Rossi RS22 Semiauto .22 Rifle, by Pat Cascio

I’ve neglected covering .22 Long Rifle (LR) firearms over the years. My apologies. It wasn’t intentional, believe me. I just get so many centerfire firearms to test, that I’ve been concentrating on them. For many years, I recommended that folks who were starting out as Preppers – or Survivalist – make their first purchase as a pump-action 12 Gauge shotgun – as their main firearm, until such time, as finances permitted, to move on to other firearms, if possible. I was wrong! Today, when new preppers ask me what to get as a first firearm, I recommend a .22 LR caliber rifle – or a .22 LR handgun. Let me explain:

First of all, with a .22 LR rifle, you can not only use it for self-defense – I know, save the hate mail – if that’s all you have – it will get the job done with proper shot placement. Secondly, you can take small game, and in a pinch you can take game up to deer-sized – once again, with proper shot placement. Of course, I would never recommend hunting deer with a .22 LR chambered firearm. However, in a pinch, a survival situation, you can certain take deer with a head shot – I knew a fellow who routinely took deer with headshots to feed his family – he wasn’t earning enough money to make ends meet. I can’t fault someone for wanting to feed their family – as best they could. So, don’t think I’m advocating poaching, I’m not!

Of course, if you don’t have a .22 LR chambered rifle, the next best thing is a .22 LR chambered handgun – once again, it could be used for self-defense in a pinch, and you can take small game – as well as deer-sized game if need be. However, you have to be a fairly good shot to take deer with a head shot, but it can be done. Small game is also a challenge with a handgun – just have to know what you’re doing and be a better than average shot.

I wouldn’t recommend a bolt-action .22 LR rifle, or a single-shot rifle – it takes too long to get follow-up shots, especially in a self-defense situation. Needless to say, we are talking about home defense – ‘cause you can’t carry a rifle on your person out in public. So, a semiauto rifle is in order. When it comes to handguns, you semiauto is my first choice, followed by a revolver of some type – they will serve you in a self-defense scenario – if that’s all you have. Believe me, no one wants to get shot, not even with the lowly .22 LR round. Once again, I’m not recommending a .22 LR chambered firearm for self-defense as my first choice – so save the hate mail, once again. Many years ago, I knew the fellow who ran the ballistic testing lab in a big city, and he told me that (at that time) more people were killed with .22 caliber firearms, than any other caliber.

Today, we’re looking at the Rossi .22 LR semiauto rifle, simply known as the RS22L1811 – RS22 for short. Rossi has been around for a lot of years, and they have a close relationship Taurus Firearms, which markets their revolvers. Rossi has always made an affordable line of firearms, starting with .38 Special revolvers and single-shot long guns. Their guns are made in Brazil, and the low labor costs there make their guns quite competitively priced.Continue reading“Rossi RS22 Semiauto .22 Rifle, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Big Ben’s Texas Goulash

The following recipe for Texas Goulash was kindly by SurvivalBlog reader Big Ben. It was developed with freezer storage in mind. He later adapted it for home freeze-drying.

Ingredients

5 lbs Ground Beef

5 lbs Macaroni Noodles

2 lbs Frozen Corn

1 large Onion diced

1 #10 can Tomato Sauce

2 10 oz cans Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chile

2 4 oz cans diced green chile

1 10.75 oz can condensed tomato soup

1 ½ c Italian seasoning spice mix

½ c Chili powder

¼ c granulated onion

¼ c granulated garlic

½ c minced garlic

¼ c crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 c ground black pepper

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

8 oz shredded Italian cheese blend

24-32 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Brown ground beef well and add diced onion and cook till translucent.  Cook macaroni to al dente in a large pot.  Drain macaroni and ground beef.  Combine everything in one pot and mix well.  Add 4 to 6 cups water and simmer to desired doneness/flavor blending.  The cheese will want to stick to your stirring spoon, but if you keep stirring eventually it will dissolve into the mix.  I bag this in quart freezer bags at 24 oz to the bag to fill twenty bags. \

