Craft and Falco Holsters, by Pat Cascio

I’ve seen it a hundred times. I used to own a gun shop, and later on in life, I was in partnership with a friend, who sold mainly at gun shops. Someone will purchase a nice handgun, costing hundreds of dollars, or even more than a thousand dollars. One of the first things they would ask for, when we’d ask them if they needed any ammo or other accessories, and they would buy a box of ammo, then ask if we had any “cheap” holsters – and by that, they meant really cheap holsters. It never ceases to amaze me, that someone will spend a small fortune on a firearm, and then by the cheapest holster they can find or a used and abused holster. That makes no sense to me.

I’ve told this story before, but it is worth repeating. My wife and I were out shopping at a small box store, and spied a gentleman carrying a concealed handgun. How did we know? Well, he was wearing a light-weight jacket to cover his handgun. First of all, his jacket was too short to cover his handgun, and secondly, he was carrying his handgun on his belt, in a cheap belt and holster. His handgun had flopped over and was riding upside down, on his cheap belt. For the life of me, I don’t know why he didn’t feel his pistol flopping around on his hip the way it did. I’m betting good money, by the end of the day, his handgun had fallen out of the holster, or someone called the police on him.

First of all, I carry my handgun in either a double-layered leather belt – that is specifically designed for carrying a handgun. Secondly, my other belt of choice is a ballistic Nylon belt, that has a “stiffener” sewn into it – so the gun/holster can flop over, or allow the gun’s fingerprint to print through my covering garment. I have several double-layered leather belts that I’ve owned and used for 40-years now, and they are still perfectly functional. If I recall, I paid about $80.00 (each) for them. Yeah, a lot of money, but when you break it down for all the years these belts have been used, they are really inexpensive. Whenever I carry, I have a handgun on one side of my belt, and on the other side, at least one spare magazine in a mag carrier, and a multi-tool – all that weight adds up and a sturdy belt sure makes packing all that stuff a lot easier.

I’ve tested a lot of gun belts and holsters over the years, some very good, some junk. I now look for the best belts and holsters I can find – they pay for themselves over many years of use. For the past year and a half or so, I’ve been testing holsters, belts and magazine pouches from a fairly new company called Craft Holsters, a subsidiary of Falco Leather Company and I’m totally impressed with the quality of their products. They originally contacted me, and asked if I wanted to test some of their holsters for possible articles on SurvivalBlog.com and in short order, they sent me some custom-made holsters for testing. Now, make no mistake, each holster is hand-crafted – they aren’t made in bulk and simply packaged up and sent to you. Nope, each holster is made to order. They rarely have any holsters in-stock. On average, it takes about four weeks to get a holster from them.

Continue reading“Craft and Falco Holsters, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Traditional English Shepherd’s Pie

The following recipe for Traditional English Shepherd’s Pie is from reader Bruce M.

Bruce writes:

This is a pretty basic recipe. It consists of minced/ground lamb, yellow onion, carrots, salt, pepper, & English garden peas; thickened slightly with flour; placed in a baking dish; topped with mashed potatoes & slices of cheddar cheese; and baked in a 350°F oven until the mashed potatoes are browned, and the cheese melted.

In recent years, ground beef has been used as a less expensive substitute for lamb. In addition, dairy products can be substituted for the mayonnaise, and vegan cheddar cheese.

With the recent spikes in food prices, especially meat, the local cost for a 1 pound cryovac package of ground lamb has stabilized at $6.99, whereas a pound of 80/20 ground beef has risen to an average price per pound of $5.99. Making it more attractive to make this recipe using the traditional ground lamb, as opposed to ground beef.

I do not particularly care for the taste of English garden peas once they are cooked. As a result, I have always made my Sheperd’s Pie with green beans, preferably French green beans, or Haricots Verts. Substituting green beans for garden peas will result in a slightly sweeter flavor profile.

