Advance Your Shooting Ability, by Steve Mc

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It has been well documented that concerns related to the COVID19 pandemic have been the impetus for many people to become first-time gun owners. For those new to firearms, as well as those that have owned and used firearms for many years, I want to challenge you to take some specific steps to advance your firearm capability. Because our society and legal system affirms the use of firearms to protect and defend ourselves, our loved ones, and those that need protection, it is incumbent upon us to maximize our capability to effectively use the firearms if, God-forbid, it becomes necessary. What I am proposing is intended to address the needs of the overwhelming majority of firearm owners/users, but it is acknowledged that there will always be appropriate exceptions to address particular circumstances. Full disclosure: the author has no financial interest in any of the products or services mentioned in this piece.

My first challenge is for you to evolve your carry weapon. But let’s first narrow the discussion to handguns, since they are the most applicable class of firearms to non-military people. So, you have a handgun, perhaps several. That is a start. But if maximizing effectiveness is your goal, the handguns you have may not be optimal. Quite frankly, the majority of handguns being sold are not up to the task of reliably protecting the lives of your loved ones. They may be impossible to shoot accurately, slow to deploy, of low capacity, too large or small, too heavy to wear, have inconsistent trigger pulls, have poor sights or have any number of other deficiencies. My telling you this is a bit of “tough-love”, because you probably think the gun you have will rise to the occasion when called upon. When you bought it, you felt like it was a good choice, or your buddy or the guy behind the counter of the local gun store told you it was. Maybe it was on sale or lower priced than others. You may be a brand fan-boy, or are heavily invested in the image or emotions that a particular gun evokes. But I am here to “call your baby ugly”.

If you really are committed to being most capable of defending those most precious to you with a firearm, it really should be “duty-grade”. How do I define “duty-grade”? It is that small number of pistol brands and models that are most frequently selected and used by military and police and for which there is exhaustive demonstrated performance. Yes, we all know that military and police choices can be biased by politics and finances, but the choices made are nearly always amongst the few that are duty-grade. The most consistently selected pistols for military or law enforcement (LE) duty, and what I am adamantly recommending, are the Glock 17 and SIG P320 (M17) platforms, or variants of these. What these have in common are polymer frames, striker-fired, high capacity, proven durability, broad support and 9 mm. There are other competent striker fired 9 mm pistols that may be of similar quality, but not as commonly owned or adopted, and with less support, such as Smith & Wesson M&P, HK VP9, and the FN 509.Continue reading“Advance Your Shooting Ability, by Steve Mc”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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fkongSurvivalBlog 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 the invasion of Argentine Black and White Tegu lizards.

Coronavirus: More Evidence of Long-Term Lung Damage

Over at Chris Martenson’s Peak Prosperity: Coronavirus: More Evidence Of Long-Term Lung Damage. (That part of the discussion begins at the 13:15 mark.)

Large Invasive Lizard Gaining Foothold in Georgia

Reader Tim J. sent this: Large invasive lizard gaining foothold in Georgia, officials warn. A snippet:

“The Argentine black and white tegus, which are not native to the U.S., were first spotted in Florida — but now, officials believe the lizards have established themselves in Toombs and Tattnall counties in Georgia…”

Free Speech Is COVID’s Latest Casualty

At CBN News: Free Speech Is COVID’s Latest Casualty: Doctors Silenced, Protests Censored, Americans Treated Like ‘Children’. A pericope:

“Also, the censoring can often feel one-sided since it’s conservative viewpoints that are routinely shut down.

‘Many of these social media organizations are frankly acting as if the American people are children – they are our parents who know better and they should censor what we see and write. I have a lot more faith in the American people, Spakovsky says.”

A Free Big Berkey Raffle

Over at the SurvivalRealty.com web site, they are raffling off a Big Berkey water filter.  There is no cost to enter the drawing, and there are ways to place multiple entries.