To freeze dry in my Harvest Right, I turn it out onto parchment-lined trays two bags to a tray.  To rehydrate, add enough boiling water to make 24 oz again, and let stand for about 5 minutes.  Each 24 oz load will feed me and the wife with the addition of some crackers or bread (cornbread is a good extender for this one) and will satisfy my otherwise oversize appetite.   This is one of our big 5 freeze-dried meal recipes.   We do two batches of this as part of our one-year supply, along with the other 4 recipes plus extras.  Making this takes about 3 hours.  The freeze-drying takes a couple days.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

20 Reasons Why America’s Next Bank Holiday Will Be a Nightmare (Updated)

JWR’s Introductory Note: Today, in lieu of our regular bi-weekly Economics and Investing column, I’m presenting an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in June of 2012, titled:  20 Reasons Why America’s Next Bank Holiday Will Be a Nightmare.

If anyone compares this with the original edition, you will see that I’m standing by the majority of my 2012 predictions and recommendations. If anything, nine years later, the threats that we’d face in a banking crisis will be even greater, because of increased reliance on electronic payment systems, power grid reliance, Internet reliance, and the larger scale of the tech-based economy.

I should mention that one of the key metrics that I cited was Money Zero Maturity (MZM) money supply. Back in 2012 it was around $7 trillion. It has now more than tripled, to more than $22 Trillion. Humpty Dumpty is now headed for a much bigger fall — that is, one that will not just devastate the financial markets and retail banking, but also the Dollar itself.

Here is the updated article:

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The world has returned to the brink of a global credit crisis that could be far worse than the tumultuous events of 2008-09 and 2012-13. The sovereign debt crisis of 2012-13 in the southern reaches of the Eurozone seemed to indicate that bank runs could escalate and spread in a global contagion. Thankfully, that crisis was stemmed. But with interest rates now rising, I can see that a similar situation may return. The recent collapse of Germany’s Greensill Capital is troubling. Though European banking managers and regulators are calling the Greensill collapse “contained”, it is having far-reaching consequences. Mark my words; Greensill may not have been just an isolated glitch.

Interest rates have been kept artificially low since 2007. What we are witnessing now (in early 2021) is an understandable rebound. Some analysts suggest that it might herald a repeat of the 1945-to-1981 interest rate wave. That wave was triggered by currencies and banking detaching themselves from precious metals. (First silver, and then gold.) The 1971 to 1981 period, in particular,  was quite traumatic. A similar, but a probably much smaller wave of interest rate hikes will be triggered by global financial markets detaching themselves from the U.S. Dollar as a reserve currency, and adopting sovereign digital currencies.Continue reading“20 Reasons Why America’s Next Bank Holiday Will Be a Nightmare (Updated)”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today.” – Thomas Sowell

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 28, 2021

On this day in 845, a 5,000-man strong fleet of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands. They only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by the Vikings in the 790s.

The Vikings were led by a man named “Reginherus” or Ragnar, sometimes linked to the legendary saga figure Ragnar Lodbrok. The Vikings easily overcame defenses set in place by Charlemagne and are known to have attacked the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés just outside the city. Although struck by an outbreak of plague, the Vikings overcame this to return home with their ransom of 7,000 French livres of gold and silver.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. 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. 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 93 ends on March 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.

What To Do with Trash?, by Mrs. Alaska

Living remotely means, among other things, that we receive no municipal services for trash and garbage disposal or recycling. Surely anyone with a hunting cabin or a bug out location has had to do some of the following: We have become very intentional about what we haul out to our home because we have to figure out how to dispose of what remains! I have been inspired by Internet sources like “1000 uses for wooden pallets” and whimsical yard art from cans as well as techniques referred to now as “zero waste kitchens,” which I realize, applies to what I have been doing for a while now.

Below are examples of what we do with wood ash, vegetable and meat leftovers (including bones), animal and human waste, packaging, and construction debris. Many ideas may be useful to people, wherever they live.

