SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

We no longer have comments to articles, but this column is intended to maintain the continuity of some two-way communication. This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, Tim. J. was the first of several readers to recommended this excellent vlog from Good Patriot: “How To Fight Back – Part 1: Using Your “SHIELD”.

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Frank suggested this piece by John Whitehead: Home Invasions: All the Ways the Government Can Lay Siege to Your Property

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Sir,
I read the review about the slip-on Pachmayr Decelerator pad with interest.  I have a much older permanently installed Decelerator rifle butt pad installed in late 1980s.  It still works nearly as well as it did when new.  At least, that is what my now 58-year-old right shoulder tells me :^)  Because adding the extra length would have affected my off-hand rifle shooting, I removed about ½” of factory wood stock, then regained approximately ¼” from the pad thickness.  It does affect future worth to collector, but it gains faster time mounting to shoulder.  Worth it to me. I recently purchased a slip-on Kick-Eeze pad for a lightweight single shot 12 gauge shotgun but as of yet have not tried it yet. – J.R.G.

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Avalanche Lily (AVL) and several readers sent me this link: The Digital Gulag: Why Team Tyranny Won’t Need Door-Kickers to Enforce the Coming Gun Bans

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From Reader C.B: Red Canary researchers find evidence of malware on 30,000 infected Apple computers

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G.G. suggested this: So Long as You Carry a Cellphone, the Government Can Track You

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on Facebook’s advertising ban for Kryptek.   (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

I just heard that Kryptek Outdoor Group (of Eagle, Idaho — a town north of Boise, where the boonies begin) has had their ads banned on Facebook, just because a few people attending the Capitol Hill protest on January 6th were wearing outdoor clothing made with their distinctive camouflage pattern. That is typical liberal picayune nonsense. FWIW, I own a deer rifle that was dipped in one of their patterns. I think that I’ll order one of their jackets to match, just show them some support.

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Hundreds of Idaho wolves could be killed under new legislation. (Thanks to C.B. for the link.)

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Six election bills to watch in the Idaho Legislature

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SaraSue and CW64 both recently wrote to mention North Idaho Energy Logs. A clever product — made in Moyie Springs, Idaho. You may recall that is the little mill town where I take my mail. By the way, they are looking for dealers for their logs.

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Idaho lawmaker draws ire after saying moms should stay home

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Coeur d’Alene Public Schools to move students to five days a week

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Let’s be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.” –  Michael Crichton

Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 8, 2021

March 8th is the birthday of famed revolver shooter, big game hunter, and gun writer Elmer Keith, who co-designed the S&W .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges. He authored the book Sixguns, which is still considered a standard reference. A Proto-Redoubter, Keith spent the second half of his life on a ranch near Salmon, Idaho. (Keith was born in 1899 and died February 12, 1984.)

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Today, another review written by our Redoubtable Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio

Springfield XDs 9mm Mod 2 Red Dot, by Pat Cascio

In 2016, I reviewed the then-new Springfield Armory Mod 2 version of their outstanding XDs 9mm pistol – and it was, indeed, an improvement over the original version. Springfield is not a company to sit back and enjoy what they just did, they are always improving on various guns, and in many other cases, they are coming out with completely new versions and model. I like that about a company, if you sit back, you will get left in the dust by competing companies.

I’m sure many readers will remember the first Terminator movie, and the “Long slide .45 with laser sighting.” Truth be told, that laser was huge, and what you didn’t see in the movie was that the battery was actually not on the gun, instead it was on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body, with a wire running up his jacket sleeve, from the laser. We’ve come a long way, since then! Back in 1990-1993, I worked for the late Colonel Rex Applegate, and he gave me some lasers to test for him, on various handguns. And, I just didn’t see any practical applications – they were too big. Well, as we all know, handgun mounted lasers have come a long way, and are micro in size now, and many major holsters makers are manufacturing holster to fit handguns with lasers mounted on them. So, I became a fan of handguns with lasers on them – not all handguns, but many.

The first red dot sights go back many, many years, and like laser sights they too were huge, and they weren’t practical for use on handguns. Today, there are micro or miniature red dot sights, and now they can come from the factory mounted on some handguns, and we’re talking sub-compact pistols, too. Who’d a thunk it? Crimson Trace has been a major player in the laser field for handguns, but now they have expanded into red dot sights. A red dot uses a powerful light-emitting diode (LED) that cast the dot on a “screen”  that you look through.

