Preparing To Go To Gunsite – Part 1, by N.C.

I think the most important preparations we make are those that overlap in “fun” and “useful” categories. For me, that overlap is best represented in marksmanship. I’ve always loved marksmanship and being a better marksman makes me better able to defend my family if the second worst day of my life happens to be today.

I used a SurvivalBlog Writing Contest prize Course Certificate toward the full Gunsite 250 class. The 250 defensive pistol is their standard basic defensive pistol class. Because 250 Defensive Pistol is a 5-day course, the credit that I won writing an article for SurvivalBlog only went part of the way. I had to put my own money towards the rest of the tuition, as well as money for the ammo, gear, lodging, food, and transportation. Being so far away, this training was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so making the jump to the 5-day course was the best choice for my family.

Possibly the biggest cost to my family was the time, something all the students invested equally. This was Dad doing something on his own for a week. That means that Mom had to take care of the kids using her Paid Time Off. That’s time that we as a family can’t use. Now, some things lined up, some grandparents were able to help, but it was still a big ask for my family. Now that I’m on the other side, I’m glad I did it.

Defensive Pistol 250

The Defensive Pistol 250 course is 40 hours of instruction. The lecture portions cover mindset, firearm maintenance, ammo selection, and self-defense considerations. There’s a lot more hands-on training than there are lectures. The training will have you practice basic marksmanship, quick shooting, malfunction clearing, low light shooting, use of cover, and “simulators” where you will use frangible ammunition to do room clearing. At the end of it, you will have more rounds downrange and more firearm specific training than most new cops.

This base course for pistol qualifies you to take more advanced training, where force-on-force, concealed carry, and low-light simulators are the focus. If you do exceptionally well, then you can advance to their most advanced courses without the intermediate ones. Completion alone allows you access to multiple things at Gunsite that are smaller than full-blown courses and occur throughout the year. At that point, you’ve demonstrated competence and a basic understanding of their approach. You’re safe and at a certain base level, and as a result you can now do more with them.

If you live within 800 miles of the Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, I’m pretty unequivocal: you should spend the money and get the training. If you are more than 800 miles away, then it might be better to spend that amount of money working your way up through another trainer’s curriculum. If you’re looking for options, I’ve reviewed the training by Warrior Poet Society before. Working your way through the multiple levels in another training “ecosystem” may be better for you if that ecosystem is closer. But if you live close to it, then I strongly suggest Gunsite.Continue reading“Preparing To Go To Gunsite – Part 1, by N.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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news about another bison death at Yellowstone. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Suspected gunman found dead after fatal shooting of Idaho firefighters.

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“Truth and Reconciliation” Conference being held to voice concerns on Victor Perez shooting.

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Firefighters battle blazes near Greer, Pierce.

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North Idaho woman sentenced to jail for road rage crash that left child in coma.

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Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to University of Idaho student murders to avoid death penalty: report.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 30, 2025

An Important Note: Please repeatedly contact your state’s two U.S. Senators by phone and e-mail and demand that they overrule the unelected Senate Parliamentarian’s recent bogus ruling that the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act did not qualify as “tax measures” under the Byrd Rule. Clearly, the National Firearms Act of 1934 IS INDEED part of the Federal tax code, and any modification to NFA-’34 is indeed “tax-related.”  Tell your Senators:  Vote NO on the entire bill, unless the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act are fully restored! If they can overrule the Senate Parliamentarian on Senator Dan Chenshaw’s bill, then they can do the same for ours.  And for that matter, the Senate Parliamentarian can and should be immediately fired and replaced! – JWR

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On June 30, 1893, the Excelsior diamond (blue-white 995 metric carats) — then the world’s largest — was discovered in Jagersfontein Mine, South Africa.

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June 30, 1908: A giant fireball, most likely caused by the airburst of a large meteoroid or comet flattened  80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest such impact event in recorded history. Some more details are available here: The Tunguska explosion rocked Siberia 117 years ago. (Our thanks to reader “BOG”, for the link.)

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June 30th is the anniversary of the tragic death of 19 hotshots in the Yarnell Hill Fire. (In 2013.)