Wood Ash

Because we heat our home and hot tub with wood, we generate a lot of ash.

As a fertilizer, wood ash reads 0-1-3 and softens acidic soil, which is what our property needs… in modest amounts. (Get soil samples) The main recipients of the ash, though, are the chickens. Ash deodorizes their coop in winter and they like to fluff their feathers with it when they do their dust baths all year long.   Some people use dark ash to encourage snow to melt, but I find that unattractive.

The best use I read was by a man up here whose cabin burned down last winter. He stomped out the word “HELP” in the snow and filled the depressions with ash, to be seen by a passing airplane. It worked…after he had been stranded for 10 days.

Kitchen and garden scraps

Vegetarian kitchen and garden scraps can be repurposed for the benefits of human, animal, and garden recipients. Most of the scraps I give to the animals, but I also save vegetable bits for a pot of veggy broth from time to time. This includes the water from vegetables that I blanch (to freeze). I NEVER cook savory dishes with plain water. I ALWAYS use homemade vegetable or meat or fish broth in rice, soup, stews, gravies, etc. Bruised or other vegetable scraps that I don’t save for us or the animals (like citrus and onion peels) are trenched directly into gardens to enrich the soil or stored over winter (15 gallons) for the same. (I haven’t had great luck with compost piles, but I do make compost tea all summer for feeding plants). Worm farms (vermiculture) also eat vegetarian kitchen scraps and produce wonderful soil in thanks. Whenever I boil potatoes or pasta, I save a cup or two of that water to make bread the next day. The starch in the water feeds the yeast and tends to produce a softer loaf than “plain” water.Continue reading“What To Do with Trash?, by Mrs. Alaska”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

To share this, you can find it here: https://kapwi.ng/c/38hBv5fh

 

Meme Text:

The Next Legislative Challenge for the Democrats:

Demanding Species Reassignment Surgery for RINOs

 

JWR’s P.S.:  If he identifies as an elephant, then who are we to judge?

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

We love him, because he first loved us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” – 1 John 4 (KJV)

 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 27, 2021

Today is the anniversary of the tragic Tennirife airliner collision disaster, March 27, 1977.

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March 27th is also the birthday of the late Robert W. Ford (born 1923, died 20 September 2013). He was an amazing man who had a remarkable life. His book, Wind Between The Worlds (an account of experiences in Tibet, captivity by the communist Chinese, and his fight against brainwashing), is highly recommended. It is available for free download.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. 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. 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 93 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Five “C’s” of Prepping, by Mr. B.

It strikes me that as a prepper, whatever your level of commitment and however you become involved in prepping, that we all go through various feelings and stages. I have pondered recently – in light of unnecessary lockdowns, “mandatory” face masks, and threats of imposing questionable vaccines – that one might interpret that there are five stages of “being”. These are my Five C’s. Let me explain:

Challenged

The first is being challenged. This is the starting point when you are challenged by a moment or thought, an action or a reaction, to an event that takes you out of your comfort zone into a situation you were not prepared for. You were challenged by it and it made you start to think differently. You looked at the world in a way that you had not considered before. We all experienced this as preppers. It may have been a local, national or world-wide event. It might have been an ordinary week; it might have been the very opposite and felt like the world was crashing. From being burgled and a house fire, to economic ruin or a worldwide pandemic. It was nevertheless a challenge, a challenge that caught you off guard. For some individuals it affects them slightly, for others, it shakes the very core of their being. The challenge however, was not intended to be a passing moment; it was intended to be a rite of passage.

Convicted

This is when being convicted takes place. The moment after the challenge, whether minutes or a longer period of time, you are flooded with confronting questions. You ask yourself what took you so long? Why didn’t I get here sooner? When will there be other moments like this in the future? Who else thinks like I do? Where am I meant to be and is that going to happen sooner than I expected? Equally important you ask yourself; will I be prepared for the next time, will I be able to learn what needs to be learned, will I be able to amass the proper resources, will I be able to withstand what’s coming, and will I be understood by those around me? The conviction then is not sourced by guilt, but of not adopting this perspective sooner.Continue reading“The Five “C’s” of Prepping, by Mr. B.”

