Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 22, 2021

This is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945).

It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952), who had unforgettable roles in Buckaroo Banzai and the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films.

—

Today, because of out-of-state travel to attend a memorial service, we won’t be posting an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th.  We are currently running low on entries to post for the writing contest, so we’d greatly appreciate it if you would 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. – JWR

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 rising spot and futures prices for silver in U.S. Dollar terms. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Precious Metals Rise; Silver Scores 5-Week High. A pericope:

“Silver for December delivery surged 61.9 cents, or 2.7%, to close at $23.883 an ounce. The settlement was the highest since Sept. 14.”

JWR’s Comments: The rally has continued since then. By Friday morning, silver was up to $24.91 per Troy ounce on the spot market. Methinks we’ve seen the bottom, and this is the beginning of a big silver rally.

o  o  o

Shocking Numbers Show Government Crowding Out Real Economy.

Economy & Finance:

Fed says it could begin ‘gradual tapering process’ by mid-November. JWR’s Comments: Promises, promises… They’ve been dropping hints for many moons. I’ll believe it when I see it.

o  o  o

The World’s Rich and Powerful Are Stashing $500 Billion in This Tax Haven.

o  o  o

The Shorter Work Week Really Worked in Iceland. Here’s How.

o  o  o

At Seeking Alpha: Markets will face a ‘rates shock’ in 2022 – BofA.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 21, 2021

I just heard from reader “Jimbo” that Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet and other young adult adventures, has died at age 82. He will be missed! Jimbo noted:

“Hearing this news reminded me of an interview I heard with him. He said there was a news story about a pre-teen boy lost in the woods.  When asked if he was worried, his dad said casually, ‘I’m not worried.  We have read Gary Paulson’s book Hatchet several times together and I’m confident he will do fine.'”

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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. 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.

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!

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 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.

Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62×39, by The Novice

I recently tested the Ruger American Ranch Rifle, chambered in 7.62×39. I found it to be suprisingly accurate while shooting inexpensive steel-cased ammo. The only major change I recommend for the design is to make it available with an AK-compatible magazine well.

The Ammo Backstory

In the early summer, I contacted Ruger to see if I could borrow one of their American Ranch Rifles chambered in 7.62×39 for testing and evaluation. I was interested in the rifle for several reasons.

Firstly, the 7.62×39 cartridge produces less recoil than many other calibers suitable for taking deer-sized game. That would make it attractive to smaller or older hunters who may prefer a little less recoil.

Secondly, during the various disruptions of the last year and a half, 7.62×39 ammo was often available when other calibers were out of stock. Having a rifle in a caliber with readily available ammo would be an advantage in difficult times.

Thirdly, 7.62×39 ammo was generally less expensive than other calibers suitable for taking deer-
sized game. In early August of 2021, 7.62×39 ammo could be readily purchased for as low as $.27 a round, while most other calibers were costing more than $1 a round.

All good things come to an end. About the time that I received notification that Ruger was sending me a rifle for testing, Mr. Biden banned the import of Russian firearms and ammunition. The availability of inexpensive Russian imports was one of the major factors contributing to the low price of 7.62×39 ammo. When I went out to buy ammo for my testing, it was sold out at one store, and cost twice as much as it would have cost a few weeks earlier at another store.

In the days that followed, the price continued to rise, and availability continued to decline even more. Eventually, the initial panic began to recede. Ammo became more available, and prices began to come back down. But at the time of this writing, 7.62×39 ammo still costs roughly twice as much as it did before the Biden import ban.

In spite of these caveats, 7.62×39 ammo is still available, and at this point it is still cheaper than other calibers suitable for taking deer-sized game.Continue reading“Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62×39, by The Novice”

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 American weapons in the hands of teh Afghan Taliban.

US-Supplied Weapons Now in Afghan Gun Shops

For sale now: US-supplied weapons in Afghan gun shops. Here is an excerpt:

“American M4 carbines sell for about $4,000, the dealers said, especially if equipped with a laser sight or under-barrel grenade launcher. In contrast, a Kalashnikov rifle sells for about $900, the dealers said, and a Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launcher for about $1,100. Pistols that NATO forces supplied to Afghan police officers sell for about $350. Almost all their transactions are in Pakistani rupees, and in cash, the dealers said.”

Modern-Day Living Off The Land

Avalanche Lily stumbled into a videoblogging couple that is striving toward food self-sufficiency: Six Months of Only Eating what we Catch, Grow or Raise.

Garland Weaponized the Department of Injustice

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this at Gen Z Conservative: Garland Weaponized the Department of Injustice.

System Collapse and Shortages of Everything?

Over at G. Edward Griffith’s Need to Know: Global Supply-Chain Workers Warn of System Collapse and Shortages of Everything.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 20, 2021

Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading.

And it is the birthday of the late Tom Petty. (Born October 20, 1950, died October 2, 2017). He was a great singer-songwriter and a passable actor.

October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in the American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road.

