Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 15, 2019

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On August 15, 1961, two days after sealing off free passage between East and West Berlin with barbed wire, East German authorities began building a wall–the Berlin Wall–to permanently close off access to the West. For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War–a literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe. The wall has now been torn down for longer than it stood, but the scars in memory are still there.

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All of the major stock indices were down dramatically on Tuesday (August 14, 2019), with the S&P 500 down 2.93% and the DJIA and NASDAQ both down more than 3%.  Buckle up!  I hope that you took my advice and reduced your stock exposure — and meanwhile diversified into tangibles, including silver. Even though it is more of an industrial metal than gold, I still expect silver to outperform gold, in the months to come.  Silver could literally double in price (from $17 to $34 per Troy ounce.) But it is long way for gold to double from $1,500 to $3,000.

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I’m pleased to welcome aboard a new SurvivalBlog banner advertiser: Good2GoCo.com. They offer a wide range of competitively-priced products for preppers and outdoorsmen. If you are preparing for the worst, then they’ll have what you need. At the end of this month they will be launching a Grand Opening Sale, with discounts up to 50% off, on selected merchandise. So be sure to visit their web site today. Our readers in Canada should check out their sister site: Good2GoCo.ca

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Today we present a short feature article written by blog reader H.L.  You may recognize H.L.’s initials from the many news items that she has loyally sent us for SurvivalBlog columns, for more than 10 years. Her efforts are greatly appreciated!

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And speaking of blog feature articles: We presently have just a few articles in the queue for our bi-monthly SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. It is in contest rounds like this one where we have fewer entries that statistically you have the best chance of being awarded writing contest prizes. The combined value of the prizes awarded once every two months is now over $12,500! Please get your article finished, and send it in. Many thanks.

Quality Control Requires Ethics, by H.L.

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It seems to me that many Americans have gotten used to lack of quality control regarding many desired and needed items for use around the home. I have not! I had the good fortune to have a Father (born 1904 in Connecticut) who would not tolerate shoddy workmanship, either in running our 100-acre farm with the help of a hard working wife/mother of five children, or anything that he purchased after he had to medically retire from the Service Station that he built and ran.

I am 76 years old, and have the same philosophy. Too many American companies have shifted production overseas and neglected to insist on Quality Control! They have either never learned ethics, or do not really care. Ethics is defined as a code of behavior in reference to a group, whether family, community or a nation. The dos and don’ts in a company makes up its ethics, and when management does not insist, and Monitor Quality Control, they let down their company, themselves, and their customers. Effectively,  they are over-pricing and under-delivering their product. I consider that a form of “theft”. Hence: Quality Control requires Ethics, and Good Ethics equal Quality Control!

It was the final straw recently, when going out to water my flowers, and the not-inexpensive hose recently purchased with a plastic & brass fastener to the hose bib broke clean off! As Dad always said, “you get what you pay for”, but all too often paying more does not equate with great quality.

From the time I was age five and Dad taught me how to plant peas, exactly one inch apart down the absolutely straight furrow he had made with the hoe, to everything else we did on the farm, I was inculcated with striving for perfection. When he was nine years old he was trapping muskrats to get $1 a pelt, and he saved every penny. He was a self-taught welder, mechanic, surveyor, and started his own gas/service station/towing service in 1927. He thrived in the Great Depression because he could and did do it all and was open (just call him) 24/7! The motto in large red letters over the door said: “SERVICE WITH A SMILE”.Continue reading“Quality Control Requires Ethics, by H.L.”

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 Zapping Fake Power Grids.

Gun Sales Surge — Mostly for Pistols

Gun sales surge fueled by first-timers, mostly for ‘concealed’ pistols.

Zapping Fake Power Grids to Help Us Survive an EMP Attack

Reader G.P. spotted this: Scientists Are Zapping Fake Electrical Grids to Help Us Survive an EMP Attack.