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:

I’ve had another quiet week here, out of state, helping an ailing elderly relative.  I’m anxiously counting down the days until my return to Lily and the kids at the ranch.

As usual, I’ve had the ordering system for Elk Creek Company on hiatus for this month of travel. Judging from the large number of inquiries and “hold that one for me” e-mails that I’ve received, I can see that we’ll have a big rush of orders, when I reactivate the shopping cart system next Tuesday.  (March 30, 2021.) So be sure to mark your calendar!  I’m fairly certain that with the big anti-gun legislative push in congress that the demand for Federally-exempt pre-1899 guns will be huge, in the coming months.  This may be your last chance to have a good selection of pre-1899 guns at reasonable prices. Once again: H.R. 8 will ban all private party gun transfers EXCEPT for muzzleloaders, percussion revolvers, and pre-1899 cartridge guns. Please contact your senators again, and tell them that you oppose all Federal gun laws.

While I’ve been traveling,  Lily has been working on a “Honey Do” list for me. Apparently,  building a new shed roof to go over our intended new beehives and remodeling the chicken coop are the  items at the top of that list.

Now, over to Llly, for her part of our weekly report:

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The Lord hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

The anger of the Lord hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.” – Lamentations 4: 11-22 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 26, 2021

The Battle of Glorieta Pass began on March 26, 1862.  This outcome of this battle ensured that the west stayed with the Union, and denied the Confederacy the gold and silver from the western states. The Confederates were stopped by a very mis-nicknamed unit ( “The Pet Lambs”) – the 1st Colorado Volunteers (official 1st Colorado Infantry) made up of hard rock miners (predominantly Cornish or Welsh), Irish track layers, mountain men, and some mountain cowboys.

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I just heard about a very remote retreat property for sale, over at SurvivalRealty.com: It is 140 miles up the Stikine River from Wrangell, Alaska, in British Columbia, 25 miles from the nearest road. Snowmobile or boat access only. 146 acres, 2 bd/1ba home plus a 1896-vintage guest log cabin. Asking $1,000,000. It is 25 miles south of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, Canada.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 93 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. 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. 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 93 ends on March 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.

Tool Maintenance, by Richard T.

I’m now 73 years old and can’t remember ever not having tools. In my mother’s diary she wrote about little projects I made before I even started kindergarten at the age of four. Some of the tools that I have today were my father’s. These include a hammer and some tinsnips. They outlasted him and those and others will outlast me, if they are maintained properly. This is where most of us fall short, me especially when it comes to tools for tasks that I’m not particularly passionate about. Outdoor yard projects fall into that category. For a tool to do it’s job, it has to be maintained. As someone recovering from health problems once told me, it’s easier to stay in shape than to get into shape.

My dad was a farmer into his early 40s and worked a lot with yard tools. When he visited me and saw that I was putting away a shovel crusted with dried mud I got a lesson on how to clean it, by thrusting it into a pail of sand. I got my pail of sand and have done that, occasionally, but when I went to use it this for the first time after winter I was aghast at its condition as it was put away late last fall in a hurry and was crusted with dried mud and was unusable. It was time I had to stop and do what I should’ve done last fall, clean it up. I’ve got more shovels and rakes to clean up too.Continue reading“Tool Maintenance, by Richard T.”

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 how urban outmigration has created a rural land rush. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Poland Wants More Gold: “The ‘Most Reserve’ Of Reserve Currencies”

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COMEX “Delivery” Update

Economy & Finance:

Roughly 4 in 5 Manhattan Office Workers Will Not Return Full-Time, Survey Says

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At Zero Hedge: Cash-Out Home Refinancings Hit Highest Level Since Global Financial Crisis

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Another from Tyler: “We Expect The Worst” – German Towns To Lose Millions In Greensill Bank Collapse

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At Wolf Street: Market Manias Galore, But Long-Term Interest Rates Smell a Rat

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”