Economics & Investing For Preppers

…lose you entire investment. I warned you that this investment would be a gamble. Your sell/hold decision today will be a test of what sort of gambler you are. Again, this is not an investment for widows and orphans. It is for someone with some extra cash, and willing to risk it all. – JWR Provisos: SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. So please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers. News Tips: Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” investing news. We often “get the scoop” on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!…




Sweet Spot For the 21st Century With Calibers Beating .308- Part 2, by Alpine Evader

…makes a little more sense. Here’s a response posture example I’ll give you. Known bad actors, killing and raping their way into my mountain community. Round up a team and teleport ourselves (OPSEC, I cannot reveal how we’d get there) a hundred miles down the threat axis to link up with the local cowboy or indian veterans who reported the raid and collect some bad actor scalps. Further, these marauders would also have to work their way into my AO community, hitting the distant and more isolated homestead / ranches first. Here’s the response posture example for that one. Integrating within a community means that a threat to one family on the outskirts is a threat to neutralize. The community would have to provide rudimentary security in that law enforcement isn’t around any longer, so someone misses a check-in. House is looted, dead bodies all around. Round up a team…




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

…mass violence.” This is, of course, completely contrary to any actual collected data on concealed carry. Reader T.Z thinks that this stupid statement will make people go gung-ho for the legislation. As SurvivalBlog has previously stated, this legislation is a bad idea. Not because national reciprocity is bad, but because any “right” granted by legislation can just as easily be taken away. If you doubt this, read up on DOMA. This legislation clearly belongs at the state level. o o o News Tips: Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!…




Update on the Recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack on SurvivalBlog

…post further details as they become available. Note to fellow bloggers: Be advised that your web sites might come under a similar attack as ours, so be prepared! Rest assured that we are taking several key steps that will increase our security and our site’s resiliency. We’d appreciate the donation of some backup server space (especially offshore), for mirroring the blog. (Each with at least 1GB of storage available, and the capacity to handle 20 Mbps. (A standard FTP server.) Why mirrors? The more bandwidth that we can handle, the better we can combat DDoS attacks. Additionally, this server capacity will also be useful on the occasions when we get sudden spurts of traffic, such as when SurvivalBlog.com is mentioned by major media outlets. A reminder: As a precaution for any future disruption, please both bookmark and write down the following URL and IP addresses for the blog. survivalblog.com http://185.8.177.173




Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 6, by Tunnel Rabbit

…inches (10mph cross wind) wind deflection at 300 yard is 5.3 inches. 1,644 foot pounds of energy at 300 yards. Ammoseek.com found this ammunition at $1.45 per round. Yards Point of Impact in Inches Drop in MOA Wind Drift in inches 25 0.0 0.1 0.0 140 3.0 2.1 1.1 235 0.0 0.0 3.2 275 -2.9 -1.0 4.4 300 -5.3 -1.7 5.3 Chart #6 .270 Winchester 145-grain Hornady ELD-X at 2,980fps (modern commercial ammunition). MPBR = 300 yards. Wind deflection at MPBR = 5.4″ (10mph cross wind) 1,949 foot pounds of energy at 300 yards. Using Ammoseek.com I found some for sale for only $1.23 per round. Looks like I need to get a .270 Winchester. Oh but wait, what can I do with a.308 Winchester and Hornady’s ELD ammunition? Let’s run the JBM calculator once again. Yards Point of Impact in Inches Drop in MOA Wind Drift in inches 25…




Improving Local Security – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

…locate the position of the DIY remote sensor. Cost Benefit Analysis, Wuloo Versus MURS Dakota Alert Sensor Another low-cost system I’ve recently purchased and tested is the Wuloo brand of remote IR motion detectors. Unfortunately, these are made in mainland China (PRC). Here is the math that justifies these sensors given their limited range as compared to the MURS Dakota Alert Sensors that are clearly my favorite. I purchased a set of 8 Wuloo sensors and 3 receivers for the Wuloo sensors on eBay that where for sale as ‘open box’. I saved $220 by purchasing ‘open box’ instead of buying them new in sealed boxes. In other words, if these were purchased “new”, it would have cost $400 instead of $173. They all work fine. In fact, I’ve purchased two sets of 8 Wuloo sensors with 3 receivers with no regrets. Why take the risk when MURS Dakota Sensors…




Choosing a Practical Antique Rifle – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

…$1.36/rd. https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/76947 This is an affordable general purpose hunting round that may also shoot close to MOA or even tighter. I would expect the M96 to shoot 1.5 MOA groups or better with commercial ammunition. 1.5 MOA is accurate enough for targets out to around 500 yards. If you’ve got a sub-MOA load, then you are good out to 1,000 yards. Prvi Partizan Ammo 6.5×55 139gr SP 20 per box. $1.25/rd https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/77004 At the time of this writing, I use ammoseek.com to find the lowest cost per round available and found some at $0.95 cents/rd. Sellier & Bellot SB6555C Rifle 6.5×55 Swedish 140 grain Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) 20 Bx/ 20 Cs $19.04/box. Try some more expensive offerings if you need precision level accuracy. The worn barrel on my M1938 Swedish Mauser is a bit picky, so it takes longer to find an accurate load out of that barrel, but…




