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:

We had a very busy week here at the Rawles Ranch, with some splendid weather. I hung two new livestock tube gates, assisted our eldest daughter in setting up a business venture, limbed and dragged a deadfallen fir tree, went to visit a consulting client, placed a few mail orders for resale, inventoried a few new guns for Elk Creek Company, mailed out two orders, and assisted Lily with a few chores and projects.

Yesterday I attended a gun show for just one day, and found a few bargains. But I was alarmed at the price of ammunition and primers.  Generic 9mm ball ammo was selling for $45 to $50 per box of 50, and jacketed hollowpoints were $60+ per box of 50 or higher. Primers were selling for an absurd  $175 to $225 per thousand.

Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.” – Job 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 23, 2021

On April 23, 1968, decimal coins (divisible by 10) were introduced in England. The 5 Pence coin replaced the former 1 Shilling (which was 12 old Pence.) And the new 10 Pence coin replaced the 2 Shillings Florin (which equated to 24 old Pence). The old non-decimal coins were removed from circulation by 1971.

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A New SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Prize!

We are pleased to announce that Siege Stoves is generously donating a new prize that will be part of the Third Prize package, starting with Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. They are donating the following complete US-made very lightweight SIEGE® STOVE kit:

  • Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members
  • Large Folding Grill
  • Pair of Side Toasters
  • Compact Fire Poker (made in Japan, and converted into a fire poker by Siege.)
  • Extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. These can be used to quickly convert almost any common can into an efficient, stable, high-performance wood-burning stove. With these and the Flat-Pack stove, one is able to get two fires going in parallel, which can be very handy (boil water for coffee, cook a second dish, etc.). One can even take a can of food on a trip, open it, empty it into a pot and while that is cooking on the Flat-Pack Stove, turn the now empty can into a second stove (takes just two minutes to make the holes with the built-in hole-punch and attach the extra set of Cross-Members).

The value of the kit is just over $200 (and may be higher, depending on how much titanium costs have risen since they bought raw materials a year ago.)

Welcome aboard, Siege Stoves!

So, the full set of prizes for Round 94 (et sequitur) of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

Round 94 ends on May 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.

Using Different Size Axes, by Steve Acker

Every year that I can make it I go on summer vacation for a week in Colorado in a remote wilderness area, camping, hiking and fishing with old buddies. It is roughly 50 miles off of the nearest paved road. The area we use is a primitive camping area and at 10,000 feet. Temperatures can range from 34 F to 92 F.

I use this time partly to keep up my outdoor skills, practice axe skills, evaluate new camping equipment and ideas, practice alternate fire building skills, and sit around the campfire with the guys telling stories about how fast we used to be. I even catch a trout once in a while.

I am not an axe expert but do like to learn about axe history and use them in the woods. On these trips, I generally carry my full-size 3-pound head axe, a 2-1/4 pound Collins Legitimus ¾ (or Hudson Bay type) axe, and my old Gränsfors Small Hatchet. I carry all three to Colorado in a hard side rifle case which has worked out well.

I like using axes as a traditional and useful skill that connects us with the ages and warms you twice. On a side note, axes don’t foul spark plugs or run out of gas. As a long-time axe user I know some of this report may be obvious to experienced axe users, but I still occasionally learn a few new things on these outings. Once in a while I bring a new-to-me axe to test against my three favorites, and have my buddies try them out. This time the new fourth axe was a short handle Wetterling 20H Hunters Axe, one of the few axes along with the Gränsfors mini axe that I have purchased new. All of these axes were used on this trip by cutting the abundant dry deadfall, felling standing dead aspen, cutting kindling, general fire building chores, and making fuzz sticks.Continue reading“Using Different Size Axes, by Steve Acker”

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 growing scarcity of some firearms magazines. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

PRECIOUS-Gold firms near 7-week high on weaker dollar, lower yields

o  o  o

Gold prices can push higher as bond yields have peaked – Metals Focus

Economy & Finance:

Travel on U.S. Roads Fell 12.1% in February Over 2020 Levels

o  o  o

Hedge Fund Assets Hit Record $3.8 Trillion in First Quarter

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Freight Expenses Spike the Most on Record

