The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Situational unawareness in the private marketplace or on the battlefield will cost you your livelihood or your life. In the Age of Obama, however, such willful ignorance is a job prerequisite. The less you know the better.” – Michelle Malkin

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 11, 2021

On August 11, 1857, N. H. Wolfe and Company, the oldest flour and grain company in New York City, failed. This failure shook investor confidence and began a slow selloff in the market which continued into late August. Several other failures followed, and this cascaded into what was later called the Panic of 1857.

—

In honor of gun designer James Paris Lee’s birthday, we are running a two-week sale at Elk Creek Company. I’ve set sales prices with discounts from 5% to 25% on nearly all of our inventory. Get your order in soon, while the selection of antique guns is still good. Please note that we no longer take credit card payments, but we do take pre-1965 U.S. silver coins or inflated FRNs in the form of cash, checks, or money orders. (At our store, you may toggle between silver and FRN pricing.) This sale will end on the evening of Friday, August 20, 2021.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 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.
  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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 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.

Becoming a Hunter – Part 1, by Remington Smith

The mention of hunting will most likely bring two responses. The first of the non-hunter, sometimes anti-hunter, and that is of disgust. The other is of the hunter himself. It is one who smiles widely and tells a couple of hunting stories, however true they may be.

When I was young and growing up my response would have been the first. That is not entirely my fault because most of the so-called hunters in my area think nothing of killing an immature animal, or worse yet, not being a marksman and wounding the animal. For me, wounding an animal and risking the possibility of not being able to utilize it was unforgivable.

Things do change however, and my family moved out to the country when I was eleven. This move brought innumerable blessings. Living out in the country also brought me in contact with situations to which I would have never been exposed in the city. Some of these situations were of the death of an animal, and over time this changed my view on hunting. I am still disgusted, as any sportsman should be, when I hear of an animal being shot and lost. What I finally began to realize is that all animals die. Some animals die of old age in the winter. Others die quickly from a hunter’s bullet. Their meat is eaten and enjoyed and thanks is given for the blessing of their nutrients.

I have now been blessed to have hunted a season, bagged a deer, and learned many valuable lessons about hunting as a way of self-reliance. I have also learned many things about myself through hunting. My prayer is that through this article I can prevent someone else from making the same mistakes I made during my first season, so they can be more focused on finding and learning about themselves through this activity in which the crazy, outside world has no business. In order to best show what needs to be developed to be a successful hunter and sportsman, we will look at choosing a rifle, hunting equipment, hunting strategies, marksmanship development, scouting, and my experience of the hunt.Continue reading“Becoming a Hunter – Part 1, by Remington Smith”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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.

—

We’ll start with this advice on growing peppers, from Sean B.:

“Although I have been saving seeds from my garden vegetables and fruits for more than five years now, this year I am harvesting the result of a rookie mistake I made last year. Not knowing that bell peppers and jalapeno peppers can cross-pollinate, my bell pepper seeds from last year are now growing a hybrid and my jalapeno seeds from last year have very poor germination and low survivability in the plants. My hybrid bell pepper/jalapeno plants are now growing what looks like a very large jalapeno, that is spicier than a bell pepper, but not spicy enough to be a “hot” pepper. They also don’t have the nice thick fleshy fruit wall we expect from a bell pepper. So, although the hybrid is edible, it is closer to a “worst of both worlds” combination.

Next year I will either have to try growing my saved two-year-old bell pepper and jalapeno seeds (collected before the cross-pollination), or buy new seeds. A reminder to the seed savers out there, if you are not doing it already, keep similar plants far enough apart to prevent cross-pollination. Also, each year, pack away some “just in case” seeds so if something goes south, you have some 2-year old seeds as a backup. Were this year’s harvest happening during a TEOTWAWKI scenario, these “worst of both worlds” peppers would be a very unpleasant surprise.”

o  o  o

While they scare you with “variants,” Congress wants to make dietary supplements prescription only. (Thanks to Jim L., for the link.)

o  o  o

Lily directed me to this, over at Gateway Pundit: Bill Gates Smiles When Suggesting the Nonvaccinated Should Be Withheld Their Social Security Benefits. JWR’s Comment: Most evil people have difficultly concealing the depth of their evil intent.

o  o  o

Reader L.H. recommended this, from The Freeholder blog: Creeping Big Brotherism.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 10, 2021

On August 10th, 1984, Red Dawn, the first PG-13 rated movie, starring Patrick Swayze was released. The movie (the 1984 original, not the 2012 remake) is a favorite of both JWR and HJL. This fine John Milius movie embodies the independent, indomitable spirit that created this country.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 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.
  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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 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.