In addition, seeing as Sheperd’s Pie started out in life as a low-cost food for the working class, I usually bump up the veggie content of the recipe by adding into the recipe any leftover cooked vegetables that I feel might compliment the flavor of the basic recipe. Or, add into the recipe any fresh vegetables in the produce drawer of the refrigerator that need to be used up. Or, both.

Here is the latest version of Sheperd’s Pie that I recently made using the greatest number of vegetables that I have ever incorporated into the recipe:

Place 5-to-6 quarts of water to boil in an 8 qt. stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. If you have a pasta insert for your pot, so much the better. Otherwise, remove the cooked vegetables from the hot water with a slotted spoon, or a stainless steel, wire mesh-style spider.

Once the water in the pot is at a roiling boil, separately blanch/cook:

  • 1 pound of green beans, 1″ long pieces
  • 1 pound of red cabbage, 3/4″ chop
  • 4 pounds of potatoes, skins on, 1/2″ diced

Cook the beans until they have just a little bit of crunch left, when bitten. Immediately remove the beans into a bowl filled with cold water to stop the cooking process. When cool to touch, remove from the water, drain, pat reasonably dry using clean kitchen towels, and set aside.

Failure to perform the drying step will result in a soggy mixture. Been there, done that.

Repeat the previous step with the red cabbage.

Place the diced potatoes into the now red boiling water. The red water will not affect the outcome of the finished dish, nor the color of the mashed potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to make mashed potatoes. Drain the potatoes, and remove into a large, 6 qt., mixing bowl.

Several months ago, my GI physician recommended that I eliminate all dairy products from my diet. As a result, the mashed potatoes that follow are made using mayonnaise, instead of butter, or margarine.

  • 4 pounds of cooked, 1/2″ diced potatoes
  • 1 cup of mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon of table salt

Set the mashed potatoes aside.

  • 1 pound of ground lamb
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix the salt and pepper into the ground lamb with your hands, trying to achieve an even mix.

Brown the ground lamb in a 6 qt.-to-8 qt. stockpot with the tablespoon of cooking oil, until all traces of pink color have disappeared. Remove the cooked lamb into a colander to drain, and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered lamb fat from the stockpot, and add….

8 oz. crimini mushrooms, halved, 1/4″ slice

Saute the mushrooms in the lamb fat until they start to release their liquid. Cook until at least 50% of the moisture in the mushrooms has been eliminated. Then add to the mushrooms.

  • 1.5 cups of yellow onion, 1/2″ dice
  • 1 cup of celery, 1/2″ dice
  • 1 cup of carrot, 1/2″ dice
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic puree
  • 1 cup of yellow bell pepper, 3/4″ dice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of dried thyme leaves

Cook the vegetables, garlic puree, and spices for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently so that the garlic does not burn. Return the ground lamb to the pot, stirring to incorporate evenly. Remove the pot from the stove, and place on a folded kitchen towel.
Add the cooled green beans, and the red cabbage to the pot, stirring to mix evenly.

Add enough of the mashed potatoes to the lamb/vegetables mixture to bind the mixture together. When a large spoon of the bound together mix is tipped to one side, it should not separate, nor easily fall from the spoon.

Grease two 8″×8″×2″ baking pans. Spoon the lamb/vegetable/mashed potato mixture into the 2 pans. Cover with the mashed potatoes, sealing the sides of the pans.

Cover the mashed potatoes with an even layer of shredded vegan cheddar cheese.

Bake in a 350° Fahrenheit oven for approximately 60 minutes until the cheese slightly melts, and the edges of the mashed potatoes are brown. Switch the pans from one side of the oven, to the opposite side; and rotate the pans 180° at the 30-minute mark.

Serve immediately.

Or, cool on a wire rack for 4 hours, split into portions, and refrigerate or freeze.

