GI), or genitourinary (GU)
4. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 160/800mg (double strength) twice a day, 7-10 days or doxycycline 100 mg twice a day, for 7 days for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, UTI, otitis media, sinusitis, bronchitis
Doxycycline is also a chloroquine-resistant malaria prophylaxis, take 1 daily starting 2 days before travel until 4 weeks (28 days) after return from endemic area, effective against Rickettsials (Rocky Mountain spotted fever)
5. Metronidazole 500mg 4 times a day for 7-14 days effective against Giardia lamblia and for dental infections, trichomoniasis

Augmentin is very good for animal (especially cat) bites, but it is quite expensive. Amoxicillin is a synthetic penicillin, the clavulinic acid (clavulanate) contributes penicillinase (an enzyme some bacteria produce that inhibits penicillin effectiveness) resistance.
This list is in no way comprehensive, nor are the indications the only possible uses for the drug, or the only drug for a condition.
Take care, and keep up the good work. – Flighter, MD

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jon H. forwarded an article that indicates that the mainstream media may be catching a clue on food storage preparedness: The emergency fund you can eat

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Matt B. sent a link to this video on how to escape from handcuffs, using a bobby pin. (The chances of being handcuffed by looters or home invasion robbers is small, but you never know what might happen.)

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Feds say Family has No Rightful Claim to 1933 ‘Double Eagle’ Gold Coins. What ever happened to our legal system’s foundational presumption of innocence?

Note from JWR:

Congrats to David C., the high bidder in the most recent SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. It was kindly donated by the fine folks at Schecter Guitar Research. Today, we are beginning a new auction, this auction is for several items that are being auctioned together as a lot: 1.) A late-1940s-vintage Airline brand all vacuum tube (highly EMP resistant) AM tabletop radio in a attractive bakelite cabinet. It works very well. and, 2.) A special five book package including: one autographed copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, one autographed copy of Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , one autographed copy of SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1, one autographed copy of my novel Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse, and one copy of The Encyclopedia of Country Living by the late Carla Emery. These items have a combined retail value of around $370. The auction ends on April 15th. The opening bid is just $40. You can e-mail me your bid.

Letter Re: Selecting a Retreat Location in Australia, by Mike McD.

Jim:
1) I traveled around Australia for several weeks a few years ago. Australia’s main problem as a survival retreat is shown by a comparison of its population with that of its neighbors to the north:
a) Australia: 20.5 million
b) Neighbors: 1,869 Million
( China: 1,321 million, Indonesia: 223 million , Vietnam: 85 million,
Malaysia: 27 million, Philippines: 85 million, Japan: 128 million )
Note that the invasion route to Australia from Asia is a chain of islands with short distances between them.
Australia would probably have been occupied by the Japanese in WWII if not for the US Navy and would probably be invaded within a decade if the US Navy ever withdrew.
The technological advantage over Asia that Australia had 150 years ago has largely disappeared — as has the Royal Navy.

2) The second thing to realize is that many of the eastern coastal strips that receive rainfall consist of extremely rugged terrain — networks of deep canyons with vertical sides and narrow ridges.
I would hate to be caught in one of those box canyons if a wildfire erupted in the extremely dry, eucalyptus forests. The area of useful farmland is even smaller than would appear from a country-scale map.
Other hazards include some extremely ill-tempered vipers and brushwood that has poisonous splinters. As mentioned in the article, most of the country is arid desert in which long term survival would be difficult. – Don W.

JWR Replies: You are right about the sheer weight of population numbers in Asia. But I have to wonder what circumstances would precipitate a mass illegal immigration. If there is a total collapse, how would those countless million get to Australia? By sailboat? Perhaps some Australians readers would care to chime in with their opinions.

My key question is: Are there some particular towns that are well-removed from the major population centers on the east coast –perhaps up in The Wet– that would be well-suited as safe havens?

