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, we again focus on the Greater Idaho Project. The image above shows the election results in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with an overlay of the proposed expanded state lines for Greater Idaho. (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

The Atlantic reports: Modern America’s Most Successful Secessionist Movement. (Thanks to Brad F. for the link.) JWR’s Comment:  I wish that journalists would learn the difference between the words secession and partition. Most of the movements described in the article simply seek to re-partition states, not remove them from the Union.

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Douglas County Clerk says Greater Idaho has enough valid signatures.

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Reader “Alva” wrote us:

“I found a recent Wall Street Journal article interesting. This was front-page news in the 22 December 2021 edition of the Wall Street Journal print edition. It is titled: Pandemic Sets Back Population Growth.

Here are some quotes from the article:

“America’s population grew 0.1% this year, the lowest rate on record, according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday that show how the pandemic is changing the country’s demographic contours.”

[The article attributes the decline to COVID 19, yet this decline seems to have happened since 2016.]

“Seventeen states lost population, led by New York (-1.6%), Illinois (-0.9%) and Hawaii (-0.7%). California, which recorded only its second decrease ever after logging its first last year, dropped by 0.7%. The District of Columbia’s population dropped 2.9%.

More broadly, the Midwest lost 0.1% and the Northeast lost 0.6%. The West was essentially flat, while the South gained 0.6%. Texas, the largest Southern state, gained 1.1%. States that grew the most included Idaho (2.9%), Utah (1.7%) and Montana (1.7%). “

“Most of those caught trying to cross the border illegally are being sent back, while the pandemic has slowed legal immigration channels, with visa processing at about half normal levels and the refugee-admissions program at a standstill. Census figures include people residing in the U.S. illegally, though their exact numbers can be difficult to pin down.”

Idaho

IDFG relocates cow and calf moose from city of Kendrick. JWR’s Comment: With a population of only about 320, it is probably best to refer to Kendrick as a “town.”

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Another one to file under “Perps from Outside the Redoubt: Boise PD: Officers nab man accused of breaking into vehicles on Parkcenter Blvd.

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Idaho’s Senator Jim Risch: Supply is down, prices are up, and Idahoans are worried.

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‘Post-mortem mayhem’: Court docs detail cannibalism charge in North Idaho murder.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 27, 2021

On this day in 1979, in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union sent 75,000 troops to enforce the installation of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the nation. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had little success in putting down anti-government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destructive, and ultimately fruitless Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan.

—

Today we present a review written by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

 

 

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.

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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 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.

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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

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

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

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

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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)