—

Do you have a favorite 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 and slow cooker recipes, and any 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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we discuss investing in limited production and vintage motorcycles. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver price 2022: Here’s how silver can outperform gold as it plays catch-up next year.

o  o  o

Asian Metals Market Update: Physical Gold And Silver Remain Long-Term Safe Havens.

Economy & Finance:

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the collapse of China’s Evergrande and Kaisa real estate development giants.  At that time, I suggested that there could be a contagion.  Yes, there still can, and most likely it will come in March or April of 2022.  As more and more real estate developers in China are forced into bankruptcy, the price of land, houses, and apartments will collapse. Developers will be desperate to sell off their holdings at a loss.  This will create a downward spiral that will spill over into other sectors of the Chinese economy, and then the Asian economy, and then possibly the global economy. Brace yourself, folks. This will make the 1989 Tokyo real estate crash (and the corresponding Nikkei stock market crash) look tiny, by comparison. The first effects to be felt in North America will likely be crashes in Vancouver, B.C. real estate and Bay Area California real estate, since it was Chinese buyers that were in part driving those real estate bubbles. Next will be a commodities crash, and then possibly a global credit crisis. You’ve been warned. – JWR

o  o  o

From reader H.L.: Get ready for a larger-than-expected interest rate spike in 2022.

o  o  o

Andre sent us this: Greyerz – The World Has Now Entered The First Of Four Major Phases Of Chaos And Financial Destruction.

o  o  o

California Rewards Deadbeats Once Again With $80K Cash Giveaway To Delinquent Homeowners.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: “Potential For Extreme Havoc”: $50 Trillion Question Is What If Yields Spike Higher.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I don’t want to really scare you, but it was alarming how many people I talked to who are highly placed people in Artificial Intelligence who have retreats that are sort of ‘bug out’ houses, to which they could flee if it all hits the fan.” – James Barrat, author of Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 26, 2021

On December 26th, 1776, after crossing the Delaware River, Washington led his men against Hessian mercenary soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans, significantly boosting their flagging morale.

And on December 26, 2004 – The Indian Ocean region Tsunami took more than 250,000 lives.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. 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).
  4. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 ends on January 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.

My COVID-19 Firestorm Experience in Italy, by Z.

My trial by fire: What did the pandemic teach you about the people around you (and about yourself)?

First of all, let me introduce myself: I’m an Italian Red Cross volunteer with several years of experience in emergency first response and social service. I apologize if my English is not adequate, but after discovering this blog I thought you could appreciate my insights about the COVID-19 pandemic regardless.

I see that on this website there are many articles about technical preparedness, and even if I haven’t read everything that’s been published since spring 2020 to this day, I’m sure that topics like masks, sanitizing equipment, checking if your prep gear is working properly after the emergency is over, and the like have been covered extensively.

I’m ready to bet that there’s a topic that has not been covered, though: people.

Bear with me and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

I read that here many are Christians. Well, they surely know that the Bible says that everyone’s true character and faith is revealed “in the fire”, like gold is tested in the furnace. There’s no need to be a believer to know that this is a great truth, and I’ve seen it proved during the pandemic.

Especially (unfortunately not only) in the first weeks of the COVID outbreak, the situation in Italy was really hard. We had no masks and protective gear to wear, This disease was unknown, lethal and seemingly unstoppable, the healthcare system (one of the best in the world) was collapsing. The Government seemed at a loss, unable to provide materials and solutions. In that darkest weeks, every Italian was tested by God (for the nonbelievers, by history, destiny, or whatever) and had to show what he/she was made of.

I know of a nurse that seeing the situation escalate, suddenly took a week off and went to Poland (he had spent some months there years before, during his university years) and managed to stay there till Italy was on lockdown and every flight suspended, to avoid working when the risk was higher (he remained blocked there for months), his parents boasted about his ‘wisdom’… On the other hand, many retired and very rich former doctors who could have stayed safe volunteered to go back to the hospitals for free, to help their younger colleagues in need, and several died.Continue reading“My COVID-19 Firestorm Experience in Italy, by Z.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” – Luke 2:15-32 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 25, 2021

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, the team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time and stay safe on the roads.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. 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).
  4. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 ends on January 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.