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Place on one side fifty thousand armed men, and on the other the same number; let them join in battle, one side fighting to retain its liberty, the other to take it away; to which would you, at a guess, promise victory? Which men do you think would march more gallantly to combat — those who anticipate as a reward for their suffering the maintenance of their freedom, or those who cannot expect any other prize for the blows exchanged than the enslavement of others? One side will have before its eyes the blessings of the past and the hope of similar joy in the future; their thoughts will dwell less on the comparatively brief pain of battle than on what they may have to endure forever, they, their children, and all their posterity. The other side has nothing to inspire it with courage except the weak urge of greed, which fades before danger and which can never be so keen, it seems to me, that it will not be dismayed by the least drop of blood from wounds. Consider the justly famous battles of Miltiades, Leonidas, Themistocles, still fresh today in recorded history and in the minds of men as if they had occurred but yesterday, battles fought in Greece for the welfare of the Greeks and as an example to the world. What power do you think gave to such a mere handful of men not the strength but the courage to withstand the attack of a fleet so vast that even the seas were burdened, and to defeat the armies of so many nations, armies so immense that their officers alone outnumbered the entire Greek force? What was it but the fact that in those glorious days this struggle represented not so much a fight of Greeks against Persians as a victory of liberty over domination, of freedom over greed?” – Étienne de La Boétie, in “The Discourse on Voluntary Servitude.”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 22, 2021

Today is the birthday of the late Charles Rankin Bond, Jr., who was born in Dallas on April 22, 1915. (Died, 2009.) He was one of the last of the AVG Flying Tiger pilots.

Today is the birthday of actor Eddie Albert (born Edward Albert Heimberger April 22, 1906.) He died May 26, 2005, at age 99.) For his actions in the battle of Tarawa, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 94 ends on May 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.

Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 3, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Can you hear me now?

How do you plan on communicating when your cellphone doesn’t work? There are numerous radio options available including FRS/GMRS, MURS, CB, Marine band, and ham bands. Having spare radios and accessories will be important and those spares should be stored in Faraday cages. The problem with radio communications is that they are not secure, meaning others can listen in on your conversations gathering information that might then be used against you. Some of those radios will require batteries too that may give out at some point and not be replaceable. It is also easy for people with a little bit of equipment and know-how to find out where you are transmitting from. Just do an internet search for “Amateur Radio Fox Hunt”.

Building a micro survival communications infrastructure will have to take into account what you need to communicate and with whom (how far away are they and what are their capabilities?). To me post-SHTF communication will fall into two main categories; emergency communications that relay critical information that is time-sensitive, and routine communications that isn’t immediately needed. So, think about how you would communicate information about an approaching threat. (Approaching, as in they are 10 minutes out.) Perhaps a warning system such as a bell could be used to signal the need to go to a higher security posture. Or what about the need to assemble a fire brigade? Don’t get caught up in the belief that communication has to be just radio. I have a number of field telephone and miles of wire to build a more secure communications system in our immediate neighborhood.

For non-voice communications, I look for carbon paper and buy it when I see it. I would really like an old printing press but it isn’t that high of a priority at this time. The carbon paper will allow me to write once but produce several copies at once. “Runners” on bicycles or even walking can also deliver messages. When I was in the Army, in the late 80s early 90s, they still employed “runners” at times. We also have put away a few “triangles” (dinner bells) and even an old WWI gas attack alert system- it is a “U” shaped steel pipe that has a piece of wood partially wrapped with the same pipe- you bang the “U” with the metal on the wood handle. Low-tech works, no matter what. Have a plan and build the capability now.Continue reading“Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 3, by 3AD Scout”

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 Second Amendment Sanctuaries.

Putting Nuclear Bombers Back on Alert?

Top nuclear commander says he will push to put bombers back on alert if US gets rid of its ICBMs.  Thanks to reader Tim. J. for the link.  Tim highlighted this quote:

“What is not often recognized is that we don’t have a triad day-to-day,” Richard said. “The bombers are not available to us. We chose to take them off alert as a type of peace dividend after the Cold War. Day-to-day, what you have is basically a dyad.”

