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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 20, 2020

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May 20th, 1942 was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999), 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 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.

Preparing – Practicing & Preaching, by TJ in Georgia

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Regardless of who you are now, who you were in the past, or who you will be in the future, I think everyone will now be a ‘prepper’. Please consider this: We’ve all had a taste of doing without something in the past month or so, and I for one don’t look forward to this time in history becoming the new normal.

I was in Girl Scouts from about 2nd grade until 7th grade. We learned many skills such as hiking, cooking outside, sleeping outside, fire starting, selling cookies (yes, that is a skill) and being a responsible citizen. In the forth grade our teacher taught some of us to crochet. In high school I took Home Economics and learned to sew. My maternal grandmother taught me to make jelly, and a good friend taught me to can meat in jars. These are mostly skills that all of our grandmothers learned from a very young age, and some of our grandfathers as well. But many of our youth today are not learning life skills.

Ask a child what they want to do and who they want to be when they grow up. For me and my friends the answer may have been occupations such as a teacher, a policeman, a fireman, a doctor, nurse or mommy. But ask a kid today what they want to be and many will answer that their goal in life is to be a gamer, you tuber, or professional sports player. What changed? And when did it change? I think for many, parents did not want their children to have to work as hard as they did, so in an effort to let them enjoy their childhood, they also deprived the children from learning life skills that are most certainly going to come in handy now and in the future.

Take a moment and think about jobs that were not considered ‘essential’ to life during this pandemic. Who was shut down? Well, movie theaters were closed, so actors really weren’t needed. We enjoy the distraction from the problems of life and escape the reality by watching a movie or attending a ball game, but those things are not essentials. Tattoo parlors, nail salons, and hair dressers were also asked to close. I love to have my finger and toe nails ‘done’, and there’s really nothing like getting a new hair cut to lighten your step for a little while. Dine-in eating establishments are certainly a convenience and a welcome change for many but they, too, were closed for a few weeks and a lot of folks had to start cooking at home more, or in some cases, again. All of these places that were asked to close for safety’s sake are a large part of our lives and were missed greatly, but apparently were not deemed ‘essential’ to life.Continue reading“Preparing – Practicing & Preaching, by TJ in Georgia”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There 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 guitar music. (See the Music section.)

Books:

I haven’t yet read this new book, but the 200+ positive reviews make it look promising: Plague of Corruption: Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science.

o  o  o

The Micro-Hydro Pelton Turbine Manual: Design, Manufacture and Installation for Small-Scale Hydro-Power

o  o  o

Just recently released non-fiction: Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell

o  o  o

Guerrilla Wife

o  o  o

Half Baked Harvest Super Simple: More Than 125 Recipes for Instant, Overnight, Meal-Prepped, and Easy Comfort Foods: A Cookbook

o  o  o

The Complete Book of Combat Handgunning. (The author, Chuck Taylor, passed away last week. RIP.)

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“In the end, what is really needed is a fundamental rethinking of the notion that the state rather than private markets must monopolize the provision of justice and security. This is the fatal conceit. No power granted to the state goes unabused. This power, among all possible powers, might be the most important one to take away from the state. ” – Llewellyn “Lew” H. Rockwell, Jr., Founder and chairman of the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 19, 2020

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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 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.

Generosity in Dire Times, by Elli O.

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Warning: This article may be considered controversial by some readers.

During this global pandemic it seems as if TEOTWAWKI could be just around the corner. Daily the media is not only reporting the number of infected and deaths, they are also reporting on different shortages- both real and unsubstantiated. Some are in the present and others in the near future. First it was toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Then it was N95 masks and disinfectant wipes. This past week it was meat- poultry, beef, and pork.

For those of us who have been preparing for such times, we were not shaken as those who had barely enough food in the cupboard/fridge to cook tonight’s dinner. We didn’t panic when the toilet paper aisle was offering nothing but empty shelves. And now, when meat may be as scarce as toilet paper, we are busy feeding the livestock in our fields and serving dinner from our freezers and pantries.

But what do you do when you learn of someone in need of these basic items (food, personal care items, etc.)? Now is the time to share from your bountiful harvests and prior planning. Now, when desperation is beginning to settle in their minds and hearts, is a great time and opportunity to teach them about preparedness. These world events that have affected them within their own home could simply be a wake-up call to the preparedness lifestyle.

TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE

But should you give away some of your larder? Should you take the chance of exposing your seemingly endless supply of daily sustenance? Should you become as easy a target as the neighborhood soup kitchen and food pantry? These are just a few of the questions that must be answered prior to the situation arising.