Here is a an excerpt:

“Substations are the central hubs of the power grid, but if you don’t work for a power company, it may not be obvious. Next time you’re driving around, watch where the power lines go — eventually they’ll connect to large metal towers on a fenced-in patch of dirt or rock.

On the outskirts of the substation will be a little shed, called a control house. Think of it as a giant version of the circuit breaker in your home. It houses the switches, batteries, meters and control boards that keep transmission lines and transformers in check.

The control houses can be made of a variety of materials – concrete, brick, metal, or a combination of the three. But little research has been done on what might happen to these power centers during an EMP. To find out, Randy Horton and his colleagues at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) took on the challenge in a report released in April.

Horton and his colleagues at EPRI spent the last three years simulating what happens when E1 waves ripple through the equipment used in power stations. This included actually zapping transformers and transmissions lines with high-frequency pulses and building substation housing out of different materials and putting them to the test to see how the electronics inside held up.”

Unplanned Movie DVD Debuts #1 on Amazon

I was pleased to see that the pro-life movie Unplanned had a debut at #1 in Drama DVDs at Amazon.com on its release day. Congrats to the film-makers!

Prepping is Now Part of Mainstream US Politics and Culture

Reader C.B. sent this: Forget ‘Obamageddon’, ‘Prepping’ is now part of mainstream US politics and culture. For more detailed reading, here is a link to the original scholarly article.  Note that the study depended on biased sources like the SPLC.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Government has no wealth, and when a politician promises to give you something for nothing, he must first confiscate that wealth from you — either by direct taxes, or by the cruelly indirect tax of inflation.” – John Wayne

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 14, 2019

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August 14th, 1945 was Victory In Japan (“V-J”) Day.

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Please contact your U.S. Senators, and urge them to oppose the now much-touted and innocuous-sounding “Universal Background Checks” legislation. Dubbed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, this is a horrible piece of legislation that will ban private party sales of used guns. This probably would not survive a test by the Supreme Court. The key issue is that it is a ban on inherently intrastate commerce (sales of used merchandise between private party residents of the same state) by grossly stretching the intent of the Interstate Commerce Clause. Clearly, there is no INTERstate commerce involved, since an INTRAstate sale of a used gun is outside of interstate commerce!  I expect the current court to expand the U.S. v. Lopez precedent, the next time that the Commerce Clause is tested vis-a-vis the Second Amendment.

This background check law would also undoubtedly trip up hundreds of thousands of “unlawful users” of controlled substances. They would be forced to lie in their responses to the ATF Form 4473 questions.  Providing false answers on that form is a felony, with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. It is noteworthy that both medical and recreational use of marijuana is still a Federal violation, even though it is now “legalized” in many states. Eight states and the District of Columbia allow recreational marijuana, while 29 states allow medical use.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Being Smart About Acetaminophen, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

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Editor’s Introductory Proviso: SurvivalBlog and its editors do not give medical advice. Mentions of any medicine or medical treatment is for informational purposes only and are in no way endorsed or accredited by SurvivalBlog.com, or its principals. SurvivalBlog.com is not responsible for the use or misuse of any product advertised or mentioned in SurvivalBlog. – JWR

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A big thanks to SurvivalBlog contributor DSV for their link to “Acetaminophen – Not Worth the Risk, by the Children’s Health Defense Team” cited in part in SB “The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods” on July 30th.

Yes, Acetaminophen (Tylenol / Paracetamol to the Europeans) poisoning is a real problem caused not only by a quirk of metabolism in the liver, but by its inclusion in more than 600 Over The Counter (OTC) medical formulations, by children and others taking overdoses as a result of not reading the label and following the instructions, and people made careless by thinking that OTC meds can’t be “that dangerous.” Well, it can be.