The Springfield Armory XDs Mod 2, 9mm is currently being offered with or without a Crimson Trace red dot sight on the slide, and we are talking a very small device – I can’t wait to see how red dot sights evolve over the next 5-to-10 years – but I’m sure they will be even smaller and possibly manufactured so they are an internal part of the gun – with just the small “screen” showing on the slide. In any event, the XDs Mod 2, 9mm – has a tiny Crimson Trace Model CTS 1500 mounted on the rear (top) of the slide and it is quite the feat of engineering. The CTS1 1500 is mounted into the rear top of the slide in a milled out area, and it sits about as low as you can possibly go (at least these days.)

The Crimson Trace CTS 1500 only adds a fraction to the weight of the gun, too. It comes with a plastic cover, so you can keep the “screen” from the elements, too. This cover fits nice and tight – unlike some other covers that would easily fall off the red dot sight. Crimson Trace says this is a “smart” red dot sight. It has no on/off button – it automatically turns itself on when the gun is moved – even a fraction of an inch, and turns itself off when not in use. Plus, it will adjust the brightness of the red dot automatically – if you are in low light, the red dot is a little dimmer, in bright sunlight, it will adjust itself so that it is brighter and easier to see. Wow!Continue reading“Springfield XDs 9mm Mod 2 Red Dot, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Savory Eggs

The following recipe for Savory Eggs is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book is one of the many bonus items included in the latest edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. The first production run of 15th Anniversary Edition (2005-2020) USB stick sold out quickly, but a second batch should be available for ordering in a few weeks,

Ingredients
  • 6 hot hard-cooked eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup hot cream
  • 1 cup hot thin white sauce
  • Chopped parsley
  • Anchovy paste
  • 6 slices hot buttered toast
Directions
  1. Cut the eggs in two lengthwise and remove the yolks.
  2. Mash the yolks.
  3. Add seasonings, cream, parsley, anchovy, or any desired relish.
  4. Reflll the whites.
SERVING

Place on slices of toast and pour the white sauce over them.

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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!

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 some practical tangibles to invest in. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold and silver sell off when U.S. Treasury yield spikes above 1.5%

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Gold prices drop below $1,700 as Jerome Powell dismisses rising inflation and bond yields

Economy & Finance:

Beige Book Escalates Inflation Warning: Sees Most Prices Rising “Moderately”, Some “Notably”. JWR’s Comments:  With a recent additional $1.9 trillion in pork barrel stimulus and bailouts, and another $3 trillion in “Green Energy” Federal spending planned by the Dem-wits, the market movers can clearly see inflation approaching. If their schemes are neacted, we’ll see a $33 trillion national debt, by the end of 2021! Plan and invest accordingly. Get out of Dollars, and into tangibles — with an emphasis on the kind that go “bang.”

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Another at Zero Hedge: Deutsche Bank: Central Banks Simply Can’t Afford Higher Rates With Global Debt So High

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“An Eye-Popping Decline” – US Mall Values Crash By A Record 60% In 2020

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At Wolf Street: Movie Theater Business Isn’t Going Back to Normal: Disney CEO

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Certainly all those who have framed written constitutions contemplate them as forming the fundamental and paramount law of the nation, and consequently, the theory of every such government must be, that an act of the legislature, repugnant to the constitution, is void.” – John Marshall, in Marbury v. Madison (5 US 137), 1803

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 7, 2021

March 7, 1944 was the birthday of Townes Van Zandt, a gifted Texan singer/songwriter. (He died in 1997.)

March 7, 1707 was the birthday of Stephen Hopkins, (Governor of Rhode Island) one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

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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 Long Range Game – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

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

Common caliber rifles are the best choice for non-handloaders. But I’ve found that 7mm bullets are plentiful, as they are used in a long list of popular and modern 7mm rifle cartridges. Even if you do not reload, I would at least have the dies for each cartridge in your arsenal of rifles. As a reloader, I can make brass from other cartridges into 7×57 and other antique rifle cartridges, from such cartridge brass as 7.92×57, .25-06, .270 Winchester, .30-06, and others. And although it is perhaps too late to buy powder and primers, as these are now very hard to find, we can still buy bullets and dies. Less popular bullets such as 7mm and 8mm are still found. The batch of 7mm bullets ordered today only cost .24 cents each at Graf &Sons. These 140-grain soft point boat tail bullets are made by Privi Partizan. I hope there are some left at the time you are reading this. I believe Privi Partizan knows how to make bullets for the 7×57. If all you have are bullets and dies, I can use powders that few would consider, and make the rifle shoot well enough, but it ain’t going to be cheap. Recently, I saw once inexpensive .30-06 hunting ammunition, peak at $5.00 per round. What would be the value of a harvested deer to a starving family? This is how it was during the Great Depression. If you bought a box of 20 cartridges, there had better be 20 dead deer. Having a set of dies for your rifle, especially if it is not a common caliber cartridge, could keep it still useful, should you run out.