Am I suggesting that you advertise the expense of your pantry? Au contraire. The knowledge of your preparation is the main lifeline for your survival during desperate times. But the question of whether and when and what to give from your storehouse of supplies must be handled with discernment and discretion.Continue reading“Generosity in Dire Times, by Elli O.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the proposed shift in the border between Oregon and Idaho.  (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

‘Move Oregon’s Border’ petition gets OK in Union County. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“The Move Oregon’s Border group would reduce Oregon to only 17 counties, all on the state’s west side. The other 19 counties along with several in northern California would become part of the new state of Greater Idaho. McCarter said 12 of the 19 counties have approved the petition, with Jackson County on Thursday giving its OK.

‘So that’s a big one,” McCarter said, because Jackson County’s population accounts for 25% of the total population for the 19 counties.'”

o  o  o

Adams County Sheriff’s Department releases details about Ritzville homicide that led to Oregon shootout

Idaho

McGeachin slams Governor Little’s handling of coronavirus re-opening plan

o  o  o

This retreat in north Idaho available through SurvivalRealty.com really stands out, for its real self-sufficiency: Hydro-power in the American Redoubt!  There is a lot to be said for a hydro power system that generates power 24 hours a day!

o  o  o

Over at INWReport:  Ada County deputies visit covert – possibly illegal – hair salon during statewide shutdown

o  o  o

Boise police recover stolen merchandise after dismantling reshipping scam

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 18, 2020

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Today is the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

—

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

—

I just heard that improvisational comedian Fred Willard has passed away, at 86. He will be missed.

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.

Taurus 1911, by Pat Cascio

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Let me begin by assuring you: This review article is not a repeat. Today I’m reviewing a Taurus 1911 that is a different 1911 than the one that I gave a sternly negative review, in April, 2019, also here in SurvivalBlog. Taurus USA apparently has taken a new approach to their line of 1911s. The first thing I noticed is that, this is not labeled as a Taurus PT1911, instead, the slide is simply stamped “1911”. Technically, this is a 1911A1 version, some slight changes over the original 1911, that was produced in well….1911. Around 1927 there were modifications done to the frame and a few other improvements and it was called the 1911A1, however most folks still simply call this design a “1911.” I won’t go into the history of the 1911/1911A1 because so much has already been written about this grand handgun, that you can research it for yourself.

Early in 2019, I made a purchase at my local FFL dealer of a Taurus PT1911 – they had several to choose from, however, the two I was interested in, both had a horrible trigger pull, and the grip safety, took two men and a boy to depress. I had no way of measuring the weight of the grip safety, but it was probably around 10-12 pounds…the trigger – my trigger pull gauge didn’t go that high, but it was safe to say, the pull was easily 12 pounds or more and very gritty. I love working on 1911s – and had planned on working on this sample, but after thinking about it, after my testing, I simply traded the gun off (with of course full disclosure of the faults), so they could be someone else’s problems, or they could send the pistol back to Taurus. A trigger job on a 1911 isn’t that difficult to accomplish, if you know what you’re doing, but I just wasn’t going to play around with this gun.

BTW, I called Taurus after I purchased this current sample, and asked them why this gun was stamped as a “1911” whereas the previous guns were all stamped on the slide as a “PT1911” and the person I spoke to, didn’t know why the different model designation – guess Taurus should educate their Customer Service personnel on these things. I believe that, when Taurus was calling this gun the PT1911 – it was just so everyone knew it was a Taurus.Continue reading“Taurus 1911, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Corned Beef Hash

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The following simple recipe for Corned Beef Hash ties in with my recent recommendation to buy some canned corned beef, before the upcoming price increases. This recipe comes 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
  • 2 cups chopped corned beef
  • 1/2 cup milk or water
  • 2 cups cooked potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter, butter substitute or savory fat
  • Salt and pepper
Directions

Mix beef and potatoes together lightly and season. Pour the milk into a frving-pan with half the fat and, when this is warm, turn in the hash, spreading it evenly and placing the rest of the fat, cut in pieces, on the top. Cover the pan and place it where the hash will cook slowly for half an hour. !t should then be a rich, thick crust.on the bottom. Do not stir the hash. This slow process of heating the hash gives it a flavor that can not be obtained by hurried cooking.

SERVING

Fold it as an omelet is folded and place it on a warm platter.

—

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 the continuing surge in American gun sales. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver price to outperform gold in Q2 – Orchid Research

o  o  o

Gold and U.S. equities de-couple with stocks selling off, and gold moving higher

o  o  o

The Chartist crowd is making Bull Market noises, for gold. They may be right, but of course you know my opinion of Chartism.

Economy & Finance:

Reader F.L. recommended this: Powell warns of a possible sustained recession from pandemic

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: US Commercial Real Estate Prices Plunged in April, Mall Prices Collapsed

o  o  o

A Word About the Current Chaos in Prices and Inflation

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The shutdowns were sold as “two weeks to slow the spread,” and “flattening the curve,” and so on, and lots of people thought that was sensible, and it was. A two-month (or longer) shutdown is a different animal, and nobody consented to that. So now people are, mostly silently, withdrawing their consent from the state.” – Glenn Reynolds