DSV’s article raises some good questions, mostly about its use in children. And the only reason I’m writing about it is that we don’t have a whole lot of OTC painkillers to choose from and I wouldn’t want to leave preppers without a potentially useful tool that is safely utilized daily by thousands of medical professionals, clinics and hospitals worldwide. With opioid analgesics harder to obtain, and the potential for some serious pain and injuries ahead courtesy of TEOTWAWKI, preppers need options. And that includes Acetaminophen.Continue reading“Being Smart About Acetaminophen, by ShepherdFarmerGeek”

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 that have any tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food as and food storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. This week the focus is once again on Neccos. (See the last item in the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Reader Tom in Ohio wrote to recommend:  “Never make yourself dependent on GPS. Always have a backup atlas.” The 2020 edition is now available: Rand McNally 2020 Large Scale Road Atlas

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Reader “Doc Strange” suggested James Rickards’ new book: Aftermath: Seven Secrets of Wealth Preservation in the Coming Chaos

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And speaking of updated 2020 editions: A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020: The Official Red Book.

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I just noticed that for some reason, Bill Cooper’s 1991 book Behold a Pale Horse just jumped back up to #432 in overall sales on Amazon.com. I’m guessing that it was mentioned in a syndicated talk radio show. Although I disagree with some of his UFO assertions, overall I find Cooper’s book some very interesting reading!

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 13, 2019

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Today is the birthday of screenwriter, director, and producer Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980). His many films spanned five decades.

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This is also the birthday is shared by sharpshooter, entertainer, and folk heroine Annie Oakley (1860–1926.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Common Summertime Medical Ailments, by Dr. J.

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I’m a board-certified family physician currently working as an urgent care provider in the southeastern United States. I really enjoy the work and split my time between a larger urban urgent care center and a small rural ‘fast-care’ facility about an hour outside the city. I grew up rurally and having always enjoyed country living and the self-sufficiency that comes with it, this also led to my interests in preparedness and survivalism. One of the most important aspects of preparedness is being comfortable in dealing with the variety of medical issues that will inevitably arise, ranging from inconveniences to emergencies. In this article, I plan to discuss some of the most common medical complaints I come across during the summer months in urgent care, as well as their background and first-line treatments. I also plan on writing a similar article in a few months covering fall/winter common complaints and treatment strategies.

While is it prudent to be prepared and supplied for significant or life-threatening injuries, you’re much more likely to encounter these more commonplace injuries and annoyances in day-to-day life, perhaps even moreso in a survival situation. Proper and prompt treatment of these conditions can shorten their duration and prevent them from progressing to more dangerous and debilitating conditions. So while I’d encourage you to hang onto your CAT tourniquets and Israeli pressure dressings (and learn how to use them!), keep some room in your med kit for more commonplace medications and supplies. You’ll likely need them more often than you think. For convenience and ease of acquisition, I’ll try to keep treatment strategies mostly to medications and supplies you can get without a prescription. Let’s get started!Continue reading“Common Summertime Medical Ailments, by Dr. J.”

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 a grizzlies court ruling (see the Wyoming section) and the aircraft collection of Jim Smith. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

US gives initial okay to predator-killing sodium cyanide

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Man sentenced for violent rampage called ‘the face of methamphetamine’ by judge

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Idaho Judge in 16-Year-Old Medical Kidnap Case Orders Video and Picture of Doctor Removed from MedicalKidnap.com as Cell Phones of Supporters are Confiscated

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

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 focus on concealed carry.

The Second Civil War Is Coming Into Focus

I often recommend getting the LBRY app. It is a viable un-censored alternative to YouTube. Once you have the app installed, I recommend this video by Tim Pool, one of the left-wingers that I consider quite credible: The Second Civil War Is Coming Into Focus, Reza Aslan Blames ALL Trump Supporters.

Is Someone Bugging or Tracking You?

At Kim Komando’s web site: How to tell if someone is bugging or tracking you.

5G Technology Versus Weather Forecasting

High-stakes dispute turns nasty, pits 5G technology against weather forecasting. A quote:

“The National Academy of Sciences planned a two-day summer workshop to address a high-stakes question: Could the development of next generation 5G wireless undermine the accuracy of information gathered by weather satellites?

