Zastava PAP M90 PS, by Thomas Christianson

For many years I have been partial to AKs chambered in 5.56×45. I like AK-pattern firearms because they tend to be durable and reliable. I like the 5.56×45 cartridge for its flat trajectory and for its wide availability in the United States.

The major problem with finding AKs chambered in 5.56×45 is that not very many manufacturers make them. In fact, the Zastava PAP M90 PS may be the only AK chambered in 5.56×45 that is both currently in production (in this case in Serbia), and currently being marketed in the United States. With that in mind, I asked Zastava if I could borrow one for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. The next day the rifle was delivered to my FFL.

My testing found the M90 to be a robust workhorse of a rifle. At the time of this writing, the M90 was available at a number of online vendors for about $1,200.Continue reading“Zastava PAP M90 PS, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Venison Backstrap With Berry Sauce

The following recipe for Venison Backstrap With Berry Sauce is from SurvivalBlog reader Dave W.

The berry sauce is made separately and poured on only at serving time.

Ingredients
  • 3 lb. venison (one whole backstrap from a large deer, or two from a smalle deer)
  • 3 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 6 oz. berries (blackberries are best)
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 star anise (optional)
  • thyme sprigs (for garnish, optional)
Directions – For Meat
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Combine salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Towel-dry the surface of the backstrap and generously sprinkle the spice mix on top.
  3. Heat an oven-proof skillet on a high setting. Once smoking hot, place backstrap into skillet to sear, turning every minute or so to sear it, making sure that all sides are cooked. Then place it in a pan in the oven for 7-10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and pan, place into foil and allow to rest 10 minutes before cross-cutting the backstrap into medallions.
DIRECTIONs – For Sauce
  1. To make the sauce – combine berries, sugar, vinegar, lemon zest, juice, cloves, and anise in a pan, and bring to boil. Add an optional pinch of salt.
  2. After about 5 minutes of boiling, you should be able to crush the berries up against the side of the saucepan using a wooden spoon. Continue rapidly simmering sauce a further 5-10 minutes, to thicken it.
SERVING

Place medallions on a plate, spoon over generous portions of sauce. Optionally, top with some sprigs of thyme.

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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 look at the volatile precious metals markets. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Video: Gold and Silver Shortage Update: Demand for Physical Gold & Silver is ‘Off the Charts’.

o  o  o

Gold Forecast: With the USDX Rallying Again, Are Lower Gold Prices in Sight?

o  o  o

Neils Christensen: Gold and silver need more than a short squeeze.

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: How QT Broke The Market: As Tail Risk Has All But Disappeared, The Dow Jones is Now More Volatile Than Bitcoin.

o  o  o

Over at an overtly socialist website: After the Bank of England intervention financial turmoil continues.

o  o  o

At a more subtly socialist website: The Economist: Global rate rises are happening on an unprecedented scale.

o  o  o

Video: THE WOLF STREET REPORT: Something Big Has Already Broken: Price Stability.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 9, 2022

On October 9, 1000, Leif Ericson discovers “Vinland” (possibly at what was later named L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada) reputedly becoming the first European to reach North America.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, 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.

Boers, Beans, Bullets, and Bear Soup – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

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

A Rifle for the Recoil Sensitive

Around here, .30-06 is more common than .308 Win.  The second most popular in my neighborhood is 6.5 Creedmoor (6.5CM), then 6.5×55, and lastly a wildcat for the AR platform, the 6.5 Timberwolf. Ideally, we would be best off to standardized on .308 Winchester. Yet .30-06 is still king in these woods. It is time tested and found to be the best all around cartridge CONUS, good for mouse to moose, and the occasional Griz, because it can shoot the heaviest .308 caliber bullets with a 1:10 twist rate barrel.

The .30-06 can also punch out a flat shooting 175 grain bullet at 2,800fps with H4831sc, H4350 powder, or other similar powders. It is appreciable flatter shooting than .308 Winchester, and far flatter than .308 Winchester’s military version, 7.62×51 NATO.  Yet we do pay the price in terms of a punishing level of recoil. Therefore, my ideal long range rifle would be the 6.5×55 cartridge in a modern action capable of 60,000psi with 29 inch bull barrel attached, however that rifle is only a dream rifle.

Because I tend to flinch, I intentionally add weight to my Swedish Mausers, and load the ammo to modest pressures so that the recoil is closer to .243 Winchester.  The additional weight also stabilizes the rifle and improves my aim.  The resulting level of recoil is about 8 to 9 foot-pounds that can be compared to using a heaviest .243 100 grain bullet. As it is for most persons, my shooting is better with a lower recoiling rifle with 8 foot-pounds of recoil, versus 18 foot-pounds from a full-powered .308 Winchester cartridge that uses a 180 grain projectile, or .30-06 that can produce 23 foot-pounds of recoil.  And the .308 Win is still not as flat shooting passed 500 yards as either the 6.5×55, 6.5CM, or .243 Winchester. If we suffer from a flinch, or have discomfort from a heavy recoiling rifle, the .243 Winchester could be the best choice. It is as flat shooting as a .300 Winchester Magnum, yet easier on the shoulder than either 6.5×55, or 6.5CM. It would be a good choice for medium long-range targets, especially inside of 500 yards.

Beyond 500 yards, 6.5CM, or 6.5×55 that are essentially ballistically identical, would be the better choice. These 6.5 cartridges make hitting targets out at 600 yards, and beyond, relatively easy, and allow new shooters to be successful at these and actual longer ranges of 1,000 yards and further, relatively quickly.  This is possible because of the 140 grain 6.5mm bullet’s high ballistic coefficients that are much less affected by the wind. These rifles also tend to mild recoiling, and the cartridge tends to be more accurate than most others.