How Does the 7×57 Compare to Modern Cartridge Performance?

Although the 7mm Mauser (aka 7×57) was invented around 1891, it is still relevant in this modern era, when compared to modern cartridges, when modern spire point 7mm bullets are used. It is no slouch when compared to the venerable and second most popular military cartridge, 7.62 NATO! The JBM ballistics calculator was used to generate the data for the comparison. The numbers speak for themselves, yet we can make the numbers speak loud and clear.Continue reading“The Long Range Game – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

To share this, you can find it here: https://kapwi.ng/c/9uNWkPHF

A Legislative Note from JWR: If you have a Republican Senator that might consider voting for a private party transfer ban (“Universal Background Checks”), then please send them that link, included in your e-mail, in opposition!

Meme Text:

If the Senate’s RINOs Vote for Universal Background Checks

Then They’ll Soon Learn What They’ve Stepped In

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:11-28 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 6, 2021

Today is the birthday of Georg Johann Luger (March 6, 1849 – December 22, 1923). He was the Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge.

March 6th was the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This U.S. Air Force pilot and astronaut was aboard Mercury 9 and Gemini 5. Cooper had his exploits well documented in Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff, and in the well-done film of the same name. Cooper died at age 77 from heart failure at his home in Ventura, California, October 4, 2004.

Coincidentally, this is also the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937), a Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman in space (aboard Vostok 6). She was born in Maslennikovo, USSR.

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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 Long Range Game – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.)

Mauser Models, and Excessive Head Space

Small Ring (M1893-96) Mausers made in Germany can usually be safely loaded to a maximum pressure of 46,000 CUP. This rule applies to rifles also made in Sweden that used arguably higher grade Swedish steel available at that time. Mauser rifles were at first made only in Germany. Mauser sold essentially the same model with minor modifications, chambered for different cartridges. It is basically the same high-quality rifle that was made to shoot many different cartridges and had minor design differences that the customer requested. It was some like ordering a Chevy model vehicle, that was sold with different accessory packages and nameplates. Some Chevys had a 6-cylinder, and some customers wanted the largest V-8. Correspondingly, the 8x57mm Mauser cartridge versus the economical and low-recoiling 6.5×55 cartridge.

Many Mausers were later made in-country, such as in Sweden, and Spain. Avoid the Spanish Mausers made in Spain, as some of these have inferior metallurgy and tempering. The early-production ones made by teh Ludwig Loewe company of Berlin are much better made. Many examples of La Coruna Spanish arsenal Mausers are found with excess headspace, a serious safety concern. If a cartridge case ruptures, hot gases could escape directly rearward toward the shooter eyes. and face as M93, M95, and M96 Mauser actions do not have a port to allow these gases to escape safely, and away from the face. I personally would only choose Mausers made in Germany and Sweden, as these rifles well-known to be safe.

Reloading Data and Safe Cartridge Pressures for Antique Mausers

When reloading cartridges for these small ring Mausers, particularly the antiques, we should only use load data with pressures measured in Copper Units of Pressure (CUP) used to gauge the rifle action’s strength. This has been used for Mausers made since teh early 1890s. It is a time-tested method. Do not use any load data that does not indicate pressure in other than in CUP. Many newer powders should not be used, because the pressures these powders produce are not measured and recorded in terms of CUP. Many IMR (Improved Military Rifle) powders, and other powders used during the last century were often tested in these cartridges using the original and early techniques. It is a mechanical type of pressure measurement, pressure units in CUP., that has been validated empirically, as safe in these now antique and later-designed cartridges. The modern method that uses PSI (the Pounds per Square Inch pressure unit), is a very different technique, and there is no exact conversion from PSI to CUP, and vice versa. Just stick with tried and true CUP pressure data, and be safe.Continue reading“The Long Range Game – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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 via e-mail. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a quiet week while traveling out of state. I did my usual blog writing and editing. And I took the time to do some stretching, calisthenics, and an average of 10 miles per day of bike riding. I also added a big batch of percussion revolvers to the Elk Creek Company online store. (Note that I’ll have ordering deactivated until March 31st.  If any of the guns listed interest you, then mark your calendar for the 31st. Note that I expect a big rush of orders for pre-1899 guns, if congress passes their planned private party modern gun transfer ban. (So-called “Universal Background Checks.”)  Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”