Springfield Hellcat Review, by G.L.W.

22

I am an amateur shooter at best and three years new to concealed carry. My goal is to give you my impressions of this newly-introduced gun and hopefully assist anyone considering one of these “micro-compact” handguns. I am in no way affiliated with Springfield Armory.

After beginning our family in 2015, it was clear that the best, most responsible way for us to protect ourselves was to relocate us into the beautiful American Redoubt. You can be protected by the biggest arsenal, but in my mind, if your own local government is against you, you are at a disadvantage.

Following a successful move and relocation to an incredible loving and accepting church community in the American Redoubt, I began to focus more on preparedness. Basic food storage, backup items, and firearms. My guns fall into basic categories like: family heirloom, hunting, and protection. I do not have an extensive collection. (Though my wife may disagree!).

For my “protection” battery of guns, I began with a Sccy CPX-2, which may be a review for another day. 600 rounds in, it still would not feed hollowpoints reliably, with about one malfunction in every 50 rounds. So I sold that gun and went back to my “ol’ reliable” revolver, a Ruger LCR in .38 Special. I carry an extra five rounds in a speed strip and my ammo of choice is the Black Hills 100 grain Honeybadger. While I am happy to carry it, and a decent shot around 10 yards, I still felt underpowered.

With a recent addition to the family, identical twin girls (pray for us!), the feeling of being underpowered grew. I had a strong desire for a gun that could function as an easily concealable carry weapon, with as high a capacity as possible for home defense. It also had to be bomb-proof reliable, as I did not want a repeat from the “budget gun” category. I know some budget guns can be extremely reliable (my mossy Maverick is going on 10 years strong!) but having been recently bitten in that category by the Sccy CPX-2, I opted to stay away.Continue reading“Springfield Hellcat Review, by G.L.W.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

31

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 are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

The latest book by Dinesh D’Souza: United States of Socialism: Who’s Behind It. Why It’s Evil. How to Stop It.

o  o  o

I’ve recommended this book by Mark Levin before, but I didn’t know that it is also available as an audiobook: Unfreedom of the Press.

o  o  o

Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals: Safe, Humane Livestock Handling Practices for the Small Farm

o  o  o

The Negro Project: Margaret Sanger’s Diabolical, Duplicitous, Dangerous, Disastrous and Deadly Plan for Black America

o  o  o

Unbelievabowl Paleo: 60 Wholesome One-Dish Recipes You Won’t Believe Are Dairy- and Gluten-Free

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 28, 2020

9

I just heard that actress Olivia de Havilland–famous for her role as Melanie Hamilton in the film Gone With The Wind, has died at the age of 104.

—

On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors.

—

July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics. Officially, the war lasted until November 11, 1918, as did our involvement. But American troops were still running around shooting Russians until 1920.

—

Today we present an article that because of its short length will not be part of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest judging. It was written by John Adrian, the owner Heracles Research, the company that makes the now famous Bed Bunker guns vaults — and a variety of other vaults for homes and vehicles. We have several of them installed here at the Rawles Ranch, and we highly recommend them. By the way, their products are made here in the United States, primarily in Texas.

Finding The Right German Shepherd, by John Adrain

44

I don’t profess to be a writer or the authority on German Shepherd dogs. But I can share almost four decades of experience with my German Shepherds. Growing up in Ohio, one of my first experiences with dogs was with Golden Retrievers. They are fantastic loving dogs, and you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than bit by a Golden Retriever. However, if you want a dog to protect your family, they are pretty much worthless. They are more likely to roll over and piddle than protect you. We had a female, which is generally more protective than males, and that was the drill. There are also documented cases of carjackings where the Golden refused to get out of the car and went with the carjacker.

My first experience with German Shepherds was in the mid-1980s. My roommate who was a notorious swordsman in Southern California brought a puppy home one night. Since Ben (an alias) spent every free moment he had helping a woman with floor exercises, he had very little time for his dog Ranger.

The first time it rained, Ranger was whining outside. So, I let him in, to sleep in the hallway. Then during the night, I thought we were having an earthquake. At the time I was sleeping on a twin bed, yes that isn’t a typo twin. Immediately there was a real estate problem on the bed. I looked at him and he looked at me with: “what are you looking at?” He was only about six months old at this time.

From then on, I took him everywhere I could when Ben didn’t have him. He was a devoted and loyal friend. For about the last three years of Ranger’s life, I had him full time. By this time, I was living on the beach in the Ventura, California area. My neighbors would compete to watch him when I traveled. He loved to swim in the ocean every day. I had a waterproof military strobe light that I fastened to a small log for him to retrieve from the ocean at night when I got home. I had an older car just for traveling with him so I could keep my other car hair-free. On the beach, fleas are a problem, so I would bomb that car for fleas once a month.Continue reading“Finding The Right German Shepherd, by John Adrain”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

33

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 the Greater Idaho project.   (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

Idaho

Reminder: ITD to open Highway 95 near Riggins on Monday after lengthy rock slide closure

o  o  o

From humble beginnings, north Idaho company is now a food industry leader

The piece begins:

“For the past 50 years, a company up in Sandpoint, Idaho – seven hours north of Boise – has been churning out a product that probably all of us have had in our fridge at one point or another: refrigerated salad dressing from Litehouse Foods.