Four Letters Re: Comments on High Capacity .45 ACP Pistols

James:
You asked for comments on the Taurus 24/7, so I thought I would give you my opinion. The major appeal of this gun to me was the price. I got mine for about $315 brand new with three magazines.
Aside from price, the other deciding factor was the ergonomics. With the Ribber grip, the gun is very comfortable to hold and to shoot. Since I bought the gun for my wife, who has small hands, this was a major factor. The manual safety was also important to my wife, although I don’t find them necessary if you know what you are doing.
Other nice features include the tactical mount and the loaded chamber indicator.
As far as reliability goes, my wife and I have put about 600 rounds through it, without a single malfunction. I have always kept the gun clean, and well maintained, so I do not know how it performs when dirty, but as it is being used strictly for home and vehicle protection, I am disinclined to put it through any real torture tests.
Accuracy is good enough for a pistol, and I am sure it the gun is accurate beyond my own limits, but the double action only (DAO) trigger has a lot of travel to it, which is something to be overcome, especially when shooting rapid fire groups. Tests show that it can shoot 4 inch groups at 25 yards, and I have never shot it at a known distance (KD) range, but I don’t doubt that it can.
All things considered, I am very happy with this gun, as is my wife. The only major drawback to it is its size. Since we got the compact, not the subcompact model, it barely fits in my wife’s purse, and lately it stays at home and my wife carries a Kahr P40 instead. Also worth noting is that I have never found a quality holster that was specifically designed for it.
I would recommend the gun to anyone who needs firepower and doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, but if you can spare $150 more, then you can’t go wrong with a Glock [Model 21]. – Pete

 

Mr. Rawles:
My experience with a Glock 21 .45 Auto: I’ve owned my 1st generation (no finger grooves or rail) Glock 21 .45 ACP with factory installed Trijicon sights for about 13 years. I bought it new and it has yet to malfunction. It will reliably run with both FMJ and JHP cartridges without modifications. I’ve put a few thousand factory loads through mine and it has yet to malfunction even once. Before my purchase I read about Glock’s drop tests and torture tests, talked to others that owned them and was finally convinced Glock was the way to go for me. If you adopt the mentality that your finger should remain off the trigger until ready to fire, the lack of a manual safety is not a detriment (like “Hoot” in Black Hawk Down – with his crooked finger in the air – “This here is my safety”). The G21 does feel large in my hand., but not enough that I can’t use it effectively. I’ve toyed with the idea of a custom grip reduction, but it may not be necessary for me. At the time I made the purchase HK didn’t have a comparable model. The G21 has a 13 round capacity and I wanted a capacity similar to the wondernine (large capacity 9mm) handgun it was replacing (I quickly got over the “tacticool” 9mm when I studied Dr. Martin Fackler’s data). The main advantages I saw, then and now, are reliability out of the box, price (I paid $529 in the early 1990s, about the same price now), parts are readily available (and Glock seems glad to sell them), accuracy and magazine capacity. Magazine prices average $16, though it’s worth mentioning that high capacity models crested $100 each during the 1994-2004 ban, during which I paid $55 each for used hi-cap magazines and I was glad to get them at the time (I installed Wolff springs in the used mags). I’ve been seeking another 1st generation G21 locally since “two is one – one is none” is a thought for the day. Other than the Wolff magazine springs, the only accessory I’ve seen fit to add is a Surefire tactical light and mount designed specifically for the Glock models that lack an accessory rail. The light has a quick detach feature (a part of the mount stays on the pistol frame) that is very easy to use. I have a Blackhawk holster that works well with or without the light. Before I added the Surefire mount, I carried the G21 in a Bianchi UM-84 holster and was pleased with how it fit.

Glock has recently introduced a new model .45 recently dubbed G21SF with a reduced the grip size (still 13 rounds), added a Picatinny 1913-sized rail and ambidextrous magazine release. I’ve been told the new rail design won’t work with some existing G21 holsters. The new magazine release requires a different magazine with a notch in the front of the magazine body. The G21SF specification magazine will work in the old G21s, but the old mags won’t work in the G21SF. From what I’ve seen Glock is only shipping the new magazine design now at the same price as the old mags. I’ve already noticed the new magazine design on gun show tables. I haven’t held a G21SF yet, but hope to do so soon. Kind Regards, – M. Artixerxe

 