On July 16, less than a week before the scheduled start, the event was canceled because many of the “most knowledgeable about the topic” were reluctant to participate, according to a statement released by the National Academy of Sciences.

The science workshop was a casualty of a nasty dispute within the federal government that has pitted Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials who say the 5G technology can be safely developed against NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials who say tighter restrictions are needed to prevent a serious threat to data collection by polar-orbiting satellites.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Beware, I pray thee, of presuming that thou art saved. If thy heart be renewed, if thou shalt hate the things that thou didst once love, and love the things that thou didst once hate; if thou hast really repented; if there be a thorough change of mind in thee; if thou be born again, then hast thou reason to rejoice: but if there be no vital change, no inward godliness; if there be no love to God, no prayer, no work of the Holy Spirit, then thy saying ‘I am saved’ is but thine own assertion, and it may delude, but it will not deliver thee.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 12, 2019

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This the birthday of country singer/songwriter Buck Owens (1929–2006). His songs typified what has been called “The Bakersfield Sound.”

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We are pleased to announce that an new prize has been added to the third prize package, for our bi-monthly nonfiction writing contest. The fine folks at Good2GoCo.com are now providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.

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Listen up, folks: Just as I warned you back in January, a legislative onslaught is now upon us. The gun grabbers simply waited until there were two orchestrated massacres in one weekend. Now President Trump is caving in. And the Senate Republican leadership is likewise caving in. This is looking a lot like a replay of 1968 and 1994. Please repeatedly contact your Senators and remind them that they swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. All of this proposed feel-good “gun control” legislation is patently unconstitutional. Magazine bans? Unconstitutional.  Red Flag laws?  Unconstitutional.  Universal background checks (banning private party sales)? Unconstitutional. Assault weapons bans? Unconstitutional.

Make those calls, folks! If we remain silent, then we’ll surely lose our rights!

And, just as a hedge: stock up. Stack those ARs and PMAGs deep. Someday soon, you may be very glad that you did.  Mark my words: I fully expect the price of complete AR-15s and AR-10s to TRIPLE in the next few months. Stripped lowers will probably quadruple or quintuple in price. Palmetto State Armory (one our affiliate advertisers) has very good quality ARs — and build parts, and magazines. They are well-known for their very competitive prices.

 

S&W Model 4006, by Pat Cascio

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All stainless steel handguns, are quite the marvel – well, at least they used to be. I still remember the very first stainless steel handgun I ever saw, it was the Smith & Wesson Model 60, a little 5-shot snubby revolver – it sold like crazy. However, when it came to semi-auto pistols, there were some serious issues with a stainless steel frame and slide – if the two parts were made from the same formulation of stainless steel, it would “gall” – after a few shots if the gun wasn’t heavily lubed, the two same stainless steels would mesh together in such a way, that the gun would jam – the same stainless steels – would rub against one another, causing friction in short order, and the slide wouldn’t move back and forth on the frame. Not a good thing.

I owned a then Safari Arms sub-compact 1911 – and it was quite the work of art back in 1980, and it was a great carry piece. I now wish that I had kept it – if for no other reason than nostalgia. However, the frame and slide were made out of the same stainless steel and if the gun wasn’t kept heavily lubed, the slide would stop moving back and forth on the stainless steel frame. It didn’t take gun makers long to figure this out – I don’t know why they didn’t realize this problem, before guns were shipped – surely, they tested those firearms. Now, when you see a stainless steel semi-auto with a slide and frame that are made out of stainless steel, it is slightly different types of stainless that they are using – and it solved the problem of galling.

Some of our long-time readers have requested, once again, that I do more articles on all-steel firearms, especially semi-autos. We try to not let our readers down, and if I have firearms in my meager collection, that qualifies for an article, I’ll sure do some testing on it. Today, we are looking at the S&W Model 4006 – and it was quite the handgun when it first came out in 1990, chambered in the then fairly-new .40 S&W caliber – it was all the rage, back then!Continue reading“S&W Model 4006, by Pat Cascio”