The north Idaho company is the producer of those well-known salad dressings in the glass jars with the colored lids. In fact, company president and CEO Kelly Prior says with pride, ‘We’ve now reached the status of the number one refrigerated salad dressing in the country.'”

o  o  o

Video: Rep. Heather Scott on Kootenai County’s mask order.

o  o  o

Police searching for information about missing Rigby woman

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“The Noble Lord advocates Union, what doth such a union mean? When the Smaller unites with the greater, what happens? The greater absorbs and engulfs the lesser, it is ever thus and so will be! There are ten times as many English as Scots. Think you then, when the ten becomes eleven, the eleventh will partner the ten? Or, be swallowed up by the ten? Is this what my Lord of Stair wants? An end to Scotland? The most ancient nation in Christendom, a kingdom when England was but a medley of warring tribes! Scotland, from whence Christianity spread to the English. Scotland, a people with their own Kirk and laws, their freedoms, customs and pride. Is all that for which our forefathers fought for untold generations, to be merely thrown aside for a mess of trading privileges and navigation rights? I would rather that Scotland sank to the bottom of the ocean rather than we lost one least part of our cherished Independence and ages old identity!” – Andrew Fletcher

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 27, 2020

33

The mainstream media hoopla over the “second wave” of COVID-19 is getting tiresome. Yes, hospital occupancy is of concern, but the number of “confirmed cases” is more of a function of a more widespread testing infrastructure than it is of actual infections, per capita. I found some recent charts that are instructive. They show that the number of hospital beds in use is back up to where it was in April. But the number of deaths relative to the number of cases (i.e. the Case Fatality Rate) is down. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that this bug has mutated into a still highly transmissible but yet less lethal strain. I’d say that there is the prospect of reaching the Herd Immunity, within six months.

The leftist mainstream media’s current goals seem to be:  1.)  Get lots of news viewers latched on to the news cycle, and 2.) Make this look like The Orange Man’s fault, and thus seal his doom in the upcoming November election.

—

An interesting new listing in Wyoming that adjoins National Forest land, over at SurvivalRealty.com: A Piece of Paradise.

—

And now, the latest product review from Pat Cascio…

Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

12

I’ve been a fan of Taurus firearms for a lot of years. This wasn’t always the case, however, Taurus has come a long way in improving their quality. Back in Chicago, when I was the Investigation Manager for a huge detective agency, with offices all over the USA, I also was their armorer, and most of the handguns issued to security officers, were made by Taurus. I had my hands full caring for those guns, and I kept a good supply of parts on-hand, for making repairs. Today, that isn’t the case, Taurus manufactures most of their handguns in Brazil, and the quality is top-notch. If I recall correctly, Taurus is the biggest handgun maker in the free world, and as such, some guns will slip through and might need to go back to them for repair. As such, some people say Taurus doesn’t produce hi-quality handguns. But that’s simply not the case.

I will say though, that for the past few years, for whatever reason, their line of 1911 handguns has had spotty quality control for some reason. Taurus can and should do better with this model.  Thankfully, their G2 and G3 product lines have higher quality control.

My wife owns quite a few handguns, and she can carry just about anything she wants on a daily basis. However, she carries a Taurus PT111 G2 – she shoots it well, and it fits her hand nicely. She carried a Glock 19 for a lot of years, with a Crimson Trace laser on it, and also likes this gun. But once she held that Taurus PT111 G2 in her hand, her Glock 19 was retired. She still shoots the Glock every now and then, but prefers her Taurus. If a gun fits and feels good in your hand, and you shoot it well, then what’s not to like about it?

I own a Taurus G2 myself, and I can’t find much to fault about it, but it isn’t my first choice in a carry gun for some reason. I can usually be caught carrying a Glock 26. Why? I like the feel, and the number of rounds it holds, and it shoots very well.

