The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

10

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”.  Today, we look at Tiny House kits and pre-built Tiny Houses.

Lessons From The Battle of Marawi

Reader T.Z. recommended this article from an Australian author as an insight about what urban life might be like, post collapse: The Battle of Marawi: Small Team Lessons Learned For the Close Fight

Upcoming Tiny House Events

The Tiny House Talk web site has put together a links page with Upcoming Tiny House Workshops, Festivals, and Events.

You Can Now Buy Tiny Homes On Amazon

Several readers sent this: Attention Millennials: You Can Now Buy Tiny Homes On Amazon.  JWR’s Comment: If you really want one of these cabin kits (or any other big ticket item), or even a pre-built tiny house, then please use our Amazon link to start shopping, so that we can get our “tiny” commission. Thanks! 

Home Brew NVIS Antenna

An interesting new post at American Partisan: Home Brew – NVIS Antenna. This article present a step-by-step “how to” build.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“There are two basic pathways to systemic collapse: external shocks or internal decay. The two are not mutually exclusive, of course; it can be argued that the most common path is internal decay weakens the empire/state and an external shock pushes the rotted structure off the cliff.” – Charles Hugh Smith

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 20, 2019

May 20th, 1942 was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999.)  He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 82 ends on May 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.

Rock Island Armory M200 Revolver, by Pat Cascio

17

The good ol’ fashioned revolver is not dead, not by a long shot. However, the majority of requests I still get from readers are for articles on semi-auto pistols. My local gun shop has just one display case that is devoted to revolvers – everything else is semi-auto handguns. I recently ran into one great deal on a little known revolver, from Rock Island Armory, and its called the M200. We’ll take a close look at it, in this review.

I honestly never thought I’d reach the age where folks would start calling me an “old timer” – at least when it comes to firearms. Every now and then, the guys at my local gun shop, will show me an older model revolver, and comment that “you old-timers must have carried one of these back in the day…” Well, they aren’t too far off – my mind tells me I’m 27, my body tells me I’m way beyond my mid-60s though. Ugh!

I cut my teeth on revolvers back in the 1960s through 1970s – and somewhat into the early 1980s, when I was doing private security work, private investigations or in law enforcement. There wasn’t a whole lot of choices in reliable ammo for semi-autos back then – a majority of guys who carried semi-auto handguns, were stoking them with FMJ, and that’s the not best ammo for self-defense purposes. As ammo development advanced, so did people carrying semi-auto handguns for self-defense, or other lawful purposes.  I personally didn’t have any problem carrying a 1911 .45 ACP with FMJ ammo – it had been proven to be a very good manstopper over the years in combat. However, many 1911s and other semi-auto handguns just wouldn’t reliably feed JHP or SP ammo back then. Reliability has to be a number one concern with any handgun.Continue reading“Rock Island Armory M200 Revolver, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: A.V.’s South African Melktert

Reader A.V. kindly sent us one of her favorite dessert recipes for a delicious South African Melktert (Milk Tart). It makes 8 servings.  This recipe is broken into two sections: one for the filling, and one for the pastry crust.  This recipe requires the use of a set of ceramic pie weights.

Melktert Filling:

Ingredients
  • 1 quart milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 large eggs (or 3 small eggs)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Directions for Making the Melktert Filling

  1. In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, flour and vanilla. Set this aside.
  2. In a medium size saucepan, heat the milk and butter at a medium setting. Do not bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Add about a fourth of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking it to incorporate it evenly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the remainder of the milk. Return to heat and stir constantly until it thickens. Do not boil the filling!
  4. Pour the filling into the pastry shell and let cool completely. Refrigerate until served. Sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

Melktert Pastry (Shell)

Ingredients
  • 6 ounces of softened butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of almond extract

Directions for Making the Melktert Pastry

  1. Cream the butter and add the sugar. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour and salt. Knead dough until soft. Chill for 10 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Roll out the dough to standard pie thickness onto a lightly-floured surface and layer it into a greased pie dish. Trim the excess. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and fill up the void with ceramic pie weights. Bake it blind (pre-bake it without any filling) at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we turn our attention to collectible cars. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold Stays Cold; Silver Gets Sold; Their Ratio Behold!

o  o  o

What Does The New Fed’s Regime Imply For The Gold Price?

