Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P.

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Dosa is a fermented bread from the southern region of India. I eat dosa daily, and I can tell a difference in my well-being if I don’t have my daily dose of dosa. I started eating dosa after I met my wife of almost 30 years. Her parents are from northwestern India. Although she was born and raised outside of India, in a country where South Indians are more common. I am an American with ancestry from Europe and Scandinavia.

Dosa dough is normally made in a machine called a wet grinder. It can also be made in a blender, but doing so creates an inferior product for two reasons. First, a blender mixes too much air into the dough. Second, a wet grinder mashes the grain, whereas a blender cuts the grain with its blades, resulting in a less fibrous dough. A wet grinder has round granite roller stones that rotate in a pan with a granite stone bottom and a stainless steel side, and the grain is mashed between the heavy stones and the bottom of the pan.

We have two Astra wet grinders, one with two granite stones and one with three. My wife’s sister in India bought them for us many years ago. She ordered the first one with three stones and a 110-volt motor since we were going to be using it in the U.S. It worked fine for a short time until one day when I was using it, it started spewing heavy black smoke out of the motor. I shut it off, pulled the plug, and ran outside with it before it burned the house down. It burned the countertop, leaving a big black spot where the grinder had been setting. I took it apart and discovered that the motor was actually a 220-volt motor, but a second starting capacitor had been put on that it so it would start on 110 volts. This made the motor run hot until it eventually burned up.

My sister-in-law bought us a second one, identical to the first, except that it has two stones instead of three, and it has the standard 220-volt motor. Since it came with the British style plug used in India I had to cut it off and replace it with an American plug, available from Home Depot, commonly used on 220-volt electric clothes dryers. It runs just fine on 60 Hz American power, although electrical power in India is 50 Hz.Continue reading“Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the poor long-term prospects for private cryptocurrencies. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver price to push above $30 an ounce in 2021 despite short-term turbulence – Metals Focus.

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Jim Curry: Key Message for Gold & U.S. Stocks

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SBTV: Gold Outperformed Buffett and the Stock Market

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: US Manufacturing Disappoints In Early October PMI Data As Election Anxiety Builds

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Union: Remington Arms, oldest U.S. gunmaker, terminates 585 employees at birthplace

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At Wolf Street: Fed Assets Eke Out New Record for First Time Since June 10. But Repos, Dollar Liquidity Swaps, SPVs Mothballed

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And another from Wolf: Jingle Mail Haunts Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities as Property Values Get Slashed Below Loan Amounts

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 29, 2020

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October 29th is the birthday of fighter pilot Vermont Garrison, an American who fought in three wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was born in 1915 and died on February 14th, 1994, in Mountain Home, Idaho.

—

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, 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.

Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice

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

Johnny Come Lately

Two weeks after the scope arrived, and one week after the rings I ordered from Amazon arrived, a package was delivered from Leupold with the Quick Release Rings to match the Quick Release Mounts they had sent with the scope. They must have belatedly noticed their omission. I appreciated the gesture of sending the rings. Better late than never. But I was quite happy with the rings I had bought from Amazon, so I just left things well enough alone.

The Remington 742

Next, I tuned up my Remington 742 for side by side testing with the BAR. The 742 is a gas-operated semiautomatic rifle produced by Remington from 1960 through 1980. The serial number on mine indicates that it was produced before 1967. The carbine model I own weighs 7.25 pounds, has a 18.5-inch barrel, and is chambered in 30-06. The 742 was also available in .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, .280 Remington, and .308 Winchester.

Although 10 and even 20 shot magazines are available for the 742, the larger magazines have a reputation for not feeding well, and the 742 has a reputation for becoming inaccurate when the barrel gets hot. The 742 is also known for wearing out the rails in the receiver after a relatively low round count. It is best used for occasional hunts, and not frequent use at the range.

My 742 is equipped with a vintage Weaver K2.5 60-B scope, a 2.5X scope introduced in 1956.