Using a Dankoff Solar Powered Water Pump – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

for a few hours, preferable in the morning before noon, then shut down to allow the PV panel to fully charge the battery before nightfall. Minimum System Requirements for a PV system Needed for Maximum Lifts and Volumes For 24 hour operation at maximum lifts for either pump, the amperage required will be closer 16Ah at 12VDC, or 8 Amp-Hours at 24VDC. The example assumes a 12VDC system, and would be comprised of 2,000 watts of PV panels charging 880Ah of lead acid batteries. Service life would be limited by the batteries that might provide 24/7 operation for 3 to 4 years. Doubling or tripling the battery bank capacity, as in the prior example, would yield similarly longer service. PV System in Seasonal Operation If for example the pump will only be operated during one or two growing seasons per year, less battery capacity is needed for operation beyond 3…




SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

…goods store, but won’t touch the MREs. Go figure. Guess I’ve bored you long enough; just wanted to let you now that we are praying r oy and the family, especially with Jim traveling. Please be safe, and may God our father richly bless you all and keep you safe. If you’re ever up this way the door is always open, the coffee rancid and the stories getting better with age …. “ o o o New California Law Obliterates Gun Owners’ Right To Privacy. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) A snippet: “Governor Gavin Newsom (D.) signed Assembly Bill 173 into law on Thursday. The bill requires the California Department of Justice to supply information identifying firearm and ammunition purchasers to a newly created research center at the University of California Davis or any other university that requests them. The information includes details such as the buyer’s…




Blowing Bubbles for Fun and Profit, by Gary Christenson

Editor’s Note: This article by Gary Christenson of The Deviant Investor first appeared in the Miles Franklin blog, and is re-posted with permission. It was selected by JWR — not solicited. Miles Franklin can be contacted at: 1-800-822-8080. — Bubbles, like a cocaine high, are fun while they last. History confirms that bubbles and cocaine are enjoyable, because central banks blow many bubbles and the U.S. imports a large quantity of cocaine. Bubbles are fun, but they extract a price. There is no free lunch. Examples: 2019: The Everything Bubble. It hasn’t crashed yet, but there are many bubble piercing objects on the horizon. Prepare for the implosion; it’s coming. 2008: The Housing Bubble. Real estate mortgages, collateralized debt and other derivatives nearly crashed the global financial system. The official story claims emergency central banking measures saved it. But 8.7 million Americans lost their jobs, bankers foreclosed on 10 million…




A Lesson from Fasting for Preparedness, by J.C.

…well cooked sweet potatoes for dinner, During the cooking time, I continued to sip on some smoothie and snacking on some very tasty figs, reintroducing as many good calories as possible to regain my strength for work the following day. What I Learned So, out of this experiment with my body over the eight days, what did I learn that I can take out with me on my next survival trip? I found that if I am able to consume about 600 calories per day and two liters of water, then I should be able to continue on for ten hours a day with a load. An example would be carrying my 60lb INCH (I’m Not Coming Home) bag for ten hours while walking. Also, I came to a realization that if I could only obtain water, I could only carry on for three days and only eight hours a…




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – October 18, 2017

…(29 co-sponsors) H.R. 4025: To require reporting sale of 2 or more handguns (3 co-sponsors) H.R. 4052: To prohibit transfer/possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices (85 co-sponsors) Don’t back off on being vocal, or the Congresscritters will interpret it as our acquiescence or surrender on this issue. – JWR o o o 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. o o o SurvivalBlog Writing Contest This has been another entry for Round 72 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar…




Letter Re: IP Addresses in an Internet Blackout

…sites. Little guys like myself rent a shared server, thus requiring a longer name than just the IP number. Also be aware that the number needs the “http://” in front of it, so if your browser does not automatically add it, you will have to. To be safe, just add the “http://” anyway. In fact, if you don’t want to append your favorites on your browser now, save the list below and just click on them and they should automatically link you to the sites. Note that the top link is to a free service that will allow you to find the IP addresses to some of your own favorite sites. Happy hunting, but do it now! – J.C. IP Lookup: http://ip-lookup.net/domain-lookup.php AmericanFreePress.net http://65.23.153.127 BeforeItsNews.com http://64.62.227.18 BlackListedNews.com http://198.245.55.242 Don’t-Tread-On.Me htp://104.236.58.181 DrudgeReport.com http://69.89.68.240 FromTheTrenchesWorldReport.com http://216.117.129.6 InfoWars.com http://104.238.156.201 NationalLibertyAlliance.org http://162.242.198.79 RumorMillNews.com http://45.79.195.246 ResetUS.us http://181.224.139.64/~srcfla37/index.php/news2e629 SGTReport.com http://54.152.163.13/ SurvivalBlog.com http://185.8.177.142/ WhatReallyHappened.com http://173.236.29.251 ZeroHedge.com http://34.192.18.153…




Recommended Retreat Areas

…vehicles on “drip oil.” Anyone considering relocating to Wyoming should read Boston T. Party’s novel Molon Labe, which depicts a Libertarian political coup in the state, as part of the nascent “Free States” migration movement. Two related groups are currently encouraging libertarians to move to New Hampshire and Wyoming to create a political sea change. See: www.freestatewyoming.org and www.freestateproject.org. Note: I probably should have given Wyoming a higher ranking, due to its favorable gun and tax laws. However, its severe climate and minimal growing season pushed it down the list. If you can stand hard winters, by all means consider Wyoming a top choice. JWR’s Combined Retreat Potential Ranking: 5 of 19.   Detailed Retreat Locale Data For detailed recommendations within the aforementioned 19 states, see my book Rawles on Retreat and Relocation .     Available Retreat Properties Some worthy properties are listed at our spin-off web site, SurvivalRealty.com….




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health and the liberties of man. True, they nourish some of the elegant arts; but the useful ones can thrive elsewhere; and less perfection in the others, with more health, virtue and freedom, would be my choice.” – Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800. ME 10:173