Economy & Finance:

The poseurs running the Federal Reserve banking cartel seem to be running out of arrows in their quiver.  They’ve essentially promised no interest rate hikes until 2020. They are hoping that he economy keeps chugging along.  But what if there is a global crisis? They’d have to dramatically lower rates. But they no longer have room to do so. Watch closely folks, as they try to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

o  o  o

Fox News reports: America’s largest cities drowning in debt, with Chicago leading the way, study finds

o  o  o

Toomey: ‘Absolutely painful’ China tariffs may be ‘worth the price’

o  o  o

Next, at Seeking Alpha: U.S. Recession Predictor Sends Warning Signal

o  o  o

And at Wolf Street: Trucking & Rail Shipments Sink as US Goods-Based Sector Slows

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“I believe in freedom, I believe deeply in it. I’ve fought in three wars, and volunteered for all of them, because I believed as a free man, that it was my duty to help those under attack of tyranny. Just as simple as that.” –  Col. Lewis L. Millet (Dec. 15, 1920 – Nov. 14, 2009.) A three war veteran and Medal of Honor recipient in Korea.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 19, 2019

2

On May 19, 1796, the first game law was approved in the United States. The law created penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian Territory.  Modern American fish and game laws make “living off the land” nearly impossible, outside of Alaska.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 82  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 82 ends on May 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.

Life in the 12th Century, by Edge

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The following article may offend some miserable gits with no sense of humour. If you are a miserable git, then you have been warned. Don’t come whining to me.

To envisage a life after electricity, we must look back to a time without it. Most people can think as far back as the American Civil War for a lifestyle but that is modern history with Morse Code (1844), Railways (1804) and Steam Ships (1787) and not where we need to look at all. We need to go right back.

In the 12th century there was a rural population of around 2-3 million in an area of England of over 50,000 square miles and just as in today’s world, most people were in towns and villages.
Imagine the only man-made sound you can hear outside is the church bell.
Your world is at most a 20 mile radius and you never go out of it in your life time just like your father and his father before him. Your sons and daughters are going nowhere as well.

You wash hands and face every morning as well as before and after meals. You wash your feet once a week and maybe have one or two baths a year.

There is no deodorant nor toothpaste let alone mouthwash. I think this is how Country Dancing started with everyone trying to get upwind of each other in a polite manner.Continue reading“Life in the 12th Century, by Edge”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

10

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”.  Today, we look at Shortwave Broadcasting.

The Transmitters of Freedom (Shortwave Broadcasting)

Over at Off Grid Ham: The Transmitters of Freedom Should Be Turned Back On! Here is a quote:

“The internet affords little privacy, anonymity, or security. IP addresses can be tracked. It’s fairly easy to know who is accessing what content. Plus, the internet depends on a complex system of routers, servers, and data circuits to connect them. Oppressive governments can and do control what information is accessible within their borders and severely punish anyone who crosses the line.

Shortwave broadcasts have no borders.

The success of the shortwave broadcasts of yesteryear was due to the fact that radio has no borders and defeats attempts at censorship. No one can know for sure who is listening because a received signal cannot be tracked to any individual. Somebody, somewhere can tell when and where you do anything on the internet. But if you had a radio on, who would know?”

Takedown M4s for USAF Fighter Pilots

I found this link over at the Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report blog: USAF Fighter Pilots Are Now Flying With These Converted M4 Rifles In Their Survival Kits

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:7-26 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 18, 2019

5

I just heard that novelist Herman Wouk passed away on May17th, at age 103. His novels–some still in print–will certainly outlive him.  From his obituary:  “In 1951, Wouk released his most celebrated novel, The Caine Mutiny. It sold slowly at first but eventually topped best-seller lists and won a Pulitzer.”

—

On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota.

Seismic activity at Mount St. Helens, which is 96 miles south of Seattle, began on March 16. A 4.2-magnitude tremor was recorded four days later and then, on March 23-24, there were 174 different recorded tremors. The first eruption occurred on March 27, when a 250-foot wide vent opened up on top of the mountain. Ash was blasted 10,000 feet in the air, some of which came down nearly 300 miles away in Spokane. The ash caused static electricity and lightning bolts.

Throughout April, scientists watched a bulge on the north side of Mount St. Helens grow larger and larger. Finally, on May 18 at 8:32 a.m., a sudden 5.1-magnitude earthquake and eruption rocked the mountain. The north side of the peak rippled and blasted out ash at 650 miles per hour. A cloud of ash, rocks, gas and glacial ice roared down the side of the mountain at 100 mph. Fourteen miles of the Toutle River were buried up to 150 feet deep in the debris. Magma, at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, flowed for miles. The 24-megaton blast demolished a 230-square-mile area around the mountain.

—

May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel B. Wesson (of Smith & Wesson fame.)

Bullet Selection, by S.R.

