Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 5, 2021

This is the birthday of Howard Pyle (1853-1911) an influential American book illustrator, painter, and author. He was the mentor of many great American artists including Thornton Oakley, Frank E. Schoonover, Allen Tupper True, and of course his most famous student: N.C. Wyeth.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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 $150 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!

Round 93 ends on March 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 Long Range Game – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Clearly, the proposed Federal “Universal Background Checks” legislation is going to make it a hassle, if not eventually ‘heck’ to privately acquire post-1898 guns. If they cannot outright remove the Second Amendment, they will create a maze of hurtles to harass us, making it difficult to legally own. In the event that it would be smarter to keep the ‘safe queens’ safe, safe from ‘color of law’ or opportunistic of styled confiscation, pre-1899 antique rifles and handguns might be a part of the arsenal. These are not considered “firearms” by the BATF, and require no paperwork, and can even shipped through the mail — at least to most of thje 50 states.

If I were to be caught hunting, or ‘plinking’ at 400 yards with this rifle while ignoring all their regulations, they might take me to jail, but they would likely have to release me once the rifle is discovered not to be a firearm, but instead an antique. It is the date of manufacture of the receiver that makes it an antique. With some Mauser rifles –such as Swedish, Mexican, and Spanish — the date of manufacture is stamped on the receiver. Less abusive and more knowledgeable officers may accept your argument, and may leave you alone, or perhaps they would only take the rifle, and not you. At least we could buy, or sell these without paperwork. Get a good example and it can be as practical as a modern rifle. And I can own an appreciating asset, and an example of old world craftsmanship that is not just a wall hanger.

There is a fine Ludwig Loewe 1895 Chilean contract rifle that is now in my possession. All I will say is that Santa delivered it one day. That is my story, and I am sticking to it! It is an early-production 1895 model Mauser, made around 1896 in Germany. Although it is not a safe queen, and ordinary in appearance, it is just the way that I like them. This military rifle was ‘sportorized’ by a competent craftsman by altering the military wood, and making key refinements to the mechanism. While thoroughly cleaning and examining the rifle, I discovered that this is a ‘low mileage’ Mauser, that appears to me to have been ‘rearsenaled’, that is, rebuilt and accurized. It is certainly safe to say, that is certainly not worn out, and may have been rebuilt using good parts. It could be that the barrel is a replacement, and/or is only slightly used. To my old eyes, it is nice and shiny bore with sharp rifling, and zero to little discernible throat erosion. And it is cut to an ideal 23.5 inches in length.

The stock was shortened, making the length of pull 13 inches. This happens to be ideal for my short and fat arms. A shorter stock is also better when heavy winter clothing is worn. It improves my ability operate the bolt, improves cheek weld, sight picture, and in general, an improved ability to take better aim. I can quickly and easily operate the bolt to chamber another round without breaking check weld while standing, and shooting ‘off hand’ without a rest. The action is butter smooth and fast. The single-stage Timmey trigger is light and crisp, allowing the shooter to ‘think the shot’. It replaced the original two stage Mauser trigger. A trigger like this, can by itself, greatly improve the accuracy of any rifle.Continue reading“The Long Range Game – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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 looming threat of a Federal Universal Background Checks law. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The bond worm has turned: Sharp price declines in gold, silver amid firmer USDX, rising bond yields

o  o  o

Sprott: Historic Washout in Bond Market Clearly Impacts Precious Metals

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Rickards: The Great Reset Is Here

o  o  o

Reader G.G. flagged this, over at the AIER website: Yes, This Time We’ll Have Inflation, and Here’s Why.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Fed’s QE: Assets Hit $7.6 Trillion. Long-Term Treasury Yields Spike Nevertheless, Wall Street Crybabies Squeal for More QE
Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.” – Alexis de Tocqueville

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 4, 2021

On March 4, 1628, King Charles I of England granted a royal charter to Massachusetts Bay Colony.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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 $150 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!

Round 93 ends on March 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.

Gear Review: A Recoil Pad and Some Earplugs, by The Novice

In the past, I have written a little about my father’s .30-06. It is a well used Remington 742, manufactured before 1967. It has been my primary deer rifle for many years.

If I remember right, Patrick F. McManus once wrote about previously-hiked-trails becoming gradually longer and steeper, packs becoming heavier, the ground becoming harder to sleep on, and autumn evenings becoming colder. I believe that he attributed these changes to the earth shifting on its axis. Or perhaps they are due to global warming, or even COVID-19. As Mr. McManus mentioned in his story, there is at least one other theory about the cause of this phenomena, but it is too ridiculous to even mention here. In any case, the change seems to have influenced my father’s rifle as well. Over the course of time, it has begun to kick harder and harder.

