Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 4, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 3.)

If you’re ever in a survival situation and you need a slingshot, the good news is that it’s possible to make field expedient bands from some commonly available materials, including:

Each of these has different characteristics, so you’ll need to do some experimenting with different ways of shaping, combining and attaching them to see what works best.

I realize that this is probably a lot more information than you’d ever thought you’d need regarding slingshot bands, but in reality I’ve only scratched the surface. I recommend you initially stick with buying quality pre-made bands from places like SimpleShot, Fowler’s Makery and Mischief and Sniper Sling to get started. If you want to learn a lot more about how different bands behave, Montie Gear and SimpleShot produced a detailed report showing the results of different tests they ran on different bands. There’s also a nice presentation available on making your own flat bands, and plenty of additional information on various web sites and forums.Continue reading“Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 4, by J.M.”

March 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in March?

Volatility was the theme for March, as sanctions against Russia and disruptions in food and fuel supplies caused by the war rocked global economies. Sanctions imposed on Russia had the effect of pressuring the economies of the sanctioning countries as well.

Western sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine sent safe-haven assets higher early in the month. Gold traded over $2,000 in Europe on Monday the 7th, with oil selling for more than $130 a barrel.

A short round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia fell through in mid-March, but not before gold lost $98 over eight sessions, bottoming out at $1,895 on March 16th.

Gold rose to above $2,000 an ounce after peace talks broke down and inflation scares grew. They briefly fell below $1,900 again as a new round of peace talks began, but recovered as recession fears climbed at the end of the month.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

Heightened market concerns that the Fed would be aggressive in hiking interest rates were temporarily overshadowed as the economic fallout from the Ukrainian War took center stage in March.Continue reading“March 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

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 farmland investing, as a hedge on inflation. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

David W. suggested this: What You Need To Know About Physical Gold Supply And Demand.

o  o  o

How The West’s Ban On Russian Gold Could Backfire.

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Bank of Russia will buy gold from banks at a fixed price from March 28. JWR’s Comments:  That quoted rate per gram sounds ridiculous. Was that a mistranslation? Or did someone shift a decimal point? Perhaps this is just their first step in the process of pegging the Russian Ruble to gold.

Economy & Finance:

Key part of yield curve inverts, blaring recession warning. JWR’s Comments:   Don’t ignore this, folks. If you haven’t done so already, shift your portfolios to recession-proof positions!

o  o  o

Mortgage rate soars closer to 5% in its second huge jump this week.

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Warning: Trading houses set for collapse as ‘margin call doom loop’ is about to go global.

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The Big Bond Blowup: Worst Bust Since Marshall Plan.

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57% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax last year as Covid took a toll, study says.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 31, 2022

We’ll start off with some breaking news, via Spaceweather.com: X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected a powerful explosion on the sun. The X1.3-class flare on March 30th (1737 UT) caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas and has almost certainly hurled a CME toward Earth. Take precautions, folks!  Disconnect your antennas. Unplug your radios from utility power, and if possible put them and any spare radios in Faraday enclosures. – JWR

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March 31 is the birthday of economist Dr. Walter E. Williams, PhD., who was born in 1936. His book American Contempt for Liberty is highly recommended.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 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 $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 100 begins on April 3rd, 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.

Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2.)

Add-Ons

There are dozens of possible additional features that can be built into or added onto a basic slingshot frame to enhance its effectiveness and functionality. One of the most common ones is a wrist brace, which is a rigid extension that attaches to the frame and presses down on the top of your forearm. In regards to my earlier discussion about the lever behavior of a slingshot, a wrist brace helps overcome this problem by transferring the rotating force on your wrist into a downward force on your forearm, which allows you to use stronger bands that you may not have been able to fully draw with wrist support alone. Wrist braces have somewhat of a mixed reputation among the slingshot community – some people deride them as ‘training wheels’ while others swear by them. I’m of the opinion that preparedness isn’t a popularity contest, so anything that could potentially enhance your ability to harvest game or protect yourself should be considered. I use a wrist brace frequently when hunting and fishing as that allows me to use stronger bands without tiring out as quickly, and it allows me to relax my grip on the frame to rest my hand without dropping the slingshot. Be aware that in some locales wrist braces on slingshots (sometimes referred to a ‘wrist rockets’) are specifically called out by law and may be illegal, so do your homework.Continue reading“Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 3, by J.M.”

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 examine some options for perennial food plantings.

Growing Perennial Fruits and Vegetables

I found an instructional video from “GrowVeg”, in England: Five Must-Grow Perennial Vegetables: Harvest Year After Year.

And here in the States, another video, from OYR Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening, on a similar note: Over 30 Edible Perennials in a Small Garden!

And,

So you want a food forest? Bushes – My top six.

And,

Permaculture Food Forest deep dive on support plants, herbs, and deer protection.

Hunting Club Lawsuit Challenges Government Surveillance

Our Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson sent this: Hunting Club Lawsuit Challenges Power of Government Surveillance on Private Land.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 30, 2022

On March 30, 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr. Also wounded were White House news secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and District of Columbia police officer Thomas K. Delahanty.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. 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 $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 99 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.

Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1.)