Hillary Clinton Panics, Seeing Armed Michigan Protestors

Hillary Clinton calls armed Michigan lockdown protests ‘domestic terrorism’. JWR’s Comment:  Just because someone is exercising their First Amendment rights, it doesn’t mean that they need to leave their Second Amendment tools locked up at home. Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime. Open Carry is an important reminder, at public events. Just be careful about “brandishing” laws in many states, and therefore do not point a gun directly at anyone. Pistols should be holstered, and long guns should be carried slung and either muzzle up or muzzle down. But definitely carry your guns loaded. Don’t be disarmed by political correctness. Even some concealed carry advocates now complain about open carry. They should get over it. We must all respect each other’s rights, and the way that we do so is properly left up to the choice of each individual. Open carry and concealed are both Constitutionally protected antecedent rights For the record, I’m Pro-Choice: You can choose either concealed carry or open carry.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.

And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” – Romans 15:1-13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — May 23, 2020

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On this day in 1934 the outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed by a pair of deputized former Texas Rangers and assorted local police, near Gibbsland, Louisiana.

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And May 23rd  is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. According to LeftistAgendaPedia: He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand firearms. He founded Kel-Tec in 1991.

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Over at the SurvivalRealty.com web site, they are raffling off a Big Berkey water filter.  There is no cost to enter the drawing.

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Stack them deep!  Palmetto State Armory (one of our affiliate advertisers), is running their big Memorial Day Weekend Sale. They presently have their PSA AR15 Complete Classic Stealth Lowers on sale for $139. At their web site, put the SKU  “5165457978” in their search box. They also have the complete Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II 5.56 NATO Rifle w/ Gun Case and Vertical Grip/Light on sale for $699. At their web site, put the SKU  “5165490834” in their search box. Note that if you use our text or ad link to PSA, then SurvivalBlog will get a little piece of the action. Thanks.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 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, which 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 $100 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 88 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.

 

The Protein All Around Us, by Oregon Bill

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It was the fifth raccoon that I had permanently discouraged from killing our chickens. “If we ever had to eat these in an emergency, our family would put on weight” I said to my wife. I was joking of course. She surprised me with her reply: “Well, why don’t we give them a try so we know if it would ever be worth it?” She had grown up eating wild meat, and our family commonly ate what we raised or hunted, so it sounded kind of like a new adventure. Here is some of what we learned that might be of benefit in tough times.

On our small farm we often have troubles with skunks, opossum, squirrels, and raccoons. Effective ways to deal with all of these are important, and it helped me realize the sheer volume of protein around us. I’m going to focus on the opportunities of squirrels and raccoons in difficult times and leave the skunks and opossum to someone else for exploration.

Raccoons seem to be everywhere, and if you have poultry you know how much trouble they can cause. One year I trapped eight out of our back woods trying to keep them under control and protect my chickens, and there were plenty more around to take up the slack. I’ve helped many of my friends in town trap nuisance animals. In the town and in the country, they are plentiful and reproduce quickly.

Squirrels are the same – they are everywhere. During the months of May and November, they are all over the roadways in their pursuit of new space. They cause problems on our place trying to nest in buildings and harassing the chickens in their theft of feed.Continue reading“The Protein All Around Us, by Oregon Bill”

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:

Our young bull (now two years old) was throwing his weight around again. Although he is from what is considered a “small” breed, he is still a very powerful critter. Recently, he has been using our utility box trailer as a play toy, pushing it around, for distances up to 20 feet. That 30 year old trailer–which we mainly used for hay and firewood hauling–weighs around 1,200 pounds. The bull isn’t being intentionally destructive–just playful. He will push at it from all directions until it comes free of its wheel chocks. Then he will push it around, in semicircles.

This past week our bull also badly bent one of our garden gates. This is the large channel steel tractor gate (12 feet wide) at one end of our Annex Garden. He had been bending into a “V” shape. Not only did I have to upgrade it to a more stout chain-and-eye bolt closure, but I had to reinforce the bottom of the gate itself with a 10-foot length of scrap 1.5″ Schedule 40 galvanized steel pipe. This piece straightened and stoutened (is that a word?) the gate, nicely. Without that, our Bovine Delinquent would probably have continued to bend that gate, to the point of failure.

Such is life with a bull. You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them. If we sent him to the chest freezer, it would of course mean: no calves. Yes, we’ve tried using AI for a couple of years, with a less than 50% success rate. And that pitiful rate was with the optional week-in-advance ovulation inducing shot. In contrast, keeping a bull pastured for three months each year with our open cows has had a 100% success rate. Therefore, we are keeping him, but he was just moved in to our extra-stout Bull Pen, for the summer. That pen is constructed of heavy duty tubular steel livestock panels. The corners of the pen are attached to 12″ diameter cedar posts that are sunk 2 feet deep in the ground–so that bulls cannot push the pen out of shape.

