Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 21, 2020

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On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor”.

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Today we have another product review by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

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Be advised that there are just nine days left in Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. There will be more than $10,000 worth of prizes awarded. This round ends on September 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.

Ruger American Compact 9mm LEO, by Pat Cascio

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As I’ve said many times before, Ruger produces firearms to match the budget of blue-collar workers. However, that’s not to say, they aren’t suitable for anyone – they are. Ruger produces some of the most over-built firearms in the world, and that’s a good thing in my feeble mind. I like the fact that, Ruger firearms are not over-priced, not in the least, and you can usually find them for a lot less than retail, if you shop around – again, that’s a good thing.

Ruger had a rough start, when they attempted to come out with their first center-fire semi-auto handgun, the Model P85. However, after some bugs were worked out, it was a stellar handgun, built for the toughest conditions you can throw at it. For a time, when I was the chief of police, in a small Oregon town, I carried a Ruger P85, as did the sheriff of our county. Everyone else carried a Glock 17. I went through an executive protection training course, back in 1989. There, everyone who was in my class either had a Glock 17, or a Beretta 92SF – I was the only  student with a Ruger P85. The handgun part of the training was tough – on average, we would fire about 1,500 rounds per day – everyone was wearing Band-Aids on their thumbs from numerous magazine loadings. During the course of the firearms training portion, everyone, without exception had some kind of failure with their guns – except me, with the P85. The only minor complaint I had was that, at the end of the training, the finish on my P85 was extremely worn – we started nearly all of our shooting with the guns holstered, so there the leather holsters did cause some wear on the guns.

Ruger has had a string of home runs with their P-series of handguns. That was followed by their polymer-framed pistols have also been quite successful. I owned just about every model of the P-series, and none of them let me down in the least. It was with great anticipation, that I waited for the new American 9mm to come along, and it didn’t let me down in the least – 17+1 rounds of 9mm on-tap – and this gun was designed to meet all US Military Specs for their handguns. However, Ruger didn’t enter the American in the competition – too bad, I think they might have won – because the American 9mm is so rough and tough – it’ll take anything you can toss at it. I owned the American in 9mm and in .45 ACP and much preferred the 9mm version…the .45 ACP didn’t seem to my liking with only 10+1 rounds on-tap…not that ten rounds isn’t “enough” to end more deadly encounters – I just preferred to have more rounds of ammo in my gun. Not a thing wrong with the .45 ACP version – not at all. I still own one.

Today, we’re looking at the new American Compact 9mm LEO Model. “LEO” is an acronym for Law Enforcement Only, and I don’t believe that sales are actually restricted to Law Enforcement Officers. But it has some really nice added features that the “regular” American Compact 9mm version has – features that are of use for police as well as civilians.Continue reading“Ruger American Compact 9mm LEO, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Quick Orange Marmalade, by St. Funogas

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The following recipe for a very Quick Orange Marmalade is from SurvivalBlog reader St. Funogas.

Chef’s Notes: If you’re a marmalade fan, you’ll love how quick and easy this recipe is and the fact that there are only three ingredients and no added pectin. Noe, however, that it’s not going to have that nice clear look like Smuckers, but theirs can’t be made in 20 minutes either. This recipe should probably be called Candied Orange Peel Jam, and it’s one of my favorites. After you’ve made it once, you’ll know how to adjust it better to suit your taste as far as peels and sugar go. Don’t worry if it is inconsistent from one batch to another, since a “medium orange” is not well defined.

Ingredients
  • 4 Oranges, medium size
  • 2 cups (400 g) sugar
  • ½ cup of water
Directions

Take four medium oranges and cut the ends off so that the exposed orange color is about the size of a silver dollar. This is to get rid of some extra peel.

Slice the orange in half along its equator. Place each half face down flat on the cutting board. Slice it in one direction so the slices are about a ½” wide, then do the same slicing it in the other direction. You should end up with the orange peel portion of each piece more or less a ½” square. Some of us like them larger so it’s up to your taste as you experiment with this recipe. Remove the seeds after everything is cut up but if you miss any, don’t worry, they’ll float to the surface as you begin cooking it.

After the oranges are diced, put them in a food processor and pulse until things are chopped up pretty well but with some pieces of peel still ½” sized. Don’t worry just yet about any pieces that may be too large.

Put the oranges, water, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. You’ll probably be thinking that the amount of sugar looks a little low as you are putting it into the pan, but since the peels take up a lot of the bulk, the sugar will be adequate. While you are stirring, you can pick out any seeds as they come to the surface. Also, have your cooking shears handy to reach in and cut any larger-than-desired peels that will float to the surface.

After it comes to a boil, boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn’t burn.

When it’s finished cooking, ladle into clean jars. This batch only makes two pints or less so instead of water bath canning them, just put them in the fridge. If you like the recipe, you can double it next time and run them through the canner.

SERVING

This is delicious on pretty much anything and even makes a good poor man’s chutney.