Rifles in 6.5CM are modern and made with precision machinery.  The Savage 110, or Mossberg Patriot can be purchased for as little as $300 in either 6.5CM, or .308 Winchester. Get both!  These are typically 1 MOA, a precision rifle straight out of the box, good for 1,000 yards, even if factory ammunition is used.
Continue reading“Boers, Beans, Bullets, and Bear Soup – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

You’re a Vegan, and Want To Survive When The Schumer Hits The Fan?

Just Close Your Eyes and Pretend That Real Meat is “Beyond Meat”

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

These things command and teach.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” – 1 Timothy 4 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 8, 2022

October 8th is the birthday of economist and libertarian commentator J. Orlin Grabbe. (Born, 1947, died March 15, 2008.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, 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.

Boers, Beans, Bullets, and Bear Soup – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

This morning, as per usual, I am having more black beans and black bear soup for breakfast on a cold mountain in Montana, waiting for all h*ll to break loose. I prefer beef, but presently bear meat is all that I have.

The first few months of a collaspe may be the worst as the desperate and raiding gangs will be active. And then comes several years of famine.  And the rest of the Four Horsemen. Today, I must decide on whether to get a range finder, or a box of 1,000 match-grade bullets for the old war horse: a glass-bedded, and deadly accurate Springfield M1903A3 rifle. I love old war horses. There is poetic justice involved when considering using Grandpa’s gun to get it done. I get to ponder this, and more until the coffee is gone.

The Boer and Their Battle Rifle

One of the reasons the Boer dominated the British in the Second Boer War is because they owned the latest in long-range precision rifles, the 7mm Mauser (7×57). These rifles were vastly superior to what the British had. [Most British troops carried low-velocity Martini-Henry sinle-shot .450 caliber rifles. A few had .303 Lee-Metfords, but even those were inferior to the 7mm Mauser.]

Along with their superior tactics, the bolt-action Loewe Mauser M1895 rifle gave them fire superiority over a vastly superior-in-number in force.  Usually, there is a decisive advantage when deploying superior numbers, yet not always. The Boers were both exceptionaly-skilled and exceptionally well-motivated. Another reason is that they lived in remote South Africa. Raised on horses and shooting, they became excellent marksmen and horsemen, making them natural and trail-hardened calvary.

I got my first horse on my 9th birthday, rode a lot, and began hunting by age 10. If I could only be young again, I would strive to become a Boer. Now, I am only bore! They were some of the toughest and most cunning warriors ever!  Special Operations, and Expeditionary Forces learned from this page in history, and has developed similar capability.  It pays to pay attention.

Continue reading“Boers, Beans, Bullets, and Bear Soup – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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:

Enjoying some unseasonably warm and dry October weather, I’ve been catching up on projects around the ranch.

With the help of a neighbor who is a retired building contractor, we now have one of the two planned storage rooms for our shop nearly complete.  I hope to have the second room done by late October or perhaps early November.  I’ll then work on the shelving and wiring retrofit projects in a piecemeal fashion, all through the winter. So, as of early 2023, I will finally be able to say: “Everything in its place and a place for every thing.” It has taken me nearly 50 years of prepping — including 16 years at this ranch — to reach this point.

Now, over to Lily…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” – Proverbs 8:1-14(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 7, 2022

The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement taking place on 7 October 1571 in which a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V and led by Spanish admiral Don Juan of Austria, decisively defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire on the northern edge of the Gulf of Corinth, off western Greece.

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Over at SurvivalRealty.com, this new listing for a house on 20 acres caught my eye: Live off the Land in NW Montana.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 ends on November 30th, 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.

Blacksmithing Basics: Working From Next to Nothing, by Richard P.

Iron work is a foundational skill, literally shaping the bones of civilizations for well over a millennium today. As such, the earliest practitioners started out with nothing but ingenuity and raw natural materials. It is possible to do the same in a survival context, but the amount of labor necessary to smelt one’s own wrought iron from ore is prohibitive unless one has no other choice. Much more reasonable in a survival setting would be the repurposing of available metals. In history, this was extremely common. Viking societies would burn longships and sift the ashes to recover nails. We can use anything from the frame members of an old burnt-out trailer house to the steel leaf springs in a wrecked car as raw material for our forge. Everything made of steel is nearly infinitely recyclable.

The basic needs of a smith are simple, you need something to beat, something to beat it against, something to beat it with, and a fire to heat it up until it moves. We’ll tackle the basics in this order.Continue reading“Blacksmithing Basics: Working From Next to Nothing, by Richard P.”

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 look at Europe’s economic and monetary woes.

Precious Metals:

Understanding the Silver Planchet Shortage at the U.S. Mint.

o  o  o

From a chartist perspective: Gold Price Forecast – Crisis Indicators Flashing Red, Gold Near Critical Bottom.

Economy & Finance:

France24: ‘Severe economic slowdown’ awaits Europe as energy crunch bites.

o  o  o

Even Klaus Schwab’s WEF cronies are asking: Are economic headwinds blowing in the direction of a global recession? Chief economists answer.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Housing Bubble Woes: Mortgage Demand Plunges, Rates Near 7%, Spread Between Mortgage Rate & 10-Year Treasury Yield Blows Out Most since Dec. 2008 and 1986.

o  o  o

Hedge funds providing best investor protection since dotcom crash.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”