Jim:
I am very impressed by the reliability, parts availability, and accuracy of STI pistols. They are more expensive than owning a Glock. In fact, for the price of a new STI you can own three new Glocks. For the price of a used STI you can probably own four used Glocks.
I have Glocks in 9mm and 10mm. Fantastic pistols. However, I shoot nothing better than I shoot my single stack .45s and my high-cap STIs.
STI is the big dog in competitions such as USPSA, IPSC. The guys who shoot them are hardcore and would buy anything better if it existed. After probably 50,000 rounds through my STIs they have all proven dead nuts reliable.
A high capacity .45 STI Eagle will cost about $1,600 new. Magazines that hold 15 rounds are $60. Not cheap, but excellent quality. Regards, – Straightblast

 

Jim,
About six months ago my wife bought a [Springfield Armory] XD in 9mm. After she fired it she made me take it to the range on my next trip to give it a run thru. I was so impressed I traded one of my two stainless steel HK USP 45s for a NIB bi-tone XD also in 9mm with light and a couple of other items including 10 used USGI 30 round AR[-15/M16] magazines. I replaced the USP as my daily carry and now use the XD as my primary.
The USP 45 is a good platform, however it is extremely ammo picky. Point in case is Wolf brand ammunition. Both of my USPs and a friends USP 45 cannot reliably fire Wolf brand ammo. Time and again they cannot chamber the round and become so stuck [that] alternate means of clearing the pistol is required (mallet to hammer it closed and hope when fired the case extracts, not recommended). The same can also be said for the occasional S&B round as well. The XD eats them all. As my skills have progressed I also am not pleased with the accuracy of any of the USPs I’ve shot, for the price they are disappointing. Out of the box both of our XDs are extremely accurate. I still have one of the USPs in my collection and as a carry gun for so many years I don’t know if I can part with it.
At the time of buying my XD I did not know about the parts issue and I found out when I went to order some extras as I was planning on using them as my ‘house standard’. With close to 1,000 rounds thru both the XDs without a single failure in these past few months (including roughly 50% Wolf brand ammo) I’m glad I have it. I don’t like the feel of glocks and neither does my wife, we’d never buy one. The verdict is out on a standard sidearm for my house, a pair of XDs a pair of [Beretta] 92FSs, several other 9mms… I know the .45 comment will be coming so here is something to consider- in my house I have a wife and three daughters. I’ll leave it at that, the .45 versus 9mm [arguments] have been beaten to death. To each their own and unlike the military I can shoot +p hollow points. 😉
One last thought: My wife was recently shooting her new SIG P228 and was getting some failures to eject. I had no issues and I figured out pretty quickly she was ‘limp wristing’ the pistol. Never had that issue with the XD. I hope that helps and if Springfield ever starts selling parts for the XD I’ll likely buy three more XD9s for the safe and enough parts to go around. – Prometheus

Odds ‘n Sods:

I mentioned this site about a year ago: Glock 21 Torture Test. But since then, the author has expanded his web page to describe his more recent tests, including driving over the Glock, and dropping it out of an airplane.

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Farmers Told “Don’t Panic Over Iowa [Soybean] Rust Discovery”

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Michael A. sent us this link to the calendar of scheduled Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) resets, from analysts at Credit Suisse. Michael’s comments: “The sub-primes are especially scary. I doubt many of them will be able to roll into a new mortgage given the tightening loan standards.” Here is a related article at Winter Economic & Market Watch. Some serious FFTAGFFR, folks!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." – Ronald Wilson Reagan

Notes from JWR:

Today is the last day of bidding in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. The high bid is now at $400. This is an awesome guitar that is decorated in a military aviation theme, from Schecter’s Tempest series. It has a $729 retail value. It was kindly donated by the fine folks at Schecter Guitar Research. The auction ends at midnight tonight. (March 15th.) Just e-mail me your bid.

Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Green Mountain Gear, in Vermont. They sell a broad line of tactical field gear, MOLLE gear, trauma kits, guns, gun accessories, optics, night vision gear, knives, survival kits, and backpacking stoves. Watch for announcements in coming weeks for Green Mountain Gear’s special “SurvivalBlog Group Buys.” These special deep discount purchases will be made directly from manufacturers. In a Group Buy, blog readers will e-mail their commitments on the quantity of an item that they’d like to buy. Based on our combined buying power, special wholesale pricing will be arranged with a manufacturer. I’ve been told that here are already Groups Buys planned for a variety of full capacity magazines and MOLLE gear.