Many years ago, I was the first gun magazine writer, to do on-line only articles. Now everyone is doing articles on-line. However, I was the first writer to do so. The public relations firm that handled Taurus firearms, contacted me about this idea, and the articles would be about Taurus firearms for their web site only. We came to an agreement on this, and it was decided that, no matter what I wrote about a Taurus firearm I was testing, the PR firm would run my articles as-is, with no changes other than to grammar in my articles…and they weren’t allowed to turn down any articles I submitted no matter what I said about the test gun. I was paid a decent amount per article, as well as being allowed to keep the firearms I wrote about. That seemed like a fair deal all the way around. And no one – EVER – asked me to write anything “good” about the guns I was testing! I used to believe that gun writers were paid by the gun companies to say only good things about the guns they were testing. If this is the case, then I missed that train – no gun company ever offered me anything in exchange to say good things about their guns! I did have an editor, at one time for a big-name gun magazine ask me to change some things – negative things – that I had written about a gun, and I refused. They pulled the article – paid me, but pulled it – they were afraid they would lose advertising money from the gun maker.Continue reading“Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Peach Ice-Cream

3

The following Peach Ice-Cream recipe 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 will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup fresh peach-pulp
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups cream
Directions
  1. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water together for five minutes.
  2. Add the peaches and put the mixture through a strainer.
  3. Add the cream and freeze, while turning.

—

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

52

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 examine the recent run-up in gold, silver, and platinum prices. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

First up, in U.S. Dollar terms, spot gold and gold futures just hit a 7-year high. And in Indian Rupee terms, gold futures hit at an all-time high. And who knows how gold is priced in some of the rapidly-ly inflating currencies. I don’t believe that we are yet anywhere near the top, in this bull market. And my advice is still to buy silver, rather than gold. Not only is it better for barter, but it is also more likely to double in value, than gold.

o  o  o

Here Cometh the Fed – David Brady (July 24, 2020)

o  o  o

A Record 170 Tons Of Physical Gold Were Just Delivered On The COMEX: Here’s Why

Economy & Finance:

David Stockman: Jobless Thursday – How the Donald Is Making America Poor Again. JWR’s Comment: The included charts paint a grim picture.

o  o  o

Coronavirus aid package coming, $1,200 checks in August

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Brick & Mortar Retailers, Malls, Mall-REITs, and their Debts: The Whole Schmear is Coming Apart

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

6

“If masks work, then used ones are all potentially HAZMAT. Where are the biohazard disposal bags? We’re just tossing virus-contaminated masks and gloves in the trash or on the ground? If they’re not HAZMAT, then you’re admitting they don’t work.

Over 200 BILLION masks are being trashed every month. The ecosystem is being destroyed by garbage that didn’t do anything when in use anyway. This alone is sufficient reason to make wearing masks illegal. Remember when you complained about plastic straws? Apparently, it’s A-OK to contaminate the environment now that you want an item, rather than children wanting an item.” – Michael Z. Williamson

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 26, 2020

7

On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms was said to be so thick that it blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them.

—

Please pray for the folks in Texas who are in the path of Hurricane Hanna.

..

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Vehicle Preparation – Part 2, by Traveling Mechanic

12

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

You should look and feel along the total length of all hoses. Any unusually soft or hard areas are of concern. Any bulge or area worn more than half of the hose thickness is a sign of imminent failure and needs replacement as soon as possible.

There are several things that will cause your vehicle motor to run hotter than expected. The typical cause is that the flow of air through the radiator may be partially blocked. A no-cost or low-cost solution is to take your garden hose and blow water from the motor side of the radiator toward the front. This reverse flow will often remove most of the bugs and rocks. You can shine a flashlight through the core. Any blocked light will show you where any remaining problem areas are located. I have also found several cases where leaves have managed to get between the air condenser coil and the front of the radiator. This trash blocked the airflow through both. A few minutes with an air or water hose removed the problem. The result was an improvement of air conditioner performance and slightly lower motor water temperature. I recommend that you place metal window screen meshi in front of the condenser and radiator If your location has lots of bugs or trash. This screen will block the ability of things to get into unwanted places.

Carefully examine the water flow path that it takes inside the radiator. The water flow will be either from side to side or top to bottom. Carefully place your hand on a part of the front of the radiator fins. Place your hand at approximately one half of the fin flow path. Cautions: Some electric radiator fans can turn on unexpectedl.. This area will be hot to the touch. Move your hand, with the same orientation, to another group of the fins. All of these groups should all be at approximately the same temperature. If a group of fins is dramatically cooler this means that there is minimal or no flow/cooling, which should be occurring, in this area. It’s time to visit the local radiator repair shop for rework.

Next, you should take your vehicle to anyone that sells vehicle batteries. They will typically do a battery life test of your battery at no charge. It is my experience that most batteries seem to fail within 3-6 months after the end of warranty period. If you live in a part of the country that can get below zero in temperature then a battery with a higher cold cranking amp rating is recommended. I also recommend that you should consider replacing the battery cables with their 6-volt equivalents. The larger wire gauge will allow more current to flow to the starter. This lower wire loss gives a faster motor rotation. This faster turning can often start a large motor that turns over very slowly when cold.Continue reading“Vehicle Preparation – Part 2, by Traveling Mechanic”