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The last day! We have been running a one-week sale on all of our pre-1899 sporter rifles at Elk Creek Company. There are some very deep discounts. Order yours, ASAP!   They can be mailed directly to your doorstep or your P.O. box, in most states.  This sale ends at midnight Eastern Time, tonight (Monday, June 30th, 2025.)

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Today’s feature article is a “how-to” piece written by our own Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking entries for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 ends on July 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

DIY Wood-Lined-Steel-Drum Corn Storage, by Thomas Christianson

“Some deer came to the squirrel feeder today,” Kari announced at supper one evening. Kari and I both love deer. Kari loves deer because she thinks that they are pretty. I love deer because I think that they are tasty. As a result, our priorities don’t always coincide. But we do both agree that we like having deer around on the property. It isn’t that I have ever actually shot deer on our property. I just want them nearby in case I get hungry.

The squirrel feeder had not always been a squirrel feeder. It was originally a platform that I had built to hold a salt block for the deer. But when the deer consistently ignored the salt, the platform eventually became a place where we set out stale bread and other treats for the squirrels that flourished in the woods near our home. Harsh weather conditions in January and February had made it difficult for the deer to find sufficient food. Now they were getting desperate enough to compete with the squirrels for scraps of stale bread.

“One of the deer was crippled,” Kari continued. “She couldn’t walk on one of her front legs. And she was pregnant too!”

I suddenly knew that our family had acquired a new dependent.

Kari bought a 40-pound bag of shelled corn for the deer. Between the deer, squirrels, turkeys, and other wild inhabitants of the wetlands surrounding our home, the corn did not last long. Kari began making plans for purchasing more.

At that moment, I had an inspiration. I said, “I purchased some shelled corn back in 2016. It has been stored in a steel drum in the pole barn ever since. It is due to be rotated. Let’s use that corn instead.”Continue reading“DIY Wood-Lined-Steel-Drum Corn Storage, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Traci’s Marinara Sauce is from SurvivalBlog reader Callie B.

Ingredients
    • 2 large cans whole tomatoes, chopped (Or fresh tomatoes of equivalent volume, plus a bit of water)
    • 1/4 c. tomato paste
    • 1/2 c. olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp. minced onion
    • 1 or 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, thinly sliced
    • Garlic, to taste
    • 2 tsp. minced parsley
    • 1/2 tsp. crushed dried oregano
Directions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan.
  2. Bring the pan to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat, and cover with a lid.
  4. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and thickened to a volume of only about 1 quart.
STORAGE

You may freeze or water-bath can this, but it is best served freshly-cooked.

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Do you have a well-tested 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 recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic:  The number of propane fueling stations, by State. (U.S. Dept. of Energy Map. See the original site, for specific locations, or use the Alternative Fueling Station Locator.) “Thousands of fueling stations across the country provide propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).”

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations,—entangling alliances with none; the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns, and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies; the preservation of the general government in its whole constitutional vigour, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad; . . . . freedom of religion; freedom of the press; freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected,—these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation.” – Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address. March 4, 1801.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 29, 2025

On June 29, 1194, Sverre Sigurdsson was crowned King of Norway, after years of dispute.

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June 29, 1922: France granted 1 km² at Vimy Ridge “freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes”, for a memorial ground. The Canadian Army had famously captured that ground from the German Army in April,1917.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 ends on July 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Medical Preparedness – An After Action Failure Report, by WV Underground

The purpose of this article is to outline a series of medical events my family experienced in an three-month window from Christmas Day 2024 to March 1, 2025, followed by a frank evaluation of what gaps this event chain showed in my family’s preparedness supplies and plans.

As a healthy, early middle-aged male who has been in the preparedness space for nearly 15 years and regularly follows prepping blogs and podcasts, I like to think of myself as being prepared for most of the events that could disrupt the lives of my immediate family. The typical “beans, bullets, and Band-Aids” supplies are kept well stocked along with some more advance preps such as alternative means of power, cooking, and heating. Before these events and having been through the COVID era, I would also have said that my medical preps, the “Band-Aids”, were adequate to address typical medical events of a nuclear family with young school-age children such as cuts, scrapes, burns, fevers, etc. I have also taken steps to be able to provide emergency first aid care for more serious and life-threatening injuries that could require the use of tourniquets, chest seals, etc.