Laser Bore Sighters

As I mentioned above, the first laser bore sighter I ordered began to function erratically the second time I used it. It was the type that fits in the rifle chamber. I returned it and ordered a bore sighter that slides into the end of the barrel.

The second bore sighter I ordered did not point straight. If you twisted it in the barrel, you could see it rotate around the point of aim. I returned it as well.

If any SurvivalBlog reader has any advice about a reliable, reasonably priced laser bore sighter, I would love to hear it.Continue reading“Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at a variety of emerging threats and trends, starting with a piece about a planned escape from New York:

An Escape From New York Before the Election?

First up, H.L. was the first of several SurvivalBlog readers to mention this, over at The New York Post: Fearful New Yorkers plan to flee city on Election Day: ‘People will go nuts’.

Fight or Flight: Election Has Many Americans Feeling Anxiety

Long-time link contributor D.S.V. sent this article, in the same vein: Some plan to move, others buy guns: Election has many Americans feeling high anxiety.

Newbie Preppers Buying Military Gear Before the Election

Reader G.G. sent this: Americans Are Frantically Buying Military Gear Before the Election. A snippet:

“In some suburban and rural settings, it’s become everyday wear. A retail chain called 5.11 Tactical, which traces its roots to a friend of President Donald Trump’s adult sons, is even trying to turn the survivalist look into a fashionable national brand. It’s racking up annual sales of almost $400 million with stores in places including Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Across the country, gun and ammunition sales have surged as well.”

Taiwan Aims Missiles at China to Foil Invasion Plans

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Taiwan aims missiles at China to foil invasion plans

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Most gun control arguments miss the point. If all control boils fundamentally to force, how can one resist aggression without equal force? How can a truly “free” state exist if the individual citizen is enslaved to the forceful will of individual or organized aggressors? It cannot.” – Tiffany Madison

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 28, 2020

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This is the birthday of Eliphalet Remington (October 28, 1793 – August 12, 1861), who designed the Remington rifle and founded what is now known as the Remington Arms Company.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, 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.

Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice

10

(Continued from Part 1.)

The First Cleaning

About a week later, the muzzle guard arrived, and I settled down to clean the gun.

There was even more rust preventative compound in the barrel and on the other steel parts than I had initially noticed. The bore required extensive scrubbing using kerosene as a solvent before a patch finally came out clean. In the process I spilled my bottle of kerosene on the kitchen table, filling the room with fumes. This created a dramatic scene that disturbed the domestic tranquility for a time. Fortunately, the finish on the table was not harmed, and harmony was eventually restored.

During the cleaning, some details came to light that had previously escaped my notice. I noted that the lugs behind the chamber that engage the bolt are very sturdy looking, and suggest the likelihood of a solid and consistent lock-up.

The aluminum receiver has steel seats recessed into the inside of its top in order to anchor the screws for the optics. This was reassuring since I had previously stripped one of the optic mount holes in the aluminum receiver of my Ruger 10/22.

The receiver required less cleaning than the barrel, since there was no need to coat the aluminum with rust preventative compound. The bolt, on the other hand, required a fair amount of elbow grease with a kerosene rag and a brass dental pick.

The recessed crown of the barrel is more angular than I expected, but it looked like it would do a good job of protecting the rifling. The bluing on the barrel is satisfying to someone who grew up assuming that bluing was the only appropriate finish for the external metal parts of a firearm. The bluing on the BAR is attractive, but not quite the rich, lustrous, seemingly almost translucent blue/black of my Father’s A5.

I was interested to note that the magazine is made in Italy, since the rifle is manufactured in Belgium and assembled in Portugal.

About a week later the scope arrived. Upon opening the box, I was disappointed to discover that Leupold accidentally sent a quick release base rather than rings. So I ordered a set of rings from Amazon that would work with the Picatinny rail that I had previously ordered.