The Hornady Lock N Load AP Progressive Reloading Press – Part 2, by Wingfootjr

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

There are five available stations on the Lock N Load AP. For my initial setup, I set up the press for loading .223/ 5.56 ammo, my most commonly used practice and pleasure shooting caliber. I wanted a high production press dedicated to this caliber, so I could produce it quickly if need be. For this caliber, I start with brass cases that have been fully processed and ready to load. Cases have been de-primed, resized, tumbled (to clean, polish, and remove the sizing lubricant), case length checked and trimmed if necessary, and the primer pocket swaged to have the primer crimp removed. (If you are new to handloading, I describe the preparation process in my previous SurvivalBlog article series, “The Handloader Never Wants for Ammo”, and you can read the whole process that I use there).

In the 1st station, I install a resizing die with the decapping pin removed, with the die set just shy (1/4 of a turn) of bottoming out on the shell plate. This is done to ensure the case is precisely centered in the shell plate on the press for the next operation, the installation of the new primer. The decapping pin is removed since that has already been done, and the die is backed off a bit because the case has already been re-sized, or pressed back into the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI) standard cartridge tolerances.Continue reading“The Hornady Lock N Load AP Progressive Reloading Press – Part 2, by Wingfootjr”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

The weather deteriorated last week, so I had to do a lot more snowplowing. We had an unexpected water pipe leak, at a pipe union. There is nothing quite like digging a four-foot deep hole to repair a pipe when there is snow on the ground, and more snow falling. As my father used to say of such work:  “It builds character.” (Well, it either builds character or it empties a wallet very quickly.)

I’ve occupied myself with my normal writing and editing. I’m also developing a book proposal. This one will be non-fiction, on investing. We’ll see if that flies, when my agent pitches it to a publisher that I have in mind.

There are always lots of projects around the ranch each year, as winter sets in. Stock tank heaters and snow plowing are usually at the top of the list. Once in a while, I will accidentally leave water in a hose out at a stock tank, and I’ll have to bring it into the house, to thaw out. That sort of work is bothersome, but just a trifle.

Lily and I did some more manure hauling. This time of year, we do so with our heavy-duty black plastic utility sleds. They are quite stable when loaded, and the effort required is less than hauling manure with a wheelbarrow.

This coming week I plan to do some more woodsplitting. Because of some extensive travel this past summer and fall, a bit of this year’s firewood is still in rounds. I do all of my woodsplitting by hand. I don’t plan to buy a hydraulic woodsplitter until I’m elderly.  They are noisy, require fuel, and require maintenance. And with one surely I won’t get as much exercise. I just realized that by the time I’m in my late seventies, I’ll have grandsons that are in their late teens. Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll never have to buy a hydraulic woodsplitter.

Now, over to my lovely and industrious wife, Avalanche Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” – Micah 5:1-2 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 24, 2021

On December 24, 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke was flying over the Peruvian rainforest with her mother when her plane was hit by lightning. She miraculously survived a two-mile fall, still strapped in her seat. She found herself alone in the jungle. After 10 days of walking out from the crash site, she was rescued by a group of rainforest loggers.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. 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).
  4. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 ends on January 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.

The Hornady Lock N Load AP Progressive Reloading Press – Part 1, by Wingfootjr

This is a reader’s review of The Hornady Lock N Load AP progressive reloading press.

LEGAL DISCLAMER: I am not employed by, or financially reimbursed by any manufacturer I mention in this article. I am simply stating what I have found works for me. Your mileage may vary.

SAFETY DISCLAIMER: Always follow all handloading safety standard protocols and checks as outlined in a bullet manufacturer’s handloading manual. Know the proper aspects of all functions you are performing and if unsure, consult the manufacturer via email or other means of communication until you clearly understand the correct and proper method of performing that step. Read and ask, safety first always!