Letter Re: Honey–Storage Life, Crystallization, Storage Quantities, and Medicinal Uses

Jim:
I was at Costco this week and paid particular attention to the bulk honey supplies they had . (I was buying a few 96 ounce jugs of Clover brand honey – good stuff). I had last purchased some of the same honey two months ago. It is now up nearly 80 cents from that time. In speaking to a friend who is involved in honey sales and production of bee related product, waxes, etc, they are very concerned about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and declines in the [bee] populations. They agree with points made at SurvivalBlog that prices will increase noticeably and that CCD and declining populations will finally make it to the big media. As he said, “Watch the sales take off and prices really rise.” Can’t stress enough getting that honey squirreled away.

On a side note, the honey I purchased has a “best when used by” date of February 2009. [JWR Adds: As explained in my recent SurvivalBlog article on honey, that date only reflects when the honey can be expected to crystallize. It is still edible and nutritious for decades.]
Best Regards, – MP in Seattle

Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Springfield Armory XD Pistols

Hi Jim,
I am grateful for your suggestion of the [Springfield Armory] XD in 45 ACP. I hadn’t heard of it before and the price is appealing. Could you take a few minutes to address the “cons” listed at Wikipedia? That would be much appreciated! – Eric M.

JWR Replies: As you will see in the following paragraphs, I’m now having serious second thoughts about suggesting the XD pistols for a survival battery. The following are the XD “Cons” mentioned in Wikipedia (in orange text). My comments are in-line:

* Though some parts can be purchased through aftermarket suppliers, Springfield Armory refuses to sell some individual XD parts. Springfield Armory’s position seems to be that with a lifetime warranty that includes repair work, parts sales are not necessary. This is a major stumbling block for shooters who are involved in competitive pistol activities, because they are unable to keep a small stock of parts on hand for emergencies. People who carry their pistol every day (and thus are unable to ship their gun off for a week while it’s being repaired) have also complained about the policy.

That is a huge issue, and one that would prevent me from buying one of these pistols until parts do become available. I just consulted with master pistol gunsmith Teddy Jacobsen. When I asked him about obtaining spare parts for XDs, this was his reply:

“Hi Jim,
Sad to say I can not [get parts for XD pistols.] This is not the kind of gun to buy because the factory will ask you to send the gun to them for repair. That alone cost one hundred dollars FedEx over night, round trip.

They will not sell anyone critical parts. I had a man call me who broke his trigger bar and SA would not sell him one. He was going to take it to a local welding shop and have it welded up so he could sell it.

Its a nightmare trying to replace the pressed-in extractor. I called a plater that I know very well and asked him how he gets the extractor out in order to plate the slide. He told me he can not get it out and he plates the slide with the extractor in place.

I wish I had a better solution but for a survival weapon the Glock is the way to go. I just did some work for special ops in “The Big Sandbox” and one was a Glock and the other an HK. You can buy any part for a Glock an change the extractor in 30 seconds.”

* Those who have tried installing aftermarket or custom sights on XD’s have reported that removing the existing sights can be an extremely difficult process, often requiring the services of a gunsmith.

I’d recommend having Trijicon do that work. To do that you mail just your slide to Tooltech Gunsight. (That is Trijicon’s custom installation shop.)

* Pre-2006 versions of the XD were protected with a metal treatment called Burinal™. Some who own pistols with the Burinal™ treatment have reported significant rust problems – especially those who carry the XD against their skin. Fortunately, current versions of the XD are being manufactured the Melonite™ brand of Carbonitriding, which is the same process as the Tenifer™ coating used on Glocks.

That is no longer much of an issue. No new XD pistols will be delivered with the old finish, and 80% of these guns hitting the secondary market have the new finish. The ones that have the old finish often sell at a discount. (That, BTW, is a good bargaining strategy.) If you do buy one with the discontinued porous Burinal finish, you can send it off to Arizona Response Systems, The Robar Company, or Century Gun Works for coating in an exotic, rust-resistant finish.