About another week later, the rings arrived from Amazon. Almost exactly three weeks to the day after I had picked up the rifle from my FFL, I finally had everything I needed to actually fire it.Continue reading“Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There is also an emphasis on links to sources for storage food and a variety of storage and caching containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week, we feature a book by Alaskan pioneer Richard Proenneke. (See the Books section.)

Books:

This book by Richard Proenneke is a must for the bookshelf of every serious off-grid survivalist: One Man’s Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey

o  o  o

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

o  o  o

A great book for those who use cast iron: Faith, Family & the Feast: Recipes to Feed Your Crew from the Grill, Garden, and Iron Skillet

o  o  o

National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks

o  o  o

One of our #1 Daughter’s favorite books: Man of the Family

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The functions of the president are prescribed by the Constitution, but his real achievements are not set by the letter of the law. They are determined rather by his personality, the weight of his influence, his capacity for managing men, and the strength and effectiveness of the party forces behind him.” – Charles A. Beard

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 27, 2020

October 27th, 1858 was the birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, 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.

 

Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 1, by The Novice

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For many years, my go-to deer rifle has been a venerable Remington Model 742 in .30-06 that I inherited from my father. Over the course of time, I became a little venerable myself. As I aged, the old 742 began to kick a lot harder than it used to. Some would say that this is due to global warming, but I have a different theory. In any case, during my last extended range session with the 742, my shoulder got pretty sore. It hurt so much that I dreaded pulling the trigger, and eventually cut the range session short. I ached all the way home, and when I took off my shirt, I found out why. There was extensive bruising on my shoulder.

I was surprised. I heat my home with wood, and split many cords of wood each year by hand. I expected that the muscle mass preserved by that exercise would do an adequate job of absorbing the recoil from a .30-06. I guess that old muscle just doesn’t absorb recoil as well as young muscle.

Based upon this experience, I began to look for a kinder and gentler deer cartridge. I considered options like .30-30, 7.62×39, and 6.5 Creedmoor. I researched the various rifles available in each cartridge, and read reviews about their performance.

The .243 Winchester

After much deliberation, I decided to take a closer look at the .243 Winchester. It has a reputation as a flat-shooting, light-recoiling round capable of taking whitetail deer out to 300 yards.

The .243 Winchester cartridge was developed from a necked down .308 Winchester cartridge case, and was introduced as a target/varmint round by Winchester in 1955. With lighter bullets (85 grains or less), it is excellent for smaller game like prairie dogs, ground hogs, and coyotes. With heavier bullets (90 grains or more), it is suitable for larger game like hogs, antelope. and deer.

The Browning BAR Mk 3

As I began looking at rifles chambered in .243, I became most interested in the Browning BAR Mk3. My Father’s Browning A5 Magnum had always impressed me as a work of art as well as a highly functional firearm. I really like semiautomatics, because if a follow up shot is necessary, I want to focus on the shot and not on operating the action. Plus the gas-operated action of the BAR Mk3 moderates recoil even further.Continue reading“Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 1, by The Novice”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 elk relocation. (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide

Much earlier in the year than usual… Photos: Snow blankets the Inland Northwest

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Live Local Inland Northwest launches directory, online marketplace for area businesses

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Inland northwest job opportunities.

Idaho

Idaho Fish and Game traps and relocates elk in Elmore County. The article’s lede:

“The Idaho Fish & Game moved 16 elk out of Elmore County because the herd is too large, and the elk are damaging agriculture in the region.

This week the Idaho Fish & Game set up a trap and attempted to corral elk cows and calves into a pen using a helicopter and a crew riding on motorcycles and ATV’s.

The goal was to remove 70 elk from the heard near Little Camas, but this mission proved difficult, and the Idaho Fish & Game herded up 16 elk.”

o  o  o

Legislators consider ways to increase Idaho air travel

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This listing at Black Rifle Real Estate caught my eye: 1169 Rocky Draw Road, Troy, Montana. It is a well-situated 20-acre property, with a pond.

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