From what I recall my state was in the third week of the Covid 19 shutdown in March of 2020 and I was forced to work from home. In the evenings I was reading about past historical events, both worldwide and U.S. History and was concerned for a “storm on the horizon” triggering a series of unfortunate events for our Country. I was also uneasy about the upcoming political election, and well-remembered how the changing political winds affected the shooting sports industry in the aftermath of the 1992 election.

I was already a handloader and had been handloading for 26 years. I had the necessary component supplies to reload (powders, primers, bullets and empty casings) having been purchasing and scavenged in earnest since early November 2008. At the time my main press was a LEE Precision Turret press, which I had loaded several thousand rounds of ammunition with for both handgun and rifle. It is my favorite utility press for ease of operation and user-friendliness. But the Lee Turret requires 4 pulls of the handle to load a casing, and the potential of getting a loaded cartridge with every push/pull of the handle was very appealing. That capability, along with the mindset of having redundant production capabilities (as well as being bombarded with sales emails from various websites) made me make the choice of “pulling the trigger” (pun intended!) on the purchase of a progressive reloading press.

I had been contemplating a progressive reloading press and was considering three choices after viewing numerous videos of the presses in action from the manufacturer’s websites and on Youtube. My choices were:
1) The LEE Loadmaster, cost set up for 1 caliber: $350.00
2) The Hornady Lock N Load AP, Cost $529.00 + minor accessories $24.00
3) The Dillon Precision XL 750, cost $650.00 + accessories $500

I personally knew people who owned and used the Lee Loadmaster and Dillon Progressives. One gentleman I know owns nine Dillons has a reloading business and swears by them with good reason, they are the backbone of his business. The friend who owned the Lee Loadmaster had loaded over 10,000 rounds on it and recommended it. I had done some loading with him on it. It occasionally had some primer feeding quirks and some powder drop issues. But you will with any press now and then, it’s part of the game.

My final decision was to invest in the Hornady Lock N Load AP. At the time of purchase, the deal was sweetened with a 20% off sale price, plus a manufacturer’s coupon from Hornady offering 500 free* bullets with the purchase of the press. Getting 500 free bullets was a significant savings on top of the 20% sale price. Keep in mind, the caliber of bullet was the buyers’ choice, and heavier bullets cost more than lighter ones. To maximize my value of the offer I selected 150 grain, .30 caliber bullets (0.308 dia) which offered the most total weight for the offer of the calibers I load for. I mentioned “free” with an asterisk, since the receiver was required to pay shipping. In my case that was about $16. But the bullets had a retail value at the time of about $120, so with the offer figured with the deduct value of the bullets, included with the sale price purchase put the cost of the press at about $305. It was a good deal at the time, and would be a fantastic deal today, if this offer could be found.Continue reading“The Hornady Lock N Load AP Progressive Reloading Press – Part 1, by Wingfootjr”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

In place of my usual news items and commentary on economics and the markets, I have some annual housekeeping to do:

My Annual Financial/Investing/Foreign Interests Disclosures:

By Federal law, I am obliged to make the following annual public disclosures.

For the record: I am presently the sole author of SurvivalBlog’s twice-weekly posted Economics & Investing For Preppers column. I am not a paid investment counselor or adviser. Please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers. My paid consulting is primarily on preparedness, relocation, retreat property development, and related topics–not on investing, per se.

Personal and Family Interests

My highest loyalty is to Christ Jesus (Yeshua.)

I am not a board member of any corporation. I hold no stocks, mutual funds, bonds, options, hedge instruments, registered securities, or ETFs whatsoever. I am not paid or otherwise compensated by any individual, company, or country to promote any investment vehicle or currency.

I do not recommend or endorse any financial particular investment advisor, firm, blog, vlog, or web site, although I do quote various advisors and make links to their web sites. Such mentions and links are my own choices, and are never compensated.