—

Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare a feature article for today, as I’m traveling out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Since the State necessarily lives by the compulsory confiscation of private capital, and since its expansion necessarily involves ever-greater incursions on private individuals and private enterprise, we must assert that the state is profoundly and inherently anti-capitalist.” – Murray Rothbard

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 19, 2021

October 19th marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling; the “Green Leader” cross-border raid in which Rhodesia attacked ZIPRA (Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army) in retaliation for ZIPRA shooting down a scheduled passenger flight, Air Rhodesia flight 825, during the Rhodesian Bush War. Rhodesia suffered only minor casualties in the raid. But they claimed to have killed 1,500 ZIPRA personnel as well as some Cuban instructors. Other sources claim that those killed were refugees camped near the border. Sadly, history does not seem to remember the two airliners shot down by Zimbabwe along with the innocent civilians killed on them, but emphasizes the retributory Rhodesian strikes.

—

19 October is the birthday of three notables – the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec.

—

Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare feature article for today, as I’m traveling out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Congress may carry on the most wicked and pernicious of schemes under the dark veil of secrecy. The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” – Patrick Henry

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 18, 2021

October 18th, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June 1714). He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) (1708–1710) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar.

—

Today, another product review by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio. His 45-year career has spanned the globe. He has worked as a nuclear power plant security officer, police officer, police detective, small-town police chief, counter-terrorism consultant to the BSAP during Rhodesian Bush War, international security consultant, martial arts instructor, magazine writer, knife designer, and most recently a SurvivalBlog editor. Previously, Pat wrote feature articles for monthly issues of American Survival Guide, Handguns, Gun World, American Handgunner, as well as annual publications for Guns, American Handgunner, Guns & Ammo, and Knives Illustrated. We feel truly blessed to have him on our staff.

Springfield Armory XDm Compact Elite OSP 9mm, by Pat Cascio

I readily admit that I’m a huge fan of Springfield Armory firearms – all that they now produce. My very first Springfield pistol was a basic 1911 .45 ACP. When I first got it, the stupid thing wouldn’t even function with 230-gr FMJ ammo – very strange to say the least. I’m a trained 1911 armorer and I still enjoy working on 1911-series handguns. In no time at all, I had that early Springfield working well. I could have simply sent it back to the factory, but since I could work on these guns, I decided to fix the problem myself – not a big deal at all.

When Springfield Armory came out with their first XD 9mm handguns, I grabbed one – albeit one chambered in .40 S&W, and I was happy with it. As a matter of fact, I carried it for two full years as my concealed carry piece, as well as a duty pistol. The only time I didn’t pack this gun was when I was testing other handguns for articles. Then I’d switch right back to the XD. The XD and XDm line-up is quite extensive these days, and I believe I’ve probably owned just about every model they make. The original XD is very “Glock-ish” in looks. However, none of the parts or magazines are interchangeable between a Glock and an XD.

I remember, not too many years ago, when Springfield came out with a new and improved XD, and this one was called the XDm – not that the original XD needed any “improvements” it was, and still is, fine as it comes out of the box. The XDm does enjoy some improvements, one is that it is a little slimmer than the XD, and it has a nicer trigger pull, and a shorter reset of the trigger. I’ve also owned some of the compact and sub-compact XDm pistols over the years, as well. All very nice guns. And, as already stated, I’ve probably owned every XD-type of pistol that Springfield has sold over the years. The XDand XDm lines are made in Slovakia for Springfield, and sent to the USA for inspection, packaging, and sale.

I had a terrible internal struggle with myself when the nice folks at Springfield sent me a press release on this new XDm. I was sorta “like what’s the big deal…” didn’t see a lot of difference in the other XDm pistols for the most part. The most striking is the HEX Dragonfly red dot sight on the rear (top) of the slide. I’m a big fan of red dot sights, especially on handguns. Rob Leatham, is one of the best handgun shooters in the world, and coincidentally sponsored by Springfield Armory. Leatham has said that “everyone shoots better with a red dot sight…” and I’m sure in agreement with him. However, it does take just a little time to retrain your eye to find the red dot, as opposed to the standard sight found on handguns. And, it is a very short learning curve to be sure. And, and you’ll wonder why you shoot so much better. A lot has to do with just looking at the red dot, through the housing – instead of trying to focus on the front and rear sight, at the same time, and then aiming at the target…with the red dot, you simply look at the red dot — very easy to do — and place it on the target. It is easier to do than explain.Continue reading“Springfield Armory XDm Compact Elite OSP 9mm, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Chimichangas De La Bambi

The following recipe for Chimichangas De La Bambi (Picante Venison Chimichangas) is from reader Michael S.:

MixING Ingredients
  • 1 pound of lean ground venison
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 cup Picante sauce
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
Frying Ingredients
  • 1 package of Chinese egg roll wrappers. (I use Wing Hing brand.)
  • Olive oil or Vegetable oil
Directions
  1. In a medium to large fry pan, brown the venison with chopped onion, stirring the venison briskly to reach a small crumble texture.
  2. Drain.
  3. Add picante sauce.
  4. Add salt, and pepper (to taste).
  5. Simmer at fairly low heat until the juices are cooked off.
  6. Mix in grated cheese and stir well. (Reserve some of the cheese for topping.)
  7. Roll the mixture into the Chinese egg roll wrappers.
  8. Fry in olive oil or vegetable oil until golden brown.
SERVING

Serve the Chimichangas with grated cheese, and/or guacamole, and/or sour cream, to taste. A rice side dish  (white, brown, or Mexican style) is apropos.

—

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!