Eventually, my shoulder got so sore that I decided to seek an alternative. I tested a Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 Winchester as a possible replacement. (See SurvivalBlog, October 27 and 28, 2020). The BAR is a beautiful, durable, and accurate firearm. It has just two drawbacks. One is that it is a bit pricey, with a manufacturer suggested retail price of $1,299. The second drawback is that it lacks a certain sentimental value for me. How can it compete with a rifle that once belonged to my father? In view of these drawbacks, I decided to try another alternative. I decided to try a recoil pad on the old 742.

The Recoil Pad

Since this was an experiment, I decided to go with a slip-on pad, rather than a permanent installation. After reading some customer reviews on Amazon, I decided to go with the Pachmayr Decelerator Slip-On Recoil Pad. It cost $19.89 (a price, by the way, which is quite a bit less than the cost of a BAR Mk3.)

The Decelerator Slip-On Recoil Pad comes in three sizes: small (for stocks 1 ½” to 1 5/8″ wide by 4 3/4″ to 4 7/8″ long), medium (for stocks 1 ½” to 1 3/4″ wide by 5″ to 5 3/16″ long), and large (for stocks 1 3/4″ to 1 7/8″ wide by 5 3/16″ to 5 7/16″ long). Since the stock on the 742 is 1-½” wide by 5 1/4″ long, I ordered size medium. I placed the order on a Friday, and the recoil pad arrived just three days later.

Opening the Package

The Decelerator Slip-On Recoil Pad comes in a simple, clear plastic clam package with a printed cardstock insert containing product and sizing information. It was quick work to open the package and slip the recoil pad out. It was equally quick work to slip the recoil pad onto the stock of the 742. In the past, firing a box of ammo through the 742 was an ordeal that would leave my shoulder battered and bruised. As I prepared to try the new recoil pad, the key question was, “Will this thing tame the recoil of the 742?”

The Range Session

I took the 742 with the recoil pad installed to the range behind my barn to run a box of ammo through the rifle. I fired from a bench rest, since firing from rest tends to be a little more punishing than firing offhand.

It was a beautiful, snowy day in December. The temperature was 29 degrees, with a light snow falling, and little wind. The weather was cooler than it had been at my last range session with the 742, so I was wearing thicker layers of clothing than I had at that previous session. This would tend to help absorb some recoil. I tried to take that into account as I evaluated the effectiveness of the recoil pad.

Since the only characteristic that I needed from the ammo I was using for this particular test was recoil, I decided to use the oldest and least-expensive ammo that I had on hand. I had four rounds of some old, randomly assorted ammo in a box. I supplemented that ammo with 16 rounds of Golden Bear 145 grain Bimetal FMJ Brass Plated Case. I suspected that at least two rounds of the older ammo had corrosive primers, so I made a mental note to give the rifle an extra thorough cleaning after the range session.

The additional distance that the recoil pad added to the length of pull gave the scope slightly too much eye relief. This did not seem to negatively impact the size of my groups or change the point of impact during testing.

Results

The recoil pad was a success. It made shooting the 742 significantly more comfortable. It made it comfortable enough that I have abandoned my search for a new deer rifle. I plan to stick with the good old 742. Initially, I plan to use the recoil pad for the bulk of my range work, but slip it off for the last few shots at the range, and for field use. This will protect my shoulder at the range, while providing a more comfortable length of pull and more appropriate eye relief in the field. If I find that solution to be unsatisfactory in the long run, I will probably shorten the stock of the 742. Then I can use either the slip on recoil pad or add a permanent recoil pad to give me the same length of pull as the 742 currently has without a recoil pad.

[JWR Adds:  I generally advise folks to avoid altering a rifle, to install a recoil pad. That will greatly detract from a gun’s resale value. I cringe whenever I come across a nice old antique gun that has had its stock cut to fit a recoil pad. Before you break out your saw, ask yourself: “What will my great-great-grandchildren think of my decision?” If in doubt, then just use a slipover recoil pad.]

The Earplugs

The ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey contains many fascinating episodes that have captured the imagination of readers and listeners for millennia. In one of these episodes, Odysseus and his crew must sail past the Island of the Sirens. The beautiful song of the Sirens would irresistibly draw those who could hear them to cast themselves into the sea and swim for shore, only to be crushed on the jagged rocks along the shore by the heavy surf. In order to protect his crew from this dismal fate, Odysseus plugged their ears with beeswax. He commanded the crew, in turn, to bind him to the mast and to refuse his pleas for release as long as they remained within hearing distance of the Island. In this manner, Odysseus became the only human to hear the song of the Sirens and survive. Thus some potential benefits of hearing protection are presented to us in a story that was already ancient even before the cornerstone of the Parthenon was laid.