Bitcoin for Preppers, by S.C.

“Oh no, not someone else talking about Bitcoin!” That is what you’re probably thinking right now.

I know Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been a hot topic of late. And there are more than enough “wanna-be” experts out there.

When looking through SurvivalBlog.com, I realized that it’s been quite a while since there was a dedicated piece on cryptocurrencies. Since the technology (and the economy) is changing so rapidly, I wanted to do a primer on Bitcoin for Preppers. I’ll include Use Cases and some How-To.

In this article, I’m going to make the case for Bitcoin, not as an investment (which I believe it is), nor a great store of value (which I also believe it is becoming), but instead, I’m going to simply state that having some Bitcoin in offline storage should be an essential part of any prepper’s toolkit.

Recently, a former JPMorgan cross-asset strategist said about Bitcoin,

“If..one’s risk scenario is of the Thunderdome variant characterized by the simultaneous collapse of a currency and its payments system, then there is no better hedge than private, digital money.”

If JPMorgan sees it as a prepping tool, maybe you should as well.

And I don’t claim to be a Bitcoin expert. I’m not a developer or a software programmer, but over the past four  years, I’ve dug pretty deep down the crypto rabbit hole and I’ve become convinced that at least a little Bitcoin should be part of your preparations for an unpredictable future.

Let me tell you why…

What a Bitcoin Is

Before we jump down the Bitcoin rabbit hole, let’s first talk about what Bitcoin is. If you’re familiar with Bitcoin, you can skip this part. If you’re unfamiliar, I’m going to give a hyper-abbreviated intro to Bitcoin.

Simply put, Bitcoin is the first digital bearer instrument with provable scarcity.Continue reading“Bitcoin for Preppers, by S.C.”

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 focus on the politicized — and botched — prosecution of some “Soviet Moscow” protestors, as reported by Redoubt News. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

Over at Redoubt News: City Fumbles Prosecution of Teens over ‘Soviet Moscow’ Sticker.

o  o  o

Idaho vaccine rate among lowest in country. (37% versus 61%, nationwide. Chalk that up to “healthy skepticism.”)

o  o  o

I just heard about a firearms and survival gear company located in Moscow, Idaho. They tell me that they will operate by e-commerce for the time being until open up a retail store: Holzman Arms.

o  o  o

Reader C.B. sent this: Search continues for missing Idaho boy, 5, who disappeared near home nearly 2 weeks ago.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ’s disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.” – Norman Maclean

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 9, 2021

August 9th, 1831was the birthday of James Paris Lee (August 9, 1831 – February 24, 1904). He was a Scottish-Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the bolt action that led to the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles. But most notably, Lee was the inventor of the spring-loaded detachable box magazine that has become standard in the vast majority of modern rifles and pistols, worldwide.

Starting today, in honor of James Paris Lee’s birthday, we are running a two-week sale at Elk Creek Company. I’ve set sales prices with discounts from 5% to 25% on nearly all of my inventory. Note that because of a shopping cart software glitch, the special sale prices are showing up on the main pages, but not on the detail pages. So your total will be based on the sale price, regardless of what you see quoted at checkout. Get your order in soon, while the selection of antique guns is still good. Also note that we no longer take credit card payments, but we do take pre-1965 U.S. silver coins or inflated FRNs in the form of cash, checks, or money orders. (At my store, you may toggle between silver and FRN pricing.)

—

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

Springfield Armory AR Pistol, by Pat Cascio

It is really hard to keep up with all the new firearms coming out of the Springfield Armory company. They don’t sit back on past accomplishments. Nope – they keep coming out with new or improved designs. That is commendable.

I’ve tested several of the Springfield AR rifles and pistols over the years, and loved every one of them. Today, we’re looking at their newest AR pistol design, and it is simply called an AR Pistol. The lower receiver has a “Saint” logo, so i suppose this is considered part of their Saint series. The Springfield Armory item number is ST9096556BM. They offer another similar model, and about the only difference between the two that I can see are some minor changes in some of the arm brace and fore-end furniture.

With one party in control of the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, all pushing for some crazy gun control measures, we can be assured that some of this craziness will pass and become law this year. Sure, there will be challenges made and it will reach the US Supreme Court at some point, but that can take years to be heard. Everyone’s “favorite” anti-gunner is Senator Diane Feinstein, and she promises to reintroduce the “assault weapons” ban – will probably do so, before this article is even published. She is rabid when it comes to her hatred of guns in the hands of private citzens. So, I’d advise anyone looking to purchase some type of AR or AK firearms, to do so now – not later!