While I personally hold precious metals, firearms, ammunition, and other tangibles as a large portion of my family portfolio, I have no connection or financial arrangement with any firm, other than that some such firms do buy advertising space in SurvivalBlog, and that we have affiliate advertising contracts in place with others. I do on occasion personally make purchases from these companies. However, I receive no special discounts nor other consideration from them. Such advertising relationships have no bearing on the investing news that I report and the recommendations that I make.  I have never held any Forex or Comex options.

I own and operate Elk Creek Company, a small home-based mailorder business that sells antique guns, replica percussion guns, percussion cartridge conversion cylinders, knives, bayonets, and multitools. I have no contractual relationship with the makers of any of those products. My ownership of Elk Creek Company has no bearing on the investing news that I report and the recommendations that I make. From time to time, I mention sales and particular Elk Creek Company products in this column. Throughout my adult life, I have recommended investing in antique guns. Operating Elk Creek Company has not changed that. I held a Class 01 Federal Firearms license from 1981 to 1992. The merchandise that I now sell has no license required.

Along with one of my sons, I operate CFAPA.org, to distribute press credentials free of charge to adult citizens of the 50 States, as Citizen Journalists. We do accept donations, but in most years those donations barely cover the operating expenses of CFAPA.org.

Walls of Separation

We maintain walls of separation between advertising, consulting, and editorial realms. No editorial space or content in this column is ever promised to any advertiser or consulting client. Stephen Cochran of Gainseville Coins voluntarily writes a monthly precious metals column for SurvivalBlog, but he and Gainseville Coins are not compensated by me nor vice versa, in any way. I am afforded no discounts by the company, and have received no free merchandise or other favors from them.

A few article links have been suggested by our advertisers, but we have never been compensated or felt obliged to post them. Because of legacy links still in SurvivalBlog’s archives, I still earn a few small commissions on sales of books and other items linked to Amazon.com, through the Amazon Associates program. Because of their censorship and unfair business practices, I have publicly distanced myself from Amazon, and recommend that my readers and consulting clients buy from other vendors.

We universally reject the dozens of paid editorial, infographic, product review, and link placement requests that we receive every week via e-mail from spammers, scammers, SEO wonks, and content manipulators.

Foreign Interests

I am not now, nor have I ever been an agent of any foreign nation. I do hold some foreign currency. I own no foreign real estate. Only a few of my consulting clients live abroad, and most of those are U.S. citizens.

Clearances and Taskings

Up until 1991, I held a Top Secret security clearance and had access to SCI. I did some tasked intelligence work overseas. That ended before 1991. After being de-briefed from Special Access Programs (SAPs), I resigned my commission as a U.S. Army Intelligence Corps officer. My formal resignation letter was submitted on January 20, 1993 — the day that Bill Clinton first took office.  Since then, I have had no intelligence tasking nor relationship whatsoever with the U.S. government, the U.S. Army, or any government agencies, other than as a normal taxpaying citizen.

I have had no contact with the FBI or any other Federal law enforcement agency since the conclusion of a foreign intelligence penetration case in 1990, where I provided a signed statement as a witness.

I did work as defense contractor in a technical writing and proposal writing capacity for various defense contracting companies with an Industrial Secret clearance up until July, 2006. I no longer hold an active security clearance. I am a past member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), but have had no contact with that organization since the mid-1990s.

Summary and Conclusion

In sum, we do our very best to operate SurvivalBlog.com as ethically and independently as possible. Our editorial integrity and independence is very important to us. We will never betray the trust of our readers. In an age where journalistic prostitution has become the norm in the blogging and vlogging world, we stand apart.

News Tips:

Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant because they come from folks who closely watch specific markets. If you spot any news that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers, then please send it in. News items from local news outlets that are missed by the news wire services are especially appreciated. And it need not be only about commodities and precious metals. Thanks!