My most recent experiences with hearing protection are much more prosaic. When I placed the order for the recoil pad reviewed above, the total cost initially came to less than $25. I don’t have Amazon Prime, so I wanted to add a little something to the order to get the total up over $25 in order to get free shipping. I had some SureFire EP3 Sonic Defender earplugs on my wish list, so I added them to the order. At the time when I placed my order, the earplugs cost $12.49.

Surefire EP3 Sonic Defender earplugs are made of soft plastic and are reusable. They have a small channel in the middle of each plug. This channel is designed to allow safe-level ambient sounds and conversations to pass through while filtering out impulse noise like gunshots. There are caps that can be placed over the channels to filter out a higher level of continuous noise. With the filter caps off, the plugs are rated to reduce continuous noise by 11 decibels, while reducing impulse noise above 132 decibels by more than 23 decibels. With the filter caps on, they are rated to reduce continuous noise by 24 decibels, while reducing impulse noise above 132 decibels by more than 37 decibels.

Opening the Package

The earplugs come in a blister pack along with directions, a small case to hold the plugs when not in use, a lanyard that can be used to connect the plugs together, and a small chain that can be attached to a ring on the outside of the case.

The First Range Test

I had invited some friends over for a range day, and decided to give the plugs a try. I inserted them in my ears with the filter caps off. They were quite comfortable. The included retention rings fit my concha bowls quite well and held the plugs securely in place.

It was easy to hold a normal conversation while wearing the plugs with the filter caps off. But as we began shooting, I noticed that the sound of the shots was uncomfortably loud. The plugs did not seem to give me an adequate level of protection against impulse noise. I soon added a pair of ear muffs over the earplugs. Thus my initial subjective opinion was that the earplugs did not perform adequately for range use with the filter caps off.

The Second Range Session

I next tested the earplugs at the range session in which I was testing the Pachmayr recoil pad as reported above. I tried the plugs with the filter caps on this time in order to see if I could get better results. The results were still not satisfactory. My ears began ringing immediately with my very first shot, and I again quickly found it necessary to add ear muffs.

Conclusions

I found the Pachmayr recoil pad sufficient to tame the recoil of my father’s old Remington 742. I am happy that this simple and inexpensive modification will allow me to continue to enjoy hunting with this old friend.

The SureFire earplugs, on the other hand, did not seem adequate for range use. They would have failed to protect Odysseus’ crew, either with the filter caps off or with the filter caps on. They are very comfortable to wear, and may be useful to provide some level of secondary protection under a good pair of ear muffs. But on their own, they do not seem sufficient.

Disclaimer

I did not receive any financial or other inducement to mention any products, vendors, or services in this article.

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at confiscatory expansions to Canada’s black rifle ban.

To Arms! Three Universal Background Check Bills

The good folks at The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) just warned:

“The tyrants just unloaded THREE gun registration bills in the House & Senate. And sources say they could go to a full vote as early as NEXT WEEK.

HR 1446, HR 8, and an as-yet-untitled Senate bill would mandate background checks on ALL firearms transfers, even at gun shows. 

And unfortunately, these bills all have dozens of co-sponsors, including some Republicans who are supporting HR 8!

Worst, Nancy Pelosi is reportedly so determined to pass these sick bills that she’s prepared to bring them to a final vote in a matter of days,”

Please contact your U.S. senators and your congressional representative ASAP both by phone and by e-mail and insist that they oppose this and any other “gun control:” legislation! If your e-mail is being directed to any Senate Republicans, you might include this meme link: https://kapwi.ng/c/9uNWkPHF. (My latest meme.) Please also ask your Senators to oppose the confirmation of Merrick Garland as Attorney General.

Catalytic Converter Thefts Rising

This is probably old news for readers in urban areas, but some suburban or rural  blog readers might not be aware of it: Gone In 60 Seconds: Critical Car Part Swiped At Alarming Rate In US, Fairview PD Nabs Duo

SPLC Wants Biden & Big Tech to Block Funding for ‘Hate’

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: SPLC wants Biden & Big Tech to block online funding for ‘hate groups’. A pericope:

“The Southern Poverty Law Center assists YouTube in policing content on their platform, The Daily Caller had learned in 2018.

The SPLC regularly labels pedestrian conservatives as “hate groups.” SPLC is directly tied to the events of 2012 at the Family Research Center when Floyd Lee Corkins opened fire on members because the SPLC targeted them as a hate group.