Looking back after the series of events about to be reviewed, my medical preps were focused on two scenarios and left a hole for a third. The two scenarios I was prepared for were, firstly, small house hold injuries or “boo boos” such a cuts, scrapes, and minor burns. The second was life threatening injuries and conditions such as major bleeding. The missing third scenario was the possibility of medium to severe illnesses such as flu, pneumonia, or stomach viruses.Continue reading“Medical Preparedness – An After Action Failure Report, by WV Underground”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

America’s National Dog

The Bald Beagle

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Quench not the Spirit.

Despise not prophesyings.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Brethren, pray for us.

Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” – 1 Thessalonians 5 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 28, 2025

On June 28, 1846, the saxophone was patented by Antoine-Joseph “Adolfe” Sax. It was intended to fill the gap between brass and woodwind instruments. Never fully adopted by most symphony orchestras, the saxophone has nevertheless had amazing popularity in jazz music.

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June 28th, 1703 was the birthday of theologian and hymn writer John Wesley, who died March 2, 1791. His name is so well-known and subconsciously recalled that I quite often get mail mis-addressed to “John Wesley Rawles”, and there was even a brief publisher’s misprinting of one of my book cover spines, that way. – JWR

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Today’s feature article was too short to qualify as a writing contest entry.

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It appears that the RINO  leadership of the U.S. Senate is attempting to use a rare weekend session to ramrod through the “Big, Beautiful” spending bill with the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act deleted or neutered.  Starting TODAY, please repeatedly contact your state’s U.S. Senators by phone and e-mail and demand that they over-ride the unelected Senate Parliamentarian’s recent ruling that the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act did not qualify as “tax measures” under the Byrd Rule. Clearly, the National Firearms Act of 1934 IS INDEED part of the Federal tax code, and any modification to NFA-’34 is indeed “tax-related.” Tell your Senators:  Vote NO, unless the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act are fully restored!  Thanks, – JWR

Basic Chainsaw Maintenance, by Grandpappy

I’ve been sharpening chainsaws for many years, and l’ve noticed that most owners don’t perform basic maintenance on their equipment. They don’t even know what maintenance they should perform after use, such as cleaning, oiling, and unclogging the chain’s lubrication holes.

The file that comes with a manufacturer’s chainsaw kit is used to maintain the correct sharpening angle. Not all chains are sharpened to a 30° angle. For example, the Ripping Chaín used in some portable sawmills has a cutting angle of just 10°.Continue reading“Basic Chainsaw Maintenance, by Grandpappy”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week, we’ve had a blur of activity with our four grandsons visiting here. So we made only limited progress on our prepping and self-sufficiency projects.

Electric ATVThe oldest of the boys is 10 years old. The youngest is just 3. Admirably, and despite their young age, the three older boys stepped up to help us gather manure mixed with hay from one of our sheep pens, using pitchforks and our electric ATV and trailer.  The boys look for any excuse to operate our Bad Boy Buggy.  (We let the older boys do so only on level ground, and only under direct adult supervision.) Together, we hauled most of that rotted-down manure to our orchard, and fertilized the bases of our fruit trees and berry bushes.

I replaced the broken treadle drive strap on Lily’s Ashford traditional spinning wheel. This is one of the two spinning wheels that had belonged to my late wife, Linda. (“The Memsahib.”) Just a piece of thick scrap leather was all that was needed. The wheel’s first treadle drive strap lasted 30 years. Hopefully, the new one will last for another 30.

I’ve been quite busy boxing and shipping out Elk Creek Company orders. (We are presently running a sale on all of our pre-1899 sporter rifles.)

We recently received a new steel beekeeper’s hive combination tool, by mail.  Oddly, it arrived with some very rough edges.  Rough enough to break skin if it was handled hastily. Two of my grandsons helped me smooth that up, using our trusty old hand-crank grinding wheel.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”