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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

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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 Tesla’s “Battery Day”. It is scheduled for tomorrow: Tuesday, September 22, 2020. (See the Commodities Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Monday morning update:  Silver took a big 9% dip this morning, to $24.42 per Troy ounce when I last checked.  So this is a good time to buy! By the way, a phone call to New York confirmed the following: The word on the street is that stocks got hammered so hard yesterday that brokers are liquidating commodiites to raise cash, in order to meet their margin calls. That is an ugly suituation. But again, it provides a short-term buying opportunity for those with cash.

o  o  o

Interview: Reality matters; why all-time high gold price was not ‘real’

o  o  o

Gold Miners Forecast: Major Breakout Underway

Economy & Finance:

Charles Hugh Smith: This Is How It Ends: All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

o  o  o

At Seeking Alpha: Wells Fargo boosts targets for GDP, stocks and oil

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: What’s to Be Done Now with All These Zombie Companies?

o  o  o

And over at Zero Hedge: FOMC Signals Rates Unchanged Through At Least 2023 Despite GDP Forecast Upgrade. JWR’s Comment: Do the buffoons at the Fed honestly believe that if they continue forcing rates artificially low, year after year, that it won’t lead to malinvestment, distortions in the bond market, and the eventual destruction of the U.S. Dollar?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him; then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of things he wishes to be.  Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate.  Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow.  The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds.” – Louis L’Amour The Walking Drum

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 20, 2020

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On this day in 1519 Magellan left Europe on his voyage of discovery.

On September 20, 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to drop the national 55 MPH speed limit. This allowed the states to again decide their own speed limits, without fear of losing Federal highway funding.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 90 ends on September 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.

Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 3, by 2A Advocate

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

Results
Photo 15

I think my lower receivers turned out great (Photos 15, 16, 17 & 18). The machined edges are straight and sharp. The trigger pocket walls are smooth, almost mirror-like. There are slight tool marks from the end mill, but no touch up or sanding was done until after these photos were taken. Then I touched up the side holes and the opening for the trigger slot with some Aluminum Black by Birchwood Casey. It’s quick and hides the raw aluminum edge.

 

I didn’t treat the entire inside of the trigger pocket, I think it looks cool and at any rate is completely hidden when the upper receiver group is attached. The lower parts kits were from Palmetto State Armory, and everything installed correctly with one exception that was my fault and was corrected as described shortly. Uppers were installed and the rifles were test-fired. There were no failures to fire, extract or eject.

Photo 16

The Easy Jig 2 was solid and robust. It seems like a very well thought out product. Some of the parts do double duty, like the side plates that rotate and reattach to mill either AR-15 or AR-10 lowers. The red buffer screw support does the same and also allows for attachment of your vacuum hose. And the drilling block inverts to drill the pilot hole or mill the trigger slot. There was very light wear on the top router plate from moving the router. There was a little wear in the measuring pockets from touching it with the end mill. Since these hash marks are engraved into the router plate, I don’t believe this will be an issue affecting function.

Photo 17

My results were consistent from one lower to another if I followed the directions. The jig allows the trigger pocket, trigger slot and side holes to be machined and drilled with great precision. All the lower parts installed just as if it was a factory produced 100% stripped lower receiver. I like that the jig doesn’t have to be disassembled to begin milling another lower receiver. Documentation supplied with the jig was also excellent. A 26-page manual and a 6-column quick reference guide are clearly written in good English and the many illustrations are precise and very helpful. There is a company video and many other YouTube videos available.

I used 80% Arms for my source of 80% lowers. I felt that I might have the best results by buying the lowers from the company that made the jig. Their lowers are excellent quality in fit and finish.

80% Arms doesn’t sell firearms and they don’t work on completed lowers if you have a problem. However, they are responsive to questions and will offer remote help by phone or email. This is from their website under warranty:

“80% Lower Replacement Program: In the remote chance you make a mistake while using an 80% Arms Jig that damages your 80% Arms lower, we will replace your lower at a 50% discount off of the list price.”

Continue reading“Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 3, by 2A Advocate”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” – 1 Peter 4: 1-17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 19, 2020

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On September 19th, 1796, George Washington addressed the nation in his farewell address as president.

And on September 19th, 1778, the Continental Congress passed the first budget of the United States. While the budget may have passed, the states responded poorly to the call for taxes to fund the government, and the government resorted to printing paper money to cover debts. In effect, the first budget was a failure, due in large part to the states not responding to the demands of Congress and the depreciation of fiat paper money. Sound familiar?

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 90 ends on September 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.

Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 2, by 2A Advocate

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(Continued from Part 1.)

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?