On any frame with forks there are also two options for the orientation of how the bands are attached to the forks – Through The Forks (TTF) or Over The Top (OTT). TTF means that the bands come around the sides of the forks, and the ammo passes through the forks roughly centered on the bands. OTT means the bands come over the top of the forks, and the ammo comes out roughly centered on a line across the tops of the forks. Here’s a picture that illustrates the two layouts (TTF on top, OTT on bottom). The red line on each illustrates the approximate level at which the ammo will pass through the forks when it’s shot:Continue reading“Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 2, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Governor Holcomb signs Indiana’s Constitutional Carry bill into law. The new law goes into effect on July 1st, 2022.

o  o  o

At Spaceweather.com: GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G2-CLASS)

“A moderately strong G2-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 31st when a CME is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field. During such storms, naked-eye auroras can descend into the USA as far south as, e.g., New York and Idaho (geomagnetic latitude 55o). In fact, the storm might be stronger than predicted. The source of the CME, active sunspot AR2975, has just sent one or two more CMEs right behind it.”

Update 1: These CMEs are reportedly already playing havoc with some FAA radar systems.

Update 2: Some breaking news, via Spaceweather.com: X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected a powerful explosion on the sun. The X1.3-class flare on March 30th (1737 UT) caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas and has almost certainly hurled a CME toward Earth. Take precautions, folks!  Disconnect your antennas. Unplug your radios from utility power, and if possible put them and any spare radios in Faraday enclosures.

o  o  o

I heard about a great little firearms training school, in Johnson City, Texas: Three Stand Ranch. If the big “one size fits all” style of training at the big shooting schools bothers you, then this is the place for you.

o  o  o

I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: The US Army’s Green Berets quietly helped tilt the battlefield a little bit more toward Ukraine. JWR’s Comments: The Green Berets have always been primarily a training organization–for both insurgency and counterinsurgency. They are just doing what they do best. Oh, and the Canadian Army deserves even more credit, for training the Ukrainians. They’ve had hundreds of trainers cycle through there in recent years. With U.S. and Canadian training, and a growing supply of high-tech anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), it is no wonder that the Ukrainians have been doing such a good job of repelling the Russian invasion.

o  o  o

Some sad news: Bill Sardi, 1945-2022, R.I.P.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 29, 2022

Today would have been the 103rd birthday of William “Bill” Summers Anderson. He passed away on June 29, 2021, at age 102. The following is from his biography at the Infogalactic wiki:

“He was born March 29, 1919, in Hankow, China. On December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong was also attacked by the Japanese. As a member of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), Anderson fought the Japanese but after 17 days of heavy fighting, Hong Kong surrendered.

On Christmas Day 1941, exactly four years after he had escaped from the Japanese in China, he became a Prisoner of War (POW) and lost his second home. For the first two years, he was in a prison camp in Hong Kong before being moved to Nagoya, Japan as part of a group of 400, to work in a railway locomotive factory. Here the work was very hard; inmates worked 13 days out of 14 and were beaten on occasion. Towards the end of 1944, Japan was being bombed regularly. In May 1945, a large air raid over Nagoya knocked out the factory and the POWs were sent across the country to Toyama on the west coast to work at a branch of the locomotive factory. Toyama was almost totally destroyed in a fire bomb raid on August 1, 1945, after which the POWs were confined to barracks until the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945.

He was evacuated from Japan to the Philippines and as a British citizen, sent to England after two weeks of recovery in Canada. After the war, he became chairman of NCR Corporation.”

In 1983, just before he retired, Anderson was reportedly America’s highest-paid business executive with a compensation of $13,299.000

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This is also the birthday of the gifted electronic and orchestral musician Vangelis. (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou.)

Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 1, by J.M.

One of the hallmarks of good preparedness is leveraging lessons of the past to help us prepare for the future. However, as we age we tend to discard a lot of the simpler things we learned earlier in life in favor of more advanced (and typically more complex and expensive) approaches. Weapons are a great example of this – if you’re somewhere in the realm of a ‘seasoned citizen’ there’s a good chance you made and used a slingshot (‘catapult’ or ‘katty’ for those of you in the UK) from a tree branch and inner tube sometime in your youth, but as you’ve grown you’ve most likely shifted your focus to things like expensive firearms, bows and crossbows for hunting, fishing and self-defense. Like many technologies, slingshots have continued to mature in function and capability and today’s slingshot is a significant improvement over what you may remember from your misspent youth. In this article I’ll be discussing modern slingshot technology and how it’s made the transition from childhood toy into a potentially useful and viable component of your preparedness strategy.

Before we get started, some obligatory legal warnings – laws regarding slingshots can be even more convoluted and murky that those that govern firearms. They can vary between and even within towns, counties, states and countries, and in some cases they may or may not fall under the ‘dangerous weapon’ catch-all category, depending on the mood of the law enforcement officer you’re dealing with. I recommend avoiding the advice or information regarding slingshot laws you find in various Internet forums, vendor web sites, etc. and go directly to the town, county, state and/or country law web sites for your locale. A good illustration of this is Massachusetts in the US – most forums and vendor sites list slingshots as prohibited in Massachusetts; however, if you read the actual law, it states that it’s illegal to sell or manufacture a slingshot in Massachusetts – there’s not a single word about possessing one. You can legally go to another state, buy a slingshot, bring it back to Massachusetts and shoot it in your backyard (as long as you do so safely). Laws regarding hunting and fishing with a slingshot tend to add even more confusion – check with your local Fish and Game officers to find out for sure.Continue reading“Youth’s Lessons: The Slingshot – Part 1, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, an update on the Gabby Petito case..   (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Mayor And AP Stringer Give Sandpoint A Black Eye.

o  o  o

Idaho Governor Signs Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban Bill.

o  o  o

Idaho school board group joins 21 states severing ties with NSBA after ‘domestic terrorism’ letter to DOJ.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”