Armed Civilians Defend Businesses

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Armed Civilians Defend Businesses – Corriher

The 10 Radical Rules Changing America

H.L. sent this: Victor Davis Hanson: The 10 radical new rules that are changing America

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 21, 2021

April 21st is Aggie Muster, for all Texas A&M graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations/meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. April 21st was selected as the day to celebrate Muster since that is the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, where Santa Anna’s army was defeated by the Texian Army led by Sam Houston.

—

This leaked draft document from the ATF is just about as clear as mud:  Definition of “Frame or Receiver” and Identification of Firearms. So it appears that not only are they going to soon restrict 80% receivers, but they also want to call an AR-15 Upper Receiver a “firearm.” Just how this would be implemented is not clear. Would older uppers be grandfathered? Would buying a complete AR-15 require listing two “receiver” items on a Form 4473?  Will lowers and uppers be serialized alike? Will lowers be legally “married” to uppers? Ay, ay, ay!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 94 ends on May 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.

Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 1.)

Where do we Start?

Like everything we do in survival we have to look at vulnerability, that is: That which can hurt us the most and quickest. In my opinion safe and plentiful potable water is the highest priority. So, what can we do now to build our own water infrastructure so that when our blue 55-gallon drum is empty we don’t die of dehydration or cholera? Depending upon your living situation (urban/suburban/rural) this may be a simple process or a major challenge. The point however is to ensure that you have the infrastructure ready to fill the void. Again, depending upon your living arrangements, you may be able to plan, build and integrate your survival infrastructure right alongside your current infrastructure.

For an example of water infrastructure, someone living in a rural area with a well can easily add a hand-operated pitcher pump, a ram pump, a PV-powered pump, or make a bailer bucket to access water when commercial power goes down. A person in an urban/suburban area that has supplied water could add a rain catchment system. But they would also have to have a system for purifying that water for personal use. For some, their survival water infrastructure may be centered around traveling to a lake or stream to fetch containers of water to take back to their home for purifying. So perhaps this infrastructure would be a bicycle and trailer with cargo racks, 5-gallon jugs, and a water purifier. This plan would, however, create a dependence upon your post-SHTF transportation infrastructure for your water infrastructure.

Depending upon your situation your survival water infrastructure may also need to include how to water plants and livestock. For some, being able to set up and use systems like rain barrels may not be an option until SHTF. Perhaps your option might be to design your system, gather the equipment and supplies, put the system together, test it then take it down and store it. Think about routine maintenance that might need to be done to keep your systems operating. If your water system relies upon a bike do you have a patch kit, extra bike parts? Do you have a way to patch containers that might get a hole in them due to gunfire or due to an accident? Do you have spare parts for your pitcher pump?Continue reading“Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 2, by 3AD Scout”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.” – Confucius, in The Analects

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 20, 2021

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill.

April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunchtime with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting.
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It is time to contact your two U.S. senators, again. Insist that they oppose S.529 (The Senate’s version of H.R. 8, which would criminalize intrastate private party gun transfers.) And while you are at it, tell them that they should oppose the nomination of horribly anti-gun David Chipman as Director of the BATFE.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 94 ends on May 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.

Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

Today’s modern society, for the most part, is dependent upon several intertwined and dependent infrastructures. We rely upon these intertwined and dependent systems for our 21st Century Western lives. As we have witnessed in the COVID-19 pandemic and the Texas Polar Vortex, these infrastructures can be very easy to interrupt and one disruption can start a domino effect. For many preppers, storing equipment and supplies back is the failsafe method for handling societal infrastructure disruptions. A family of four putting away a 55-gallon blue drum of water seems like a major achievement but in reality, that water will only last 3 to 7 days. Then what? As we prepare for when SHTF, we need to ensure we are building our own prepper infrastructure versus building a false sense of security by just storing things away.

Building prepper infrastructure is different than just storing away equipment and supplies. The concept of prepper infrastructure is that while stores of equipment and supplies are limited or finite, infrastructure allows you to continue to produce to meet your needs. For example, the concept of prepping equipment and supplies would have one store a hammer, nails, and perhaps some lumber away. The prepper infrastructure concept, on the other hand, concentrates on the means of production of hammers, nails, and lumber. We will interchange survival infrastructure for prepper infrastructure but the terms mean the same.Continue reading“Building Prepper Infrastructure – Part 1, by 3AD Scout”