10

When looking at centerfire rifle cartridges for hunting, I’ve often been puzzled by several that have acronym designations implying some particular capability. You’ll see this on cartridges/bullets designed for small varmints, those designed for large dangerous game and everything in between. An example is the Hornady GMX (which will be explained later). As if the letters weren’t bad enough, you’ll often find terms on ammo boxes such as Interlock, AccuBond, Partition, Ballistic Tip, Power Point, etc. So what do the letters and terms mean to a person wanting to buy hunting cartridges or bullets for reloading?

A bullet, of course, is the projectile part of a cartridge. A centerfire cartridge has a bullet, case, powder and primer. I am not an expert on this topic. I’ve never been employed by a firearms-related industry (it would have been great, though). I’m just a guy who tried to learn what letters behind bullet identifications mean. That, in turn, led to learning about bullet design and characteristics.Continue reading“Bullet Selection, by S.R.”

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. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, 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 the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ve been fairly busy writing a nonfiction book for a publisher in England. Per my contract, that manuscript must be completed by mid-September. It is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2020. I’ll post more details on that book in the weeks to come.

We finally had a change of weather. We’d had three weeks without rain, and had resorted to running sprinklers on our gardens. But thankfully we got good downpours of rain on Thursday and Friday. That provided relief for our pastures and saplings!  Speaking of saplings, this past week we transplanted more than a dozen volunteer fir saplings from places where we don’t desire shade (e.g. south of our garden) to places where we do want shade. This sort of planning requires visualizing the shade pattern of 20 to 70 foot trees versus the currently puny 3 to 6 foot-tall saplings. This is long term stewardship planning for our ranch that will span generations. Hopefully we’ll have grandchildren living here that will appreciate our foresight and our efforts.

As I recently mentioned in the Economics & Investing column, I decided to transition from HK91 rifles to AR-10 rifles, for our family’s primary rifle battery. Because original pre-ban German-made HK rifles and accessories have become so valuable, it is not tenable to keep them at the core of our family’s battery. Selling just one minty pre-ban HK91 will now generate $3,000+. This rifle switch makes a lot of sense. After liquidating three HKs, 400+ box magazines, 10 drum magazines, bipods, claw mounts, magazine loaders & unloaders, spare parts kits, et cetera, I will end up with at least six AR-10s with 30+ magazines each, beau coup spare parts, premium optics–such as Trijicon ACOG tritium scopes, and some cash left over. This transition will be a gradual process.

I’ve already started selling some HK magazines and my Hensoldt scopes with HK claw mounts. The scopes  are all going to a local friend who declared: “I’ll take all of them, sight unseen.”  I started out by listing just the magazines, at The FALFiles Marketplace. (I should mention that I’ve also set aside 20 new-in-wrapper magazines for each rifle, to sell only with the rifles, or after the rifles sell.)

The aforementioned rifle cross-leveling exercise adds credence to my position that investing in tangibles is logical when living in a world dominated by inflating currencies. Silver and guns are my primary investments. Various “balances” and “shares” and electronic “coins” can be taxed, or legislated, or blipped away, but most tangibles cannot. It is our guns that are our premier tangible assets. They are useful tools that can even be used in defense of our ownership thereof. (No other investment vehicle–except perhaps edged weapons– can boast that claim.) It would require force of arms to pry these guns from our grasp. I may be old-fashioned and a veritable investing dinosaur, but we’ll never see our nest egg fully wiped out by some crash, glitch, or effrontery of government.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

17

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”.  Today, we focus on the post-flood food crisis in the Corn Belt.

Food Crisis in the Corn Belt

G.P.  sent this: A Food Crisis Is Here: Trouble For Farmers In The Corn Belt. JWR’s Comment: As soon as we saw the headlines about the floods, we could see this coming.,The Law of Supply and Demand cannot be escaped.  Retail grain and beef prices will surely rise. So stock up!  Here is a sbippet:

“Corn planting is already behind on schedule. The weather in the United States has made farming difficult as of late, while bankruptcies soar and flooding continues. As the weather in four of the top six states for corn production couples with the skyrocketing number of bankruptcies of American farmers, we could be on the precipice of a food crisis. And to make matters worse, none of the weather is expected to improve, putting even more financial pressure on the already stressed farmers according to the latest Crop Progress report is issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), according to an AccuWeather analysis.”

Middle of U.S. Awaits Severe Weather

Middle of country on high alert for potentially deadly severe weather outbreak.

Trudeau Has ‘Secret Plan’ on ‘Sweeping Gun Ban’

Meanwhile, in Canada:  Trudeau Has ‘Secret Plan’ on ‘Sweeping Gun Ban,’ MP Clement Says
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”