You will need to create a space within this block of aluminum to install the fire control group: The trigger, hammer and safety selector control. Here is how that’s done:

Setup of the Easy Jig 2
Photo 1

So, the Easy Jig 2 is a very cool tool! It is extremely heavy duty. Several of the parts do double duty; it is very well-engineered. Assembly is simple: (Photo 1) attach the two square side plates to the top plate. The words “AR-15” are at the top and there is a right and left. (If milling an AR-10 lower receiver the plates are rotated and attached in the same location with the words “AR-10” facing up and out). The red buffer screw holder is attached with 2 bolts with the letters “AR-15” facing up. (Turn it over, rotate it and use the 2 outer holes for an AR-10). The drill extension pieces are bolted to the two side plates. (These are not used on the new Easy Jig 3). Start the buffer tube screw into the red holder. Done.Continue reading“Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 2, by 2A Advocate”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Another quiet week here, out-of-state.  While staying with my elderly relative, I’ve been helping with some yard work, including removing a small dead tree. Since this is in a suburb, all the branches must be laboriously cut up and put in a rolling bin green marked “ORGANICS”, for disposal. (For a fee.) So that will probably take three or more weeks (with weekly collections) to get all of that off the property.  Whenever I visit the suburbs, and have to play these “multiple bins of different colors” recycling games, I find it aggravating.

I can see now that I am spoiled, living at the Rawles Ranch. There, for eight months of the year,I can burn anything that I want, and whenever I want, without having to ask “Mother May I?” of a county official. By the way, I’ve only requested an out-of-season burn permit once, by phone, and that resulted a summary telephonic okey-dokey. The call took all of two minutes. When I called the county office, I told them that I had a just 6-foot tall and 20-foot long slash pile in a safe spot, and that it had been hand-piled. The reply:  “Okay, you have our approval.” Why was this so quick and easy? We don’t do “government” much, in our corner of the American Redoubt. Good ol’ common sense and consideration for the safety of neighbors are the guiding principles. That modest scale of government does not require many rules, permits, regulations, inspections, 8″-by-10″ glossy photos, fees, hearings, variances, or completion of Form 27 Stroke B, in triplicate.

Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.

If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.

If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.

For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.” – Exodus 22: 1-9 (KJV)

 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 18, 2020

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Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown tonight (Friday, 18 September 2020) and ends at sunset on Sunday. I pray that it is meaningful for everyone. Pray, repent, repair relationships, repay debts, return borrowed items, and make amends!

—

Today is coincidentally the Paratus Holiday, created for preppers by Commander Zero. He’s the Editor of the  great Notes From The Bunker blog.

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The 18th of September is also  Chilean Independence Day. On this day, in 1810, Chile declared independence from Spain.

—

Before anyone pats themselves on the back for “ending” the 110+ days of nightly rioting in Portland… I suspect that many those paid leftist black shirt riot troops are being re-deployed to Washington, D.C. for the planned Occupy D.C. Extravaganza–which will probably feature Riots Like Clockwork, starting fairly soon. Those will likely continue until the election. All, of course, with the connivance of the D.C. Mayor.  I believe that their goal is to provoke a shooting incident to make the DJT administration look bad.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 90 ends on September 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.

Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 1, by 2A Advocate

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Editor’s Introductory Notes: This is a three-part article.

Consult your state and local laws before buying any 80%-complete lower receivers.

Proceed with caution. Remember the eternal rule of machining:  You can take metal away, but you can’t put it back.

I recommend buying the Easy Jig 3. Or, if you plan to complete a large number of lowers, then invest in a Ghostgunner 3. Once you’ve completed all of your lowers for your family, you will probably find a private buyer who is willing to pay you 90% or more of your purchase price for your Ghostgunner. The advantage to him will be that he is buying it with no paper trail.

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With the 2020 presidential election just weeks away, it seems timely to revisit the subject of finishing an 80% complete AR lower receiver. There have been nice articles in SurvivalBlog relating to this subject in 2014 by JAG  in 2017 by Tupreco, and in 2018 by Hugh Latimer. There are new laws and tools to discuss since these articles have been written.

What are we talking about?

An 80% lower receiver is an unfinished version of a stripped 100% finished lower receiver. It is not a firearm, it cannot be used to fire a projectile without significant machining operations, it doesn’t have a serial number, and it can be shipped directly to your home without a background check or going through a dealer who possesses a federal firearms license. There is no FFL transfer fee. You get the privilege of doing the mechanical work on this chunk of metal or plastic to make it a functional firearm.

Why bother?

It takes quite a bit of planning and time to complete this project. You will do research into materials needed including the 80% lower receiver itself, tools to do the machining, lower parts kit to make the lower fully functional, a barreled upper receiver, bolt carrier group and charging handle. You will read all the instructional materials that come with your jig and watch videos from the jig manufacturer and others who have kindly recorded their experiences and given their assessment of their project for your benefit. The cost of doing this is not insignificant. So, what do you get out of it? You have the basis for a very flexible firearm that has bypassed the usual paperwork trail; a firearm that has never been registered or purchased subject to a background check. You learn a new skill, not only to build this firearm, but you learn how to install and remove parts and repair and replace parts if something breaks or isn’t functioning. You will have pride in building a high-quality firearm that can last potentially for generations. You may be able to build a custom firearm not available commercially at any price.Continue reading“Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver – Part 1, by 2A Advocate”