As most of us know, there is a shortage of firearms and ammunition these days. I couldn’t tell you how many times my local FFL contacted me, and wanted me to sell them some ammo, and its like this every place you look. When I alerted my FFL that this Springfield AR pistol was coming, they asked two questions – “what model is it, and how much do you want to sell it for?” Nope, not happening. End of story! On many ARs prices doubled – and in some cases, prices tripled. But be advised that prices seem to finally be coming back down – a bit.

Let’s take a look at the specs on this particular AR pistol from Springfield Armory. The upper receiver is forged 7075 Aluminum – tough stuff. It has a type III hardcoat anodized on it – plus a forward assist, and M4 feed ramps. Many ARs simply have a barrel with M4 feed ramps – not the upper as well. The lower receiver is also 7075 Forged Aluminum, again with the Type III hardcourt anodizing finish. Springfield has added the Accu-Tite tension system, for keeping the upper and lower receivers locked tightly together. That is adjustable, as well.Continue reading“Springfield Armory AR Pistol, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Gwen’s Cajun Goulash

The following recipe for Cajun Goulash was kindly sent by SurvivalBlog reader Gwen. It is Gwen’s original recipe.

Ingredients
  • 1-to-2 lbs of ground meat
  • 3 cups of Basmati Rice (or whatever quantity you desire, as a bed for your goulash.)
  • 1 can petite tomatoes
  • Corn starch or arrowroot powder
  • Avocado oil

Use any fresh vegetables you prefer. These are what I use:

  • Mushrooms
  • Green beans
  • Sweet yellow pepper
  • Zucchini
Directions
  1. Start a batch of Basmati rice.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the veggies and sauté them in avocado oil or oil of preference. Season with Slap Your Mama.
  3. Scoop cooked veggie mix into a bowl.
  4. Brown 1-2 lbs of ground meat. Season with Slap Your Mama.
  5. Mix the vegetables with the meat.
  6. Add 1 can of beef broth and one can of petite tomatoes. Reserve a little liquid. Add corn starch or arrowroot powder to thicken.
SERVING

We serve this over steamed Basmati Rice.

—

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 again look at investing in military surplus (“mil-surp”) rifles. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Friday’s news: Why did gold price drop 2% today? More downside coming? Gareth Soloway on metals, stocks, Bitcoin.  JWR’s Comments:  I expect the futures and spot prices of gold and silver to recover, certainly by this fall. If the $1.2 Trillion “Infrastructure” legislation passes, (and that’s likely) then we can expect renewed currency inflation. That, in turn, will trigger higher prices for precious metals. Presently, it is a good time to buy silver. As an aside: I’ve just dropped the silver to Federal Reserve Note (FRN) price multiplier on my antique guns to 20.1 times face value, at Elk Creek Company.  (Thus, a gun priced at $20 in pre-1965 silver coinage would be priced at $402 in FRNs.)

o  o  o

The Fed Goes Full Dove: Rocket Fuel For Gold, Silver and Mining Stocks.

Economy & Finance:

The Seeds of Stagflation.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: The “Real” Real Yield Is -4.15%… And We Are Stuck With It Forever.

o  o  o

Reader V.L. suggested this piece by Charles Hugh Smith: How Breakdown Cascades Into Collapse.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Weird Phenomenon of “Labor Shortages” as Millions of People Still Aren’t Working: Employers Hired 2.5 Million in 3 Months.

o  o  o

Study show Biden’s Capital Gain Tax Plan would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, year after year.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We can’t spend money we don’t have. Period. Just look at what is happening with inflation. We were promised this infrastructure bill was fully paid for, and now we see that it’s not. This was nothing more than a bait and switch. $205 billion of this bill was to be paid for with repurposed COVID funds. The latest proposal only shows $50 billion in COVID funds being used, as well as a lot of the proposed ‘pay-fors’ missing. So we are asking our colleagues: How is this infrastructure spending bill being paid for? We still don’t know. We still don’t have a score on this legislation from the Congressional Budget Office. Let’s not forget, this is just the first step in the Democrats’ plan to pass their $5.5 trillion tax-and-spend liberal wish list. We support infrastructure, but it has to be paid for. This proposal isn’t it.” – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, from a joint statement released by U.S. Senators. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 8, 2021

August 8th is the birthday of Terry Nation (August 8th, 1930 – March 9th, 1997), who was a Welsh television writer and novelist. Nation wrote two series, Survivors and Blake’s 7, in the 1970s. Survivors was re-made a few years ago.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 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.
  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. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 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.