This week I also cut two more cords of firewood.  Our teen daughters are becoming more accomplished firewood stackers. This past year they’ve progressed from merely “utilitarian” stackers, to downright decorous stackers. Their firewood stacks are now very pleasing to the eye. And they are sturdy enough to be almost invulner-a-Bull. (Thankfully, our bull doesn’t like to play with firewood.)

Next week, it will be time to slaughter and butcher a whole mess of young roosters. I never look forward to that task. But the end result–either in our chest freezer, or canned up in jars–is always gratifying. We are thankful to God, for His providence!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.

And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:

And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,

For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.

Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai.

And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.

And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.

And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.

And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.

And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.” – Joshua 8: 1-22 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 22, 2020

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May 22, 1859 is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

Doyle was born in Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he met Dr. Joseph Bell, a teacher with extraordinary deductive reasoning power. Bell partly inspired Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes years later.

After medical school, Doyle moved to London, where his slow medical practice left him ample free time to write. His first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. Starting in 1891, a series of Holmes stories appeared in The Strand magazine. Holmes enabled Doyle to leave his medical practice in 1891 and devote himself to writing, but the author soon grew weary of his creation. In The Final Problem, he killed off both Holmes and his nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, only to resuscitate Holmes later due to popular demand. In 1902, Doyle was knighted for his work with a field hospital in South Africa. In addition to dozens of Sherlock Holmes stories and several novels, Doyle wrote history, pursued whaling, and engaged in many adventures and athletic endeavors. He died in 1930.

The War of the Roses began on May 22, 1455. From History.com’s description: ” In the opening battle of England’s War of the Roses, the Yorkists defeat King Henry VI’s Lancastrian forces at St. Albans, 20 miles northwest of London. Many Lancastrian nobles perished, including Edmund Beaufort, the duke of Somerset, and the king was forced to submit to the rule of his cousin, Richard of York. The dynastic struggle between the House of York, whose badge was a white rose, and the House of Lancaster, later associated with a red rose, would stretch on for 30 years.

Both families, closely related, claimed the throne through descent from the sons of Edward III, the king of England from 1327 to 1377. The first Lancastrian king was Henry IV in 1399, and rebellion and lawlessness were rife during his reign. His son, Henry V, was more successful and won major victories in the Hundred Years War against France. His son and successor, Henry VI, had few kingly qualities and lost most of the French land his father had conquered. At home, chaos prevailed and lords with private armies challenged Henry VI’s authority. At times, his ambitious queen, Margaret of Anjou, effectively controlled the crown.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 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, which 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 $100 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 88 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.

Propane and Compressor Refrigerators, by Tunnel Rabbit

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This is a brief analysis of propane and compressor refrigerators in long term grid-down appplications.

In Northwest Montana life has not changed radically during the Coronavirus lockdown, and there are plenty of used freezers, and fridges available on Craigslist.  However, demand for propane refrigerators is on the increase as there is marked rise in interest in self-reliance.  If nothing can be found in your area, then be willing to travel to buy a used propane refrigerators before they are gone.  These are expensive and hard to find. At the least, these can preserve meat while you jar it up, and provide back up and off grid refrigeration.  These will become increasingly expensive and harder to find as the current situation evolves, so this might be a good time to check in your area and use the funds to buy a propane-burning absorption refrigerator instead of standard freezer, 120AC, or 12VDC compressor type refrigerator, that may or may not be still available in your area, when the propane option might still be. JWR Adds:  One option is contacting large recreational vehicle (RV) and fifth wheel trailer dealerships. They often have used RV refrigerators available with cosmetic issues (typically just scratched or dented doors) that make them very affordable.

A typical used 10 to 12  cubic foot propane fridge might run $700 or more. A new one is twice that price, or more.  And full size propane refrigerators are like hen’s teeth. New refrigerators of the standard 10.5 cubic foot size start at $1,200, and for the largest size, $2,500 new.