To take down groups, the flaggers use digital tools to mass flag content for review. Then the partners guide YouTube in designing algorithms policing the video platform.

Algorithms carry out the overwhelming majority of the content policing on Google and YouTube. The algorithms make for an easy rebuttal against charges of political bias: it’s not us. It’s the algorithm. But actual people with actual biases write, test, and monitor the algorithms.”

Wisconsin Wolf Hunters Exceed State’s Quota

A hat tip to Tim J. for sending this: Wisconsin wolf hunters exceed state’s quota by almost double during abbreviated hunt, DNR confirms.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 3, 2021

Today is the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell.

It is also the birthday of actor James Doohan, in 1920. He played Montgomery Scott in the Star Trek television series and films. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He passed away on July 20, 2005.

And this is the birthday of bluegrass musician Doc Watson. (He was born in 1923 and passed away in 2012.) His guitar work was phenomenal.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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 $150 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!

Round 93 ends on March 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.

Con Te Partiro: Closing Our Comments Section

It is with regret that we’ve decided to close our Comments sections.  It is Con Te Partiro. The existing comments will still be available in the SurvivalBlog archives, but no new comments can be added.

We reached this decision after some prayer and serious deliberation. We concluded that because the spamming and trolling were getting out of hand that the Comments had become a “No-Win Scenario.” It had become a huge time sink and the source of a lot of anxiety. It was very difficult to maintain editorial neutrality, particularly on controversial topics. So, in the absence of Comments, we are now reverting the Old School approach, where you e-mail us letters for possible posting, at our discretion. Please try to stick to just preparedness-related topics in your letters–with a minimum of religion or politics.

Comments Statistics

SurvivalBlog has been posted daily since August of 2005. But the Comments feature was relatively new. Just as a “FYI”, here are some statistics on our archived Comments, since we started allowing them in April of 2017:

  • Approved Comments: 78,943
  • Manually flagged by the editors as spam: 4,396
  • Automatically flagged as spam by Akismet software: 912,120
  • Comments deleted by the editors for various reasons: 406  (.051% of comments)
We STill Want To Hear From You

We look forward to receiving your e-mailed letters. Be advised that we won’t have the space to post all of them in the main blog thread. The highest priority will go to letters that are directly related to family preparedness topics. If your letter isn’t chosen for posting, please don’t feel offended.  A hint: If your letter has great spelling and punctuation, that will make it that much easier for us — and again, it will be more likely to be posted.  Please carefully proofread any letters intended for posting.

Additionally, we plan to start a new compendium column for any e-mailed letter that is too short to publish as an article under a heading perhaps called “Snippets” where we’ll selectively post any short e-mails too short to post as letters and any of your brief observations or helpful hints about any article published in the preceding week. We still very much want to hear from many of you!

You can send your e-mails to me at: james@rawles.to

You can send your e-mails to Avalanche Lily at: lily@survivalblog.com

Please be sure to put “FOR POSTING:” in the subject line if you consent to posting. Alternatively, for private communique, put “NOT FOR POSTING:” in the subject line.

Again, the existing comments will still be available in the SurvivalBlog archives (both online and on the USB sticks), but no more can be added.

We appreciate the many of you who had been regular commenters.  Thank you for all your wonderful contributions.

We look forward to receiving your e-mailed letters!

Thanks! – JWR and AVL

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Understanding the Liberal Thought Process, by Edward

Disclaimer: I’m not a psychologist, just a guy with an interest in human motivations. This essay gives my opinions based on observations and amateur research. Your experiences will differ, and you may disagree.

To begin, two terms require definition for purposes of this essay.

• Virtue is defined herein as a liberal’s moral belief held with such certainty that pressuring society toward greater Virtue justifies any means. The term “Virtue” here is very different from what most consider virtuous. Rather, this type of Virtue represents the epitome of the phrase, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
• Reason is best defined through an example: If someone observes the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, Reason says that the sun orbits the Earth. This conclusion, though incorrect, creates the illusion of scientific deduction. Again, the term “Reason” here is far removed from most definitions; it might be better thought of as rationalization, or justifying behaviors by applying inappropriate or fallacious reasons.

Virtue and Reason are key to understanding a liberal mind. Liberals believe that imposing Virtue on others is imperative to improving society. They believe their Virtues are scientifically validated by Reason, regardless of conflicting facts or failed results. In other words, flawed Reason validates their Virtue, which allows rejecting contradictory data, and allows rationalizing the failed outcome — often by blaming others for lacking Virtue.