However, in my opinion the spare parts issue is a “show stopper” for XD purchases. Unless or until parts become readily available, then I’d recommend not buying an XD and instead buying a HK USP or a Glock Model 21. If you get a Glock, you can have its grips re-contoured (or “reduced”) by gunsmiths like Mark Graham at Arizona Response Systems.

BTW, I would appreciate first-hand comments from SurvivalBlog on the HK USP and other polymer frame high capacity .45s. There are now a lot of makers offering them, including the S&W 99, and the Taurus 24/7. Steyr also plans to produce a polymer frame .45, but it will use a single column magazine. Perhaps even the “also ran” Ruger’s 8 round P97 bears mentioning.

Letter Re: The Psychology of Denial in the Information Age

Jim:
Good morning. I don’t know that I have seen any discussion on your blog on the psychology of denial–why folks aren’t more prepared. I acknowledge that it may not be the most vital topic, and that you are doing your part to get the word out, but I correspond to you on this topic in sheer frustration.
Let me be more specific. I have friends and family members who make serious money in their chosen professions, many of whom are in the finance sector. Yet, when I raise the barest reference to preparation and our fragile infrastructure, it’s like I just started speaking in five-thousand year old Greek. They have ample resources to buy peace of mind with supplies and equipment that’s a fraction of their annual income, but they don’t. The world will go on merrily. They’ll never be a TEOTWAWKI. Somehow, in their mind it’s good financial sense to spend thousands on all manner of insurance (life, car, health, business), but dare suggest that they put away even two weeks worth of food and water, and I’m labeled as “out there.” Amazingly, this culture of denial persists even after Hurricane Katrina. They watched on their televisions as the Golden Horde preyed upon itself and just died as government failed to come charging to the rescue. During that sad event, I commented to my youngest brother on the horrible tragedy. I said: “see little brother, not months, but only a few days and you’ve got Planet of the Apes, baby.” BTW – this not a slur on my part to the good folks of New Orleans. This quote was taken from Powers Booth playing a bomber captain in a 1990 made-for-television TEOTWAWKI movie titled “By Dawn’s Early Light.” (I recommend it), and he was referring to life on the ground when their plane ditched after the collapse. Perhaps seeing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on TV made it illusory, the cold reality unfolding “live and in color” simply blended into the numbing TV mythos of movie magic. Either way, to this day, I am still trying to roll the Rock of Gibraltar uphill when it comes to convincing those I care about to cover their assets. I would be grateful for any advice on other methods to penetrate this shield of denial or even references to articles discussing the phenomenon so that I can send it to these guys.
Thank you, and stay well. – Bill H.

JWR Replies: In my experience, the best way to penetrate the shell of denial is to hand someone a useful pro-preparedness third party reference. For some reason, anything that is published in hard copy seems to carry intrinsic authority, or at least hold the cachet of “a published reference.” As general survival and preparedness references, I recommend Life after Doomsday by Bruce Clayton, and Tappan on Survival by Mel Tappan. My own books Rawles on Retreats and Relocation and SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog might also be useful. On food storage and survival cookery, I highly recommend Making the Best of Basics by James Talmage Stevens (available from www.mountainbrookfoods.com), and The Encyclopedia of Country Living by the late Carla Emery. My Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course is another useful reference that primarily deals with food storage. On firearms and self defense, I recommend Boston’s Gun Bible by Boston T. Party and Survival Guns by Mel Tappan.

Don’t overlook the usefulness of survivalist fiction. Quite often, people won’t take the time to read a non-fiction book, but they will sit down and read a novel. For this, I recommend novels like Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Wolf and Iron by Gordon Dickson, No Blade of Grass by John Christopher, and Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys. And again at the risk of sounding like shameless self-promotion, I also recommend my own novel, Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse. For those that don’t have the patience to read a book, you can at least send them a link or the URL for SurvivalBlog. Be patient and persistent. Your friends and relatives that presently seem have their heads thrust firmly in the sand may come up to see some daylight if you expose them to enough pro-preparedness references.