The typical 10.5 cu ft. size, set to the lowest temperature for summer operation, will use no more than three 20 pound propane bottles per month during the summer months, or to be precise, consumes 1,200 to 1,600 BTU per hour on the highest (coldest) settings, depending on the model. The lowest setting (higher lower temperature) is often one half to two thirds of the highest consumption or stated BTU rating. The service manual should provide the lower BTU rating.  The highest consumption rate or rating, is recorded on a plate at the bottom of the front door, or in the back lower portion near the burner.  One pound of propane contains 22,000 BTU, and there are 4.2 pounds of propane per gallon. Divide 22,000 by the BTU rating to determine the number of pounds of propane used in one hour, then multiply by 24 hours to determine the amount used per day.Continue reading“Propane and Compressor Refrigerators, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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 examine the trend of pandemic era “sight unseen” house buying. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

I recommend watching a fascinating video interview with Egon Von Greyerz: Spiking Food Prices Kick Off Inflationary Endgame. He calls the current unemployment rate “catastrophic.”  He warms of eventual hyperinflation. And at the 19 minute mark he clearly illustrates how the stock markets are disconnected from reality.  He predicts much higher prices for precious metals  “…as a function of the destruction of paper money.”

o  o  o

Commerzbank: gold-silver price ratio hits lowest level since mid-March

o  o  o

Hub Moolman: Silver Is Ensured A Prosperous 2020 Thanks To The Fed

o  o  o

25% of your portfolio should be gold, 5% bitcoin says inventor, venture capitalist Alex Mashinsky

Economy & Finance:

Mortgage delinquencies caused by the coronavirus will exceed Great Recession levels, according to this forecast

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Goldman Spots A Huge Problem For The Fed

o  o  o

J.C. Penney Files for Bankruptcy Protection

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Week 8 of the Collapse of the U.S. Labor Market: Nearing a Previously Unthinkably Deep Bottom?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

4

“It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting any thing by it; nay, that absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for purposes and objects merely personal, such as, a thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families, or partisans. These, and a variety of motives, which affect only the mind of the sovereign, often lead him to engage in wars not sanctioned by justice, or the voice and interests of his people.” – John Jay

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 21, 2020

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May 21st is the birthday of weapons designer John Douglas Pedersen. (Born 1881, died 1951.) His name is almost synonymous with the short-lived Pedersen Device (pictured) — a conversion kit that turned a Model 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle into a semi-automatic “trench broom.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 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, which 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 $100 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 88 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.

Should I Move? by Southern J.

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In this essay, I will address how to know if it’s time for you to relocate.

One of the seminal questions a preparedness-minded individual asks themselves is “Do I need to move to a better location?” Oftentimes the preparedness “fantasy” is the remote retreat in scenic Idaho, with beautiful views and being miles away from a paved road. This sounds great (who wouldn’t want that?) but the reality is that may not be feasible for most people. In this article, I will strive to give you criteria to look at to determine whether your location, the society you are in is “good enough” for preparedness purposes.

The primary question you should look to answer is “Can the community I live in effectively self-govern in the vacuum of effective social control?” I will pose some questions to answer that may help you answer that question. By no means is this an exhaustive list, and it is not a “foolproof” diagnosis.Continue reading“Should I Move? by Southern J.”

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 rising interest in homeschooling.

Coastal Oregon Preppers React to Pandemic

First up, over at MIT Technology Review: They were waiting for the Big One. Then coronavirus arrived.

Senator Blumenthal Reintroduces Ghost Gun Ban Bill

S.O.G. sent this, about S.3743: Democratic senators introduce bill to ban ‘ghost’ guns amid pandemic. Here is analysis of the bill, by the Guns and Gadgets vlog: The Untraceable Firearms Act of 2020 (No More AR/AK Builds?) Take the time to read the text of the bill.

Oklahoma Now Has the Nation’s First Anti-Red Flag Law

Reader D.S.V. sent us this, at The Truth About Guns: Oklahoma Now Has the Nation’s First Anti-Red Flag Law. I loved this included quote from bill sponsor Jay Steagall:

“I find it impossible for any red-flag law to respect due process or the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” he said. “I have taken the oath to protect our Constitution seven times throughout my 22 years of service and nine deployments in the military, an oath that I take very seriously. I will not stand idly by and let this freedom be stripped from us.”

JWR’s Comment:  This should be considered model legislation. Please contact your state legisltors, and ask them to clone this bill!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here; My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer; A-chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe, My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.” – Robert Burns