Case in point: Liberal Virtue says that guns are evil, and observation shows that some people commit violence using guns. Therefore, Reason concludes that gun control will reduce violence, which validates their Virtue. Aside from the obvious logical fallacy that giving up your guns in Idaho would reduce murders in Chicago, liberals reject any data proving the failure of gun control, because accepting those facts would invalidate their Reason and Virtue. To liberals, banning gun ownership is a Virtue worth pursuing, even if doing so fails to reduce violence.Continue reading“Understanding the Liberal Thought Process, by Edward”

Recommendations of the Week:

Here are our Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers.  Many of these come from our readers. We try to emphasize small companies that make hand-crafted goods, here in the United States and in Canada.

In January, 2021 we quit the Amazon Associates program because of Amazon’s censorship. So we are no longer placing any new links to products via Amazon.com.

Please shop with our paid (banner) advertisers first. If they don’t have what you need, then take a look at SurvivalBlog’s many Affiliate Advertisers.

This week the focus is on the store closing sale at Dom’s Surplus. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Please order your books through our BooksAMillion.com (BAM) link, and SurvivalBlog will earn a modest commission.

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By popular demand, Max Velocity is now selling his books directly.

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The Art of War by Sun Tzu.  There are paperback copies of the English translation for $14.97 at BooksAMillion.com.

Continue reading“Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The open frontier, the hardships of homesteading from scratch, the wealth of natural resources, the whole vast challenge of a continent waiting to be exploited, combined to produce a prevailing materialism and an American drive bent as much, if not more, on money, property, and power than was true of the Old World from which we had fled.” – Barbara Tuchman

Kimber America Stainless LW 1911, by Pat Cascio

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Long-time SurvivalBlog readers will know that I’m a sucker for a well-made 1911 – in any configuration. However, my thinking has changed over the years. And, with the current climate all around the world, meaning political, and of course, the many wars taking place. I wouldn’t pick any 1911 as my one and only handgun for an End Of The World situation. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d go with a handgun with a larger magazine. Still, I love the 1911, and have carried one on and off duty in law enforcement, and as a civilian. Even to this day, I’ll strap on some kind of 1911 for a day or two – just because!

I remember when the first Kimber guns came on the scene, and they had everything most savvy 1911 owners wanted, and at a price point, that was only slightly more than a bone stock basic entry-level 1911 was selling for. So they were an instant success! I had one minor complaint at that time, and it was the cheap black rubber grips that came on a factory “custom” 1911 – and most owners immediately swapped out those cheap rubber grips, for some nice wooden grips.

The only complaint I still have with a Kimber is about one of the Metal Injection Molded (MIM )parts: the thumb safety! I had more than a few of these safeties snap off when taking it off “safe” to fire the gun – and you could see the “defect” in the safety – some small voids left behind in the molding process. I believe Kimber would do better, to make the extended combat safety lever, be molded a little farther back on the part – relieving the stress level on the thumb safety – just my take on it. I used to swap out the slide stop lever on most 1911s, with a forged one – just to be sure, it wouldn’t snap-off – I don’t do that any longer because I haven’t had a MIM or cast slide stop lever fail me.

MIM affords some great small parts at a big savings to the consumer, and they are often ready to install on a 1911 without much, if any fitting. If you know anything about firearms, you know that, when it comes to a 1911, many parts can’t just be dropped-in – they have to be hand-fitted. Over the years, when I was doing gunsmithing, I had more than a few customers bring me a 1911, that they had installed a part into it – and it wouldn’t function – they had no idea how to fit a part – they just assumed that all parts dropped in.

These days, I can usually be caught carrying some sort of compart 9mm handgun for my daily carry needs. I don’t feel the need for anything more, now that I’m just another private citizen, semi-retired, and live in the boonies. So my threat level isn’t what it used to be. Still, I usually have a compact or sub-compact 9mm that holds a lot of rounds. I have all the faith in the world with a .45 ACP round when it comes to stopping a threat. However, you are limited on the number of rounds in the single-column magazine of a 1911. The 9mm with good JHP or specialty rounds, will get the job done, in my humble opinion. Still, if I were going into a hostage rescue situation or similar high-threat event, I’d grab a 1911 – I have all the faith in the world in a 1911 and the .45 ACP round.

One of the newest 1911s from Kimber is their Stainless LW – the pistol under review in this article. The title is a little misleading, because the frame is manufactured out of lightweight aluminum, but the slide is made out of stainless steel. And, this gun is available in 9mm or .45 ACP – that is, if you can find one – they are made in limited production runs and they won’t be available for sale all the time.Continue reading“Kimber America Stainless LW 1911, by Pat Cascio”